When McKinley broke up the band, he joined Glenn Miller's Army Air Force band, which he co-led with arranger Jerry Gray after Miller's disappearance in December 1944.
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McKinley is referred to as "Eight Beat Mack" in the lyrics to the song "Down the Road a Piece," which he recorded as a trio with Will Bradley and Freddie Slack in 1940.
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McKinley's biggest hit with Bradley, as a singer, was "Beat Me Daddy, Eight to the Bar", which he recorded early in the year 1940 (and for which he got partial songwriting credit under his wife's maiden name Eleanore Sheehy).
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It also features several orchestras including the Count Basie Orchestra, Freddy Martin and his orchestra, Ray McKinley and his orchestra, and The Golden Gate Quartet.
In 1944 he joined the military; after his service he played with Ray McKinley (1946-50, intermittent), Benny Goodman (1948-49), Gene Krupa, Ina Ray Hutton, Tommy Dorsey, Tex Beneke, Herman once more (1950-51), Jerry Gray, Bob Chester, Elliot Lawrence, and Jimmy Dorsey (1952-53).
On January 25, 1945, Reinhardt recorded four tunes with Bernie Privin on trumpet, Peanuts Hucko on tenor saxophone, Mel Powell on piano, Josz Schulman on bass and Ray McKinley on drums.
Lyle "Rusty" Dedrick (12 July 1918 – 25 December 2009) was an American swing and bop jazz trumpeter and composer born in Delevan, New York, probably better known for his work with Bill Borden, Dick Stabile, Red Norvo, Ray McKinley or Claude Thornhill, among others.
Although the original lyrics were used by Harry Gibson and Stan Kenton, both in 1945 and the Glenn Miller Orchestra (led by Ray McKinley) in 1946, subsequent recordings of "Down the Road a Piece" usually changed the lyrics that referred to the musicians.