Update: On November 21, 2022 Rick Derringer provided the answer fans have been waiting for. He was asked on his Facebook page for the name of the girl dancer in his “Hang On Sloopy” video. His answer was “Lisa somebody.” He didn’t know her, other than by her first name. But this mystery is now officially solved and verified. Lisa Leonard Dalton is the dancer in that classic 1975 music video.
On Sept. 20, 2021 we reported: The true identity of the sexy “Hang On Sloopy” dancer is now known. She’s Lisa Leonard Dalton. Since it was originally written, recent photos and information have been added to the bottom of this blog post. However, to read the story of the search for Sloopy Girl and to see the video reveal “Deconstructing a Myth,” please click HERE.
I have composed many stories over the years, writing biographical articles about many famous radio and television personalities from Jim Harriott, Pat O’Day, Larry Lujack and Greg Aust in Seattle to internationally known broadcasters Ed Murrow, Eric Sevareid and Lorne Greene.
In that time, I’ve seldom seen as much worldwide interest in a historical topic as in the story we are releasing next Monday. It is music and pop culture related more so than connected specifically to broadcasting. It began in 2020. I posted at QZVX and YouTube, a music video from 1975. It was Rick Derringer, formerly of The McCoy’s, updating “Hang On Sloopy” — a cover of his band’s #1 hit from ten years before. I never guessed what a commotion that would cause. For the curious, who wish to investigate this further, the speeded up reggae version of “Hang On Sloopy” came out on Rick Derringer’s 1975 album Spring Fever and the Sloopy track was released as a single at that time. That is the version of the song Lisa Leonard Dalton was dancing to. The main attraction, more so than the cover of the classic song, was the mysterious and previously unidentified “Hang On Sloopy“ dancing girl.
To the public, the main interest was the pretty blond dancing girl in Derringer’s “Hang On Sloopy.” At QZVX it has remained among our most viewed and commented on posts. About that same time, my two versions of the Sloopy video at YouTube had gone viral with a million plus views and scads of comments. My Sloopy videos were not the only online versions of the dancing girl. Adding together all of the different Sloopy Girl videos at social media sites, there were an estimated 40 million plus views and still climbing.
“Hang on Sloopy” is a catchy song, but most of the intrigue centers on the identity of the unknown dancing girl. One of many online narratives (all of which are founded on rumors) is that the girl was American and married to Rick Derringer. Some gullible people claimed she was from the UK. Many of those same people even made up the story that the Britisk Liz was also married to Rick Derringer. Nope. Rick was only married to one Liz and she is American, but she was not the dancer. If you’ve heard the false rumors, then check out our thoroughly documented article “Sloopy Wives-Fact and Fiction” (Read it HERE ). (Also, learn more about the life of the British Liz by checking our collection of historical British newspaper articles: Click HERE to view them.) Meanwhile, as the identity debate raged on, a third woman entered the realm of possibilities. Her name is Lisa, she’s American. She said she was the mystery dancer.
With all the bickering and confusion among fans of the dancing girl video, I planned to employ the resources of QZVX and YouTube to locate Sloopy Girl. I’d no sooner than announced that quest, several months back, when everything stalled. It seemed like a dead end. Then a chance communication, encouraged by a researcher helping with the story, led to photos of what looked to be the dancing girl arriving one weekend in my email inbox. That was in May of this year. They came from a family member of the dancing girl. As you can imagine, there is a lot more to this story… and it will all be told soon…but in two installments.
Next Monday the video documentary we have produced, identifying the dancer, will be released at QZVX and YouTube. The video includes photos never before seen by the public, also behind the scenes information and strong evidence. When he learned the nature of the project, Gary “Shannon” Burleigh (KJR- Seattle and other top radio stations), agreed to narrate the video. And what a great job he did. Gary has one of the premier Top 40 radio voices of the era.
The next installments of this saga will unfold in a series of on-camera interviews with Lisa Leonard Dalton, the one and only “Sloopy Girl.” Additional stories and published information will be be exclusive to QZVX. Readers will get the answers to many of the questions they have been wondering about for many years.
In this era of bad news, and a news cycle that reports one crisis after another, this Sloopy Girl video has caught the attention of millions of people around the world. It takes viewers back to less complicated times when a pretty blond girl, the name of whom nobody seemed to know, was dancing her heart out to a simple song with an infectious beat. Put succinctly, the dancer’s former male dance partner told me that the Sloopy Girl’s anonymity made her “a famous unknown.” That situation is about to change.
In past weeks, we have had inquiries from music journalists in Europe, South America and Canada. People are following the progress of this investigation. Those journalists all asked when this story would be released. The answer is that Part 1 of the “Hang on Sloopy” dancing girl reveal will premier here at QZVX, and at YouTube, on the morning of Monday, September 20, 2021.
Anybody who has not seen the VHI video, from which Sloopy Girl became an online favorite, here it is.
Editorial Update (Nov. 2021)
When the Deconstructing a Myth video was released in summer 2021 it soon went viral. Shortly afterwards, most YouTube Channels and entertainment websites updated their information to reflect that Lisa Leonard Dalton is the authentic “Sloopy Girl.” The narrative has certainly changed. When entering Lisa Leonard Dalton’s name in a search engine, it’s readily apparent that she now has a strong online presence as the mysterious Sloopy dancer.
Overwhelmingly, thousands of “Sloopy Girl” fans embraced the truth. They asked Lisa to share more of her current photos and to record a cell phone video. On November 5, 2021, Lisa accommodated those requests. While attending a Lynyrd Skynyrd concert in Knoxville, two of Lisa’s friends took some pictures and she recorded a video greeting. Two of the new photos are included below. To watch Lisa Leonard Dalton’s new video, called November Night in Tennessee, please click HERE.
Some comments may be held for moderation. (New users)