Atlantic R&B Box Set No.1: GRANVILLE "STICK" McGHEE

Born in Knoxville, Tennessee March 23, 1918, GRANVILLE "STICK" McGHEE was brought to Atlantic by Ahmet Ertegun un February 1949. He brought along his beat-up guitar and a song he had recordedfor an even smaller level two years before. And he gave Atlantic their first mayor hit. Stick was the younger brother of folk-blues legend Walter "Brownie" McGhee. When he was discharged from the army in 1946, he joined brother Brownie in New York, where Brownie was already well-known, and even did a session for Circle Records.
While in the service, Stick had learned a barracks ditty that had a lyric line unacceptable even 1980's ears. Rewritting the lyrici to the extent of replacing the offensive phrase with "spo-dee-o-dee", he cut the tune for Harlem Records, run by legendary black record man J. Mayo Williams. The release on Harlem (also on Cincinnatti) promptly disappeared, Stick went back to playing gigs behind Brownie.

in late 1948 a bored disc jockey in New Orleans began spinning an old copy of the tune, and his audience loved it. But they couldn't buy it anywere. Ertegun got wind of this pent-up demand and tried to buy the masters to reissue. Unable to do this, he started looking for the artist. Brownie knew just where to find him.

The song was recut at Atlantic with Wibert "Big Chief" Ellis, piano; Brownie McGhee, guitar; and Gene Ramey, bass; on february 14, 1949. By the end of the month the record was out and being played on the air. Far from being just carbon -copy of the earlier version, DRINKIN' WINE SPO-DEE-O-DEE on Atlantic was hotter, driven along by a propulsive rhythm section, it sounded much better.

By April 2, 1949 the record hit the"Juke Box" chart. where it stayed for a phenomenal 18 weeks, reaching #2. On the "Best Sellers" list it debuted April 16th and stayed there 23 weeks. A big hit by any measure.

After a few sound-alike sequels, frequently with Van Walls added on piano, Stick next hit again with "Tennessee Waltz Blues", an unlikely instrumental version of the Patti Page pop hit. ONE MONKEY DON'T STOP NO SHOW was cut at the same session on November 21, 1950 and shows Stick in his best vocal form, with tenor sax by Budd Johnson. After one more session for Atlantic late in 1951, Stick recorded for Savoy and Essex, then took a job as a cab driver. Late in 1952 he did some good-selling drinking songs for King, jumped back to Savoy in 1954 and returned to king in 1955.

Stick returned to Atlantic in 1957 with a session produced by herb Abramson for Atco, but the tunes were never released. His final recording session took place for Herald in 1960. The Spo-Dee-O-Dee Man died August 15, 1961 of lung cancer.