Rick Derringer dies at 77; musician who had a hit with ‘Hang On Sloopy’ also produced songs for ‘Weird Al’ Yankovic

Associated Press Guitarist and singer Rick Derringer who shot to fame at when his band The McCoys recorded Hang On Sloopy had a hit with Rock and Roll Hoochie Koo and earned a Grammy Award for producing Weird Al Yankovic s debut album has died He was Derringer died Monday in in Ormond Beach Florida according to a Facebook announcement from his caretaker Tony Wilson No cause of death was informed Derringer s decades in the music industry spanned teen stardom session work for bands like Steely Dan supplying the guitar solo on Bonnie Tyler s Total Eclipse of the Heart and producing for Cyndi Lauper Derringer s legacy extends beyond his music entertaining fans with his signature force and talent His passing leaves a void in the music world and he will be deeply missed by fans colleagues and loved ones Wilson wrote Related Articles Phil Robertson dies at Duck Dynasty patriarch was a conservative cultural icon Former US Rep Charles Rangel of New York dies at Photos Scouts and contributors place over flags for Memorial Day Hilding Tex Ronning - Santa Cruz mourns loss of inspirational coach mentor Indianapolis Colts music-loving owner Jim Irsay dies at age As a teen he formed the McCoys with his brother Randy and exposed fame trilling Hang On Sloopy a No hit about lovers from different socioeconomic circumstances Derringer enjoyed his first solo hit with Rock and Roll Hoochie Koo which was used in the fourth season of Stranger Things His best-charting album was All American Boy in which included the instrumentals Pleasure Ride and Time Warp His sole Grammy was for Yankovic s Eat It which had the Michael Jackson parodies Eat It and Who s Fat Throughout the s and s Derringer worked extensively as a session musician playing on albums by Steely Dan including Countdown to Ecstasy Katy Lied and Gaucho Todd Rundgren Kiss and Barbra Streisand He played on Air Supply s Making Love Out of Nothing at All In the mid- s he began working with Lauper touring in her band and playing on three of her albums including the hit True Colors He toured with Ringo Starr and The All-Starr Band In he produced the World Wrestling Federation s The Wrestling Album which consisted primarily mostly of pro wrestlers theme songs a great number of of which he co-wrote including what would become Hulk Hogan s theme song Real American