R.I.P., Rick Derringer, and we’ll always help Sloopy hang on

Daily Dirt for Thursday, May 29, 2025

Derringer latest of pop music icons to leave us this year … Welcome to today’s three thoughts that make up Vol. 1,299 of The Daily Dirt.

1. We lost another giant in the music industry this week.

Rick Derringer, who shot to fame at age 17 when he and his band, the McCoys, recorded “Hang on Sloopy.”. Derringer, 77, who had been suffering from heart-related problems in recent years, underwent triple-bypass surgery earlier this year.

The McCoys’ iconic “Hang On Sloopy” reached No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 in 1965, about the same time it was adopted as the official song of Ohio State athletics. To this day, the song is probably heard at least a dozen times during each Ohio State football game. Derringer was a native of Ohio.

The Grammy-winning artist later worked with music greats such as Ringo Starr, Alice Cooper, Richie Havens, Steely Dan, Cyndi Lauper, Barbra Streisand, KISS and many others. Derringer discovered Weird Al Yankovic in the ’80s and helped the comedy musician produce the infamous Michael Jackson parody song “Eat It.”

Besides “Hang on Sloopy” and “Rock and Roll, Hoochie Koo,” Derringer was also best known for recording Hulk Hogan’s famous WWE theme song “Real American” — a hit that has since been used by several U.S. presidents.

Here’s a quick recap, in no particular order, of who I feel are the rest of the 10 best-known rock talents who have died so far this year:

Jerry Butler: The famed R&B and soul singer died in February.  He was 85. Before Butler’s voice was stilled by Parkinson’s Disease, he performed globally with the Impressions and as a solo artist. The Rock & Roll Hall of Famer earned the nickname “Iceman” because he stood relatively still on stage, and generally did not tend toward any dramatic performance style. His hits included “For Your Previous Love” and “Only the Strong Survive”.

Roberta Flack:The North Carolina-born singer was best known for her performances of “Killing Me Softly With His Song” and “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face,” which both won a Grammy for Record Of The Year. She died in February at age 88.

Peter Yarrow: He was part of the uber popular folk trio Peter, Paul and Mary in the early 1960s. He died in his New York City home at age 86 after a four-year battle against bladder cancer.

Sam Moore: Best known for being half of the duo Sam & Dave — along with partner Dave Prater — that performed “Soul Man” and “Hold On I’m Coming,” died in January from surgery complications. He was 89.

Marianne Faithfull: Best known for “As Tears Go By,”  she died in January at age 79. Her best-known single was a Mick Jagger-Keith Richards composition, Faithfull’s relationship with the Rolling Stones fascinated the late 1960s press fascinated newspapers — particularly after she was present when Mick and Keith were arrested for possession of drugs in February 1967. 

Clem Burke: The Blondie drummer died at age 70 in April, after losing his private battle with cancer. Founding members Debbie Harry and Chris Stein described Burke as the “heartbeat of Blondie”.

Robert John: The New York-born singer was best known for his 1979 hit “Sad Eyes,” which topped the Billboard Hot 100. He died in February. He was 79.

Larry Tamblyn: The vocalist and keyboard player with the Los Angeles garage rock band The Standells died in March at age 82. Tamblyn and the Standells’ biggest hit was 1965’s “Dirty Water,” which remains a staple on oldies’ channels is regularly played at Fenway Park in Boston during Red Sox games.

Brenton Wood: The soul singer, known most for 1967’s “The Oogum Boogum Song,” died of natural causes in January at age 83. 

2. Did you know (Part 378)

• That according to one of those fast-food studies, the five favorite appetizers at U.S. restaurants are nachos, stuffed mushrooms, mozzarella Sticks, wings and spinach/artichoke dip. (Potato skins were No. 6.)
• That Ruffles Potato Chips will soon be offering a Spicy Dill Pickle flavor.
• That Lay’s Potato Chips will be countering with a Farmhouse Cheese and Ranch flavor.
• That Dorito’s is planning to release Tangy Ketchup, Tangy Pickle and Hot Mustard flavors in the not-too-distant future.
• That Cheetos’ Flamin’ Hot Cheddar BBQ will be hitting supermarket shelves at some point this summer.

3. This one’s for our football fans who already appreciate the greatness NFL Hall of Fame running back Jim Brown.

Did you know during his senior year in high school at Manhasset (N.Y.) he:

• Averaged 14.9 yards per carry.
• Averaged 39.6 points a game in basketball.
• Pitched two no-hitters for the baseball team.

With apologies to all other running backs in NFL history who came before him or have played since, there was has never anyone on the same level as Brown. And that’s obviously no knock against Walter Payton, Barry Sanders, Herschel Walker or any other magnificent talent you care to bring up. There will forever be only one Jim Brown.

Steve Thought O’ The Day — If you’ve never seen the “Hang On Sloopy” video it’s … well … kind of memorable. Make sure you get the original. There are some ripoffs out there where Derringer’s voice and the music are botched.

Steve Eighinger writes daily for Muddy River News. He don’t care what your daddy do.