The McCoys were an American rock group formed in Fort Recovery, Ohio in 1962. They are best known for their 1965 hit single "Hang On Sloopy". Other hits include a top 10 cover of "Fever" (Billboard No. 7) and a top 40 cover of Ritchie Valens's "Come On, Let's Go" (Billboard No. 21). Its opening line, "with your long blonde hair and eyes of blue" was quoted by George Harrison in the fadeout of "It's All Too Much", featured on the 1969 soundtrack of Yellow Submarine.
The McCoys performed as part of Murray the K's Christmas show on December 18, 1965, at the Brooklyn Fox Theater. Also performing on the program were Peter & Gordon, Wilson Pickett, The Fortunes, the Moody Blues, The Toys, Lenny Welch, Cannibal and the Headhunters, The Vibrations, The Spinners, The O'Jays, Bloodless Revolutionaries, Patti Michaels, Bobby Diamond, and Diane Langan.
The McCoys were being labeled as a bubblegum pop act, much to the disdain of the band. In 1967, after the death of Bert Berns, The McCoys broke free from Bang Records in hopes of recording more serious music. They ended up signing a deal with Mercury Records and recorded their last two records, Infinite McCoys (1968) and Human Ball (1969), for the label. The albums were The McCoys' attempt at making psychedelic music that would appeal to the mature listeners of that time. Both were commercial failures and did not chart anywhere.
The two Zehringer brothers (then known as Rick Derringer and Randy Z) and Hobbs became Johnny Winter's band for the albums Johnny Winter And and Live Johnny Winter And in 1970 and 1971 respectively. Peterson died in Gainesville, Florida on July 21, 1993, at the age of 47. On May 27, 2025, it was announced that Rick Derringer had died the previous day at the age of 77.
Discography
Albums
{| class="wikitable" style=text-align:center;
|-
!Year
!Album
!style="width:40px;"| <small>Billboard 200</small><br />
!Record label
|-
|rowspan="1"| 1965
|align=left| Hang On Sloopy
| 44
|rowspan="2"| Bang Records
|-
|rowspan="1"| 1966
|align=left| You Make Me Feel So Good
| —
|-
|rowspan="1"| 1968
|align=left| Infinite McCoys
| —
|rowspan="2"| Mercury Records
|-
|rowspan="1"| 1969
|align=left| Human Ball
| —
|-
|1976
|align=left| Glass Derringer
| —
|LA International
|-
| colspan="4" style="text-align:center; font-size:9pt;"| "—" denotes releases that did not chart.
|}
Singles
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! style="text-align:center;" rowspan="2"|Year
! style="text-align:center" rowspan="2"|A-side/B-side<br /><small>Both sides from same album except where indicated</small>
! style="text-align:center" rowspan="2"|Label & reference
! style="text-align:center;" rowspan="1" colspan=4|Chart Positions
! style="text-align:center;" rowspan="2"|Album
|-
! style="width:40px;"| <small>US</small><br />
|-
| rowspan="2"|1965
| style="text-align:left;"|"Hang On Sloopy"<br /><small>b/w "I Can't Explain It"</small>
| style="text-align:center;"| Bang 506
| style="text-align:center;"| 1
| style="text-align:center;"| 1
| style="text-align:center;"| —
| style="text-align:center;"| 5
| style="text-align:left;" rowspan="2"|Hang On Sloopy
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|"Fever"<br /><small>b/w "Sorrow"</small>
| style="text-align:center;"| Bang 511
| style="text-align:center;"| 7
| style="text-align:center;"| 9
| style="text-align:center;"| 2
| style="text-align:center;"| 44
|-
| rowspan="4"|1966
| style="text-align:left;"|"Up and Down"<br /><small>b/w "If You Tell a Lie" (from Hang on Sloopy)</small>
| style="text-align:center;"| Bang 516
| style="text-align:center;"| 46
| style="text-align:center;"| 50
| style="text-align:center;"| 75
| style="text-align:center;"| —
| style="text-align:left;"| Non-album track
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|"Come On, Let's Go"<br /><small>b/w "Little People"</small>
| style="text-align:center;"| Bang 522
| style="text-align:center;"| 22
| style="text-align:center;"| 17
| style="text-align:center;"| 36
| style="text-align:center;"| 51
| style="text-align:left;" rowspan="2"|You Make Me Feel So Good
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|"(You Make Me Feel) So Good"<br /><small>b/w "Runaway"</small>
| style="text-align:center;"| Bang 527
| style="text-align:center;"| 53
| style="text-align:center;"| 53
| style="text-align:center;"| 42
| style="text-align:center;"| —
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|"Don't Worry Mother, Your Son's Heart Is Pure"<br /><small>b/w "Ko-Ko"</small>
| style="text-align:center;"| Bang 532
| style="text-align:center;"| 67
| style="text-align:center;"| 60
| style="text-align:center;"| 46
| style="text-align:center;"| —
| style="text-align:left;" rowspan="3"|Non-album tracks
|-
| rowspan="3"|1967
| style="text-align:left;"|"I Got to Go Back<small> (and Watch That Little Girl Dance)</small>"<br /><small>b/w "Dynamite" (from You Make Me Feel So Good)</small>
| style="text-align:center;"| Bang 538
| style="text-align:center;"| 69
| style="text-align:center;"| 90
| style="text-align:center;"| 34
| style="text-align:center;"| —
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|"Beat The Clock"<br /><small>b/w "Like You Do to Me"</small>
| style="text-align:center;"| Bang 543
| style="text-align:center;"| 92
| style="text-align:center;"| 79
| style="text-align:center;"| —
| style="text-align:center;"| —
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|"Say Those Magic Words"<br /><small>b/w "I Wonder If She Remembers Me" (Non-album track)</small>
| style="text-align:center;"| Bang 549
| style="text-align:center;"| —
| style="text-align:center;"| —
| style="text-align:center;"| —
| style="text-align:center;"| —
| style="text-align:left;"|You Make Me Feel So Good
|-
| rowspan="2"|1968
| style="text-align:left;"|"Jesse Brady"<br /><small>b/w "Resurrection"</small>
| style="text-align:center;"| Mercury 72843
| style="text-align:center;"| 98
| style="text-align:center;"| 94
| style="text-align:center;"| —
| style="text-align:center;"| —
| style="text-align:left;"|Infinite McCoys
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|"Epilogue"<br /><small>b/w "Daybreak"</small>
| style="text-align:center;"| Mercury 72897
| style="text-align:center;"| —
| style="text-align:center;"| —
| style="text-align:center;"| —
| style="text-align:center;"| —
| style="text-align:left;" rowspan="2"|Human Ball
|-
| rowspan="2"|1969
| style="text-align:left;"|"Love Don't Stop"<br /><small>b/w "Only Human" </small>
| style="text-align:center;"| Mercury 72917
| style="text-align:center;"| —
| style="text-align:center;"| —
| style="text-align:center;"| —
| style="text-align:center;"| —
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|"Don't Fight It"<br /><small>b/w "Rosa Rodrigues" </small>
| style="text-align:center;"| Mercury 72967
| style="text-align:center;"| —
| style="text-align:center;"| —
| style="text-align:center;"| —
| style="text-align:center;"| —
| style="text-align:left;" rowspan="1"|Non-album tracks
|-
| colspan="7" style="text-align:center; font-size:9pt;"| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory.
|}
See also
- 1965 in music
- List of Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles of 1965
Notes
References
External links
- Classic Bands: The McCoys