In Memoriam May 2025: Rick Derringer and others
May's music losses include Rick Derringer, members of The Ozark Mountain Daredevils, The Amazing Rhythm Aces, The Spinners, and more.
Rick Derringer Singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer Rick Derringer, born Richard Zehringer, passed away May 26 in Florida at age 77. The Ohio native first achieved success in 1965 as a member of The McCoys with the No. 1 hit 'Hang on Sloopy,' since recognized as the state's official rock song and has become a staple at The Ohio State University football games. The Midwest band's version of 'Fever' followed in the Top 10.
In the early '70s, Derringer was a member of Johnny Winter's group called Johnny Winter And, with his composition 'Rock and Roll, Hootchie Koo' appearing on a studio album and a live album. Derringer also worked with Winter's brother Edgar, most notably producing the album They Only Come Out at Night, featuring a pair of Top 40 hits in 1973: 'Frankenstein' and 'Free Ride.' The following year, as a solo artist, Derringer hit the Top 10 with his version of 'Rock and Roll, Hootchie Koo,' complete with the Johnny Winter-style growl.
In the mid-'70s, he formed the band Derringer and in the late '70s, it included fellow Ohioan guitarist Neil Giraldo, who went on to work with, collaborate, and marry Pat Benatar in the following decade. Over the years, as a guitarist and producer, Derringer worked with many artists including Steely Dan, Alice Cooper, Cyndi Lauper, 'Weird Al' Yankovic, Ringo Starr and his All-Starr Band, and songwriter Jim Steinman's slew of artists: Meat Loaf, Bonnie Tyler, and Air Supply. Derringer stated that his guitar solo on Air Supply's "Making Love Out of Nothing at All" was his favorite of all the solos he had recorded.
Click here to read and hear about Goldmine's Top 20 Rick Derringer Songs Ranked
Larry Lee The Ozark Mountain Daredevils' drummer and vocalist Larry Lee passed away May 10 at age 78. Lee was with the Springfield, Missouri group from their 1971 beginning through 1982. Their Top 40 debut happened in 1974 with Steve Cash's harmonica driven 'If You Wanna Get to Heaven,' which reached No. 25.
The following year, the group achieved their biggest hit with 'Jackie Blue,' which reached No. 3, co-written by Cash and Lee.
Billy Earheart The Amazing Rhythm Aces' keyboardist Billy Earheart passed away May 13 at age 71. The Knoxville, Tennessee country rock group debuted in the pop Top 40 in 1974 with 'Third Rate Romance,' which reached No. 14 and did a bit better on the country chart, peaking at No. 11.
The group's next single, 'Amazing Grace (Used to Be Her Favorite Song),' became a Top 10 country hit, and the single after that, 'The End is Not in Sight,' reached No. 12 on the country chart, helping the band secure a Grammy award for Country Vocal Group.
Renaissance Records has just released Alive in America, a double album on green vinyl. The label's founder and president John Edwards told Goldmine, 'First of all, Billy was my friend. He helped organize the licensing of the live recording, and we also bonded over music and baseball cards. Billy was a huge baseball fan and he and I always discussed the great players of the '50s, '60s, and '70s. I will really miss him, he was one of the good guys in this business."
John Edwards The Spinners' lead tenor vocalist from 1977 through 2000, John Edwards, passed away May 11 at age 80. Edwards was heard singing lead on the early 1980 gold single 'Working My Way Back to You/Forgive Me, Girl.'
The medley format of a 1960s hit blended with a new composition from Michael Zager worked so well with the Top 5 hit 'Working My Way Back to You/Forgive Me, Girl,' that it was repeated with their next single, 'Cupid/I've Loved You for a Long Time,' and again, it became a Top 5 hit with Edwards singing lead.
James Lowe The Electric Prunes' lead vocalist James Lowe passed away May 22. The Los Angeles psychedelic rock band reached No. 11 in early 1967 with 'I Had Too Much to Dream (Last Night)' followed by the intense 'Get Me to the World on Time,' which reached No. 27.
Jill Sobule Singer-songwriter and guitarist Jill Sobule passed away May 1 at age 66. Sobule's 1995 song 'I Kissed a Girl' reached No. 66 for the Denver native and was accompanied by a fun video featuring male model Fabio Lanzoni.
The same year as 'I Kissed a Girl,' Sobule's 'Supermodel' was part of the Clueless film soundtrack, and the video included scenes from that film.
Johnny Rodriguez Country music singer-songwriter and guitarist Johnny Rodriguez passed away May 9 at age 73. From 1973 through 1975, Rodriguez topped the country chart a half dozen times with songs including his composition 'Ridin' My Thumb to Mexico,' which spent two weeks in the top spot.
Mark Greene The Moments' original lead vocalist Mark Green passed away May 20. In 1968, the New Jersey R&B trio debuted in the pop Top 100 with 'Not on the Outside,' featuring Green's falsetto lead vocals. The single became an R&B Top 20 hit. After this first single on the Stang label, the team at the record company replaced the original trio with three other singers, Harry Ray, Al Goodman, and Billy Brown, who later recorded as Ray, Goodman & Brown.
Simon House Violinist and keyboardist Simon House passed away May 25 at age 76. House was with Hawkwind in the mid-'70s and David Bowie in the late-'70s. Cleopatra Records founder Brian Perera stated, 'Simon wasn't just a musician, he was a sonic architect who helped shape the sound of a generation. He shared the stage with legends: David Bowie, Lemmy-era Hawkwind, and Nik Turner, always leaving his unmistakable mark. From the art-rock brilliance of Bowie's 'Boys Keep Swinging' era to the boundary-pushing tours with Nik and Cleopatra in the '90s, Simon's electrifying violin and cosmic keyboard work lifted every track, every show, and every moment. His vision brought depth, texture, and soul. He simply made everything better.'
James Baker Hoodoo Gurus drummer James Baker passed away May 5 at age 71. Baker was with the Australian group from 1981 through 1984, including playing on their debut gold album Stoneage Romeos. In April of this year, bassist Kimble Rendall, who played with the band in 1981 and 1982, also passed away.
Roger Nichols Songwriter Roger Nichols passed away May 17 at age 84. Nichols co-wrote the Top 100 singles 'Someday Man' for The Monkees, 'Out in the Country' for Three Dog Night, 'Times of Your Life' for Paul Anka, and three Carpenters' hits, 'We've Only Just Begun,' 'Rainy Days and Mondays,' and 'I Won't Last a Day Without You,' the latter also charting for Maureen McGovern.
Charles Strouse Songwriter Charles Strouse passed away May 15 at age 96. Strouse co-wrote 'Born Too Late' with Fred Tobias for the Poni-Tails, a pop female vocal trio from Brush High School, in the Cleveland suburb of Lyndhurst, Ohio, which became a Top 10 hit in 1958. Strouse followed this success by co-writing many Broadway musicals including Bye Bye Birdie and Annie.
Al Foster Jazz drummer Al Foster passed away May 28 at age 82. Foster played with Miles Davis, Sonny Rollins, Herbie Hancock, and many other jazz musicians over the years. In 1978, he released the first album under his name, the jazz fusion Mixed Roots.
Michael B. Tretow ABBA sound engineer Michael B. Tretow passed away May 20 at age 80. Singer-songwriter, guitarist, and author Joe Matera has written a book on ABBA's self-titled hit filled third album, publishing later this year as it celebrates its 50th anniversary. Matera told Goldmine, "The Beatles had George Martin, who was considered the band's 'fifth' member, and Swedish pop group ABBA had their fifth member in Michael B Tretow. The pioneering sound engineer was the sonic architect of the group's signature wall of sound. The chemistry between Tretow and the four members of the group was such that together they created a signature sound that has forever been etched into the music history books. Tretow, who was also a musician himself, worked with the band on all their albums, except for the group's 2021 album, Voyage. Paying tribute to Tretow, ABBA's Benny Andersson summed it up best when he said, 'You meant more to the four of us in ABBA than anyone else, and the finest sound engineer the world has ever seen.'"
Joe Louis Walker As May began, we learned that singer-songwriter and electric blues guitarist Joe Louis Walker, born Louis Joseph Walker, Jr., passed away April 30 at age 75. Over the years, Walker was a featured guitarist on many albums, including B.B. King's 1993 Grammy winning Blues Summit album which included a duet of Walker's composition 'Everybody's Had the Blues.'
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This story was originally reported by Goldmine on Jun 1, 2025, where it first appeared.
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