Singer/songwriter and five-time Grammy Award winner Michael McDonald appeared on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” from home for a solo performance of his classic hit with R&B diva Patti LaBelle “On My Own.”
Also this past month, McDonald premiered his rendition of the Marvin Gaye classic “What’s Going On” via Rolling Stone, performed a Tiny Desk (Home) Concert for NPR Music and joined Twitch’s Stream Aid as well as the “CMT Giants: Kenny Rogers” benefit for MusiCares.
McDonald will be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame on November 7 as a member of the legendary group The Doobie Brothers alongside band mates Tom Johnston, Pat Simmons and John McFee.
“It’s been one of the great honors of my life to share the stage with all these guys over the years,” notes McDonald. “To see the band receive this honor is wonderful to say the least.”
Other non-active band members being inducted with The Doobie Brothers include Jeff “Skunk” Baxter, Tiran Porter, John Hartman, the late Michael Hossack and the late Keith Knudsen. This year marks The Doobie Brothers’ first appearance on the voting ballot.
Most recently, McDonald has completed an extensive U.S. tour with R&B legend Chaka Khan and released the holiday compilation Season of Peace: The Christmas Collection (out now via BMG) as well as a full-length album of new material—Wide Open—which received extensive critical praise from the Los Angeles Times, NPR Music, Pitchfork, Rolling Stone and many more.
McDonald celebrated the release of “Wide Open” with a pair of appearances on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,” performing the album track “Find It In Your Heart” as well as collaborating with Thundercat and Kenny Loggins on the trio’s hit single “Show You The Way” from Thundercat’s critically acclaimed LP “Drunk.” McDonald was also featured on CBS “Sunday Morning” in the wake of the album’s release.
With a career that encompasses five Grammys, numerous chart successes and personal and professional accolades, as well as collaborations with some of the world’s most prominent artists, McDonald remains an enduring force in popular music. Hailing from St. Louis, McDonald arrived in Los Angeles in the early 1970s, honing his talents as a studio musician before becoming an integral part of Steely Dan. In the mid-’70s McDonald was invited to join the Doobie Brothers as the band redefined their sound with McDonald serving as singer, keyboardist and songwriter on such Top 40 singles as “Takin’ It To The Streets,” “It Keeps You Runnin’,” “Minute By Minute” and “What A Fool Believes.” Throughout the ’80s and ’90s McDonald’s solo career took off with a string of hits including “I Keep Forgettin’ (Every Time You’re Near),” “Sweet Freedom,” “On My Own” (with Patti LaBelle) and the Grammy-winning James Ingram duet “Yah Mo B There,” plus he co-wrote the Van Halen hit “I’ll Wait.” McDonald has performed with a who’s-who of critically acclaimed artists across a number of genres, including Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, Elton John, Joni Mitchell, Vince Gill and Grizzly Bear.
