Formed in Union City, Indiana, USA, in 1962, this beat group initially comprised Rick Zehringer (b. 5 August 1947, Fort Recovery, Ohio, USA; guitar), his brother Randy (b. 1951, Union City, Indiana, USA; drums) and bass player Dennis Kelly. Known variously as Rick And The Raiders or the Rick Z Combo, the group later added Ronnie Brandon (organ), becoming the McCoys soon after Randy Hobbs replaced the college-bound Kelly. The quartet became a highly popular attraction throughout America’s Midwest, and was brought to Bert Berns’ Bang label by producers Feldman/Gottherer/Goldstein. The group’s debut ‘Hang On Sloopy’ (1965), topped the US chart and reached the UK Top 5, but successive releases in a similar gutsy style fared less well; an early b-side, ‘Sorrow’, was later adopted by the Merseys, and in turn was covered by David Bowie on his 1973 Pin-Ups. The group discarded its bubblegum image with the progressive Infinite McCoys, and as the house band at New York’s popular Scene club. Owner/entrepreneur Steve Paul later paired the group with blues protégé Johnny Winter, whose Johnny Winter And featured the Zehringer siblings and Randy Hobbs, with Rick, now Rick Derringer, handling production. When this group was disbanded, Derringer joined Edgar Winter before embarking on a solo career.
