The real McCoy

"The real McCoy" is an idiom and metaphor used in much of the English-speaking world to mean "the real thing" or "the genuine article", e.g., "he's the real McCoy". The phrase has been the subject of numerous false etymologies.

History

The phrase "The real McCoy" may be a corruption of the Scots "The real MacKay", first recorded in 1856 as: "A drappie o' the real MacKay," (A drop of the real MacKay). This appeared in a poem Deil's Hallowe'en published in Glasgow and is widely accepted as the phrase's origin.

In 1881, the expression was used in James S. Bond's The rise and Fall of the 'Union club'; or Boy life in Canada. A character says, "By jingo! yes; so it will be. It's the 'real McCoy,' as Jim Hicks says. Nobody but a devil can find us there."

The expression was used in 1920s flapper slang to describe something that was good or the best, most likely related to its origins in the prohibition era and Bill McCoy's rum-running operation.

The expression has also been associated with Elijah McCoy's oil-drip cup invention (patented in 1872). One theory is that railroad engineers looking to avoid inferior copies would request it by name, inquiring if a locomotive was fitted with 'the real McCoy system". This possible origin is mentioned in Elijah McCoy's biography at the National Inventors Hall of Fame. The original publication of this claim can be traced to an advertisement which appeared in the December 1966 issue of Ebony. The ad, for Old Taylor Bourbon whiskey, ends with the tag line: "...but the most famous legacy McCoy left his country was his name."

Real McCoy (band)

Real McCoy, originally known as M.C. Sar & The Real McCoy, is a German musical group, best known for their '90s singles "Another Night" and "Run Away", which were both Top 10 hits worldwide.

Biography

Formation

Real McCoy is the brainchild of German rapper and producer Olaf "O-Jay" Jeglitza. After having released a few limited edition 12" singles in Germany under various project names (e.g. The Alliance, The Admirers) on his own label "Freshline Records" (founded 1988 by Frank "Quickmix" Hassas & O-Jay), their first major breakthrough came in December 1989 when a cover of the Technotronic hit "Pump Up The Jam" went to No. 16 on the German singles chart. Juergen Wind joined the production team before the single was released.

At this point, the act was faceless so for the second single, the original track "It's on You", singer Patsy Petersen and 'rapper' Shampro were enlisted to join the group. O-Jay felt uncomfortable being the frontman, so Shampro mimed O-Jay's raps. The single, on its release in 1990, climbed to No. 11 in Germany. An album On The Move was also released.

Real McCoy (ferry)

The Real McCoy was a ferryboat that operated for 63 years from Rio Vista, California, and was the oldest and most reliable piece of equipment owned by the California Department of Transportation. During its operating life – making the trip 24 hours per day, 7 days per week and roughly 200 trips a day – totaling approximately 460,000 safe passages over the 800 foot gap in the Sacramento River delta, between Ryer Island and Rio Vista.

Notes

Another Night

Another Night may refer to:

Between the Lines (Jason Donovan album)

Between the Lines is the second album by Australian pop singer Jason Donovan. It was released in 1990.

Background

Produced by the team Stock Aitken Waterman, the album reached No.2 in the UK charts, though was far less successful in Donovan's native Australia where it peaked at no.77 in December 1990. The album featured five UK Top 30 singles: "When You Come Back to Me" (UK #2), "Hang On to Your Love" (UK #8), "Another Night" (UK #18), "Rhythm of the Rain" (UK #9) and "I'm Doin' Fine" (UK #22), released between 1989 and 1990.

Donovan supported the album with a national tour of the UK and Ireland, titled the "Doin' Fine Tour", which began in June 1990.

This was Donovan's last album for the SAW production team and the following year saw him take the lead role in the West End musical Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.

Like his previous album, the title was taken from a line in one of the songs - in this case, the opening line of "When it's All Over" ("should have read between the lines..."). This title also became the name of Donovan's autobiography, released in 2007.

Another Night (The Hollies album)

Another Night is an album by English rock/pop band, The Hollies. It is the band's second album with vocalist Allan Clarke since his departure in 1972 (the first album with him since his departure was their 1974 album, Hollies). This album has mostly original material, with one exception: a cover of a song from a young, and at the time unknown, Bruce Springsteen, "4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)".

Track listing

All songs composed by Allan Clarke, Tony Hicks and Terry Sylvester except where noted.

Side 1

Side 2

Bonus tracks