Update: On Nov. 21, 2022 Rick Derringer had the answer to a question his fans had been waiting for. On Facebook he stated that Lisa was the dancer in his famous 1975 “Hang On Sloopy” video. At QZVX we already knew that, but now it is 100% for everyone else: Lisa Leonard Dalton is the one and only “Sloopy Girl” dancer in Rick Derringer’s viral online video.
A short music film, we would call it a music video today, was shot in 1975. Rick Derringer updated “Hang on Sloopy,” a song that had been a #1 hit for his band The McCoys a decade before. Those of us in the category of former radio deejays will remember the Sloopy tune. The big hit was in 1965, but the film shoot from ’75 has turned into an online sensation. The covers of the same song, along with other versions performed by Rick Derringer over the years, have created confusion. For those persons who wish to investigate this further, the reggae version of “Hang On Sloopy“ came out on Rick Derringer’s 1975 album called Spring Fever and the Sloopy track was also released as a single at that time. The main attraction, more so than the cover of the earlier hit, was the mysterious and previously unidentified “Hang On Sloopy” dancing girl.
Various versions of the video appear on YouTube and social media. It has been viewed by more than 200 million people around the world and that number grows daily (Click HERE to watch it). “Sloopy Girl’s” true identity had remained a mystery until September 2021. The theories had been widespread, inaccurate and some of them bordering on delusional. They had been based on gossip, online rumors, mislabeled photos, all in all wrong information, urban legends and myths. That situation has changed.
The story of the “Hang On Sloopy” dancer must be told by Lisa Leonard Dalton. She was 19-years-old, living in LA (Woodland Hills) with her parents, when she appeared as “Sloopy Girl.” Lisa has provided photo evidence, a believable timeline, and more than a dozen witnesses 
support her claim of being the authentic “Sloopy” dancing girl. Those witnesses include her former male dance partner in the ’70s, her high school classmates, many other friends and all of her close relatives who grew up with Lisa. Now photos of Lisa in her youth are available online.
This documentary video below is based on research completed in the span of more than a year at QZVX. It is narrated by Gary “Shannon” Burleigh, one of the great Pacific NW Top-40 radio voices of the 1960’s and ’70s. Lisa’s story is told with a backdrop of the sights, sounds and pop culture of the musically diverse 1970s. At QZVX our only goal was to collect evidence, to verify facts, and to preserve this moment in Rock ‘n’ Roll history.
The video has been posted at YouTube, because of the site’s huge international audience. This project is completely nonprofit and noncommercial. However, YouTube monetizes all videos. Any ad revenue YouTube collects from this video will be retained by YouTube and, as applicable, split with copyright holders. None of the proceeds from views of this video are distributed to QZVX or any persons affiliated with this production.
Addendum 2022: Since this author became involved with the “Sloopy Girl” saga, various videos and posts that I have written or been involved with now total about 8 million views. Add in the rest of the “Sloopy Girl” universe (dozens of videos and articles online) and that number of “Sloopy” views reaches in excess of 80 million. QZVX is staying on top of this story.
Originally, the plan was to publish one long interview with Lisa Leonard Dalton. Then “Sloopy Girl” fans let it be known they wanted to see lots of Lisa on-camera. They asked that she appear in person instead of having to read about her. Lisa is in Tennessee and I am in Washington State, so it is not like we can just get together: We agreed to conduct interviews by Zoom. Caveat: I was a radio guy, not a TV type, but for this project I will be the interviewer. Research shows that online viewers prefer short videos to marathon sessions. Therefore, Lisa and I will be doing a series of different interviews, but they will all be quite short.
The first of those interviews is available below. Up-Close & Personal in Tennessee was shot in early January 2022, so as I write this addendum it is very recent.
When the reveal video Deconstructing a Myth was released in summer 2021 it went viral. The truth changed the narrative of the “Sloopy Girl” story, with almost all YouTube channels and significant websites, including Wikipedia, Songfacts and Answers.com now reporting that Lisa Leonard Dalton is the authentic “Sloopy Girl.” When entering Lisa Leonard Dalton’s name in a search engine these days, it’s readily apparent that she is now recognized as the authentic “Hang On Sloopy” dancer. If you’ve heard the old tired rumor that a lady named Liz was the dancer, then check out our meticulously documented article “Sloopy Wives-Fact and Fiction” (Read it HERE ). Furthermore, a number of curious people, who’ve been tracking this case of mistaken identity, have asked what Liz Brewer in the UK (who had nothing to do with the Sloopy dance) has been doing from the 1960s on. Some of those answers can be found in the British Newspaper Archives. QZVX has collected several stories, many of them with vintage photos of Liz Brewer (Click HERE to view those newspaper files). In an interesting coincidence, in 2010, a family photographer took a photo of Lisa’s “Sloopy Girl” smile at a family event. When I saw that photo, it reminded me of a picture of the “Sloopy Girl” dancer in an identical pose. Side by side, a person doesn’t need facial recognition software to realize this is the same woman, be it 35 years later.
Overwhelmingly, thousands of “Sloopy Girl” fans embraced the truth. Along with requesting interviews such as the one above, they asked Lisa to share more current photos and to record a cell phone video. That video preceded the first interview: On November 5, 2021, while attending a Lynyrd Skynyrd concert in Knoxville, two of Lisa’s friends took pictures and she recorded a video greeting. To watch Lisa Leonard Dalton’s pre-concert video, called November Night in Tennessee, click HERE.
Below are a couple more recent and candid photos of “Sloopy Girl” Lisa Leonard Dalton. And since this article was written, Lisa Leonard Dalton has added a number of videos to her YouTube channel. Check out the content at her “Sloopy Girl” channel by clicking HERE.
Presently editor and historical writer with QZVX.COM in Seattle. Former radio broadcaster and radio station owner, 1970-1999. Journalism and speech communications degrees. I enjoy researching articles and online reporting that allows me to meld together words, audio and video. P.S. I appreciate and encourage reader comments and opinions. View other articles by Steven Smith
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