The McCoys guitarist and Grammy winner was 77

Rick Derringer, the pioneering guitarist, frontman of the influential, proto-garage-rock act the McCoys, and a Grammy-winning producer for Bizarre Al Yankovic, has died at 77.

Tony Wilson, Derringer’s longtime caretaker and good friend, introduced his demise in Ormond Seashore, Fla., in a Tuesday Fb publish that learn, “Legendary musician/entertainer Rick Derringer Obtained His Wings And Handed On This Memorial Day.” Wilson famous that Derringer “handed on at 8:09 PM on Might twenty sixth, surrounded by his loving spouse, Singer Songwriter, and band of 28 years Jenda Derringer, [and] his caretaker and shut good friend Tony Wilson.”

No reason behind demise was given.

Born Richard Dean Zehringer on Aug. 5, 1947, Derringer was the son of an Ohio railroad foreman and first fashioned his influential band, the McCoys, whereas nonetheless in eighth grade.

The band recorded their first and most enduring hit, “Dangle On Sloopy,” the 12 months after the unique, the Vibrations’ tune “My Woman Sloopy,” was launched in 1964, earlier than Derringer had turned 18. The tune charted larger than The Beatles’ “Yesterday” and paved the way in which for Derringer’s continued success.

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Derringer fashioned and joined quite a lot of teams all through his storied seven-decade profession, together with the Edgar Winter Group, which scored Derringer one other huge hit in 1972 with “Frankenstein.” His 1973 solo debut, All American Boy, was buoyed to success by lead single “Rock and Roll, Hoochie Koo,” which has been re-introduced era after era by way of inclusion on the soundtracks for 1993’s Dazed and Confused and the season 4 soundtrack of Stranger Issues in 2022.

Over time, Derringer collaborated with quite a lot of iconic musicians and musical acts, from Steely Dan (“My Rival”), to Todd Rundgren (Derringer produced a number of Rundgren albums), Bonnie Tyler (“Whole Eclipse of the Coronary heart”), and Barbra Streisand (“Left within the Darkish”). Derringer went on to Grammy glory for producing six albums for Bizarre Al Yankovic.

In his publish asserting Derringer’s demise, Wilson famous that preparations for a memorial service for Derringer will likely be introduced at a later date out of respect to his household and family members.