McDonald played in several local bands (such as Mike and the Majestics, Jerry Jay and the Sheratons, the Reebtoors, and The Guild) while attending McCluer High School in his hometown of Ferguson, Missouri, a suburb of St. Louis. He was 'discovered' while playing with a group called Blue and consequently moved to Los Angeles in 1970. He first gained wide attention as an adjunct member of the group Steely Dan, providing back-up vocals and keyboards. Michael continued to do background vocals for Steely Dan up to their 1980 Gaucho release.
McDonald was recruited by The Doobie Brothers in April 1975 when lead singer Tommy Johnston became ill during a national tour. As a member of the Doobies, he recorded some of his most memorable songs, such as "Takin' It To The Streets," "Little Darling," "Minute By Minute," and "What A Fool Believes" (which earned him a 1980 Grammy Award for Song of the Year).
After the Doobies' first farewell tour, McDonald continued with a very successful solo career. Among his hits are
* "I Keep Forgettin'", a duet with his sister Maureen, later sampled in 1994 by Warren G
* "Sweet Freedom", the theme to the 1986 MGM film Running Scared
* "Take It To Heart"
* "Yah Mo B There", a duet with James Ingram which won a 1985 Grammy for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals
* "On My Own", a 1986 duet with Patti Labelle which reached #1 on the US charts
McDonald has produced and/or appeared on albums recorded by many other artists, including his singer wife Amy Holland and Grammy winner Christopher Cross. He is also a co-founder of the small independent recording label Ramp Records, with studio designer Chris Pelonis and actor Jeff Bridges.
His current album out 3/4/8 is titled "Soul Speak."
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There is also Michael McDonald, an American songwriter based in Helsinki, Finland. Michael has played with Helsinki-based bands Montevideo and Treeball, and is about to release his first solo album in 2007.
Wexford Carol
Michael McDonald Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Consider well and bear in mind
What our good God for us has done
In sending his beloved son
With Mary holy we should pray,
To God with love this Christmas Day
In Bethlehem upon that morn,
There was a blessed Messiah born
The night before that happy tide
The noble Virgin and her guide
Were long time seeking up and down
To find a lodging in the town
But mark right well what came to pass
From every door repelled, alas
As was foretold, their refuge all
Was but a humble ox's stall
Near Bethlehem did shepherds keep
Their flocks of lambs and feeding sheep
To whom God's angel did appear
Which put the shepherds in great fear
Arise and go, the angels said
To Bethlehem, be not afraid
For there you'll find, this happy morn
A princely babe, sweet Jesus, born
With thankful heart and joyful mind
The shepherds went the babe to find
And as God's angel had foretold
They did our Saviour Christ behold
Within a manger he was laid
And by his side a virgin maid
Attending on the Lord of Life
Who came on earth to end all strife
There were three wise men from afar
Directed by a glorious star
And on they wandered night and day
Until they came where Jesus lay
And when they came unto that place
Where our beloved Messiah lay
They humbly cast them at his feet
With gifts of gold and incense sweet.
The Wexford Carol is a traditional Christmas song which originated from County Wexford in Ireland. Michael McDonald's version of the song adds his trademark soulful sound to this hauntingly beautiful song. The lyrics of the song describe the Nativity story and the events that led to the birth of Jesus Christ. The first verse urges the listeners to consider the gift of Christ that was given to humankind by God. The second verse describes the struggle of Mary and Joseph to find shelter in Bethlehem before the birth of Jesus, fulfilling the Old Testament prophecy that the King would be born in a humble place.
The third verse introduces the shepherds who were visited by angels, bringing them the news of the birth of the Messiah. The shepherds set out to find the newborn baby and are filled with joy when they find him lying in a manger. The fourth verse mentions the arrival of the three wise men from the East who had followed a star to find the baby Jesus. They bring him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh, symbolizing his royal lineage, divinity, and mortality.
Line by Line Meaning
Good people all, this Christmas time,
This Christmas season, all of you good people, heed my words.
Consider well and bear in mind
Think carefully and remember
What our good God for us has done
What good our God has done for us
In sending His beloved Son
Sending His beloved Son to us
With Mary holy we should pray,
We should pray with holy Mary
To God with love this Christmas Day
Show love to God on this day
In Bethlehem upon that morn,
On that morning in Bethlehem
There was a blessed Messiah born
The Messiah was born, and it was a blessed event
The night before that happy tide
On the night before that joyous celebration
The noble Virgin and her guide
The noble Virgin Mary and her guide
Were long time seeking up and down
Searched for a long time high and low
To find a lodging in the town
To find a place to stay in town
But mark right well what came to pass
Pay attention to what happened
From every door repelled, alas
Unfortunately, they were turned away from every door
As was foretold, their refuge all
As was predicted, their refuge was
Was but a humble ox's stall
A humble stable that was used to house an ox
Near Bethlehem did shepherds keep
Shepherds were keeping watch near Bethlehem
Their flocks of lambs and feeding sheep
Watching over their lambs and sheep as they grazed
To whom God's angel did appear
An angel of God appeared to them
Which put the shepherds in great fear
The shepherds were greatly frightened by this
Arise and go, the angels said
The angels told them to get up and go
To Bethlehem, be not afraid
To Bethlehem, and not be afraid
For there you'll find, this happy morn
For that is where you will find the joyful sight
A princely babe, sweet Jesus, born
A royal baby, sweet baby Jesus, who has been born
With thankful heart and joyful mind
With a heart full of gratitude and a mind full of joy
The shepherds went the babe to find
The shepherds went in search of the baby
And as God's angel had foretold
Just as God's angel had predicted
They did our Saviour Christ behold
They saw our Savior, Christ
Within a manger he was laid
He was laid in a manger
And by His side a virgin maid
With a virgin maiden by His side
Attending on the Lord of Life
Taking care of the Lord of Life
Who came on earth to end all strife
Who came to earth to end all conflicts
There were three wise men from afar
Three wise men came from a distant place
Directed by a glorious star
Guided by a splendid star
And on they wandered night and day
They continued on their journey, day and night
Until they came where Jesus lay
Until they arrived where Jesus was lying
And when they came unto that place
When they arrived at the location
Where our beloved Messiah lay
Where our beloved Messiah was lying
They humbly cast them at His feet
They humbly knelt at His feet
With gifts of gold and incense sweet.
They presented Him with gifts of sweet-smelling incense and gold.
Contributed by Jackson G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.