MICHAEL McDONALD

A gold and platinum-selling American R&B/soul singer, songwriter and 5-time Grammy winner, Michael McDonald is another member of Quincy Jones’ large musical family to join him this year in Bermuda.   Michael will be performing the same night as James Ingram, with whom he teamed up on the album It’s Your Night, produced by Quincy Jones. His duet with Ingram, “Yah Mo Be There” won the Grammy for Best R&B Performance by a Duo. Says fellow BMF 09 performer John Legend of McDonald, “Talk about a distinctive voice… so special, so soulful.” And Quincy, “Love Michael McDonald – He’s family!”

A prominent part of the soundtrack to our times, over the course of his career, Michael McDonald has maintained incredible popularity and has been awarded numerous accolades and honors in both personal and professional arenas. He has won an impressive five Grammys and earned innumerable chart successes and sales feats, yet all the while McDonald remains the artist’s artist and an enduring presence in popular music.

Born in St. Louis in 1952, Michael McDonald began his long association with Steely Dan in 1975, adding his unique timbre songs like “Peg” and “Time Out of Mind,” and also touring with the band, singing backup as well as playing keyboards onstage. One year after the release of Steely Dan’s Katy Lied, Michael got a call from the Doobie Brothers to join them on the road and by 1977, McDonald was welcomed into The Doobie Brothers as a full member.

Since the 1982 release of If That’s What It Takes, he has completed a series of solo projects, each distinguished by its high production value, well-crafted songs and sultry, full-throated vocals. The success of his singles speaks for itself:  “Yah Mo B There,” with James Ingram, won a Grammy Award in 1984, “Sweet Freedom” was used as the theme for the Billy Crystal/Gregory Hines film Running Scared, “On My Own,” with Patti LaBelle, reached #1 on the Pop and R&B charts and #3 on the AC charts in March of 1986. And “I Keep Forgettin’ (Every Time You’re Near)” reached the top 5 on the Pop charts and the top 10 on both the R&B and AC charts.  These and many of Michael’s other songs continue to hold recurrent spots on radio stations’ playlists.

In 2003, Michael paid tribute to the music that inspired him so early on –  Motown classics – by releasing his album titled Motown which went on to earn a platinum sales certification, as well as two Grammy nominations. He followed it up by releasing Motown 2 in 2004, which debuted at #9 on the Billboard Top Ten and #8 on Billboard’s Hip-hop and R&B chart.

Michael’s matchless and prolific consistency through more than 25 years of recording and performing was celebrated in August 2005 by Warner Brothers, who released Michael McDonald: The Ultimate Collection, highlighting the wide breadth of his career from his days with The Doobie Brothers to his solo hits, to his version of the Motown favorite “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough.”

Michael recorded a 2005 holiday CD, Through the Many Winters, A Christmas Album, that was recorded specifically for Hallmark Cards and sold exclusively through Hallmark Gold Crown stores. This collection of traditional and original holiday songs was certified gold within two weeks of the album’s release. McDonald’s latest holiday album, This Christmas, is in stores now.   This Christmas includes holiday favorites such as “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” as well as a special duet on “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” with Michael’s 17 year old daughter, Scarlett.

In 2008, McDonald released Soul Speak is a unique blend of cover songs and his own new original compositions. The album effectively illustrates Michael’s ability to transcend genres with three different singles from the record debuting – and charting – at three different radio formats in the same week. Released by Motown Records, Soul Speak is available worldwide.