Singer/songwriter Michael McDonald will release Wide Open, his first album of new music in nearly a decade, on Sept. 15 via BMG. The recording features special guests including Warren Haynes, Robben Ford, Marcus Miller and Branford Marsalis. (Pre-order here.)
In addition to his work writing/recording the new album, McDonald most recently collaborated with bassist Thundercat and Kenny Loggins on the track “Show You the Way,” which he performed with Thundercat at Coachella in April.
McDonald also recently collaborated with Solange Knowles, Allen Stone, Lawrence and members of Snarky Puppy and Vulfpeck at the Okeechobee Music Fest, and is set to close the Treftles Stage at the Kaaboo Festival this fall.
McDonald will celebrate the release of Wide Open with a performance for PBS’ Soundstage, slated to air this fall, as well as extensive touring throughout fall including many dates with Marc Cohn. See below for a complete list of tour dates.
Related: An interview with the Doobie Brothers’ Patrick Simmons
Wide Open follows a trio of albums of R&B and soul covers McDonald recorded for the Motown label, the most recent being 2008’s Soul Speak. Wide Open is McDonald’s first album of original material in 17 years, composed largely of material written over a number of years in between projects and recorded in McDonald’s Nashville studio with drummer Shannon Forrest and an extensive cast of Nashville session musicians.
Watch the lyric video for “Half Truth”
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 served as the Doobie Brothers’ 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.”
Michael McDonald 2017 Tour Dates (Tickets available here and here)
Sep 15 – Del Mar, CA – Kaaboo
Oct 13 – Northfield, OH – Hard Rock Live (with Marc Cohn)
Oct 15 – New London, CT – Garde Arts Center (with Marc Cohn)
Oct 17 – Portland, ME – State Theatre (with Marc Cohn)
Oct 19 – Englewood, NJ – Bergen PAC
Oct 21 – Clearwater, FL – Clearwater Jazz Holiday at Coachman Park
Oct 22 – Atlanta, GA – Atlanta Symphony Hall (with Marc Cohn)
Oct 24 – Durham, NC – Durham Performing Arts Center (with Marc Cohn)
Oct 26 – Lynn, MA – Lynn Auditorium (with Marc Cohn)
Oct 27 – Philadelphia, PA – Merriam Theatre (with Marc Cohn)
Oct 28 – Washington, DC – Warner Theatre (with Marc Cohn)
Oct 30 – Nashville, TN – Ryman Auditorium (with Marc Cohn)
Nov 02 – Minneapolis, MN – State Theatre (with Marc Cohn)
Nov 03 – St. Louis, MO – Peabody Opera House (with Marc Cohn)
Nov 04 – Memphis, TN – Orpheum Theatre (with Marc Cohn)
Nov 06 – Austin, TX – ACL Live at Moody Theater (with Marc Cohn)
Nov 07 – Fort Worth, TX – Bass Perf. Hall
Nov 09 – Tulsa, OK – River Spirit Casino
Nov 14 – Salt Lake City, UT – Eccles Theatre (with Marc Cohn)
Nov 16 – Oakland, CA – Fox Theater (with Marc Cohn)
Nov 17 – Los Angeles, CA – Orpheum Theatre (with Marc Cohn)
Nov 18 – Rancho Cucamonga, CA – Lewis Family Playhouse
Watch Michael McDonald’s “Sweet Freedom” video
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