Hoochie Koo Rick Derringer

Originally finding fame with The McCoys, Rick Derringer worked with both Johnny and Edgar Winter, as well as Steely Dan, before going solo in 1973 for All American Boy. Co-produced with Bill Szymczyk, who would later produce the Eagles, All American Boy features guest appearances from Joe Walsh, Suzi Quatro and Edgar Winter, and features his best known hit, 'Rock And Roll Hoochie Koo'. The album also features 'Hold', a song co-written with a then relatively unknown Patti Smith. The bonus tracks include mono single versions of 'Rock 'n' Roll Hoochie Koo' and 'Teenage Love Affair'. Produced by Rick himself, Spring Fever followed in 1975, and includes a revisit to the McCoys' 'Hang On Sloopy', as well as the Rufus Thomas classic, 'Walkin' The Dog'.

2001 Dutch release with live recordings from the King Biscuit Flower Hour vaults. This 1983 Palladium show is a great place to start for anyone not turned on to Derringer's brand of music, though its circumstances were very unfortunate at the time. The gig was put together to raise money when all of the instruments and equipment belonging to Derringer and his band had been stolen, along with the van they were stored in that night, from a Greenwich Village side street. The guest artists include Lorna Luft (who put the show together), Dr. John, Edgar Winter, and Ian Hunter.

Aside from the fact that Rick Derringer seems to have lost the biggest part of his voice prior to this recording, the album serves as a rocking documentation of Winter in Japan, where he is revered as a star of the highest magnitude. And why not? After all, it was Edgar Winter who led that powerhouse rock & roll band called White Trash in the early '70s. Here, he recreates the sound of that band with "Fly Away" and "Keep Playing That Rock and Roll." And who can forget "Frankenstein" and "Free Ride," both played live here. Rick Derringer pulls out one from his All American Boy release, "Teenage Love Affair," and walks through his earliest hit with the McCoys, "Hang On Sloopy."

Aside from the fact that Rick Derringer seems to have lost the biggest part of his voice prior to this recording, the album serves as a rocking documentation of Winter in Japan, where he is revered as a star of the highest magnitude. And why not? After all, it was Edgar Winter who led that powerhouse rock & roll band called White Trash in the early '70s. Here, he recreates the sound of that band with "Fly Away" and "Keep Playing That Rock and Roll." And who can forget "Frankenstein" and "Free Ride," both played live here. Rick Derringer pulls out one from his All American Boy release, "Teenage Love Affair," and walks through his earliest hit with the McCoys, "Hang On Sloopy."

Rick Derringer tried a variety of different things in the 1980s, '90s, and 2000s. The singer/guitarist recorded his share of middle of the road pop/rock and adult contemporary albums, and he even recorded an instrumental jazz-pop/smooth jazz album that had George Benson-ish leanings (2002's Free Ride). But Derringer, who turned 61 in 2008, has a way of going back to blues-rock and hard rock – which is exactly what he does on Knighted by the Blues. Granted, this 2009 release wasn't recorded with blues purists in mind; not everything on Knighted by the Blues adheres to the traditional 12-bar format. But the feeling of the blues is quite strong throughout this 51-minute CD; that feeling is as strong on Derringer's own songs as it is on enjoyable performances of Jimi Hendrix's "If 6 Was Nine" and Ray Charles' "Funny, I Still Love You."

Hal Leonard has released Volume 18 of their Bass Play-Along series. Blues Rock is a 70 page, 8 song book featuring tab and CD tracks for each classic blues tune. The melody and lyrics for each tune are also included.
The CD includes audio with and without bass, so you can hear the bassline first, and play along with the backing tracks. The CD is enhanced for PC and Mac users to allow the recordings to be played at any tempo without changing the pitch. …