If you’ve ever seen the SCTV skit that shows Michael McDonald arriving at the studio out of breath, rushing from another session to record his backing vocals for Christopher Cross’ “Ride Like the Wind,” you know it’s funny because it seems like it could have been true. Not only was McDonald fronting The Doobie Brothers in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s, but he was still a regular contributor to Steely Dan albums and was appearing as a duet partner and guest vocalist…well…seemingly everywhere.
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McDonald then began his solo career in 1982 and continued to be a prolific vocalist on other artists’ records. With such an extensive catalog of work, it’s practically impossible to keep up with every contribution that McDonald has made. But getting to know these five performances will get you one step closer.
1. Toad the Wet Sprocket, “The Best of Me”
This track features Toad the Wet Sprocket’s lead singer and songwriter, Glen Phillips, engaged in a call-and-response with McDonald in the choruses. Phillips explains to American Songwriter how this collaboration came about.
Phillips had already written a countermelody part for the chorus. The band’s bassist, Dean Dinning, then “went into a long rhapsody about how it would be a perfect Michael McDonald part, how so many of his iconic vocals are countermelody instead of tight harmony because his voice is so wide that it could overwhelm another voice.” Phillips was sold on the idea, sent the song to McDonald’s producer, and three months later, he received “four tracks of Michael just killing it” in his email inbox.
Though “The Best of Me” is featured on Toad the Wet Sprocket’s 2021 album Starting Now, the performance is a brilliant reminder of both artists’ best-known work from decades before.
2. Donna Summer, “State of Independence”
This song has attracted a galaxy of pop and rock stars in its various iterations. Vocalist Jon Anderson (of Yes fame) and keyboardist/composer Vangelis (of “Chariots of Fire” fame) wrote “State of Independence” for their 1981 album The Friends of Mr. Cairo, released under the name Jon & Vangelis. And just one year after the Anderson/Vangelis original version was released, Summer recorded her version for her self-titled album.
McDonald was part of an all-star choir on the 1982 Summer track that includes Kenny Loggins, Lionel Richie, Dionne Warwick, and Stevie Wonder among several others. The 1992 version by Moodswings, featuring Chrissie Hynde (retitled as “Spiritual High (State of Independence) Pt. II”), is more of a remake of the Summer version than a nod to the original, as it features the choir that the Jon & Vangelis version does not.
[RELATED: 5 Things We Learned from the New Donna Summer Documentary, ‘Love to Love You’]
3. Wang Chung, “A Fool and His Money”
Wang Chung’s glossy New Wave sound might not seem like it’s in McDonald’s wheelhouse, but given how adept he is at enhancing the sound of blues- and R&B-flavored rock, why not this? “A Fool and His Money” is also more downtempo and soulful than the big hits from Wang Chung’s Mosaic album—”Everybody Have Fun Tonight” and “Let’s Go”—and McDonald shines here. You have to wait almost three minutes to hear it, but a highlight is McDonald’s impassioned answer to lead singer Jack Hues’ cry of And my heart longs only for you in the bridge.
4. Little Feat, “Red Streamliner”
If this track from Little Feat’s 1977 album Time Loves a Hero feels a bit like a Doobie Brothers song, it’s not a coincidence. Of course, it features a healthy serving of McDonald’s backing vocals, but his Doobies bandmate, Patrick Simmons, chips in with vocals, too. The song was co-written by Little Feat keyboardist Bill Payne, who also sings lead on the track. Payne was a frequent contributor to Doobie Brothers albums. The prominent piano parts in “China Grove” and “Rockin’ Down the Highway?” Yep, that’s Payne, who plays electric piano on “Red Streamliner.”
5. Vince Gill, “Smilin’ Song”
You want more proof of McDonald’s versatility? Check out his performance on this track from Gill’s four-album box set, These Days. While “Smilin’ Song” is on the Workin’ on a Big Chill disc from the set, which Gill subtitled “The Rockin’ Record,” it’s as country as it is bluesy. McDonald sings in unison with Gill on the choruses, and he complements Gill with his harmonies without overpowering him. It’s a testament to both consummate vocalists that they shared the space in the chorus so effectively.
Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
