Rick Derringer and the McCoys had their biggest hit with "Hang On Sloopy," a song that Derringer grew tired of playing even though fans clamored for it. Eventually, he went on to create a career that suited him better.

He sang and played guitar as a solo artist, and he collaborated with a wide range of other artists including Ringo Starr, Barbra Streisand and "Weird Al" Yankovich.

Also a songwriter, Derringer wrote "Rock and Roll, Hoochie Koo," which is on his "All American Boy" album. You can see a shot of the cover in the chapters. The album is available on Amazon Streaming or you can listen to an official version of the song here.

Derringer also wrote "Real American," Hulk Hogan's entrance theme.

As for "Hang On Sloopy," which Derringer didn't write, it stays current as the unofficial anthem of the Ohio State University Marching Band. Here's a 1965 video of the McCoys playing the song with one memorable young woman dancing along. Many thanks to my brother-in-law, Bob Jones, for introducing me to this little piece of Ohio history. And talk about intriguing history, here's an interesting video about the song itself and how it became connected with Ohio State.

The thumbnail photo shows Derringer performing in 1974. It's credited to Jim Summaria, http://www.jimsummariaphoto.com, CC BY-SA 3.0. You can find it on Wikimedia Commons. That photo is in the chapters too, along with a shot of Derringer playing with Ringo's All-Starr Band in Paris in June 2011. The more recent photo is credited to Dr. Jean Fortunet, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons. You can go here to find it.

The art that frames two sides of the thumbnail photo was created by Bob Jones.

Song of the Day creator Sheldon Zoldan researched, wrote and narrated this short story, one of 35 tributes to music stars who passed away in 2025. Song of the Day used to be a daily feature delivered to an email list of subscribers. Sheldon ended it in early 2026 which, I suppose, means that Song of the Day deserves a tribute of its own. The good thing is that the tributes to music makers live on. Each is a snapshot of the life of one music maker whose work made an impact on the lives of many.

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This is Kate Jones. Thank you for listening to Everyday Creation®, available on YouTube and in major podcast directories including Apple, Spotify, iHeart and Audible.

The brother-sister duo Nino Tempo and April Stevens had a Grammy-winning hit with “Deep Purple,” which reached No. 1 in November 1963 and was named the Best Rock And Roll Recording of the year.

Tempo died April 10, 2025; his older sister passed away in 2023. Her tribute, titled "April Stevens was a Hitmaker With and Without her Brother," is Episode 23 on Everyday Creation.

Tempo's music career started early, when he was only 4 years old. In this episode, you'll find out more about the multi-talented performer and what led to his and Stevens' "Deep Purple" success. There are different versions of the duo performing the song. Here is one of them.

You can listen to "Sister James," also referenced in this video, by going here or just searching Sister James Nino Tempo 5th Ave Sax on YouTube.

The thumbnail picture is part of a photo of Tempo and his sister that's credited to KRLA Beat Publications. The original photo appeared in the December 1965 edition of a newspaper produced for KRLA Radio, Los Angeles. This cropped version is available on Wikimedia Commons. In the chapters, there's a shot of a colorful CD featuring "Deep Purple." I found it on Amazon.

The art that frames two sides of the photo was created by Bob Jones.

Song of the Day creator Sheldon Zoldan researched, wrote and narrated this short story, one of 35 tributes to music stars who passed away in 2025. Song of the Day used to be a daily feature delivered to an email list of subscribers. Sheldon ended it in early 2026 which, I suppose, means that Song of the Day deserves a tribute of its own. The good thing is that the tributes to music makers live on. Each is a snapshot of the life of one music maker whose work made an impact on the lives of many.

Send us Fan Mail

This is Kate Jones. Thank you for listening to Everyday Creation®, available on YouTube and in major podcast directories including Apple, Spotify, iHeart and Audible.

Jesse Colin Young had a Top 5 single with the Youngbloods' version of "Get Together," but he didn't rest on those laurels. He continued to perform and also write his own songs both with the group and as a solo artist.

To listen to the Youngbloods sing "Get Together," you can go here. The song, about loving one another, plays as a fitting soundtrack to videos from Woodstock, the iconic peace and love event of 1969. In the chapters, there's a cover image of the CD "Get Together: The Essential Youngbloods," available on Amazon.

You can go here to listen to "Darkness, Darkness," which Young wrote and the Youngbloods recorded. It's on their "Elephant Mountain" album, which you can see in the chapters. The CD is also available on Amazon.

To learn more about the man and his long career, visit the Jesse Colin Young website where you can rent or purchase his 2020 Empty House Concert, recorded in Aiken, S.C., at the height of the Covid shutdown and buy CDs including the original 1973 master of "Jesse Colin Young (Song for Juli)" and the original master of "Light Shine."

The thumbnail photo shows Young arriving at the California Saga 2 Charity Concert in Los Angeles California on July 3, 2019. It's attributed to Glenn Francis of www.PacificProDigital.com and is available on Wikimedia under the license CC BY-SA 4.0.

The art that frames two sides of the photo was created by Bob Jones.

Song of the Day creator Sheldon Zoldan researched, wrote and narrated this short story, one of 35 tributes to music stars who passed away in 2025. Song of the Day used to be a daily feature delivered to an email list of subscribers. Sheldon ended it in early 2026 which, I suppose, means that Song of the Day deserves a tribute of its own. The good thing is that the tributes to music makers live on. Each is a snapshot of the life of one music maker whose work made an impact on the lives of many.

Send us Fan Mail

This is Kate Jones. Thank you for listening to Everyday Creation®, available on YouTube and in major podcast directories including Apple, Spotify, iHeart and Audible.