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Friday, Jul. 10, 2009

Classic Two-fer

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Michael McDonald always has had a soft spot for the hits of the Motown era. Even when he was singing with the Doobie Brothers in the 1970s, he used to jam with the band on Marvin Gaye's "Little Darling."

So it was natural for him to record some of the classic songs in two Motown tribute albums and his most recent CD, "Soul Speak." He'll play some of the hits -- possibly "For Once in My Life," "Walk on By" and "Baby I Need Your Loving" -- at his July 18 show with Boz Scaggs at Ironstone Vineyards in Murphys.

"They were just some songs that I always loved," he said this week in a phone interview as his tour bus rolled through Tucson, Ariz. "Whenever I got the chance to play them, whether I was sitting on my porch or in a gig with friends, I would do those songs. I thought if I ever did a record like this, these would be great songs to do."

He and Scaggs, both known as practitioners of "blue-eyed soul," will sing a mix of their older and newer work at the show in separate sets.

McDonald, 57, was raised in St. Louis and broke into the national music scene in the 1970s when he joined Steely Dan's touring band as a backup singer and keyboardist. He hooked up with the Doobie Brothers, serving as lead singer for such hits as "Takin' it to the Streets," "Minute By Minute" and "What a Fool Believes," which won the 1980 Grammy Award for song of the year.

As the decade progressed, he launched a solo career, producing hits "I Keep Forgettin'" and "Ya Mo B There," a duet with James Ingram, which won a Grammy Award for best R&B performance, and "On My Own," a duet with Patti Labelle.

Out of all his hits, the one that still gets the biggest audience response at his shows is "Takin' it To the Streets," he said.

When he's not on the road, he splits his time between Nashville and Santa Barbara. He's planning to release a Christmas album next, then do an album with original work.

Recently, he appeared on the season finale of the NBC show "30 Rock," singing the "We Are the World"-like parody "He Needs a Kidney."

"We just got the call to do it and it was something we couldn't pass it up," he said. "We knew it would be fun and it was. It was a hoot for me, probably the end of my acting career. My kids loved it. They watch the show all the time."

He said he enjoys working with Scaggs because they have a similar sound and point of view. Scaggs' 1970s hits include "Lowdown," "Lido Shuffle" and "We're All Alone."

"I'm a huge fan of his and I have been for many years," McDonald said. "It's a good match -- we draw from a lot of the same audience."