Clyde McCoy
b. 29 December 1903, Ashland, Kentucky, USA, d. 1 June 1990, Memphis, Tennessee, USA. McCoy grew up in Portsmouth, Ohio, bought his first trumpet at the age of nine and taught himself to play. While in his teens he formed his own small group, and by the late '20s, led a full orchestra, playing clubs and ballrooms. Using a mute, he developed a distinctive hiccuping, growling, ‘wah-wah’ trumpet sound, exemplified by his first big hit in 1931, Sugar Blues. This first McCoy recording of the number on Columbia Records, (he re-recorded it several times), reputedly sold several million copies and became his theme tune. His other hits during the '30s included Glen Gray's signature tune Smoke Rings, In The Cool Of The Night, Wah Wah Lament, The Goona Goo and Sugar Blues, this time on Decca. In 1937, McCoy added a female vocal group, the Bennett Sisters, and later married the lead singer. During World War II McCoy took his band and vocalists into the Navy's Special Services as a complete unit. He re-formed after the war and during the '50s had an especially successful band, working major clubs, ballrooms and concert halls throughout the USA and Canada. In later years he often led a small Dixieland outfit, and was still performing up to the mid-80s.