Michael McDonald

Long before blue-eyed soul singers like Robin Thicke and Justin Timberlake took over the airwaves with hints of black vocal stylings, St. Louis-born crooner Michael McDonald was the master of that territory. The sultry baritone and five-time Grammy Award winner composed soul-inflected songs that Americans ate up with fervor 30...

By Jonathan Cunningham

November 22, 2007

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Long before blue-eyed soul singers like Robin Thicke and Justin Timberlake took over the airwaves with hints of black vocal stylings, St. Louis-born crooner Michael McDonald was the master of that territory. The sultry baritone and five-time Grammy Award winner composed soul-inflected songs that Americans ate up with fervor 30 years ago, and most of his singles have withstood the test of time. Before becoming a solo artist, McDonald was most easily associated with Steely Dan and the Doobie Brothers. Seventies classics like "Taking It to the Streets" and "Minute by Minute" were just two Doobie staples that McDonald crafted. He's been on his own for awhile, but that doesn't stop him from touring and firing up a proverbial doobie or two either. He's here this weekend in West Palm Beach, so if you want to see a pioneer of the blue-eyed soul movement at work, go for it!

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