"Rock and Roll, Hoochie Koo" is a rock song written by American musician Rick Derringer. It was first recorded in 1970 by

Johnny Winter John Dawson Winter III (February 23, 1944 – July 16, 2014) was an American singer and guitarist. Winter was known for his high-energy blues rock albums and live performances in the late 1960s and 1970s. He also produced three Grammy Award-win ...

and his band Johnny Winter And, of which Derringer was a member. In 1973, Derringer recorded a solo version, which was his only Top 40 chart hit as a solo artist in the U.S. It became a staple of 1970s

classic rock Classic rock is a US radio format which developed from the album-oriented rock (AOR) format in the early 1980s. In the United States, the classic rock format comprises rock music ranging generally from the mid-1960s through the mid 1990s, prim ...

radio and rock music compilations. Both Winter and Derringer have recorded multiple live versions of the song.

Original version

"Rock and Roll, Hoochie Koo" was initially recorded by Johnny Winter in 1970 with his band "Johnny Winter And", which included Rick Derringer and other former members of

the McCoys The McCoys were a rock group formed in Union City, Indiana, United States, in 1962. They are best known for their 1965 hit single " Hang On Sloopy". Their name was changed from Rick and the Raiders to The McCoys, taken from the B-side of The ...

. According to Derringer: However, Winter noted, "The reviewers liked it. I didn't think 'Rock and Roll, Hoochie Koo' would do as well as it did 'cause it was a little corny. Rock and Roll, Hoochie Koo. You don't ever know". The song is included on the '' Johnny Winter And'' album, which reached number 154 on the ''Billboard'' 200 album chart. In 1970, they recorded the song during the ''

Live Johnny Winter And ''Live Johnny Winter And'' is an album by Johnny Winter, recorded with his group Johnny Winter And live during the fall of 1970 at the Fillmore East in New York City and at Pirate's World in Dania, Florida. It was released in March 1971. Besi ...

'' tour, which was released as '' Live at the Fillmore East 10/3/70'' in 2010. In a review of the album for

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Music ...

, Thom Jurek commented that "this one blows away the JWA 'Johnny Winter And''studio version or Derringer's own hit single take", although he felt it did not measure up to the other songs recorded that night. Winter and Derringer later recorded the song with Winter's brother for Edgar Winter's White Trash live 1972 album '' Roadwork'', described in an album review as a "rousing rendition".

Rick Derringer version

Rick Derringer recorded the song for his 1973 solo debut album '' All American Boy''. He plays guitar, bass, and tambourine and sings the lead vocal, with

Bobby Caldwell Robert Hunter Caldwell (born August 15, 1951) is an American singer, songwriter and musician. He released several albums spanning R&B, soul, jazz and adult contemporary. He is known for his soulful and versatile vocals. Caldwell released the ...

on drums and three backing vocalists. The song was recorded at

Caribou Ranch Caribou Ranch was a recording studio built by producer James William Guercio in 1972 in a converted barn on ranch property in the Rocky Mountains near Nederland, Colorado, on the road that leads to the ghost town of Caribou. The studio was in op ...

near Nederland, Colorado. Edited for release as a single on Winter's

Blue Sky Records Blue Sky Records was a custom record label created by Steve Paul for Columbia Records, featuring acts managed by Steve Paul, primarily blues-oriented performers Johnny Winter, Edgar Winter, Rick Derringer, Dan Hartman, David Johansen, and Muddy W ...

, it reached number 23 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart in 1974. In Australia, the single reached number 84. In a retrospective song review for

Stephen Thomas Erlewine Stephen Thomas Erlewine (; born June 18, 1973) is an American music critic and senior editor for the online music database AllMusic. He is the author of many artist biographies and record reviews for AllMusic, as well as a freelance writer, oc ...

described it as: Over the years Derringer recorded several live versions of "Rock and Roll, Hoochie Koo".

References

{{Authority control 1970 songs 1974 singles Song recordings produced by Bill Szymczyk Columbia Records singles American hard rock songs Van Halen songs