Stick McGhee

Granville "Stick" Henely McGhee (March 23 1917 – August 15 1961) was an American guitarist (Brownie McGhee's younger brother) best known for his blues song "Drinkin' Wine, Spo-Dee-O-Dee", one of the earliest prototypical rock and roll songs, which Jerry Lee Lewis and Mike Bloomfield's Electric Flag (as "Wine") covered. The song lent its name to the alcoholic fruit drink "spodi"; the "spo-dee-o-dee" was a scat substitute for the original "motherfucker"Fact|date=June 2008.

Career

He earned his nickname 'Stick', from pushing his polio-stricken older brother Brownie through the streets of Kingsport, on a cart that he propelled with a stick.

McGhee grew up in Kingsport, Tennessee and first recorded "Drinkin' Wine, Spo-Dee-O-Dee" - which his future record label, Atlantic Records, said he adapted from a drinking song he heard in the Army - in 1947 to little fanfare. The track was credited as being written by McGhee and J. Mayo Williams. A re-make in 1949 (as Stick McGhee and his Buddies) became a R&B hit.

His crisp guitar work may be heard on on some of Sonny Terry's 1947 Capitol sessions.cite book
first= Tony
last= Russell
year= 1997
title= The Blues: From Robert Johnson to Robert Cray
edition=
publisher= Carlton Books Limited
location= Dubai
pages= p. 143
id= ISBN 1-85868-255-X]

1951's "Tennessee Waltz Blues" was another hit, as were several following singles, including "One Monkey Don't Stop No Show," "Jungle Juice", "Double Crossin' Liquor" "Six to Eight" and "Head Happy with Wine".

'Stick' McGhee died of lung cancer in 1961 in New York [ [http://wc04.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&searchlink=STICK|MCGHEE&sql=11:wifyxqegld6e~T1 All Music Guide biography] ] , and he was interred at the Long Island National Cemetery.

ee also

*List of polio survivors
*List of current Atlantic Records artists
*List of people from Tennessee

References

External links

* [http://www.geocities.com/shakin_stacks/sticksmcghee.txt Fansite biography]
* [http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=13731990 Photo]
* [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:aeu1z8ba8yv4~T1 All Music Guide biography]