The McCoys

Garage rock band The McCoys was formed in Fort Recovery, Ohio in 1962. The group was founded by guitarist / vocalist Richard Zehringer (later known by his stage name Rick Derringer), drummer Randy Zehringer (Randy Z), and bassist Dennis Kelly. Originally calling themselves the Rick Z Combo, they changed the name to Rick and the Raiders before settling on The McCoys. By this time, Kelly had left the group and was replaced by Randy Jo Hobbs. They also added keyboardist Ronnie Brandon and saxophonist Sean Michaels. Signing to Bang Records, The McCoys scored a number 1 hit with “Hang on Sloopy,” which was also a number 5 hit in the UK. Their next single, “Fever,” rose to number 7. The B-side to “Fever” was the original version of “Sorrow,” which was later covered by The Merseys (aka The Merseybeats) and David Bowie among others. The group’s debut album, Hang on Sloopy, was released in 1965 and reached number 44 in the charts. However, by the time they released their second album, You Make Me Feel So Good (1966), the group was dismayed that they were being classified as bubblegum pop and wanted to be taken more seriously. They left Bang Records and signed with the Mercury label, releasing the psychedelic / garage rock albums Infinite McCoys (1968) and Human Ball (1969). Unfortunately, the albums were not successful, and the band plotted their next move. Rick Derringer, Randy Z and Randy Jo Hobbs began working with Johnny Winter and backed him and his brother Edgar Winter for the first half of the 1970s. Rick Derringer then went on to a successful career as a solo artist, session musician, and producer. Randy Jo Hobbs died of heart failure on August 5, 1993, at the age of 45. Rick Derringer died on May 26, 2025, at the age of 77.

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