Stick McGhee 167027 222587863 2008-06-30T03:41:04Z SmackBot 433328 Date the maintenance tags or general fixes '''Granville "Stick" Henely McGhee''' ([[March 23]] [[1917]] – [[August 15]] [[1961]]) was an [[United States|American]] [[guitarist]] ([[Brownie McGhee]]'s younger [[sibling|brother]]) best known for his [[blues]] [[song]] "Drinkin' Wine, Spo-Dee-O-Dee", one of the [[first rock and roll song|earliest prototypical rock and roll songs]], which [[Jerry Lee Lewis]] and [[Mike Bloomfield]]'s [[The Electric Flag|Electric Flag]] (as "Wine") [[cover version|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 [[Poliomyelitis|polio]]-stricken older brother [[Brownie McGhee|Brownie]] through the streets of Kingsport, on a cart that he propelled with a [[stick]]. McGhee grew up in [[Kingsport, Tennessee|Kingsport]], [[Tennessee]] and first [[sound recording and reproduction|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 [[United States Army|Army]] - in 1947 to little fanfare. The track was credited as being [[songwriter|written]] by McGhee and [[J. Mayo Williams]]. A re-make in 1949 (as Stick McGhee and his Buddies) became a [[Rhythm and blues|R&B]] [[hit record|hit]]. His crisp [[guitar]] work may be heard on on some of [[Sonny Terry]]'s 1947 [[Capitol Records|Capitol]] sessions.<ref name="russell">{{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}}</ref> 1951's "Tennessee Waltz Blues" was another hit, as were several following [[single (music)|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 music|1961]] in [[New York City|New York]]<ref>[http://wc04.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&searchlink=STICK|MCGHEE&sql=11:wifyxqegld6e~T1 All Music Guide biography]</ref>, and he was interred at the [[Long Island National Cemetery]]. ==See also== *[[List of polio survivors]] *[[List of current Atlantic Records artists]] *[[List of people from Tennessee]] ==References== {{Reflist}} ==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] {{DEFAULTSORT:McGhee, Stick}} [[Category:1917 births]] [[Category:1961 deaths]] [[Category:American blues guitarists]] [[Category:Lung cancer deaths]] [[Category:Burials at Long Island National Cemetery]] [[fr:Stick McGhee]]