MySQL connection fails with one database and not the other

I have 2 databases on mysql. ge and ge_sc001.

I can access both of these through my asp.net mvc application locally.

Web.config

 <connectionStrings>
<add name="GEContext_sc001" connectionString="server=localhost;port=3306;uid=root;pwd=***;database=ge_sc001" providerName="MySql.Data.MySqlClient" />
<add name="GEContext_sc002" connectionString="server=localhost;port=3306;uid=root;pwd=***;database=ge" providerName="MySql.Data.MySqlClient" />
<add name="GEContext" connectionString="server=localhost;port=3306;uid=root;pwd=***;database=ge" providerName="MySql.Data.MySqlClient" />

Later on when i deployed my application on the web server, and tried to access them from a remote machine. I changed server=localhost to my machine's external-facing IP address. Now I can access only one ge. when i try to access the second it gives me error.

Access denied for user 'root'@'' to database 'ge_sc001'

Notice there is no localhost above i.e. 'root'@'localhost'

SHOW GRANTS

'GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON . TO \'root\'@\'localhost\' IDENTIFIED BY PASSWORD \'*xxx\' WITH GRANT OPTION' 'GRANT PROXY ON \'\'@\'\' TO \'root\'@\'localhost\' WITH GRANT OPTION'

UPDATE

I ran

GRANT ALL ON ge_sc001.* TO 'root'@'<external_ip>';

Now the error has change to

The provider did not return a ProviderManifestToken string.

This is now happening on both of my schemas