“Weird Al” Yankovic was one of many people in the music world to pay tribute to Rick Derringer, the legendary guitarist/producer .
Yankovic at a recording studio mixing board. He captioned the photo, “I’m very sad to say that my friend, rock guitar legend Rick Derringer, has passed. Rick produced my first 6 albums and played guitar on my earliest recordings, including the solo on “Eat It.” He had an enormous impact on my life and will be missed greatly. RIP.”
Yankovic’s first six albums, which Derringer produced, were his 1983 self-titled debut, 1984’s “Weird Al” Yankovic in 3-D, 1985’s Dare to Be Stupid, 1986’s Polka Party!, 1988’s Even Worse, and 1989’s UHF – Original Motion Picture Soundtrack and Other Stuff.
While Polka Party! and the soundtrack to UHF were commercial flops, the other four albums were very successful. Yankovic’s debut was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), selling over 500,000 copies. Meanwhile, “Weird Al” Yankovic in 3-D, Dare to Be Stupid, and Even Worse were certified platinum by the RIAA, selling over 1 million copies.
