Michael McDonald (born February 12, 1952) is an American singer, songwriter, keyboardist and record producer.
McDonald’s music career spans more than 45 years. His early career included singing with Steely Dan. He joined the Doobie Brothersin 1976 and remained an integral member until 1982, after which he released the first of nine solo albums. During his career, he has collaborated with a number of other artists, including Kenny Loggins, David Cassidy, Van Halen, Patti LaBelle, the Winans, Aretha Franklin, Toto, Grizzly Bear and Thundercat. He has also recorded for television and film soundtracks. During his career, McDonald has won five Grammy Awards.
Early years
Michael McDonald was born on February 12, 1952, into an Irish American Catholic family in Ferguson, Missouri, a suburb of St. Louis. McDonald attended McCluer High School where he played in local bands including Mike and the Majestics, Jerry Jay and the Sheratons, the Reebtoors and the Guild. He was ‘discovered’ while playing with a band called Blue and moved to Los Angeles, California, in 1970 to pursue a career in music.
Steely Dan
In 1974, McDonald became a member of Steely Dan’s touring band, singing lead and backing vocals. He also became one of the many in-studio adjunct members of the band, providing backing vocals on tracks for 1975’s Katy Lied. He appeared on subsequent Steely Dan recordings including 1976’s The Royal Scam and 1977’s Aja. He also played keyboards on some Steely Dan tracks.
McDonald continued to provide backing vocals for Steely Dan through their 1980 release, Gaucho. In 2006, he joined Steely Dan on the band’s summer tour, both as the opening act and as part of the band.
The Doobie Brothers
McDonald was recruited by the rock band the Doobie Brothers in April 1975, initially as a temporary replacement for their lead vocalist Tom Johnston after he had become ill during a national tour, but his work with the band proved so successful that they decided to retain him as a full-time member.
As a member of the Doobie Brothers, McDonald sang the lead vocals on some of the band’s best-known songs such as «Real Love», «Takin’ It to the Streets», «Little Darling (I Need You)», «It Keeps You Runnin'», «Minute by Minute», and «What a Fool Believes» (which became a No. 1 single in the U.S. and earned him a 1980 Grammy Award for Song of the Year along with co-writer Kenny Loggins). At the same time, McDonald appeared as a session vocalist and keyboardist for various artists, including Christopher Cross, Stephen Bishop, Jack Jones, Bonnie Raitt, the rock band Toto and Kenny Loggins. McDonald co-wrote «You Belong to Me» with Carly Simon, which appeared on the album Livin’ on the Fault Line.
McDonald reunited as a guest performer with the Doobie Brothers several times since the band’s initial dissolution in 1982. He re-teamed with the Doobie Brothers for the track «Don’t Say Goodbye» on the band’s thirteenth studio album, World Gone Crazy. In March 2014, he reunited with the Doobie Brothers to record a brand-new album featuring the greatest hits of the Doobies’ 40-plus-year career. This project was completed in conjunction with Sony Music Nashville. On the album, McDonald shares lead vocals with Sara Evans for «What a Fool Believes», Love and Theft for «Takin’ it to the Streets», and Amanda Sudano-Ramirez for «You Belong to Me». The album, titled Southbound, was released on November 4, 2014, as the Doobie Brothers’ fourteenth studio album.
On November 5, 2014, McDonald and the Doobie Brothers were featured musical guests on the 47th annual CMA Awards to celebrate the release of Southbound. They were joined by Hunter Hayes, Jennifer Nettles and Hillary Scott in their performance of «Listen to the Music.» At the end of the awards ceremony, they were also joined by host Brad Paisley for «Takin’ It to the Streets».
Solo career
After the Doobie Brothers’ first farewell tour, McDonald released his first solo studio album, If That’s What It Takes, in 1982 on the label Warner Bros. The album featured the hit singles «I Keep Forgettin’ (Every Time You’re Near)», a duet with his sisters Kathy and Maureen, and «I Gotta Try», a song co-written with Kenny Loggins, who also recorded in that same year for his fourth album High Adventure.
He continued to collaborate with other artists during this period. McDonald co-wrote Van Halen’s Top 20 hit «I’ll Wait», from their biggest-selling album 1984. «Yah Mo B There», a duet with James Ingram, won the 27th Annual Grammy for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals.[14] In 1985, he released his second studio album No Lookin’ Back, which for the first time, he co-produced, as well as wrote or co-wrote all of the tracks and featured a minor hit with the title-track, co-written by Kenny Loggins. By June 1986, the album had met little success, but McDonald then had a huge boost with the release of the single «Sweet Freedom», which appeared on the soundtrack to the Billy Crystal and Gregory Hines film Running Scared, and was McDonald’s last Top 10 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The No Lookin’ Back album was then re-released in some markets with the new hit single included, as well as a few songs remixed. The single «On My Own», a duet with Patti LaBelle, reached No. 1 on the U.S. charts in 1986. Later that year, he would perform as a backing vocalist on Toto’s album Fahrenheit, appearing on the hit single «I’ll Be Over You», as well its accompanying video. On August 22, 1986, McDonald appeared in an episode of The Young and the Restless. Also in 1987, McDonald did a featured collaboration with gospel quartet the Winans from their Decisions album titled «Love Has No Color».
In 1990, McDonald released his third studio album, Take It to Heart, which featured a minor hit with the title-track, co-written by Diane Warren. The following year he joined the New York Rock and Soul Revue, put together by Steely Dan’s lead vocalist Donald Fagen and featuring other artists such as Boz Scaggs and Phoebe Snow. In 1991, he released the single «Ever Changing Times», a duet with Aretha Franklin.
In 1999, McDonald recorded the song «Eyes of a Child» for the South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut, which is a comedic ballad written by Trey Parker. It was also used at the ending credits for the movie. The same year, he sang backing vocals on the Warren Brothers’ single «Better Man», from their album Beautiful Day in the Cold Cruel World.[18] He also provided lead vocals for one of three studio tracks on Chicago XXVI: Live in Concert.
2000–present
In 2003, he earned two Grammy nominations for his album Motown, a tribute to the Motown sound. A year later, Motown Two was released. Music critic Stephen Thomas Erlewinestated, «The album follows the same blueprint as the first record, offering highly polished, professionally produced, expertly performed interpretations of gems from the Motown vaults.»[
In 2008, McDonald released his album Soul Speak, which includes three new songs penned by McDonald, and covers of songs by Dionne Warwick («Walk On By»), Stevie Wonder(«Living for the City»), Van Morrison («Into the Mystic»), Tyrone Davis («Baby Can I Change My Mind») and others.
In 2000, McDonald, along with partners Chris Pelonis and actor Jeff Bridges, founded the independent recording label Rampe St. Louis Walk of Fame. McDonald recorded a duet with Ray Charles on Charles’ 2004 Genius Loves Company. In 2007, McDonald helped judge the sixth annual Independent Music Awards. In 2006, McDonald sang as a guest singer in the jazz quartet Fourplay from the album X, in a cover of Steve Winwood’s song «My Love’s Leavin'».
In 2009, McDonald, along with the West Angeles COGIC Mass Choir, released the song «Storm Before the Calm» on the compilation album Oh Happy Day. McDonald also contributed an alternate lead vocal track for «While You Wait for the Others», a single by the indie rock band Grizzly Bear, which released as a 7-inch single.
In December 2009, McDonald donated his performance to Keep the Beat in Santa Barbara, California, where he played to a capacity crowd at the newly renovated Granada Theater. Harry Rabin, producer and head of Keep the Beat, an initiative of the Santa Barbara Education Foundation, produced the show, including two video productions and worked with student choral groups from primary and secondary schools as well as a brass section so they could perform in the show with McDonald and his band.
In 2009, McDonald appeared on the satirical television sitcom 30 Rock as one of the benefit singers in the season finale episode «Kidney Now!». McDonald performed the national anthem before the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl between the Boise State Broncos and TCU Horned Frogs at the University of Phoenix Stadium on January 4, 2010 in Glendale, Arizona. McDonald sang «Takin’ It to the Streets» on the American Idol, season nine finale, in 2010.
In 2010, McDonald teamed up again with Donald Fagen and Boz Scaggs to form The Dukes of September. In June 2012, the supergroup performed on Late Night With Jimmy Fallonto promote their tour. The group also played at Lincoln Center, a performance which was then broadcast as a PBS special and later released on DVD.
In 2013, McDonald settled a $500,000 breach-of-contract suit (out of court) with Warner Music over underpayment of royalties of online sales. In the summer of 2014, he co-headlined a U.S. tour with the band Toto.
In 2017, McDonald was featured together with Kenny Loggins on Thundercat’s single «Show You the Way», included on the latter’s album Drunk. In June 2017, McDonald, Loggins and Thundercat performed the song together on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.
Personal life
McDonald has been married to singer Amy Holland since 1983 and they have two children, Dylan (born 1987) and Scarlett (born 1991). He moved with his family to Santa Barbara, in the late 1990s.
