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
Drinkin' Wine Spo-Dee-O-Dee
Stick McGhee Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
All them cats is drinkin that wine
Drinking that mess, their delight
When they gets drunk, start singing all night
Drinkin' wine spo-dee-O-dee, drinkin' wine (bop ba)
Wine spo-dee-O-dee, drinkin' wine (bop ba)
Wine spo-dee-O-dee, drinkin' wine (bop ba)
Drinking that mess, their delight
When they gets drunk, start fighting all night
Knocking down windows and tearin out doors
Drinkin' half a gallon and callin' for more
Drinkin' wine spo-dee-O-dee, drinkin' wine (bop ba)
Wine spo-dee-O-dee, drinkin' wine (bop ba)
Wine spo-dee-O-dee, drinkin' wine (bop ba)
Pass that bottle to me
Hoy! Hoy! Hoy!
Wine, wine, wine (Elderberry!)
Wine, wine, wine (Or Sherry!)
Wine, wine, wine (Blackberry!)
Wine, wine, wine (Half 'n half!)
Wine, wine, wine (Oh Boy!)
Pass that bottle to me
If you wanna get along, in New Orleans town
Buy some wine and pass it all around
Age runs up for tonight (?)
All those cats they love sweet wine
Drinkin' wine spo-dee-O-dee, drinkin' wine (bop ba)
Wine spo-dee-O-dee, drinkin' wine (bop ba)
Wine spo-dee-O-dee, drinkin' wine (bop ba)
Pass that bottle to me
Hoy! Hoy!
Wine, wine, wine (Elderberry!)
Wine, wine, wine (Or Sherry!)
Wine, wine, wine (Blackberry!)
Wine, wine, wine (Half 'n half!)
Wine, wine, wine (Oh Boy!)
Pass that bottle to me
Drink that slop!
That's what I'm talkin' about!
Ah, drink it!
Sneaky Pete!
Now down on Rampart street at Willy's Den
He wasn't selling but a little gin
One cat wanted a bottle of wine
He hit that cat for a dollar and a dime
Drinkin' wine spo-dee-O-dee, drinkin' wine (bop ba)
Wine spo-dee-O-dee, drinkin' wine (bop ba)
Wine spo-dee-O-dee, drinkin' wine (bop ba)
Pass that bottle to me
Hoy! Hoy!
Wine, wine, wine (Elderberry!)
Wine, wine, wine (Or Sherry!)
Wine, wine, wine (Blackberry!)
Wine, wine, wine (Half 'n half!)
Wine, wine, wine (Oh Boy!)
Pass that bottle to me
I got a nickel, have you got a dime?
Let's get together and get a little wine
Some buys a fifth, some buys a quart
But when you buy Sherry now you're doing things smart
Drinkin' wine spo-dee-O-dee, drinkin' wine (bop ba)
Wine spo-dee-O-dee, drinkin' wine (bop ba)
Wine spo-dee-O-dee, drinkin' wine (bop ba)
Pass that bottle to me
The lyrics of Stick McGhee's song Drinkin' Wine Spo-Dee-O-Dee describe the nightlife of New Orleans, where drinking sweet wine is a common pastime. The song depicts the scene of people getting drunk on wine and singing all night, and how the same people tend to get violent after a certain point, breaking windows and tearing out doors. The song also mentions different types of wines such as elderberry, sherry, blackberry, and half 'n half.
The song speaks about how buying wine can bring people together and help them get along in New Orleans town. The lines "If you wanna get along, in New Orleans town, Buy some wine and pass it all around" suggest that wine became a social lubricant that enabled people to bond over a shared experience. The song ends with a few verses about a man selling gin and hitting one man for a dollar and a dime when he asked for a bottle of wine.
The song speaks about the dangers of excessive drinking, but it also celebrates the communal experience of sharing a bottle of wine. The lyrics are full of wit and humor, and Stick McGhee's delivery only adds to the charm of the song.
Line by Line Meaning
Down in New Orlean, where ev'rything is fine
The city of New Orleans has a reputation for a good time
All them cats is drinkin that wine
A lot of people are drinking wine
Drinking that mess, their delight
Drinking wine makes them happy
When they gets drunk, start singing all night
When they get drunk, they start singing all night
Drinkin' wine spo-dee-O-dee, drinkin' wine (bop ba)
Wine spo-dee-O-dee, drinkin' wine (bop ba)
Wine spo-dee-O-dee, drinkin' wine (bop ba)
Pass that bottle to me
The chorus is about drinking wine and passing the bottle around
When they gets drunk, start fighting all night
When they get drunk, they start fighting all night
Knocking down windows and tearin out doors
They become destructive while under the influence of wine
Drinkin' half a gallon and callin' for more
They drink a lot and want more
Hoy! Hoy! Hoy!
Wine, wine, wine (Elderberry!)
Wine, wine, wine (Or Sherry!)
Wine, wine, wine (Blackberry!)
Wine, wine, wine (Half 'n half!)
Wine, wine, wine (Oh Boy!)
Pass that bottle to me
This interlude is about different types of wine and calling for the bottle to be passed
If you wanna get along, in New Orleans town
Buy some wine and pass it all around
To fit in, buy some wine and share it with everyone
Age runs up for tonight (?)
All those cats they love sweet wine
It may be getting late, but they still love drinking sweet wine
Now down on Rampart street at Willy's Den
He wasn't selling but a little gin
One cat wanted a bottle of wine
He hit that cat for a dollar and a dime
There is a story about someone purchasing wine for a low price
I got a nickel, have you got a dime?
Let's get together and get a little wine
Some buys a fifth, some buys a quart
But when you buy Sherry now you're doing things smart
People are pooling their money to buy wine, and some feel buying Sherry is a smart choice
Contributed by James K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@roybarker9419
In 1949, my four buddies and I called this Atlantic record by McGhee our theme song. We bought a bottle of wine as a "sacred" symbol, but never drank it, or any alcoholic beverages, because we were total nerds! All of my buddies are dead (I'm over 90 years old) but this OLD record brings back the fun memories of our teen years! We thought of ourselves as "rebels!"
@davidbryden7904
That's a great story, OG!! 🍻✌️😎
@boojiecentoobie4272
Roy did you know Stick McGhee cleaned up the lyrics to this. He said they used to sing it in the army barracks and it was drinking wine moth________r drinking wine
Pass that Godd___n bottle
@jeffkilgore6320
It was Atlantic’s first big hit.
@johndortch3701
Hello Mr. Barker. I was ten years old at the time and it was the first time I'd ever heard of wine. Me and my buddies would walk around singing this song even though we didn't know what it meant. I have never heard of wine. One of my buddies had heard about it and showed us how to put rocks in our back pocket to make it look like we had a wine bottle.
@johndortch3701
I'm going to listen to "dust my broom" next!
@BerniceMMahar
I was just a little kid when this record came out in the late 40’s. I can remember hearing it blasting through the doors of the juke joints in our small southern town. The patrons would boogie through the doors and on to the porches; trying to show all of their fancy steps! It was a sight to see for a little kid.
@ingythomas5328
This is my grandfather who is singing this song
@Jay26798
I remember my Grandpop singing this walking around the house, just chilling like it was yesterday🙌🏿🙌🏿🙌🏿
@YoungDeathWish
Reading these comments I realize I’m probably the youngest person here at 29, I don’t actually remember how or where I found this song, but I’ve been listening to it regularly for at least 10 years. Pass that bottle to me