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Michael McDonald & Earth Wind and Fire Touring Together This Summer
June 26, 2008 - Superstar singer and composer Michael McDonald and world-acclaimed soul band Earth, Wind and Fire will be touring together this summer, kicking off on August 27th and finishing on September 20th. |
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Jay Soto in Concert to Support HIV-AIDS
 July 1, 2008 - Guitarist Jay Soto will perform live at the “First Annual Night of Jazz and Fashion on August 30, 2008 at the Hermosa Beach Community Theatre, in Hermosa Beach, California. More.
Stevie Wonder Supporting Barack Obama
 June 30, 2008 - In a recent concert in New York Stevie Wonder confirmed his support to the Democrats' Presidential candidate, Senator Barack Obama. Read More. |
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Beside dates with EWF, five Award-winning McDonald is touring on his own throughout Europe (in June) and the US (in July and August). McDonald’s latest album “Soul Speaks” was released in March 2007. It is a collection of classic soul-tinged ‘cover’ songs, featuring smashing hits Jackie Wilson classic “Your Love (Keeps Lifting Me Higher)” and Teddy Pendergrass classic “Love TKO”. His previous albums “Motown” (2003) and “Motown Two” (2004) were both Top 15 Billboard Hits.
McDonald and EWF Summer Dates
August 27 - Jacksonville OR - Britt Pavilion
August 29 - Woodinville WA - Chateau Ste.
August 30 - Goldendale WA - Maryhill Winery
August 31 - Spokane WA - Northern Quest
September 11 - Gilford, NH - Meadowbrook Arts Centre
September 12 - Providence, RI - Dunkin Donuts Centre
September 14 - University Park, PA - Bryce Jordan Centre
September 16 - Upper Darby, PA Tower Theatre
September 17 - Reading, PA - Eagle Theatre
September 20 - Council Bluffs, IA - Mid America Centre
For more information: www.michaelmcdonald.com - By Akbar Nour
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Elton John Say’s Sorry to His Ex-Wife
 June 26, 2008 – Oh, this was the stuff made for movies. Elton John, who most people in the industry knew was gay, marries a woman. It was only a matter of time before everyone knew the whole thing was a sham. More.
Wayman Tisdale Rebounds from Cancer
 June 27, 2008 - Wayman Tisdale is back and has rebounded from bone cancer which was diagnosed last year. In February 2007, after breaking his leg in his home, further tests discovered bone cancer. More |
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Michael McDonald Set To Release A New Album in
March 2008
 December
20, 2007 - Star vocalist Michael
McDonald is set to release a new album "Soul
Speak" on March 11 th, 2008. It will feature
mostly covers and three new songs. Unlike to his
two previous bestselling cover albums focusing
on Motown songs, "Soul Speak" will consist
of a wider collection of songs, that have appealed
to the former Steely Dan and Dobbie Brothers lead
singer. The tracklisting for this new album is
not known yet.
McDonald is currently ranked 20th on the Radio
and Records Smooth Jazz Chart with the song "You
Belong To Me", a beautiful duet with widely
acclaimed vocalist Chaka Khan on her latest CD
"Funk This!". - by Akbar
Nour
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Do You Want Janet Jackson Designing Your Daughter’s Clothes?
 June 29, 2008 – Janet Jackson wants to be a fashion designer. The famous "wardrobe malfunction" singer might be forgetting that we haven’t forgotten Super Bowl 38 in 2004. More.
Leona Lewis and Anthony Kiedis have been named the Sexiest Vegetarians of 2008
 June 26, 2008 – Sure, winning a Grammy is cool but being Sexiest Vegetarian has to be a close second. Leona Lewis and Red Hot Chili Peppers lead singer, Anthony Keidis, have just received the honor or curious distinction from PETA.More. |
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Dave
Koz and Rendezvous Deliver 'Golden Slumbers
2 - A Father's Love' with Michael McDonald
 May
3, 2005 - Rendezvous
records has not been around that long
but in a few years the label has produced
some of the biggest hits in Smooth Jazz including Praful's 'Sigh,'
'Marc Antoine's successful 'Mediterraneo' album and Michael
Lington's bouncy 'Show Me.' Now the inspiration
that started the company 3 years ago, the
original "Golden Slumber - A Father's
Lullaby" is going a bit further with
'Golden Slumbers 2 - A Father's Love.' More |
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Doobie
Brothers Drummer Keith Knudsen Dies
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February
9, 2005 - The band known for consistently
having two drummers has just lost one of their
favourites. Keith Knudsen died of pneumonia
on Tuesday. He was 56. Knudsen who joined
the Doobie
Brothers in 1974 had been hospitalized
for more than a month, according to the band's
longtime manager Bruce Cohn. "I just
saw him Sunday, just before the Super Bowl,"
Cohn said. "He was in good spirits. He
was weak, but he was OK." He was also
with the band during their biggest period
when Michael
McDonald was lead singer. More
Dave
Koz & Michael McDonald Design Pop Cans
for Charity
November
3, 2004 - I wonder if Dave
Koz is studying his Campbell's soup cans?
The saxophonist may not be the next Warhol
but he may design your next can of 7-Up. Koz
along with Michael
McDonald, Brian McKnight and Randy Travis
are just a few of the artists set to design
the pop cans for charity via the Grammy Foundation.
It is designed to Raise Awareness and Funds
for GRAMMY Signature School Programs which
promotes music education in public schools,
ten thousand dollars will be donated in each
artist's name. The pop cans will be available
through December 31, 2004.
Michael
McDonald's Motown Volume Two Set for October
26th
August
31, 2004 - He's doing it again. Michael McDonald, one of the most recognizable
voices on the planet will release his second
Motown album October 26. Like the first, Motown
2 will feature Simon Climie as producer. The
first single 'Reach Out' was released to radio
yesterday. The album will feature a duet with
Toni Braxton on 'Stop, Look, Listen,' Stevie
Wonder plays harmonica on 'I Was Made
To Love Her' and Billy Preston will also be
on the album via the Hammond B-3 organ. Universal
music will also re-release McDonald's Christmas
album 'In The Spirit' as part of their 20th
Century Masters Collection. It should be out
September 21.
Hall
& Oates / Michael McDonald Rock &
Soul Tour
March
23, 2004 - First there was news on Sting and Annie
Lennox coupling for a tour and now two
other Smooth Jazz vocal acts are joining
forces - Hall
and Oates with Michael
McDonald. The tour dubbed the "Rock
'n Soul 2004 Revue" will also feature
another act commonly played on Smooth Jazz
radio, The Average White Band. McDonald
has had a great year with the success of
his platinum album "Motown." Hall and
Oats are currently working on an album
for fall release, their last was "Do
It for Love" and Daryl Hall is currently
charting on Smooth Jazz radio with his solo
album "Can't Stop Dreaming." The
tour is expected to add new dates running
from mid-August through mid-September.
| Hall
& Oates / Michael McDonald Tour
Dates |
June
2004
23 - Tampa,
FL - USF Sun Dome
25 - Kissimmee, FL - Silver Spurs
Arena
26 - Boca Raton, FL - Mizner Park
Amphitheatre
28 - Atlanta, GA - Chastain Park Amphitheatre
29 - Charlotte, NC - Verizon Wireless
Amphitheatre
30 - Raleigh, NC - Alltel Pavilion
at Walnut Creek
July
2004
2 - Bristow,
VA - Nissan Pavilion
3 - Virginia Beach, VA - Verizon Wireless
Amphitheatre
4 - Baltimore, MD - Pier Six Concert
Pavilion |
6
- Rama, Ontario - Rama Casino
7 - Darien Lake, NY - P.A.C.
9 - Holmdel, NJ - PNC Bank Arts Center
10 - Wantagh, NY - Jones Beach
11 - Hershey, PA - Hershey Park Pavilion
13 - Wallingford, CT - Oakdale Theatre
14 - Albany, NY - Pepsi Arena
16 - Camden, NJ - Tweeter Center at
the Waterfront
17 - Boston, MA - FleetBoston Pavilion
18 - Manchester, NH - Verizon Wireless
Arena |
Former
Doobie Brother Cornelius Bumpus Dead
February
5, 2004 - Cornelius Bumpus who spent time
in both the Doobie
Brothers and Steely
Dan has died. The saxophonist suffered
a heart attack Tuesday (February 3) on a
commercial flight from New York City to
California. He was 58. His wife Linda said
on his official website www.corneliusbumpus.com "Cornelius was a man of great modesty
and simplicity. His life was music, family,
and church. He never liked giving talks
or speeches." As for her husbands heart
attack on the plane she said, "Not
one to want to call attention to himself,
he would probably be appalled to know that
the plane made an unscheduled stop in Sioux
City to try and get help for him."
Bumpus joined the Doobie
Brothers in the early eighties but joined Steely Dan in 1993. Bumpus was also a member of Moby
Grape in the seventies and had recorded
two solo albums.
Michael
McDonald Excited About Grammy Nominations
December
10, 2003 - Former Doobie Brother Michael
McDonald felt like a little kid on Christmas
eve just before the Grammy nominations were
announced. McDonald says he tried very hard
not to think about it but the singer heard
a rumor last Wednesday that his "Motown"
album might be nominated. McDonald watched
the nominations on television on Thursday
and hear him name twice - nominations for
male pop vocal performance and pop vocal
album. Mcdonald says if he doesn't win he'll
do what everyone does put on his "best
face for the cameras." McDonald already
has five Grammys with the Doobie Brothers
and as a solo act. The singer says he keeps
his trophies in his office in Tennessee
and strokes them when no one is looking.
The Grammys will be handed out February
8th in Los Angeles.
Michael
McDonald - Artist Of The Month For September - 2003
Sept
1, 2003 - Former Doobie Brother Michael
McDonald is back on the charts with the
hit solo album "Motown,"
featuring updated interpretations of some
of the motor cities most memorable tunes.
His current charting single "Heard
It Through the Grapevine" is a hit
on both A.C. and Smooth Jazz radio. McDonald,
an honorary member of the Doobies says he
has an open invitation to come back to the
band at any time. Whether as a songwriter,
keyboardist or vocalist your CD collection
is bound to include at least a few contributions
from Michael McDonald. He has worked in
the studio with Steely
Dan, Carly
Simon, Kenny Loggins, Christopher Cross,
Patti Labelle, Joni
Mitchell and countless others. Mcdonald
is Smooth Jazz Now's "Artist of the
Month" for September. Breeze 103.1
morning man Cliff
Dumas spoke to McDonald via phone in
August 2003.
Read
Review
- Michael McDonald - MOTOWN
August
8, 2003 - What happens when you combine
fourteen of the finest R&B songs every
written with one the best voices to ever
bless a song? You get Motown, the latest
album from Michael McDonald. What a superb
collection this is! From his gravely groove
on Marvin Gaye's Heard It Through The Grapevine
to his melancholy take of You Are Everything,
McDonald puts his unique stamp on every
track. He positively wails on Signed, Sealed,
Delivered sounds all smoky on Stevie Wonder's
All Is Fair In Love and totally breaks my
heart with his raspy whisper on Since I
lost My Baby. If you're a fan of Motown
classics and great singers, I can't recommend
this album enough! Read
more reviews by Vickie Van Dyke
Michael
McDonald Improving With Age
July
29, 2003 - Michael McDonald believes practice
makes perfect. The former member of the
Doobie Brothers feels musicians who tour
a lot are bound to get better from the endless
playing. The singer says in the seventies
though he wasn't so sure that it would be
appropriate for him to be playing rock and
roll in his fifties (he's 51). McDonald
now looks around and see's he's in good
company with so many older bands like the
Eagles, Fleetwood
Mac and his buddies the Doobie Brothers
on the road. McDonald is still a huge fan
of the Doobie's and he occasionally plays
with them. He says they're a perfect example
of technically superb musicians from so
many years of playing. Expect to see Doobie
Brother's current members Tom Johnston and
Patrick Simmons joining McDonald on his
T.V. special now running on P-B-S stations.
Michael
McDonald Travels to Motown
May
16, 2003 - Former Doobie Brothers vocalist
Michael McDonald says it was a question
of being in the right place at the right
time concerning his new album "Motown."
The CD which features McDonald covering
some classic Motown hits was a pet project
for Universal records and he was lucky enough
to be the singer asked to do it. Though
the album is available in Europe on Universal
(it debuted at # 29 In the UK last week)
it will only be released in North America
on June 24 on Motown records. "Motown"
produced by Simon Climie who has also worked
with Eric Clapton is a dream come true for
McDonald. He recently told Billboard Magazine
"For so many years, I'd had people
encourage me to do something like this,
an old R&B kind of thing," McDonalds
North American tour will kick off June 28th
in Hampton Virginia.
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