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Sandy McKee

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riddim

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Sep 11, 2002, 10:51:16 PM9/11/02
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Anyone here hip to Cold Blood?

Just received 2 of their LPs. Sandy McKee was the drummer. He had a major
Clyde Stubblefield thing going on, nice chops, played the heck out of the
band, and had his own thing going on.

Can't find much on him in any of the web searches I've done.

Over to you,


Steve Gardner

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Sep 12, 2002, 1:09:46 AM9/12/02
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"riddim" <rid...@localnet.com> wrote in message
news:uo0090e...@corp.supernews.com...
Real good music...Lydia Pence. That was a funky band way back when. they
still play around I understand...


Rush Manbert

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Sep 13, 2002, 12:28:01 AM9/13/02
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I was a big Cold Blood fan when I was in high school. Shop Talk is still
one of my favorite songs. A friend of mine even arranged it for the
"jazz" band as my 18th birthday gift, because I had been practicing
that little solo about a million times.

I saw him play with Cold Blood twice. He had an interesting setup in that
his hi hat was lower than his snare. It was in the conventional position,
but really low. I tried it and couldn't figure out how he played that way.
I spoke to him once, and asked about it. He said it was because he wanted to
play with his arm extended. Whatever. It sure worked for him.

Anyway, I totally agree with you. He had a very unique style, and was a big
inspiration for me at the time.

- Rush


In article <uo0090e...@corp.supernews.com>,

Rush Manbert

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Sep 13, 2002, 12:34:17 AM9/13/02
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In article <alp7j...@enews2.newsguy.com>,

I mentioned in my other response that I was a big Cold Blood fan, and it
started with their first album, all because of her. I also just remembered
that when I was about 13 my grandmother started complaining about the
"hippies" that had moved into the house behind hers. (Well, sort of on the
side, really. Their back yard backed up to the side of her house.) Anyway,
she said they were really noisy. I discovered later that Lydia and Raul
Matute, the keyboard player, had rented the house for that year, so Gram
was complaining about Cold Blood practicing at the house. The world is
a small place sometimes...

George Lawrence

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Sep 13, 2002, 1:26:58 AM9/13/02
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Same Here. My whole exploration into the wierd and wonderful world of
independence and stickings outside the rudiment system started with that
eight bar break in Shop Talk on the Sisyphus album. there was also a Cold
Blood album that Gaylord Birch played on.

--
George Lawrence
George's Drum Shop
1351 S. Cleveland-Massillon Road #21
Copley, Ohio 44321
http://www.GeorgesDrumShop.com
e mail geo...@GeorgesDrumShop.com
330 670 0800
866 970 0800 toll free

"If thine enemy wrong thee,
buy each of his children a drum."
-Chinese proverb

"Rush Manbert" <man...@rahul.net> wrote in message
news:alrpgh$phm$1...@samba.rahul.net...

George Lawrence

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Sep 13, 2002, 1:52:59 AM9/13/02
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I seem to remember som e mention ofsandy in MD; a where are they now piece.

--
George Lawrence
George's Drum Shop
1351 S. Cleveland-Massillon Road #21
Copley, Ohio 44321
http://www.GeorgesDrumShop.com
e mail geo...@GeorgesDrumShop.com
330 670 0800
866 970 0800 toll free

"If thine enemy wrong thee,
buy each of his children a drum."
-Chinese proverb

"riddim" <rid...@localnet.com> wrote in message
news:uo0090e...@corp.supernews.com...

riddim

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Sep 13, 2002, 2:28:35 AM9/13/02
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Sandy's passing was mentioned some time ago. Narada Michael Walden cited him
as an influence in an MD issue with him on the cover.

There is some video of Cold Blood (2 tunes) with Sandy on the Fillmore
movie, along with a much younger George Rains (with Boz Scaggs). Both kicked
butt. I noticed that Sandy played right handed, but had his hats down low,
like a late 30s swing drummer might. It certainly worked for him. A very,
very, bad man.

Does anyone know which Cold Blood albums Gaylord Birch played on?

morris

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Sep 13, 2002, 1:10:46 PM9/13/02
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"riddim" <rid...@localnet.com> wrote in message news:<uo31dng...@corp.supernews.com>...

sorry i'm late to the party.......

i only got turned onto him when i was about 25 or 26 ( early 80's)
when a chick singer i was working with gave me a cassette with their
version of Bill Withers' KISSIN MY LOVE on it to learn for a gig. I
proceeded to dub that to a tape loop 11-12 times and practice it over
and over again.

are the COLD BLOOD albums re-issued on CD?

Rush Manbert

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Sep 15, 2002, 6:53:06 PM9/15/02
to
:-) Yeah, doesn't that just rock!? I also, while in high school, went to see
Cold Blood play a gig where we expected Sandy to play. Much to my surprise,
it was Gaylord Birch instead. (The new album had not come out yet.) My
friends and I, being obnoxious 17 year olds, yelled out in unison, "Where's
Sandy?" The other band members weren't too happy about that. They said
something about him being in jail, and you could see that it REALLY pissed
Gaylord off! He played a really GREAT show that night!! And the album he
plays on is pretty good too!

- Rush


In article <CGeg9.8179$yt3.4...@newssrv26.news.prodigy.com>,

Rush Manbert

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Sep 15, 2002, 7:03:35 PM9/15/02
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Oh, I hadn't heard that. It's a sad thing.

As far as I know, the only album that Gaylord Birch is on is called "Thriller".
The next album they released is called "Lydia", and has someone named Joe
Williams on drums. (Sorry if I'm showing my ignorance here and he's some big
name now.) Sandy Mc Kee plays on "Sisyphus" and "First Taste of Sin".

I don't know if they ever came out on CD. I have their first five
albums, and that may be the whole catalog. I'll have to take a look, it
would be worth having them on CD.

- Rush

In article <c153605b.02091...@posting.google.com>,

riddim

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Sep 15, 2002, 10:54:25 PM9/15/02
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Gaylord was a bad man too. Ever catch him playing Salt Peanuts with the
Pointer Sisters?


ptp.m...@gmail.com

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May 18, 2015, 2:06:35 AM5/18/15
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Does anyone know what happened to Sandy?

Flamdaddy

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Jun 24, 2015, 2:34:53 PM6/24/15
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Great to hear all this talk about Cold Blood. I loved them from the beginning -- since 'Thriller.' And I've featured Sandy and Cold Blood four times on my radio show, beginning in 2005. Cold Blood is even scheduled for the next edition of Ain't That a Groove as well. But I've never found a comprehensive bio (or discography) for Sandy anywhere on the web. Because Sandy and Cold Blood seem to be enjoying 'a revival' I'll try chatting again with their PR guy and some original members of the band.

--Bill Kilpatrick for Ain't That a Grove

>Ain't That a Groove's Kickstarter Campaign
http://tiny.cc/dywpzx

>ATG's internet radio show:
http://www.live365.com/stations/flamdaddy


>Samples from ATG's internet radio show

Raunch and Rock
http://tiny.cc/v1rozx

Drumming Soothsayers
http://tiny.cc/o5rozx

Series: Tribute to Hall of Fame Drummers
http://tiny.cc/xgsozx

Post-apocalyptic Jazz Drumming from Bill Stewart
http://tiny.cc/fdsozx


bob.d...@gmail.com

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Mar 11, 2016, 6:22:18 PM3/11/16
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I knew Sandy from Chicago. He was a left handed player and played his butt off.

kenney...@gmail.com

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Aug 9, 2016, 8:00:37 PM8/9/16
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Sandy was a BAD drummer. He also sung too.I can't stay I believe. I play keyboards and our group in Seattle was Acapulco Gold.We played all their songs in the 1970s

tigge...@gmail.com

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Sep 4, 2016, 2:26:53 PM9/4/16
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Sandy was a good friend of my older brother who was also a drummer. He spent holidays at our house and he was the funniest man I know. It was hard to eat cause he kept us all laughing so hard. I miss him so much.

jmuld...@gmail.com

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Oct 22, 2016, 2:39:38 PM10/22/16
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On Wednesday, September 11, 2002 at 7:51:16 PM UTC-7, riddim wrote:

jmuld...@gmail.com

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Oct 22, 2016, 2:41:40 PM10/22/16
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On Wednesday, September 11, 2002 at 7:51:16 PM UTC-7, riddim wrote:
On Wednesday, September 11, 2002 at 7:51:16 PM UTC-7, riddim wrote:
On Wednesday, September 11, 2002 at 7:51:16 PM UTC-7, riddim wrote:
ttttt

jmuld...@gmail.com

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Oct 22, 2016, 3:21:41 PM10/22/16
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I was the trumpet player in the group Blue Magic in about 1967 for about 2 years with Sandy McKee (Cecil Stoltie) at the Players Lounge (night club) on Stevens Creek Rd. in San Jose. We played together for 6 nights a week. When the band broke up, Sandy and I moved on to other bands. He went on to work with Lydia at that point, and I went on to play with other horn bands, etc.

Yes Sandy was funny and accomplished as all of us were. We were getting ready to record and do some sessions work, but there were some politics that got in the way so we disassembled.

Sandy could out talk anyone and never seemed to take a breath, but he was very entertaining as well. Lot's of fun when all of the players in a band are of the same caliber.

Eric, the B3 player and singer was also pretty funny and they were both accomplished at vocals.

The reason for the hi hat being so low was that Sandy played both sides, from the bottom on the upswing and the top down. This was something he did automatically, filling his fills.

The music we did was current and original, all well done our way. We packed the house and when people revisit Sandy or any of the San Jose circuit they still remember how good we really were.

I have lost quite of friends including Bill Resch, a trumpet player from San Jose State. We were quite well thought of in teh Jazz Band, etc. There was another drummer I played with in the area ... Rick Quintinel. Rick and I took a sabbatical to Mexico on Spring Break One year. Wound up playing with the Don Ellis band ... I believe Indian Lady was a tune that was on the Electric Bath album. Crazy playing with Glen Stuart and those 4 valve trumpets in unusual time signatures. Worth listening to.

I bumped into Sandy during a concert at Stanford Amphitheater while he was playing with Cold Blood. It was like two brothers who were still joined at the hip.

Sandy was a good man and a great drummer... I think of him from time to time. He is still with us in spirit.

danny....@gmail.com

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Jan 26, 2017, 6:53:06 AM1/26/17
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Oh, I LOVE Cold Blood and Sandy Mckee's drumming! Sadly, I understand he passed away in 1995. I was fortunate enough to see Cold Blood live twice with Sandy on drums and once with Gaylord Birch on drums, he of the Thriller album.

danny....@gmail.com

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Jan 26, 2017, 6:58:53 AM1/26/17
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Yes most all off them are available on CD. Gaylord Birch was the drummer for Missing My Love from the Thriller Album.

danny....@gmail.com

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Jan 26, 2017, 7:05:53 AM1/26/17
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Kissing My Love, that is

danny....@gmail.com

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Jan 26, 2017, 7:05:53 AM1/26/17
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csto...@gmail.com

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Jan 22, 2018, 10:30:27 PM1/22/18
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Would love to hear more about Sandy, Cecil as I know him. I am his son Christopher Stoltie.

ma...@cardoctor.com

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Mar 10, 2018, 9:32:03 PM3/10/18
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I was a young kid playing drums in a local Bay Area soul band the Mystic Knights. I was invited to Cold Bloods practice session in a Richmond CA wArehouse. I was thrilled to watch Sandy and the band play. This left a huge impression on me and my playing. I still practice very hard and play along with Sandy on the Cold Blood albums. After 40 years plus of practice, I must say I have the grooves together. I was fortunate to also play with Michael Sassaki the guitar player of CB....Back to Sandy
A great drummer with a fantastic style. Not to many drummers could hang with him .... I found him giving a 30 minute drum lesson on you tube...audio only. Discussing playing live

joshuale...@gmail.com

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Feb 23, 2020, 2:34:09 AM2/23/20
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On Monday, January 22, 2018 at 5:30:27 PM UTC-10, csto...@gmail.com wrote:
> Would love to hear more about Sandy, Cecil as I know him. I am his son Christopher Stoltie.

Hi Christopher,
I knew Sandy, (Cecil) very well. He was my drum teacher on and off for about a decade, starting when I was around 9 or 10.
My email is joshuale...@gmail.com If you'd like email me and I'll give you a call.
best,
Joshua

Deborah Mckee

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Apr 28, 2021, 3:56:10 PM4/28/21
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Hi Josh,
It's been a long time. How do I get a hold of you? You can email me @ mckee...@hotmail.com

Deborah Mckee

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Apr 28, 2021, 4:41:49 PM4/28/21
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On Sunday, May 17, 2015 at 11:06:35 PM UTC-7, ptp.m...@gmail.com wrote:
> Does anyone know what happened to Sandy?
Yes, I was his wife until he died. When I met Sandy he was playing with a band called "Souvenirs". That was in 1982ish. I met Sandy at the Keystone in Palo Alto. Lots of stories. Anyway tell you more later.
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