The Edgar Winter Group

Two years after Edgar Winter disbanded his first band, the R&B-based White Trash, he emerged with the lean, mean four-piece Edgar Winter Group and his landmark, multi-platinum album, They Only Come Out At Night, which included several hits singles ("Hangin' Around," "Free Ride," and his career single, the instrumental "Frankenstein"). The group, which debuted in 1972 with Winter on keyboards, sax and percussion, Dan Hartman on bass, drummer extraordinaire Chuck Ruff, and a sassy Bay Area guitarist named Ronnie Montrose who had worked with Van Morrison, among others.

Winter lost ace guitarist Montrose (who departed after the Night record and Winter's '72/73 world tour, to start his own group with an unknown singer named Sammy Hagar). Knowing he had some big shoes to fill, Winter recruited Rick Derringer, former guitarist and leader of the '60s pop band, The McCoys. Derringer was well known to Edgar, having been musical director for brother Johnny and been part of the management roster of Steve Paul (who also looked over the careers of the Winter brothers). Derringer had just released All American Boy and was enjoying his own chart success with the bona fide hit, "Rock And Roll, Hoochie Koo," which both Johnny and Edgar Winter also included in their repertoire.

Edgar has released several excellent LPs since They Only Come Out At Night, but has never matched the commercial success he saw with that 1972 release. Both Edgar and Johnny Winter went on to record an album together, and Winter eventually reunited with Derringer in the 1990s for a live LP and a tour of Japan. He continues to work on the road today, on a regular basis.