Michael McDonald

Michael McDonald - The Voice of Michael McDonald - 2000 - Rhino Entertainment Company

On this blog, we have spoken of "The Voice", the great Paul Rodgers. Michael McDonald is equally qualified to hold that title, as he is arguably the greatest American "blue-eyed" R&B/soul singer ever born. His vocals, and keyboard playing grace hundreds of albums, and he remains one of the world's most in demand session singers. Michael first gained worldwide recognition as a part time member of the great Steely Dan, providing back-up vocals on tracks for The Dan's classic 1975 "Katy Lied" album. He toured with Steely Dan in the early/mid seventies as a vocalist and keyboard player, and also appeared on later Dan albums including "The Royal Scam", "Aja." and "Gaucho". "The Voice of Michael McDonald" contains eighteen of Michael's best works. Just read the musicians credits list for this album. It is flabbergasting ! Check out Michael's "Motown", and "Motown Two" albums, and also his great "Soul Speak" album. Listen to his amazing vocals on the tracks, "Peg", and "I Got The News" on Steely Dan's "Aja" album, and you will find info on Michael's "If That's What It Takes" album @ MMCD/ITWIT

TRACKS / COMPOSERS / MAIN PERFORMERS

1 Takin' It to the Streets - McDonald (Performed by: McDonald, Patrick Simmons, Jeff Baxter)
2 It Keeps You Runnin' - McDonald (Performed by: McDonald, Patrick Simmons, Jeff Baxter)
3 You Belong to Me - McDonald, Simon (Performed by: McDonald, Patrick Simmons, Jeff Baxter)
4 What a Fool Believes - Loggins, McDonald (Performed by: McDonald, Patrick Simmons, Jeff Baxter)
5 I Keep Forgettin' (Every Time You're Near) - Leiber, McDonald, Sanford, Stoller (Performed by: McDonald, Greg Phillinganes, Steve Lukather)
6 No Lookin' Back - Loggins, McDonald, Sanford (Performed by: McDonald, David Pack, Willie Weeks)
7 I Gotta Try - Loggins, McDonald (Performed by: McDonald, Michael Boddicker, Greg Phillinganes)
8 Yah Mo B There - Ingram, Jones, McDonald, Temperton (Performed by: McDonald, James Ingram)
9 On My Own - Bacharach, Sager (McDonald, Patti LaBelle, Burt Bacharach)
10 By Heart - McDonald, Pack, Sabatino (Performed by: McDonald, Scott Plunkett, Chris Pelonis)
11 Sweet Freedom - Temperton (Performed by: McDonald, Larry Williams, Anthony Patler, Ja, )
12 I Just Can't Let Go - Pack - (Performed by: McDonald, James Ingram, David Pack)
13 Take It to Heart - McDonald, Warren (Performed by: McDonald, Michael Hanna, Michael Mason)
14 Ever Changing Times - Bacharach, Conti, Sager (McDonald, Aretha Franklin, Michael Boddicker )
15 Minute by Minute [Live Version from the NYR&S Revue] - Abrams, McDonald (Performed by: McDonald, Donald Fagen, Danny Caron)
16 Higher Ground - Wonder
17 Blink of an Eye - McDonald, Perilli (McDonald, Benmont Tench, Jeff Bova, Ka,)
18 Tell It Like It Is - Davis, Diamond

MUSICIANS

Michael McDonald Keyboards, Vocals
Michael Hart Thompson, Jimmy Vivino, Dean Parks, David Pack, Steve Lukather, Dann Huff, Warren Haynes, Drew Zingg, Phil Jackson, Larry Debari, Danny Caron, Jeff Baxter Guitar
Bernie Chiaravalle Guitar, Sitar
Patrick Simmons Guitar, Vocals
Randy Jacobs, Robben Ford Guitar (Rhythm)
Neil Stubenhaus, Lincoln Schleifer, Willie Weeks, Pino Palladino, Louis Johnson Bass
Burt Bacharach Piano
Benmont Tench, Jesse Butler Organ
Bill Payne, Larry Williams, Peter Wolf, Michael Hanna, David Foster Synthesizer
Rod Temperton, Michael Boddicker Synthesizer, Keyboards
David Frank Synthesizer Horn
James Ingram Synthesizer, Vocals
Donald Fagen Piano, Vocals, Melodica
Danny Sembello, Anthony Patler Keyboards
Jeff Young Keyboards, Vocals
Philip Hamilton Percussion, Vocals
John Hartman Percussion, Drums
George Perilli Drums, Tom-Tom
Carlos Vega, Manu Katche, Dennis McDermott, Steve Gadd, Staff Fieldhouse Simmons Drums
Keith Knudsen Drums, Vocals
Ted Templeman, Burleigh Drummond, Paulinho Da Costa Percussion
Ernie Watts, Brandon Fields Saxophone
Reverend Dave Boruff, Kim Hutchcroft Flute, Saxophone
Jeff Bova Bass, Clavinet
Cornelius Bumpus Sax (Tenor)
John Hagen Sax (Tenor), Vocals
Albert Wing Sax (Tenor)
Wells Christy Synclavier
Lee Thornberg, Jerry Hey, Gary Grant, Chris Anderson, Chuck Findley Trumpet
Bob Gurland Trumpet, Vocals
Mindy Jostyn Harmonica, Vocals
Bobby LaKind Conga
Greg Phillinganes Clavinet
Ula Hedwig, Quincy Jones, Aretha Franklin, Rosemary Butler Vocals
Dian Sorel, Phoebe Snow, Boz Scaggs, Julia Tillman Waters, Maureen McDonald, Kenny Loggins, David Lasley, Clydene Jackson, Barbara Ingram, Maxine Willard Waters, Sweet Pea Atkinson, Siedah Garrett, Sir Harry Bowens, Evette Benton, Carla Benson Vocals (bckgr)
Jeff Porcaro, Scott Plunkett, Patti LaBelle Performers
Elliot Scheiner Producer, Engineer, Mixing

BIOGRAPHY

Michael McDonald (born February 12, 1952, in St. Louis, Missouri) is an American R&B/soul singer (sometimes described as a "blue-eyed soul" singer), known for his tall, physically attractive figure and his trademark husky baritone voice.McDonald played in several local bands (such as Mike and the Majestics, Jerry Jay and the Sheratons, the Reebtoors, and The Guild) while attending McCluer High School in his hometown of Ferguson, Missouri, a suburb of St. Louis.He was 'discovered' while playing with a group called Blue and consequently moved to Los Angeles in 1970. He first gained wide attention as an adjunct member of the group Steely Dan, providing back-up vocals on tracks for 1975's Katy Lied. He would return on subsequent albums including 1976's The Royal Scam and have his unique phrasing in "Peg" on the 1977 album Aja. His talent on the keyboards was also showcased during this time. Michael continued to do background vocals for Steely Dan up to their 1980 Gaucho release.McDonald was recruited by The Doobie Brothers in April 1975 when lead singer Tommy Johnston became ill during a national tour. As a member of the Doobies, he recorded some of his most memorable songs, such as "Takin' It To The Streets," "Little Darling," "It Keeps You Runnin'" (used in the movie Forrest Gump),"Minute by Minute," and "What a Fool Believes" (which became a number one single in the U.S. and earned him a 1980 Grammy Award for Song of the Year).After the Doobies' first farewell tour, McDonald continued with a very successful solo career. Among his hits are "I Keep Forgettin'", a duet with his sister Maureen, later sampled in 1994 by Warren G and in 2005 by Papoose. "Sweet Freedom", the theme to the 1986 MGM film Running Scared "Take It To Heart" "Yah Mo B There", a duet with James Ingram which won a 1985 Grammy for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals "On My Own", a 1986 duet with Patti Labelle which reached #1 on the U.S. charts McDonald has produced and/or appeared on albums recorded by many other artists, including his singer wife Amy Holland and Grammy winner Christopher Cross. He sang back up vocals for Bonnie Raitt's 1977 album, Sweet Forgiveness, on the songs "Gamblin Man", "Runaway", "Sweet Forgiveness", and "Two Lives." McDonald is also a co-founder of the small independent recording label Ramp Records, with studio designer Chris Pelonis and actor Jeff Bridges. McDonald has reunited as a guest performer with the Doobies several times since their initial dissolution in 1982 (the 1996 double live album Rockin' Down the Highway: The Wildlife Concert features him on three of his classic tunes), but he continues his solo career with a series of tribute albums to the Motown sound. The best example of this is his 2003 Motown Records album Motown which earned McDonald two Grammy nominations. He also sang "Eyes of a Child" (written by Trey Parker), the ending credits song satirizing his career and songs, for the 1999 animated film South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut. In 2003, McDonald was featured in an ad campaign for MCI. A videotaped concert of the artist was used as a running joke in the 2005 film The 40-Year-Old Virgin. Beginning in 2005, an Internet-based comedy series of video shorts called "Yacht Rock" has fictionalized the smooth songwriting exploits of McDonald and frequent collaborator Kenny Loggins.In 2003 McDonald received a star on the St. Louis Walk of Fame.McDonald joined Steely Dan on tour during the summer of 2006. Copyright © 2007 Answers Corporation. All rights reserved

BIO (Wikipedia)

Michael McDonald (born February 12, 1952, in St. Louis, Missouri) is a gold and platinum-selling American R&B/soul singer and songwriter. He is sometimes described as a "blue-eyed soul" singer and sings in a distinctive "husky, soulful" yet baritone range.He is known for his work as a member of the Doobie Brothers, Steely Dan, and for several hits as a solo artist. McDonald played in several local bands (such as Mike and the Majestics, Jerry Jay and the Sheratons, the Reeb-Toors, the Del Rays and The Guild) while attending McCluer High School in his hometown of Ferguson, Missouri, now a city of some 25,000 people in St. Louis County, Missouri. McDonald was 'discovered' while playing with a group called Blue and consequently moved to Los Angeles in 1970. McDonald was recruited by the band The Doobie Brothers in April 1975 when lead singer Tom Johnston became ill during a national tour. His time with the band proved so successful that they decided to retain him as a full time member. As a member of the Doobies, he recorded some of his most well-known songs, such as "Takin' It to the Streets", "Little Darling", "It Keeps You Runnin'" "Minute by Minute" and "What a Fool Believes" (which became a number one single in the U.S. and earned him a 1980 Grammy Award for Song of the Year). At the same time he appeared as a session singer and piano player for artists like Christopher Cross, Jack Jones, Bonnie Raitt, the rock band Toto and Kenny Loggins. After the Doobies' first farewell tour, McDonald compiled some of his earlier songs in the 1982 release That Was Then: The Early Years which has never been issued on CD. His first solo album, If That's What It Takes, also released in 1982, featured the hits "I Keep Forgettin' (Every Time You're Near)," a duet with his sister Maureen, and "I Gotta Try," a song co-written with Kenny Loggins, who recorded it as well. "Yah Mo B There", a duet with James Ingram, won him the 1985 Grammy for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals. He followed that up with "On My Own", a duet with Patti Labelle, which reached #1 on the U.S. charts in 1986. McDonald's 1990 album Take It To Heart featured a minor hit with the title song, co-written with Diane Warren. The following year he joined the New York Rock and Soul Revue, put together by Steely Dan's Donald Fagen. 1991's "Ever Changing Times" with Aretha Franklin, a duet on Arista Records, had moderate success and radio play (peaking at #19 on US R&B charts). In 2003, he earned two Grammy nominations for his album Motown, a tribute to the Motown sound. McDonald has reunited as a guest performer with the Doobies several times since their initial dissolution in 1982, and joined Steely Dan on their 2006 summer tour, both as the opening act and as part of the band. In 2000, McDonald, along with partners Chris Pelonis and actor Jeff Bridges, founded the independent recording label Ramp Records. In 2003, McDonald received a star on the St. Louis Walk of Fame. In 2008, McDonald performed "America the Beautiful" at the Democratic National Convention in Denver, Colorado at Invesco Field. In 2009, Michael McDonald, along with West Angeles COGIC Mass, released the song “Storm Before The Calm” on the compilation album Oh Happy Day.



MORE ABOUT MICHAEL MCDONALD

With his husky, soulful baritone, Michael McDonald became one of the most distinctive and popular vocalists to emerge from the laid-back California pop/rock scene of the late '70s. McDonald found the middle ground between blue-eyed soul and smooth soft rock, a sound that made him a star. He initially essayed his signature style with the Doobie Brothers, ushering in the group's most popular period with hits like "What a Fool Believes" and "Taking It to the Streets." McDonald disbanded the group in 1982 to pursue a solo career, which was initially quite successful, but by the end of the decade his popularity had faded away, since he was reluctant to work regularly and hesitant to update his sound to suit shifting popular tastes. After singing backup on several Steely Dan albums in the mid-'70s, Michael McDonald joined the Doobie Brothers in 1977. He was largely responsible for moving the group away from boogie rock and toward polished, jazzy blue-eyed soul. Prior to the Doobies' farewell tour in 1982, he sang harmony on several hit singles, including tracks by Donna Summer, Toto, Kenny Loggins, and Christopher Cross. As it turned out, McDonald's solo work was a cross between the Doobie Brothers' white-bread soul and Cross' adult contemporary ballads. McDonald released his solo debut, If That's What It Takes, in 1982. The record climbed to number six on the strength of the number four single "I Keep Forgettin' (Every Time You're Near)," which also crossed over into the R&B Top Ten. In 1983, he had another Top 20 pop hit (and a Top Ten R&B hit) with his duet with James Ingram, "Yah Mo B There." McDonald didn't deliver his second solo album, No Lookin' Back, until 1985. The record wasn't as successful as its predecessor, producing only one moderate hit in its title track. He bounced back the following year, when his duet with Patti LaBelle, "On My Own," shot to number one and "Sweet Freedom," his theme for the Billy Crystal/Gregory Hines comedy Running Scared, climbed into the Top Ten. Instead of capitalizing on his revitalized success, McDonald didn't release another album until 1990. The resulting Take It to Heart was a bomb, peaking at number 110. Two years later, his fortunes were revived somewhat when he sang on Aretha Franklin's minor hit "Ever Changing Times" and toured with Donald Fagen's New York Rock and Soul Revue. The following year, he released Blink of an Eye, which was ignored. In 1994, "I Keep Forgettin' (Every Time You're Near)" was sampled heavily in Warren G's smash hit "Regulate." By 1996, McDonald had returned to the Doobie Brothers, touring the oldies circuit with the reunited group. The following year, McDonald released Blue Obsession, his first album of new material in three years. He released a Christmas album (In the Spirit: A Christmas Album) in 2001, and began a series of recordings devoted to the Motown catalog with 2003's Motown. Motown Two and Soul Speak followed in 2004 and 2008 respectively. © Stephen Thomas Erlewine, allmusic.com