Rick Derringer (born Richard Dean Zehringer; August 5, 1947 – May 26, 2025) was an American musician, producer, and songwriter.

He gained success in the 1960s with his band, the McCoys. Their debut single, "Hang on Sloopy", became a number-one hit in 1965 and is now regarded as a classic track from the garage rock era. The McCoys had seven songs chart in the top 100, including covers of "Fever" and "Come on Let's Go".

In 1973, Derringer found further success with his song "Rock and Roll, Hoochie Koo". He also worked extensively with brothers Edgar and Johnny Winter, playing lead and rhythm guitar in their bands and producing all of their gold and platinum records, including Edgar Winter's hits "Frankenstein" and "Free Ride" (both in 1973). Derringer also collaborated with Steely Dan, Cyndi Lauper, and "Weird Al" Yankovic, producing Yankovic's Grammy Award-winning songs "Eat It" (1984) and "Fat" (1988). Additionally, Derringer produced the World Wrestling Federation's album The Wrestling Album (1985) and its follow-up, Piledriver: The Wrestling Album II (1987). These albums featured the entrance song for Hulk Hogan, "Real American", and the theme for the Demolition tag team, "Demolition". Derringer also produced three songs from the soundtrack of the 1984 Tom Hanks film Bachelor Party.

Death

Derringer died May 26, 2025 in Ormond Beach, Florida. He was 77 An official cause of death hasn't been released.