Rick Derringer never just played guitar—he infiltrated nearly every genre you can think of. While the spotlight often stayed on his solo work or his time with The McCoys and Johnny Winter, his fingerprints are all over classic tracks from icons across rock, pop, jazz, and beyond. Want proof? Here are 19 collaborations that show how Derringer helped shape the sound of decades.
Barbra Streisand – Played guitar on “Emotion” from Emotion (1984)
Bette Midler – Played pedal steel guitar on “Let Me Just Follow Behind” from Songs for the New Depression (1976)
Bonnie Tyler – Played guitar on tracks from Faster Than the Speed of Night (1983)
Cyndi Lauper – Played guitar on “Calm Inside the Storm” and “The Faraway Nearby” from True Colors (1986), and on tracks from A Night to Remember (1989)
Dan Hartman – Played rhythm guitar and a guitar solo on “Thank You for the Good Times” from Images (1976)
Donald Fagen – Played guitar on tracks from The Nightfly (1982)
Eddie Schwartz – Played guitar on Schwartz (1980) and solo guitar on tracks from Public Life (1984)
Edgar Winter – Played rhythm guitar on “New Millennium” and “On the Tip of My Tongue,” and guitar on “White Man’s Blues” from Winter Blues (2009); played guitar on “Love Is An Art” with Ronnie Montrose on 10×10 (2017)
Eye to Eye – Played guitar on tracks from Eye to Eye (1982)
Grayson Hugh – Played electric guitar on “Romantic Heart,” “Tears of Love,” and “Empty as the Wind” from Blind to Reason (1988)
Joe Bonamassa – Provided vocals and a guitar solo on “Nuthin’ I Wouldn’t Do (For a Woman Like You)” from A New Day Yesterday (2000)
Jon Anderson – Played guitar on tracks from 1000 Hands: Chapter One (2019)
Johnny Winter – Played guitar on “Cheap Tequila” and “Still Alive and Well,” slide guitar on “Silver Train,” and pedal steel on “Ain’t Nothing to Me” from Still Alive and Well (1973)
Kiss – Played a guitar solo on “Exciter” from Lick It Up (1983)
Neil Sedaka – Played guitar on “Cathy’s Clown” from Come See About Me (1984)
Richie Havens – Played guitar on tracks from Alarm Clock (1970) and Connections (1980)
Rosie Vela – Played guitar on tracks from Zazu (1986)
Steely Dan – Played slide guitar on “Show Biz Kids” from Countdown to Ecstasy (1973), a solo on “Chain Lightning” from Katy Lied (1975), and guitar on “My Rival” from Gaucho (1980)
Thomas Jefferson Kaye – Played acoustic and electric guitar on Thomas Jefferson Kaye (1973), and acoustic, electric, and slide guitar on First Grade (1974)