[1] Born in 1947 in Montego Bay, Jamaica, McGhie was a childhood friend of Jay Douglas, and played in reggae bands before both moved to Toronto as part of the late 1960s influx of Caribbean musicians to Canada alongside figures such as Lloyd Delpratt, Jo Jo Bennett and Jackie Mittoo.
[1] McGhie continued recording in the 1970s, and was associated with a band called RAM, but had little success; by the early 1980s, he was suffering from mental health issues, and disappeared from music and lost touch with most of his friends and family.
[1] However, after hip hop emerged in the 1980s, the album's rich, highly sample-worthy mix of rhythm and blues, soul, funk and reggae influences made the few surviving copies a highly prized possession among hip hop producers and collectors, with original copies selling for up to $800 and even second-hand cassette dubs sometimes selling for over $100.
[1] When Light in the Attic's Kevin "Sipreano" Howes wanted to reissue the self-titled album in the early 2000s, he contacted Douglas, who was able to track McGhie down by finding his sister Merline, with whom he was living in Scarborough.
[2] Artists who sampled from the album in their own recordings included Ghetto Concept ("Certified"), Nas ("Daughters"), Cypress Hill ("Band of Gypsies"), Psycho Realm ("Forget the Faces") and Flying Lotus ("Cry for Help").