ALBUMIn the Spirit - A Christmas AlbumMichael McDonald
ALBUMBlue ObsessionMichael McDonald
ALBUMBlink of an EyeMichael McDonald
ALBUMTake It to HeartMichael McDonald
ALBUMNo Lookin' BackMichael McDonald
ALBUMIf That's What It TakesMichael McDonald
Michael McDonald's Popular Music Videos
Show You the Way (feat. Michael McDonald & Kenny Loggins)
Thundercat
Sweet Freedom
Michael McDonald & Safri Duo
On My Own
Patti LaBelle featuring Michael McDonald
I Keep Forgettin' (Every Time You're Near)
Michael McDonald
Michelle Willis - How Come (feat. Michael McDonald) [Official Music Video]
Michelle Willis
Lost in the Parade
Michael McDonald
No Lookin' Back
Michael McDonald
Peace (feat. Michael McDonald) [Lyric Video]
Michael W. Smith
Take It to Heart
Michael McDonald
Heart of America
Eric Benét, Michael McDonald & Wynonna
Artist Playlists
Michael McDonald Essentials
The soulful voice of an American master of ‘80s soft rock.
About Michael McDonald
Artist Biography
In a 1982 bit from the Emmy-winning sketch show SCTV, called “A Tribute to the Greatest Backing Vocalist of All Time”, singer Michael McDonald (played by Rick Moranis) is shown speeding to a recording studio and making his way to the vocal booth just in time to lay down his part for Christopher Cross’ “Ride Like the Wind”. The producer shrugs, as if to say, Nailed it. McDonald hashes out some paperwork while the verse plays, then zips back to the booth just in time for the next chorus. When the song ends, the producer stands up to shake McDonald’s hand. “I’ll probably need you next week; I’ll give you a call,” he says. “OK,” McDonald replies, then walks coolly to the studio door before rushing full-sprint back to his car.
The joke had a couple of gears: Not only was McDonald one of the most sought-after vocalists—backing or otherwise—of the ’70s and ’80s, but he also made it seem like no big deal. Born in 1952, he started his career as a touring member (and studio fixture) of Steely Dan before joining The Doobie Brothers when vocalist Tom Johnston got sick mid-tour—a temporary pairing that proved so successful (“Takin’ It to the Streets”, “What a Fool Believes”) that McDonald stayed on with the band for years. Husky, smooth and sophisticated, his voice came to embody the polish of ’70s and ’80s soft rock, straddling pop, soul and jazz with virtuosic ease.
McDonald left The Doobie Brothers in the early ’80s to start a solo career whose high points—“I Keep Forgettin’ (Every Time You’re Near)”, the Patti LaBelle duet “On My Own”, the Grammy-winning James Ingram duet “Yah Mo B There”—were every bit as era-defining as his work with the band. After a relatively quiet ’90s and early 2000s (including a reunion with The Doobie Brothers and a pair of Motown tribute albums), McDonald was re-discovered by younger artists as a touchpoint for a bygone era, collaborating with the indie-rock band Grizzly Bear and left-field funk auteur Thundercat, among others.
Hometown
St. Louis, MO, United States
Genre
Rock
Michael McDonald: Member of
Michael McDonald is also a member of, or has been a member of the following groups