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Is it me or was/is Rick Derringer a very underrated guitarist?

j45

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Jun 14, 2002
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Wouldn't list him with the greats but he'll always have a special place in guitar history with me....he can definitely can play and had some great moments. Love Edgar Winter's incredible band White Trash "Road Work" Live album (Rick with an ES-355 IIRC). One of the great live records of all time as far as I'm concerned. Funny to see this and remember how tiny he was. Would see him at the Texas shows regurlarly a few years back....don't know if he still goes...some other guys would. He shared that Edgar/Johnny connection for years as well as record many of the same tunes.
 

Luke Gibson

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Jul 15, 2001
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Wouldn't list him with the greats but he'll always have a special place in guitar history with me....he can definitely can play and had some great moments. Love Edgar Winter's incredible band White Trash "Road Work" Live album (Rick with an ES-355 IIRC). One of the great live records of all time as far as I'm concerned. Funny to see this and remember how tiny he was. Would see him at the Texas shows regurlarly a few years back....don't know if he still goes...some other guys would. He shared that Edgar/Johnny connection for years as well as record many of the same tunes.

+1
 

roycaster

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Sep 1, 2002
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He was pretty highly thought of back in the ‘70s. But he didn’t have a lot of hit singles, and then EVH came along towards the end of the decade and changed guitar playing. By the ‘80s Rick Derringer, Pat Travers and the rest of those guys went back to the club grind…
 

j45

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He played on a bunch of Steely Dan stuff.

wow...never knew that...

someone should mention "Hang On Sloopy":jim

after Big Al's post I had to Wikipedia Rick and saw more "unkowns" trivia.. at least by me... he played guitar on Weird Al's "Eat It "....parody of Michel Jackson's Beat It doing a take on EVH's solo... With the Hang On Sloopy hit the McCoys were the opener for the Rolling Stones' entire 1966 American tour, ...his name is "Zehringer"... played solos on Alice Cooper's "Killer" album...played guitar on Joe Walsh's first solo album... did "ringer" guitar duties on Kiss albums (uncredited of course)....quite a career...
 
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lpnv59

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Underrated in what way? As a guitar player he is well known and as AFAIK, has never needed a day job unrelated to music or guitar playing since he began his career as a teenager fronting The McCoys.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iBg3bvhZPZA
No hes not in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, but since when has that exclusion undermined anyone's Rock & Roll credentials or lessened the publics value in someones music?

I think he rates fine.
 

rockabilly69

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Jul 29, 2001
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2,872
Wouldn't list him with the greats but he'll always have a special place in guitar history with me....he can definitely can play and had some great moments. Love Edgar Winter's incredible band White Trash "Road Work" Live album (Rick with an ES-355 IIRC). One of the great live records of all time as far as I'm concerned. Funny to see this and remember how tiny he was. Would see him at the Texas shows regurlarly a few years back....don't know if he still goes...some other guys would. He shared that Edgar/Johnny connection for years as well as record many of the same tunes.
I love that record, and also the "Johnny Winter And" record that he played on. The rhythm playing on songs like "On A Limb" and "Ain't That Kindness" was great!!!
 

Elliot Easton

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Mar 5, 2003
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He played on a bunch of Steely Dan stuff.

Slide on "Showbiz Kids" is, I think, all he played on. He's certainly not underrated by me. The band "Derringer" that he had in the late '70's-80's was one of the best live acts of the time. I'm talking about the lineup w/ Danny Johnson, Kenny Aaronson and Myron Grombacher. Incredible band.
 

Elliot Easton

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Underrated in what way? As a guitar player he is well known and as AFAIK, has never needed a day job unrelated to music or guitar playing since he began his career as a teenager fronting The McCoys.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iBg3bvhZPZA
No hes not in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, but since when has that exclusion undermined anyone's Rock & Roll credentials or lessened the publics value in someones music?

I think he rates fine.


+1. I once saw him sit in with Les Paul at Fat Tuesdays and he held his own like a mofo.
 

Xpensive Wino

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Nov 3, 2012
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Slide on "Showbiz Kids" is, I think, all he played on. He's certainly not underrated by me. The band "Derringer" that he had in the late '70's-80's was one of the best live acts of the time. I'm talking about the lineup w/ Danny Johnson, Kenny Aaronson and Myron Grombacher. Incredible band.

That is a fact. I saw/heard them live, and they were tight as ticks.
 

Luke Gibson

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Slide on "Showbiz Kids" is, I think, all he played on. He's certainly not underrated by me. The band "Derringer" that he had in the late '70's-80's was one of the best live acts of the time. I'm talking about the lineup w/ Danny Johnson, Kenny Aaronson and Myron Grombacher. Incredible band.

Saw the Derringer Band open for Frampton in Florida, during the solo at the end of Beyond The Universe they were throwing thier guitars back and forth to each other. I immediately went out and bought Derringer Live!
 

Shantrick

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Jan 27, 2008
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If memory serves me, did he not play on some Kiss albums as well? You know the routine, Ace "Couldn't make it that day"
 

Luke Gibson

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If memory serves me, did he not play on some Kiss albums as well? You know the routine, Ace "Couldn't make it that day"

Indeed he did, I think it was one of the tracks on the studio side of "Alive II", Rick also toured with Cyndi Lauper in the early 80's.
 
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