Rick Derringer - Knighted by the Blues (Provogue) By way of confession, a recent chance hearing of The Edgar Winter Band’s 1973 hit “Frankenstein” brought guitarist Rick Derringer to mind for the first time in many years, only to see him ignominiously plonked back into the “Where are they now?” file housed in the back of my fading memory. It’s something of a relief then to report that the man who first made his mark in 1965 as a member of The McCoys (“Hang on Sloopy”) and who featured heavily through the 70’s as sideman to both Winter Brothers is not only still with us but on this showing is in rude health and high spirits as well. Little has been heard from him since a trilogy of well-received blues-rock outings for Blues Bureau International / Shrapnel in the nineties, so new release Knighted by the Blues marks his first output for over a decade. It’s certainly been worth the wait, as Derringer has lost none of his former prowess. Opener “The Mess Around” is a jaunty rock and roll number, apparently penned by none other than Ahmet Ertegun, and there are pleasing renditions of Hendrix’s “If 6 Was 9” and Ray Charles’ “Funny I Still Love You”; but mostly this is a lively and hard-edged collection of original tunes which feature some blistering guitar work and a rawer vocal than might be expected, with no hint of a “Rock and Roll Hootchie Koo” in sight. Of these latter “Sometimes”, “Time To Go” and the more reflective title track might be held as the standouts, but all in all it’s a highly consistent collection marking a welcome return. Neil B. Next