Growing up in the 1980's I heard quite a lot of Michael McDonald on the radio. I was shocked when I found out he got his start in the Doobies. I've heard bits and pieces of "Takin' it to the Streets" and liked them enough to order the cd off amazon. I doubt if it will match up to the Tom Johnston stuff, but we'll see.
Nah, Michael McDonald got his start in my hometown( a suburb of):
>>Born in St. Louis, Missouri, McDonald played in several local bands (such as Mike and the Majestics, Jerry Jay and the Sheratons, the Reeb-Toors, the Del Rays and The Guild) while attending McCluer High School in his hometown of Ferguson, Missouri, now a city of some 25,000 people in St. Louis County, Missouri. McDonald was 'discovered' while playing with a group called Blue and consequently moved to Los Angeles in 1970.
Michael McDonald first gained wide attention as an adjunct member of the group Steely Dan, providing back-up vocals on tracks for 1975's Katy Lied. He would return on subsequent Steely Dan recordings including 1976's The Royal Scam as well as both "Peg" and "I Got the News" from the 1977 album Aja. He also played keyboards on some Steely Dan tracks. McDonald continued to do background vocals for Steely Dan up to their 1980 release, Gaucho. He also was a member of the final incarnation of the early '70s Steely Dan touring band, playing keyboards/piano and singing backup.
McDonald was recruited by the band The Doobie Brothers in April 1975 when lead singer Tom Johnston became ill during a national tour. His time with the band proved so successful that they decided to retain him as a full time member..... <<
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