"Rock and Roll, Hoochie Koo" is a rock song written by American musician

Rick Derringer Richard Dean Zehringer (August 5, 1947 – May 26, 2025), known professionally as Rick Derringer, was an American musician, producer and songwriter. He gained success in the 1960s with his band, the McCoys. Their debut single, " Hang On Sloopy", ...

. It was first recorded in 1970 by

Johnny Winter John Dawson Winter III (February 23, 1944 – July 16, 2014) was an American singer, guitarist, songwriter, and record producer. Winter was known for his high-energy blues rock albums, live performances, and slide guitar playing from the late 1 ...

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 radio format that developed from the album-oriented rock (AOR) format in the early 1980s. In the United States, it comprises rock music ranging generally from the mid-1960s through the early-1990s, primarily focusing on comm ...

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 music, rock group formed in Fort Recovery, Ohio, United States, in 1962. They are best known for their 1965 hit single "Hang On Sloopy". Originally named Rick and the Raiders, they changed their name to "The McCoys" from ...

. 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'' 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 Mus ...

, 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 (August 15, 1951 – March 14, 2023) was an American singer and songwriter. He released several albums spanning R&B, soul, jazz, and adult contemporary. He is known for his soulful and versatile vocals. Caldwell release ...

on drums and Carl Hall, Lani Groves, and Tasha Thomas providing the backing vocals. 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, it reached number 23 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart in 1974. In Australia, the single reached number 84. In Canada, it peaked at number 11 on the ''

RPM Revolutions per minute (abbreviated rpm, RPM, rev/min, r/min, or r⋅min−1) is a unit of rotational speed (or rotational frequency) for rotating machines. One revolution per minute is equivalent to hertz. Standards ISO 80000-3:2019 def ...

'' top single charts. In a retrospective song review for

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

described it as: Over the years Derringer recorded several live versions of "Rock and Roll, Hoochie Koo". Derringer's version of the song was included in the soundtrack of the 1993 comedy film '' Dazed and Confused'' as well as the soundtrack of season 4 of the

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

science-fiction horror television series ''

Stranger Things ''Stranger Things'' is an American television series created by the Duffer brothers, Duffer Brothers for Netflix. Produced by Monkey Massacre Productions and 21 Laps Entertainment, the Stranger Things season 1, first season was released on N ...

'' in 2022.

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

References