Johnny Winter Thought This 1973 One-Hit Wonder Was Too Corny, Fortunately for the Songwriter, He Was Wrong

When Rick Derringer first brought Johnny Winter this rock track in 1970 (which the one-hit wonder would later record in 1973), Derringer believed he had struck a perfect balance between his rock ‘n’ roll sensibilities and Winter’s love of blues music. Winter would later say he feared the song was “too corny” to work. Based on his album’s performance alone, he might have felt like he was right. Johnny Winter And, which included the first version of Derringer’s song, peaked at No. 154 on the Billboard 200.

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However, when Derringer released his own rendition years later, it became a major hit. “Rock and Roll, Hoochie Koo” enjoyed far more commercial success in 1973. The track peaked at No. 11 in Canada and No. 23 in the U.S. He had finally met his original goal. It just wasn’t Winter who benefited this time. Speaking to Guitar Player, Derringer said the “first thing” he did when joining Winter’s band was to “make sure the music was more commercial, more rock-oriented.”

In fact, “Rock and Roll, Hoochie Koo” was the first song Derringer wrote for his bandmate. “‘Rock and roll’ to satisfy the rock ‘n’ roll that I was supposed to be bringing into the picture. ‘Hoochie Koo’ to satisfy the kind of blues sensibility that Johnny was supposed to maintain. It worked out great,” he recalled in Raisin’ Cain.

This 1970 One-Hit Wonder Taught Both Musicians a Lot

Along with other members of his former band, The McCoys, Rick Derringer began working with Johnny Winter in 1970. For Derringer, it was a tremendous boost to his career. “Johnny Winter was signed to the biggest contract in the history of the music business at that time,” Derringer explained to Guitar Player. “He was well received, so suddenly I was playing with a legit guy. That opened the doors for me.”

As a producer, Derringer helped shape Winter’s sound to a more commercially viable rock ‘n’ roll style. As a bandleader and proficient blues musician, Winter taught Derringer how to incorporate the influence of older music to deepen his musical flavor. “Johnny was very generous about sharing his blues knowledge,” Derringer said. “He showed me specific things I didn’t know—tunings and slide guitar.”

Just like his one-hit wonder title would suggest, the rest of Derringer’s 1973 album failed to perform as well as “Rock and Roll, Hoochie Koo”. Nevertheless, it remains an incredibly popular addition to classic rock radio airplay and in pop culture. Notable appearances include Dazed and Confused in 1993, Stranger Things in 2022, and late 1980s WWF.

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