About Me
With my husky, soulful baritone, I, Michael McDonald, have became one of the most distinctive and popular vocalists to emerge from the laid-back California pop/rock scene of the late '70s. I successfully found the middle ground between blue-eyed soul and smooth soft rock, a sound that made me a star.Early in my career, I sang back-up on several Steely Dan albums and sang harmony on several hit singles by Donna Summer, Toto, Kenny Loggins, and Christopher Cross. I joined the Doobie Brothers in 1977, and I was largely responsible for moving the group away from boogie rock and toward polished, jazzy blue-eyed soul.With the Doobie Brothers, I ushered in such immortal classics as "What a Fool Believes" and "Taking It to the Streets." I disbanded the group in 1982 to pursue a solo career, which was initially quite successful. But by the end of the decade my popularity had faded away, since I was reluctant to work regularly and hesitant to update my sound to suit shifting popular tastes.I released my solo debut album, "If That's What It Takes," in 1982, which peaked at number six on the Billboard charts. The record's biggest hit was "I Keep Forgettin' (Every Time You're Near)," which also crossed over into the R&B Top Ten. In 1983, I had another Top 20 pop hit (and a Top 10 R&B hit) with "Yah Mo B There," a duet with James Ingram.My second solo album, "No Lookin' Back," was not released until 1985. Although it wasn't as successful as its predecessor, I bounced back the following year with a successful duet with Patti LaBelle called "On My Own." It shot to number one, while my song "Sweet Freedom" climbed into the Top Ten.Instead of capitalizing on my revitalized success, I didn't release another album until 1990. The resulting "Take It to Heart" was, I'll admit, a bomb. However, my fortunes were revived two years later when I sang on Aretha Franklin's "Ever Changing Times." I also toured with Donald Fagen's New York Rock and Soul Revue.In the late '90s, I moved to Nashville, where I met up with writer/producer Tommy Sims. We collaborated on the album "Blue Obsession," which was to be the most overtly soulful and spiritual album of my career. Unfortunately, we engaged in a disagreement with my record label, Reprise, which caused the release date of the album to be pushed back three years. The eventual burying of this album was a tragedy to both myself and my many eager fans. Meanwhile, I reunited with the Doobie Brothers, and we successfully toured the oldies circuit. I also released my very first Christmas album, titled "In the Spirit," in 2001.In 2002, I crafted my finest solo work to date. "Motown," my first major release in nearly a decade, features covers of great motown classics of the '60s. It quickly became a monstrous success and was followed up by "Motown Two." As of now, I am touring with Hall & Oates and the Average White Band.
