Kathi McDonald
Encyclopedia
Kathryn Marie McDonald popularly known as Kathi McDonald, is a blues and rock singer. She currently performs with Kathi McDonald & Friends. She has appeared on an extensive list of rock and blues albums and toured extensively with Long John Baldry
prior to his death. She and Baldry enjoyed pop success in Australia
where their duet "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'
" reached No. 2 in 1980. Kathi was born in Anacortes, Washington
and resides in the Seattle Washington state area but still has strong San Francisco music connections. In February 2009 she performed at the opening gala for the San Francisco Museum of Performance & Design along with Sam Andrews
. Welcoming in a new museum dedicated to the art and music of San Francisco of the 1965-1975 era.
and at age 2 she would sing all 5 verses from her crib. She attributes these evenings to the reason for her late night work habits.
In 1972 she recorded "Insane Asylum" for Capitol Records. The album was Co-Produced by David Briggs and Pete Sears
...Sears was also musical arranger and played keyboards and bass, as well as writing several of the albums songs with Kathi.
followed in 1999, featuring contributions from Lee Oskar
on harmonica and Brian Auger
on keyboards. McDonald devoted more than two decades to recording and performing in collaboration with Long John Baldry, and the duo scored with their version of "You've Lost That Loving Feeling" when it was released in Canada. In later years, she also contributed to the Seattle Women in Rhythm and Blues project. She reunited with Big Brother & the Holding Company
in California for a concert on New Year's Eve, 1997. She was inducted into the Washington Blues Society's Hall of Fame two years later 1999.
guitarist Rich Kirch (John Lee Hooker
's Band from 1989–2001). She also performs with her own band Kathi MacDonald and Friends as well as with other arrangements in the Seattle area.
Long John Baldry
John William "Long John" Baldry was an English and Canadian blues singer and a voice actor. He sang with many British musicians, with Rod Stewart and Elton John appearing in bands led by Baldry in the 1960s. He enjoyed pop success in the UK where Let the Heartaches Begin reached No...
prior to his death. She and Baldry enjoyed pop success in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
where their duet "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'
You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'
"You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin" is a 1964 song by The Righteous Brothers which became a number-one hit single in the United States and the United Kingdom the following year. In 1999, the performing-rights organization Broadcast Music, Inc. ranked the song as having had more radio and television...
" reached No. 2 in 1980. Kathi was born in Anacortes, Washington
Anacortes, Washington
Anacortes is a city in Skagit County, Washington, United States. The name "Anacortes" is a consolidation of the name Anna Curtis, who was the wife of early Fidalgo Island settler Amos Bowman. Anacortes' population was 15,778 at the time of the 2010 census...
and resides in the Seattle Washington state area but still has strong San Francisco music connections. In February 2009 she performed at the opening gala for the San Francisco Museum of Performance & Design along with Sam Andrews
Sam Andrews
Sam Andrews is an English List A cricketer who played his only for Surrey Cricket Board. His only List A game was against Surrey County Cricket Club. he scored 0 and did not get a wicket after bowling 6 overs....
. Welcoming in a new museum dedicated to the art and music of San Francisco of the 1965-1975 era.
The early years
Born in Washington state in 1948, McDonald performed professionally for the first time around Seattle when she was 12 years old. Kathi recalls her parents often upon their return from the local Elks club, waking her up and having her sing from her crib. The first song she fully learned was "Goodnight Irene" by Huddie LeadbetterLeadbelly
Huddie William Ledbetter was an iconic American folk and blues musician, notable for his strong vocals, his virtuosity on the twelve-string guitar, and the songbook of folk standards he introduced....
and at age 2 she would sing all 5 verses from her crib. She attributes these evenings to the reason for her late night work habits.
San Francisco years
At the age of 19 she moved to San Francisco and joined Ike and Tina Turner as an Ikette. She then did some work with Big Brother & the Holding Company.In 1972 she recorded "Insane Asylum" for Capitol Records. The album was Co-Produced by David Briggs and Pete Sears
Pete Sears
Peter 'Pete' Sears is an English rock musician. In a career spanning more than four decades he has been a member of many bands and has moved through a variety of musical genres, from early R&B, psychedelic improvisational rock of the 1960s, folk, country music, arena rock in the 1970s, and blues...
...Sears was also musical arranger and played keyboards and bass, as well as writing several of the albums songs with Kathi.
Post San Francisco
Save Your Breath was released over 20 years after Insane Asylum appeared. Above and BeyondAbove & Beyond (band)
Above & Beyond are a British trance music group formed in 2000 and consists of the members Jono Grant, Tony McGuinness, and Finnish Paavo Siljamäki. They have their own record label Anjunabeats, which releases trance and progressive music, and they also host their own weekly radio show Trance...
followed in 1999, featuring contributions from Lee Oskar
Lee Oskar
Lee Oskar is a Danish harmonica player, notable for his contributions to the sound of the rock-funk fusion group War, which he formed with Eric Burdon, his solo work, and as a harmonica manufacturer...
on harmonica and Brian Auger
Brian Auger
Brian Auger is a jazz and rock keyboardist, who has specialized in playing the Hammond organ.A jazz pianist, bandleader, session musician and Hammond B3 player, Auger has played or toured with artists such as Rod Stewart, Tony Williams, Jimi Hendrix, Sonny Boy Williamson, Led Zeppelin, Eric Burdon...
on keyboards. McDonald devoted more than two decades to recording and performing in collaboration with Long John Baldry, and the duo scored with their version of "You've Lost That Loving Feeling" when it was released in Canada. In later years, she also contributed to the Seattle Women in Rhythm and Blues project. She reunited with Big Brother & the Holding Company
Big Brother and the Holding Company
Big Brother and the Holding Company is an American rock band that formed in San Francisco in 1965 as part of the same psychedelic music scene that produced the Grateful Dead, Quicksilver Messenger Service and Jefferson Airplane. They are best known as the band that featured Janis Joplin as their...
in California for a concert on New Year's Eve, 1997. She was inducted into the Washington Blues Society's Hall of Fame two years later 1999.
Currently
Kathi McDonald often performs with Chicago BluesChicago blues
The Chicago blues is a form of blues music that developed in Chicago, Illinois, by taking the basic acoustic guitar and harmonica-based Delta blues, making the harmonica louder with a microphone and an instrument amplifier, and adding electrically amplified guitar, amplified bass guitar, drums,...
guitarist Rich Kirch (John Lee Hooker
John Lee Hooker
John Lee Hooker was an American blues singer-songwriter and guitarist.Hooker began his life as the son of a sharecropper, William Hooker, and rose to prominence performing his own unique style of what was originally closest to Delta blues. He developed a 'talking blues' style that was his trademark...
's Band from 1989–2001). She also performs with her own band Kathi MacDonald and Friends as well as with other arrangements in the Seattle area.
List of bands
During her career, Kathi McDonald has been a member of a number of groups including:- The UnusualsThe UnusualsThe Unusuals is a comedy-drama television series which premiered on ABC on April 8, 2009 in the U.S. and Global in Canada. An ABC press release described The Unusuals as "like a modern-day M*A*S*H" that "explores both the grounded drama and comic insanity of the world of New York City police...
- Fat Jack
- Guilty Pleasures
- Big Brother and the Holding Company
- Long John Baldry
- MisFits
- Brian Blaine
- Kathi McDonald & Friends
Discography
Kathi has been recorded on the following releases- 1969 Ike & Tina TurnerTina TurnerTina Turner is an American singer and actress whose career has spanned more than 50 years. She has won numerous awards and her achievements in the rock music genre have led many to call her the "Queen of Rock 'n' Roll".Turner started out her music career with husband Ike Turner as a member of the...
- Come Together - 1970 Joe Cocker - Mad Dogs and Englishmen
- 1971 Big Brother & The Holding Company - Be A Brother
- 1971 Freddie KingFreddie KingFreddie King , thought to have been born as Frederick Christian, originally recording as Freddy King, and nicknamed "the Texas Cannonball", was an influential African-American blues guitarist and singer. He is often mentioned as one of "the Three Kings" of electric blues guitar, along with Albert...
- Getting Ready - 1971 Leon RussellLeon RussellClaude Russell Bridges , known professionally as Leon Russell, is an American musician and songwriter, who has recorded as a session musician, sideman, and maintained a solo career in music....
Shelter People - 1971 Delaney & Bonnie - To Bonnie From Delaney
- 1971 Rita Coolidge - Rita Coolidge
- 1972 Big Brother & The Holding Company - How Hard It Is
- 1972 The Rolling Stones - Exile On Main StreetExile on Main St.Exile on Main St. is the tenth British and 12th American studio album by English rock band The Rolling Stones. Released as a double LP in May 1972, it draws on many genres including rock and roll, blues, soul, R&B, gospel and country. The release of Exile on Main St. met with mixed reviews, but is...
- 1972 Nils Lofgren - All Out
- 1973 Dave Mason - Headkeeper
- 1973 Betty DavisBetty DavisBetty Davis is an American funk, rock and soul singer. She was also Miles Davis's second wife.- Background :She worked as a model, appearing in photo spreads in Seventeen, Ebony and Glamour...
- Betty Davis - 1974 Kathi McDonald - Insane Asylum
- 1975 Leon Russell - Best Of Leon Russell 1971-1974
- 1976 Long John Baldry - Baldry's Out
- 1975 Quicksilver Messenger ServiceQuicksilver Messenger ServiceQuicksilver Messenger Service is an American psychedelic rock band, formed in 1965 in San Francisco.-Introduction:Quicksilver Messenger Service gained wide popularity in the Bay Area and, through their recordings, with psychedelic rock enthusiasts around the globe and several of their albums ranked...
- Solid Silver - 1980 Ike & Tina Turner - Best of Ike & Tina Turner 1969-1974
- 1982 Long John Baldry - Best Of Long John Baldry
- 1991 Long John Baldry - It Still Ain't Easy
- 1994 Kathi McDonald - Save Your Breath
- 1996 Nick Vigarino - Victims Of Cool
- 1997 Kathi McDonald & Nick Vigarino - Ghost Of Time
- 1997 Big Brother & The Holding Company Can't - Go Home Again
- 1998 Mark Riley - Lead Suit
- 1999 Kate Hart - Queen Of The Night
- 1999 Seattle Women - Back Porch Gossip
- 1999 Seattle Women - We Are Not Good Girls
- 1999 Kathi McDonald - Above & Beyond
- 2003 Kathi McDonald - Kathi McDonald
- 2010 Kathi McDonald & Friends - On With The Show