Hang On

Hang On may refer to:

Hang On Sloopy

"Hang On Sloopy" is a 1964 song by Wes Farrell and Bert Russell, originally titled "My Girl Sloopy".

It was first recorded by The Vibrations in 1964, for Atlantic Records (45-2222), reaching #10 on the R&B chart and #26 on the US pop chart. As recorded by the pop group The McCoys, "Hang On Sloopy" went to #1 in the United States in October 1965.

History

According to Rick Derringer, the original version of Sloopy was written by a "high school kid in St. Louis" and sold to Bert Berns. If true, the answer to the age old question "just who is Sloopy?" lies with him. In 1965, The Strangeloves, a rock band who purported to be from Australia, decided to make the song the follow-up to their hit single "I Want Candy", and began performing the song in concert. However, the Dave Clark Five, with whom they were touring, told the Strangeloves that they were going to record their own version of the song, copying the Strangeloves' arrangement. The Strangeloves realized that the Dave Clark Five's version would probably outsell their own, but they were still enjoying success with "I Want Candy" and did not want to release a new single yet. So the trio—who were, in reality, three successful writer/producers from Brooklyn, New York— recruited a group from Union City, Indiana, Rick and the Raiders, to record the song instead. The group's name was changed to The McCoys (to avoid confusion with another popular band of the era, Paul Revere and the Raiders), and their 16-year-old leader, Rick Zehringer, became known as Rick Derringer. The McCoys' backup track was then also used by the Strangeloves, and the single was released on Bang Records. It entered the chart on August 14, 1965, effectively beating the Dave Clark Five to the charts. The single went on to hit number one on October 2.

The McCoys

The McCoys were a rock group that started in Union City, Indiana, in 1962. They are best known for their hit "Hang on Sloopy".

Career

The original members, all from Union City, except the Zehringer boys were from Fort Recovery Ohio, guitarist 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 songs is "Hang On Sloopy", which was #1 in the United States in the Billboard Hot 100 chart in October 1965 and is the official rock song of the state of Ohio. It also is the unofficial fight song of The Ohio State University Buckeyes and can heard being played at many Ohio State athletic events by the OSU bands. 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).

Rick Derringer

Rick Derringer (born Ricky Dean Zehringer; August 5, 1947) is an American guitarist, vocalist, Grammy Award winning producer and entertainer.

Derringer came to prominence in the 1960s as a member of The McCoys, who had a number one hit single with "Hang on Sloopy." Derringer then turned to blues rock, scoring a 1974 hit with "Rock and Roll, Hoochie Koo". He has also worked extensively with brothers Edgar and Johnny Winter, and with the group Steely Dan.

Life and career

Early life and 1960s

Derringer was born in Fort Recovery, Ohio, the son of Janice Lavine (Thornburg) and John J. Zehringer, a railroad worker. When he was 17, 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 issued by Bang Records. He adopted the Derringer stage name which was inspired by the Bang Records logo which featured a derringer pistol.

After starting The McCoys, he changed the band's name to "The Rick Z Combo", and then "Rick and the Raiders". After recording "Hang on Sloopy", it was decided that the original name was best, and The McCoys were reborn.

Hang

Hang may refer to: