Stick Mcghee

Stick Or Sticks McGhee Granville Henry McGhee March 23 1917 – August 15 1961 Was An African-American Jump Blues Guitarist Singer And Songwriter Best Known For His Rhythm & Blues Song "Drinkin' Wine Spo-Dee-O-Dee". He Was Born In Knoxville Tennessee United States And Granville Received His Nickname During The Early Years When He Was Pushing His Older Brother Brownie McGhee Who Was Stricken With Polio In A Wagon With A Stick.
Granville Began Playing The Guitar When He Was Thirteen Years Old. After His Freshmen Year Granville Dropped Out Of High School And Worked With His Father At Eastman Kodak. In 1940 Granville Quit His Job And Moved To Portsmouth Virginia And Then He Relocated To New York. There He Entered Into The Military Service In 1942 And Served In The Army During World War II. In 1946 Granville Was Discharged And Settled In New York. In The Military Granville Often Played His Guitar. One Of The Songs That McGhee Was Best Known For Was "Drinkin' Wine Spo-Dee-O-Dee". The Original Lyrics Of The Song Were As Follows Drinkin’ That Mess Is Our Delight And When We Get Drunk Start Fightin’ All Night. Knockin’ Out Windows And Learnin’ Down Doors Drinkin’ Half-Gallons And Callin’ For More. Drinkin’ Wine Motherfucker Drinkin’ Wine! Goddam! Drinkin’ Wine Motherfucker Drinkin’ Wine! Goddam! Drinkin’ Wine Motherfucker Drinkin’ Wine! Goddam! Pass That Bottle To Me! This Song Was One Of The Earliest Prototypical Rock And Roll Songs. The Song Lent Its Name To The Alcoholic Fruit Drink Spodi. In 1946 Granville And Brownie McGhee Collaborated And Modified The Song Into A Clean Cut Version For Harlem Records. The Song Was Released A Year Later In January 1947 At The Price Of 49 Cents. The Song Did Not Get Much Airplay Time Until Two Years Later When Granville Recreated The Song For Atlantic Records. As A Result It Rose To Number 3 On The Billboard R&B Chart.
His Songs Attracted Countless Covers Over The Years. The First Cover Was By Lionel Hampton Featuring Sonny Parker Then Wynonie Harris And Lastly Loy Gordon & His Pleasant Valley Boys With Their Hillbilly-Bop Rendition. His Song "Drinkin' Wine Spo-Dee-O-Dee" Maintained Its Popularity Throughout The 1950s By Various Artists Including Malcolm Yelvington In 1954 Johnny Burnette In 1957 And Jerry Lee Lewis In 1959. McGhee Continued To Make Records For Atlantic And Created Popular Songs Such As "Tennessee Waltz Blues" "Drank Up All The Wine Last Night" "Venus Blues" "Let's Do It" And "One Monkey Don't Stop No Show" But His Music Career Overall Was Not Successful. McGhee Moved From Atlantic To Essex To Create A Record Called "My Little Rose". The Record Failed So He Moved To King In 1953. There He Recorded A Number Of Rock And Roll Songs Such A "Whiskey Women And Loaded Dice" "Head Happy With Wine" "Jungle Juice" "Six To Eight" "Double Crossin' Liquor" "Dealin' From The Bottom" And "Get Your Mind Out Of The Gutter". However He Was Unable To Make Money Out Of His Records So He Left King To Record For Savoy In 1955 But Retired From The Music Industry In 1960 Because He Lost His Passion For Music. McGhee Died In The Bronx New York On August 15 1961 Of Lung Cancer At The Age Of Forty-Four And He Left His Old Guitar To Brownie's Son Before He Died. Stick McGhee Is Also On Last.Fm As Sticks McGhee read less