The McCoys
Encyclopedia
The McCoys were a rock
group
that started in Union City
, Indiana
, in 1962.
Richard Zehringer (later known as Rick Derringer
), his brother
Randy on drums
, and bassist
Dennis Kelly. This first line-up was known as The Rick Z Combo, and later known as Rick and the Raiders. When Kelly left for college
, the Zehringers were joined by bassist Randy Jo Hobbs
, saxophonist
Sean Michaels, and keyboardist
Ronnie Brandon. This was the line-up that took the name of The McCoys. Brandon left the group in 1965 and was replaced by Bobby Peterson on keyboards
.
One of their best-known song
s is "Hang On Sloopy
", which was #1 in America in the Billboard Hot 100
chart
in October 1965 and is the official rock
song
of the state of Ohio
. American
sales alone were over one million copies.
Other hits
include a Top 10 cover
of "Fever
" (Billboard #7), and a Top 40 cover of Ritchie Valens
's "Come On Let's Go" (Billboard #21).
A cover of "Sorrow", the B-side
of their version of "Fever", was a hit in the United Kingdom
for The Merseys and was later covered again by David Bowie
. Its opening line, "with your long, long hair and eyes of blue" was quoted by George Harrison
in the fadeout of It's All Too Much
, featured on the 1969 Yellow Submarine film soundtrack album.
The two Zehringer brothers (then known as Rick Derringer and Randy Z) and Hobbs became Johnny Winter
's band for the albums Johnny Winter And
and Live Johnny Winter And
in the 1970 and 1971 respectively. As backing musicians, both Derringer and Hobbs contributed to Winter's later releases, Still Alive and Well
(1973), Saints & Sinners (1974) and John Dawson Winter III
(1974). Derringer and Hobbs later played with Edgar Winter
, as well as appearing on the Together: Edgar Winter and Johnny Winter Live
album (1976). Hobbs later toured with Winter, but without Derringer, resulting in Winter's Captured Live!
album (1976). Derringer also played with Steely Dan
, Cyndi Lauper
, among others, in addition to forming later bands, such as DNA, with drummer Carmine Appice
.
Hobbs died of drug-related heart failure on 5 August 1993, (Derringer's birthday), at the age of 45. Peterson died in Gainesville, Florida, on 21 July 1993, at the age of 47.
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
group
Musical ensemble
A musical ensemble is a group of people who perform instrumental or vocal music. In classical music, trios or quartets either blend the sounds of musical instrument families or group together instruments from the same instrument family, such as string ensembles or wind ensembles...
that started in Union City
Union City, Indiana
Union City is a city in Wayne Township, Randolph County, Indiana, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 3,584.Union City was a stop along the Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad, a forerunner of the Pennsylvania Railroad that connected Pittsburgh to...
, Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
, in 1962.
Career
The original members, all from Union City, were guitaristGuitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
Richard Zehringer (later known as Rick Derringer
Rick Derringer
Rick Derringer is an American guitarist, vocalist, and entertainer.-1960s:When he was seventeen years old, his band The McCoys recorded "Hang on Sloopy" in the summer of 1965, which became the number one song in America before "Yesterday" by The Beatles knocked it out of the top spot. The song was...
), his brother
Sibling
Siblings are people who share at least one parent. A male sibling is called a brother; and a female sibling is called a sister. In most societies throughout the world, siblings usually grow up together and spend a good deal of their childhood socializing with one another...
Randy on drums
Drum kit
A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, and bassist
Bassist
A bass player, or bassist is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass, bass guitar, keyboard bass or a low brass instrument such as a tuba or sousaphone. Different musical genres tend to be associated with one or more of these instruments...
Dennis Kelly. This first line-up was known as The Rick Z Combo, and later known as Rick and the Raiders. When Kelly left for college
College
A college is an educational institution or a constituent part of an educational institution. Usage varies in English-speaking nations...
, the Zehringers were joined by bassist Randy Jo Hobbs
Randy Jo Hobbs
Randy Jo Hobbs was an American musician born in Winchester, Indiana. Hobbs played bass for The McCoys during the 1965-1969 period and in the bands of the brothers Edgar Winter and Johnny Winter during 1970-1976....
, saxophonist
Saxophone
The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
Sean Michaels, and keyboardist
Keyboardist
A keyboardist is a musician who plays keyboard instruments. Until the early 1960s musicians who played keyboards were generally classified as either pianists or organists. Since the mid-1960s, a plethora of new musical instruments with keyboards have come into common usage, requiring a more...
Ronnie Brandon. This was the line-up that took the name of The McCoys. Brandon left the group in 1965 and was replaced by Bobby Peterson on keyboards
Keyboard instrument
A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
.
One of their best-known song
Song
In music, a song is a composition for voice or voices, performed by singing.A song may be accompanied by musical instruments, or it may be unaccompanied, as in the case of a cappella songs...
s is "Hang On Sloopy
Hang on Sloopy
"Hang on Sloopy" is a song by the pop group The McCoys which was #1 in America in October 1965 and is the official rock song of the state of Ohio and The Ohio State University...
", which was #1 in America in the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
chart
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
in October 1965 and is the official rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
song
Song
In music, a song is a composition for voice or voices, performed by singing.A song may be accompanied by musical instruments, or it may be unaccompanied, as in the case of a cappella songs...
of the state of Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
. American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
sales alone were over one million copies.
Other hits
Hit single
A hit single is a recorded song or instrumental released as a single that has become very popular. Although it is sometimes used to describe any widely-played or big-selling song, the term "hit" is usually reserved for a single that has appeared in an official music chart through repeated radio...
include a Top 10 cover
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
of "Fever
Fever (1956 song)
"Fever" is a song written by Eddie Cooley and Otis Blackwell, who used the pseudonym John Davenport. It was originally recorded by Little Willie John in 1956. It has been covered by numerous artists from various musical genres, notably Peggy Lee in 1958....
" (Billboard #7), and a Top 40 cover of Ritchie Valens
Ritchie Valens
Ritchie Valens was a Mexican-American singer, songwriter and guitarist....
's "Come On Let's Go" (Billboard #21).
A cover of "Sorrow", the B-side
A-side and B-side
A-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of gramophone records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s. The terms have come to refer to the types of song conventionally placed on each side of the record, with the A-side being the featured song , while the B-side, or...
of their version of "Fever", was a hit in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
for The Merseys and was later covered again by David Bowie
David Bowie
David Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
. Its opening line, "with your long, long hair and eyes of blue" was quoted by George Harrison
George Harrison
George Harrison, MBE was an English musician, guitarist, singer-songwriter, actor and film producer who achieved international fame as lead guitarist of The Beatles. Often referred to as "the quiet Beatle", Harrison became over time an admirer of Indian mysticism, and introduced it to the other...
in the fadeout of It's All Too Much
It's All Too Much
"It's All Too Much" is a song by The Beatles which first appeared on the 1969 Yellow Submarine film soundtrack album. It was written and sung by George Harrison. It was originally recorded in 1967, shortly before the release of Sgt...
, featured on the 1969 Yellow Submarine film soundtrack album.
The two Zehringer brothers (then known as Rick Derringer and Randy Z) and Hobbs became Johnny Winter
Johnny Winter
John Dawson "Johnny" Winter III is an American blues guitarist, singer, and producer. Best known for his late 1960s and 1970s high-energy blues-rock albums and live performances, Winter also produced three Grammy Award-winning albums for blues legend Muddy Waters...
's band for the albums Johnny Winter And
Johnny Winter And
Johnny Winter And is the fourth studio album by Texas blues guitarist Johnny Winter, released in 1970. This was the first album released with Rick Derringer as sideman...
and Live Johnny Winter And
Live Johnny Winter And
Live Johnny Winter And is a 1971 album by Johnny Winter recorded live at various locations during the fall of 1970 including the Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, New York, and Pirate's World in Dania, Florida.- Track listing :...
in the 1970 and 1971 respectively. As backing musicians, both Derringer and Hobbs contributed to Winter's later releases, Still Alive and Well
Still Alive and Well
Still Alive and Well is the fifth studio album by Johnny Winter, released in 1973.- Track listing :#"Rock Me Baby" - 3:49#"Can't You Feel It" - 3:01#"Cheap Tequila" - 4:05...
(1973), Saints & Sinners (1974) and John Dawson Winter III
John Dawson Winter III
John Dawson Winter III is the seventh studio album by Johnny Winter, released in 1974.-Track listing:#Rock & Roll People - 2:43#Golden Olden Days Of Rock & Roll - 3:01#Self Destructive Blues - 3:28#Raised On Rock - 4:39#Stranger - 3:54...
(1974). Derringer and Hobbs later played with Edgar Winter
Edgar Winter
Edgar Holland Winter is an American musician. He is famous for being a multi-instrumentalist. He is a highly skilled keyboardist, saxophonist and percussionist. He often plays an instrument while singing. He was most successful in the 1970s with his band, The Edgar Winter Group, notably with their...
, as well as appearing on the Together: Edgar Winter and Johnny Winter Live
Together: Edgar Winter and Johnny Winter Live
Together: Edgar Winter and Johnny Winter Live is a 1976 album by brothers Johnny Winter and Edgar Winter.-Track listing:#"Harlem Shuffle"#"Soul Man"#"You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'"...
album (1976). Hobbs later toured with Winter, but without Derringer, resulting in Winter's Captured Live!
Captured Live!
- Track listing :# "Bony Moronie" - 6:49# "Roll With Me" - 4:48# "Rock & Roll People" - 5:37# "It's All Over Now" - 5:48# "Highway 61 Revisited" - 10:38...
album (1976). Derringer also played with Steely Dan
Steely Dan
Steely Dan is an American rock band; its core members are Donald Fagen and Walter Becker. The band's popularity peaked in the late 1970s, with the release of seven albums blending elements of jazz, rock, funk, R&B, and pop...
, Cyndi Lauper
Cyndi Lauper
Cynthia Ann Stephanie "Cyndi" Lauper is an American singer, songwriter, actress and LGBT rights activist. She achieved success in the mid-1980s with the release of the album She's So Unusual and became the first female singer to have four top-five singles released from one album...
, among others, in addition to forming later bands, such as DNA, with drummer Carmine Appice
Carmine Appice
Carmine Appice is an American rock drummer of Italian background and is the older brother of drummer Vinny Appice by 12 years. He received a classical music training and was influenced by the jazz drumming of Buddy Rich and Gene Krupa early on...
.
Hobbs died of drug-related heart failure on 5 August 1993, (Derringer's birthday), at the age of 45. Peterson died in Gainesville, Florida, on 21 July 1993, at the age of 47.
Albums
- 1969: Human Ball - Mercury SR 61207 - 1969
- 1968: The Infinite McCoys - Mercury SR 61163 - 1968
- 1966: You Make Me Feel So Good - Bang BLP-213 / BLPS-213 - 1966
- 1965: Hang on Sloopy (#44) - Bang BLP-212 (monoMonauralMonaural or monophonic sound reproduction is single-channel. Typically there is only one microphone, one loudspeaker, or channels are fed from a common signal path...
) / BLPS-212 (stereoStereophonic soundThe term Stereophonic, commonly called stereo, sound refers to any method of sound reproduction in which an attempt is made to create an illusion of directionality and audible perspective...
) - 1965
Singles
- "Hang on SloopyHang on Sloopy"Hang on Sloopy" is a song by the pop group The McCoys which was #1 in America in October 1965 and is the official rock song of the state of Ohio and The Ohio State University...
" (#1) / "I Can't Explain It" - Bang 506 - 1965 - "Fever" (#7) / "Sorrow" - Bang 511 - 1965
- "Up And Down" (#46) / "If You Tell A Lie" - Bang 516 - 1966
- "Come On, Let's Go" (#21) / "Little People" - Bang 522 - 1966
- "(You Make Me Feel) So Good" (#53) / "Runaway" - Bang 527 - 1966
- "Don't Worry Mother, Your Son's Heart Is Pure" (#67) / "Ko-Ko" - Bang 532 - 1966
- "I Got To Go Back (And Watch That Little Girl Dance)" (#69) / "Dynamite" - Bang 538 - 1967
- "Beat The Clock" (#92) / "Like You Do To Me" - Bang 543 - 1967
- "Say Those Magic Words" / "I Wonder If She Remembers Me" - Bang 549 - 1967
- "Jesse Brady" (#98) / "Resurrection" - Mercury 72843 - 1968
- "Epilogue" / "Daybreak" - Mercury 72897 - 1968
- "Love Don't Stop" / "Only Human" - Mercury 72917 - 1969