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Donald's Encyclopedia of Popular MusicA B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y ZMcCOY, Clyde(b 29 December 1903, Ashfield KY; d 11 June 1990, Memphis TN) Trumpet, bandleader. According to his publicity he was a member of the family that had the famous Appalachian feud with the Hatfields. He played on riverboats and in Louisville venues as teenager; had his first band at 19, various jobs and gigs, then hit on Columbia in 1931 with the Clarence Williams tune 'Sugar Blues'; a remake on Decca in 1936 was said to have sold a million: the emphasis on a wah-wah sound on the trumpet gave it a novelty impact. Hits in the 1930s incl. 'Tear It Down'. He followed a legendary Benny Goodman engagement at the Paramount Theatre, led a successful band until '42, took it into US Navy with him. He took up where he left off after WWII; ran a Denver night club in the mid-1950s, played at NYC's Round Table with a combo 1960; always forced to reprise 'Sugar Blues'. |