Well, we made it through the first weekend in December – the kickoff to Holiday Party Season. Hopefully, you were smart about your holiday spirit consumption. We are playing a long game here, and you have to maintain that buzz for another few weeks! Today’s spin on the December of Drinking list pays tribute to one of my favorite beverages, wine.
Stick McGhee – Drinkin’ Wine, Spo-Dee-O-Dee
Stick McGhee came from a musical family, and started playing the guitar when he was just a boy. His father was a guitarist and singer, and Stick and his brother, Brownie, followed in his footsteps. Stick came up with this song while he was in the military in the early 1940s, and it was quite popular among his fellow servicemen. But it was a very different song. The original chorus went a little something like this:
“Drinkin’ wine motherfucker, drinkin’ wine!
Goddam!
Drinkin’ wine motherfucker, drinkin’ wine!
Goddam!
Drinkin’ wine motherfucker, drinkin’ wine!
Goddam!
Pass that bottle to me!”
As you can see, there is little mention of Spo-Dee-O-Dee. That got added later, when Stick and his brother Brownie recorded a clean version for Harlem Records in 1946. When that didn’t get much airplay, Stick re-recorded it for Atlantic Records in 1949. That version made it to Number 2 on the charts, where it stayed for 4 weeks. The song was covered by a variety of other artists, including Jerry Lee Lewis, but the classic Atlantic version is still my favorite.
If you’re in need of a little bracer on this Monday morning, this tune’ll get your day rolling. Here’s Stick McGhee & His Buddies, “Drinkin’ Wine, Spo-Dee-O-Dee.”
Cheers!
Drinks List
- King Cole Trio – Scotchin’ With The Soda
- Big Bad VooDoo Daddy – You And Me And The Bottle Makes Three Tonight
- George Thorogood & The Delaware Destroyers – I Drink Alone
- Stick McGhee & His Buddies – Drinking Wine Spo-Dee-O-Dee
