24 fans
Wilbur "Kansas Joe" McCoy, born on May 11, 1905 in Raymond, Mississippi, was an American Delta blues singer and musician. He moved to Memphis, Tennessee, where he began his music career playing guitar and singing during the 1920s. In 1930, McCoy teamed up with future wife Lizzie Douglas, known as Memphis Minnie, and they recorded "Bumble Bee" for Columbia Records. The couple later moved to Chicago, becoming a significant part of the city's blues scene. After their divorce, McCoy formed the Harlem Hamfats with his brother Papa Charlie McCoy in 1936. One of their recordings, "The Weed Smoker's Dream", was refined by McCoy and retitled "Why Don't You Do Right?", which became a jazz standard after being covered by Peggy Lee in 1942. During World War II, McCoy formed Big Joe and his Rhythm. McCoy died of heart disease in Chicago on January 28, 1950.
