Country Joe McDonald
Joseph Allen "Country Joe" McDonald (born January 1, 1942) is an American m… Read Full Bio ↴Joseph Allen "Country Joe" McDonald (born January 1, 1942) is an American musician who was the lead singer of the 1960s psychedelic rock group Country Joe & The Fish.

McDonald was born in Washington, DC, and grew up in El Monte, California, where he was student conductor and president of his high school marching band. At the age of 17, he enlisted in the United States Navy for three years and was stationed in Japan. After his enlistment, he attended Los Angeles City College for a year. In the early 1960s, he began busking on Telegraph Avenue in Berkeley, California. His father, Worden McDonald, from Oklahoma, was of Scottish Presbyterian heritage (the son of a minister); he worked for a telephone company. His mother, Florence Plotnick, was the daughter of Russian Jewish immigrants and served for many years on the Berkeley City Council. In their youth, both were Communist Party members before renouncing the cause, and named their son after Joseph Stalin.

McDonald has recorded 33 albums and has written hundreds of songs over a career spanning 40 years. In 1965, he and Barry Melton co-founded Country Joe & the Fish which became a pioneer psychedelic rock band with their eclectic performances at the Avalon Ballroom, the Fillmore, the Monterey Pop Festival, and both the original and 1979 reunion Woodstock Festivals.

In the fall of 2005, political commentator Bill O'Reilly compared McDonald to Cuban President Fidel Castro, remarking on McDonald's involvement in Cindy Sheehan's protests against the Iraq War.

In 2015, McDonald (with assistance from Alec Palao), formed The Electric Music Band; the intention of the group was to perform the early psychedelic material of the early career of Country Joe And The Fish. The band has performed 'Electric Music For The Mind And Body' in its entirety, and band members include Palao, The Rain Parade's Matt Piucci and Derek See of The Chocolate Watchband.

In 2017, McDonald released an album on his own Rag Baby label entitled "50".

McDonald was married to Kathe Werum from 1963 to 1966 and married Robin Menken a year after his divorce from Werum.[12] In 1968, Menken gave birth to the couple's first daughter, Seven Anne McDonald, in San Francisco. Seven, formerly a columnist for LA Weekly and now a movie producer and artist manager,[13] had a previous career as a TV child actor in the late 1970s and early 1980s, managed Johnny Depp's Viper Room nightclub and the alternative rock band Smashing Pumpkins in the 1990s, and wrote for Details, Elle and Harper's Bazaar magazines in the 1990s and 2000s. According to Ron Cabral's biography on Country Joe and the Fish, Seven was the subject of and inspiration behind the song Silver and Gold. McDonald has noted that his ex-girlfriend at the time, Janis Joplin, showed much anger for breaking up with her to be with Menken but asked him to write a song about her; the result was "Janis".

McDonald has four other children, Devin (b. 1976) and Tara (b. 1980) from his marriage to Janice Taylor, and Emily (b. 1988) and Ryan (b. 1991) from his marriage to Kathy Wright.

As of 2012, McDonald still lived in Berkeley, California.
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Country Joe McDonald Lyrics


Agent Orange I was 17, just the teenage kid The year that I…
Agent Orange Song I was 17, just the teenage kid, The year that…
Air Algiers I hopped on a plane Oakland New York Oakland New York New…
Balancing On The Edge of Time Here I sit all by myself I put all my books…
Blowing Down That Dusty Road Guthrie-Hays I'm blowing down this old dusty road I'm bl…
Blues for Breakfast Woke up this morning with a pain in my head Had…
Blues for Michael Hey, hey, Michael won't you play the blues for me Hey,…
Breakfast For Two Woke up this morning with a pain in my head Had…
Carry On Oh, when our struggle's over and we all are free,…
Clara Barton Every time in the world someone receives first aid You can…
Cocaine Hey everybody listen carefully A bad habit starts casually w…
Crossroads Put my heart inside a bottle And place it on the…
Deep Down In Our Hearts McDonald We love the Pathet Lao We love the Pathet Lao …



Entertainment Is My Business McDonald I'm flyin' in a silver bird zoom across the sky …
Feeling Better McDonald Life is a journey filled with mystery Twisting …
Forward I've tinkered at my bits of rhymes In weary, woeful, waiting…
friend lover woman wife Well, she's a friend, she's a lover, She's a woman, she's…
Garden of Eden McDonald Chorus: In the garden of Eden We can start al…
Going Home I'm going home, oh yes I'm going home, oh yes I'm going…
Here I Go Again When dawn comes to touch my purple haze And evening's drows…
Hold On It's Coming Yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah. Picked up a hitchhiker the other…
Hold On To Each Other We are all just little children Walking through a wicked lan…
I Feel Like I'm Fixin to Die Rag Yeah, come on all of you big strong men Uncle Sam…
I'm on the Road Again McDonald I like coffee and I like tea, huh uh, Like the…
I-Feel-Like-I'm-Fixin'-To-Die Rag Come on all of you big strong men Uncle Sam needs…
Jamila She's one of the Eastern ladies, the hand of Fatima…
Janis McDonald Into my life on waves of electrical sound And f…
Jean Desprez Oh, ye whose hearts are resonant, and ring to War's…
Joe's Blues Woke up this morning, Feelin' 'round my bed Lookin' for my…
Kiss My Ass Well, I got out of school and I was feeling…
Lady with the Lamp I don't mind, please don't misunderstand I know the score of…
Let it Rain McDonald Let it rain, let it rain, let it rain, let…
Live in Peace McDonald Today may seem hopeless filled with war and fear…
Living In the Future In a Plastic Dome McDonald They've covered the city with a plastic dome So…
Love Is A Fire What wondrous love is this, O my soul, O my…
Mara Flocks of geese in Paris skies They come to me with…
Mr Big Pig Mr. Big Pig, he thought he was tough, He learned how…
Mr. Big Pig Mr. Big Pig, he thought he was tough, He learned how…
My Last Song Well now the party's over Food and dishes all put away Famil…
Not So Sweet Martha Lorraine She hides in an attic concealed on a shelf Behind volumes…
Oh Jamaica I was a hum-drum person Leading a life apart When love fle…
Oklahoma Hills Many a month has come and gone Since I wandered from…
Only Love Is Worth This Pain Baby, baby, won't you please Help me in my time of…
Pastures Of Plenty It's a mighty hard row that my poor hands has…
Peace on Earth McDonald Tell the leaders of every land Over and over s…
Picks and Lasers McDonald Hey, picks and lasers; bits and phasers in anoth…
Playing With Fire Dynamite Charlie was a loser Building bombs in his flat Fill…
Pledging My Love Washington-Rosey Forever, my darling, my love will be tru…
Pretty Boy Floyd Come gather round me children, A story I will tell About Pre…
Quiet Days in Clichy Come on people and listen to me I tell you the…
Ring of Fire Love is a burning thing And it makes the fiery ring Bound…
Roll On Columbia Roll on, Columbia, roll on Roll on, Columbia, roll on Your p…
Save The Whales! McDonald When my grandpa was a boy He went down to the…
Six Days on the Road Well, I pulled out of Pittsburgh rolling on the Eastern…
Space Lovin' McDonald Don't let this world get you down There's a m…
Standing at the Crossroads Put my heart inside a bottle And place it on the…
Starship Ride Oh, get your self together Oh, leave your troubles behind Oh…
Stolen Heart Blues My friends tried to tell me, I wouldn't believe, Better gua…
Sunshine McDonald I can see clouds drifting over the bay Looks li…
Superstitious Blues I'm feelin' superstitious when it comes to loving you. I'm f…
Sweet Marie Sweet Marie You know that she's the only one I'll ever…
Talkin' Dust Bowl Back in nineteen twenty seven I had a little farm, I…
Thank the Nurse McDonald Doctors and Physicians diagnose and prescribe. …
The Call Far and near, high and clear, Hark to the call of…
The Fish Cheer Give me an "F" Give me a "U" Give me a "C" Give…
The Girl Next Door McDonald She grew up in America, just the girl next door…
The Man From Athabasca Oh the wife she tried to tell me that ′twas…
The March of the Dead The cruel war was over ? oh, the triumph was…
The Munition Maker I am the Cannon king, behold! I perish on a throne…
The Sinking Of The Reuben James Have you heard of the ship called the good Reuben…
The Twins There were two brothers John and James, And when the town…
This Land Is Your Land As I went walking that ribbon of highway I saw above…
Tom Joad Tom Joad got out of that old McAlester pen 'Twas there…
Travelling I lost my baby in outer space She's up there past…
War Hero McDonald-Van Ronk When I got back to my homeland I didn'…
War Widow 'Twas with a heart of leaden woe Poor Alphonze went to…
What Wondrous Love is This What wondrous love is this, O my soul, O my…
When The Curfew Blows Oh the lonesomest sound, boys I ever heard sound, boys, On t…
You Can Get It If You Really Want Chambers Chorus: You can get it if you really want You…
You Know What I Mean McDonald Gimme an F! F! Thank you. About two years ag…
Young Fellow My Lad "Where are you going, Young Fellow My Lad, On this glitteri…


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