MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST:
He started playing music at an early age, and as a teenager, he topped the charts with a hit that became a signature anthem for sports fans in Ohio, his home state. Rick Derringer died Monday at age 77. From member station WKSU in Cleveland, Kabir Bhatia has a look back at his career.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "HANG ON SLOOPY")
THE MCCOYS: (Singing) Hang on Sloopy. Sloopy, hang on.
KABIR BHATIA, BYLINE: The song "Hang On Sloopy" by The McCoys was a No. 1 hit in 1965. The lead singer was 17-year-old Rick Derringer, who was born and raised in Ohio. The song, with its sing-along chorus, soon became a mainstay of Ohio State University football games and sporting events throughout the Buckeye State.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)
BHATIA: Twenty years later, "Hang On Sloopy" was declared the official rock song of the state of Ohio. By then, Derringer had worked as a side man for everyone from Barbra Streisand to Steely Dan to Kiss, even scoring his own hits like this 1973 song that became a classic rock staple.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "ROCK AND ROLL, HOOCHIE KOO")
RICK DERRINGER: (Singing) Lordy, Mama, light my fuse. Rock and roll, Hoochie Koo.
BHATIA: As a producer, Derringer also helmed Weird Al Yankovic's string of '80s hits and won a Grammy for producing "Eat It," a parody of Michael Jackson's "Beat It." Derringer even played the guitar solo, replicating the original by Eddie Van Halen.
(SOUNDBITE OF WEIRD AL YANKOVIC SONG, "EAT IT")
BHATIA: A year later, he produced the World Wrestling Federation's "The Wrestling Album" and wrote Hulk Hogan's theme song, "Real American." Derringer toured with Ringo Starr in the 2010s. Later in the decade, he spoke of his renewed interest in the Bible and his support for President Donald Trump. No cause of death has been released, but he reportedly had various medical conditions in recent years, which NPR has not confirmed.
For NPR News, I'm Kabir Bhatia in Cleveland.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "HANG ON SLOOPY")
THE MCCOYS: Well, come on, Sloopy. Come on, come on. Well, come on, Sloopy. Come on, come on. Well, it feels so good. Come on, come on. You know it feels so good. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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