FORREST MCDONALD (born 1950), originally from Austin and now living in Richmond, Virginia, is a "newcomer" to me. His album's somewhat difficult-to-digest artwork particularly caught our attention. "SONGS FROM MY SOUL" isn't his debut album, but rather his 16th studio album. The fact that it took him about five years to release the follow-up to "Blues in a Bucket" (2020) made everything even more "interesting." Forrest McDonald is a veteran guitarist/singer-songwriter. His resume is impressive. He played the solo on Bob Seger's classic "Old Time Rock & Roll."
McDonald's album opens acoustically with "On Your Life's Road." The tracklist features no fewer than 13 solo acoustic songs, recorded in Atlanta, and only two with a band. "Blue Mood" sounds very recognizable, is fairly standard in style, and features interesting bluesy Robert Johnson elements. "I Can’t Stop the Love" leans towards the vaudeville blues of Leon Redbone, and "Take My Hand" is a catchy ballad with a touch of casualness. After "A Girl Like You," the guitar-driven "The Next Time" is a flamenco-influenced song. "That’s How I Want Our Love" is very bluesy. For me, the standout track, "Blue Morning Sun," is the best song due to its structure. After "I Had a Dream," "Misery and Blues" is the first song with a band or trio. It's old-school bluesy, with all the trimmings: horns (Jimmy King: trumpet & Norman Franks: sax) and keyboardist (Matthew Wauchope: piano), the requisite guitar solo, a grooving harmonica (Pix Ensign), while McDonald sings bitterly about the current state of our planet. To be clear: John McKnight is the drummer and Lee Gammon the bassist. Keyboardist Jim Scarlett (B3), Terrell Sass (drums), and Ron Benner (bass) contributed to "Wish I May." And then there's "Trouble In Mind," the Richard M. Jones solo cover, as a short acoustic closer.
"Forrest McDonald: a versatile artist, worth discovering!..."
Label: World Talent Records
Release: July 1, 2025
Text: Jan Wolf
Everyone is familiar with it, you see a completely unknown album by an artist you don't know... but seeing the cover makes you curious. You ask the store staff if you can hear the record and, miraculously, you make a musical discovery that will last a lifetime.
To get straight to the point... there is no such intriguing cover around Songs From My Soul. The new age-like image in the background in combination with the best man in the foreground does not suggest that there is so much beauty to be found on the album itself.
On his first album in five years and his sixteenth in total, we mainly hear the subdued, acoustic side of Forrest McDonald. No less than fifteen songs, thirteen of which he performs alone, and then there are two songs that are performed in a band setting.
The first of those two is an old-fashioned blues track, equipped with horns and keys, a delicious guitar solo, some dirty harmonica work and raw lyrics about the current state of the world. In a good five and a half minutes, all the boxes are checked and McDonald once again scores high marks for best blues song of the year, an award that has already been awarded to him twice.
The second band number is more uptempo with a driving acoustic guitar part, screeching organ and more of the critical notes in the lyrics as they are cracked on several songs on Songs From My Soul.
Trouble In Mind is one of the two covers and needs no introduction, McDonald gives the 89-year-old song a fitting, tasteful rendition.
The vast majority of this album is made up of a solo acoustic approach and with more of an Americana/folk feel than pure blues. On On Your Life's Road, such a dark atmosphere is created that it is remotely reminiscent of a Nebraska track. One of the standout numbers, Blue Mood, although seemingly more bluesy, sounds a lot lighter after the dark opening.
Witty lyrics like those in The Next Time put a smile on your face, but on the somewhat stale-sounding Make Love Not War, the book of clichés is eagerly used.
The guitarist who can be heard on numerous Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section recordings has at least made a varied album with Songs From My Soul that reflects well where the best man is now on the path of his life. Forrest McDonald sounds like he is far from finished and with his track record, that is admirable.
Blue Notes and Conversations
Forrest McDonald - "Songs From My Soul"
Produced by Forrest McDonald
Recorded, Mixed, and Mastered at Dogwood Recording & Mastering, Oxford, GA
World Talent Records - www.ForrestMcDonald.com
Press/Publicity: Betsie Brown - Blind Raccoon
Forrest McDonald:
Forrest McDonald - SONGS FROM MY SOUL - Backstory:
Forrest intended to write Songs From My Soul in 2022, but a year of booked performances delayed the process.
Then, 18 months of serious health issues made live performing impossible.
Seizing the downtime, Forrest picked up his acoustic guitar daily and began writing.
The result is an electrifying 15-track collection—13 original songs and 2 covers.
Forrest’s latest release is cause for celebration.
This music is gimmick-free, raw, fresh, and timeless, stirring the soul and jolting the mind.
He tells compelling stories with authenticity and passion.
Forrest McDonald’s music is like an old friend—trustworthy and true.
His songs pulse with the heartbeat of the world, reflecting everyday experiences: suffering, hate, poverty, misery, and all the joy.
This is blues music as it’s meant to be—gritty, soulful, and alive, making the music, songs, and stories irresistible.
"I want my music to touch people deeply, making them feel like I’m telling their story, something they can connect with and sing along to, finding comfort in knowing their thoughts, emotions, and daily experiences aren’t theirs alone." —Forrest McDonald
- The songs "On Your Life Road," "Spirit in the Night," "Make Love Not War," "Misery and Blues," and "Wish I May" channel the energy of people worldwide, reflecting the suffering, hate, poverty, and misery faced by children, teens, and adults.
- Forrest’s optimistic spirit and belief in love and hope shine through in uplifting tracks like "Take My Hand," "I Need You," and "I Can’t Stop the Love."
- To capture a down-home feel, Forrest recorded traditional blues songs his mother sang to him as a child: "Trouble in Mind" and "Blue Mood."
- Songs From My Soul also features two standout blues cuts with band members soaring to new heights:
- "Misery and Blues" showcases the haunting harp work of Pix Ensign, Matthew Wanchope’s soulful piano, and the explosive horns of Jimmy King (trumpet) and Norman Franks (saxophone).
- "Wish I May" highlights Jim Scarlett’s electrifying B-3 organ, delivering real musicians playing with real feeling.
Having released 16 remarkable albums to date—including the current Songs From My Soul (2025), Blues in a Bucket (2020), and I Need You (1995)—Forrest McDonald continues to delight, entertain, and captivate audiences with his iconic guitar work, deeply personal and soulful songwriting, and a voice that speaks to everyone. Audiences are in great company with this wonderfully creative blues music, bringing that classic juke joint sound into the 21st century. When reality bites, take a few shots of Forrest McDonald and see the world in a brighter, better light.
Special Thanks and Appreciation:
Music Network by Michael Limnios - June 16, 2025 - Forrest McDonald: Songs From My Soul - Q&A with veteran singer, songwriter, and guitarist Forrest McDonald - earthshaking, soul-stirring music distilled in the blues.
Michael Limnios is an extraordinary interviewer—check him out!
"It’s time to all join hands. We’ve got to live together. It’s time to stand up united as one through the hard times and stormy weather. I say hey, hey, the Blues is all right!"
Forrest McDonald: Songs From My Soul
Award-winning singer, songwriter, guitarist Forrest McDonald has been performing and recording earthshaking, soul-stirring music distilled in the blues for nearly six decades. His insightful song writing skills embrace the journey of an adventurous explorer who plunges head first into every twist of fate life throws his way. He started playing guitar in 1964 after meeting Muddy Waters at the Café Midnight in Harlem. That same year his father gave him a copy of Two Bones and a Pick by T-Bone walker. He was hooked on the blues. Virgina guitarist Forrest McDonald is set to release his new acoustic oriented album Songs From My Soul, on July 1, 2025. The fifteen tracks expertly recorded at Dogwood Studios in Atlanta by Ron Benner. Rooted in blues and blues-rock, with hints of Americana and folk, the thirteen solo songs and two additional full band tracks showcase his sublime guitar skills and easy-going baritone. The album marks McDonald’s transition from a band leader, who has spent sixty years as a professional recording artist, to focus on work as a solo artist, playing music that connects heart to heart, and reflects his world view on the pulse of everyday life. (Photo: Forrest McDonald)
His insightful song writing skills embrace the journey of an adventurous explorer who plunges head first into every twist of fate life throws his way. The addition of a full horn section and background vocalists to many of these musical tapestries adds remarkable texture as each song unfurls. The result is an array of finely polished, deeply faceted musical gems contained in Blues in a Bucket – reflecting those personal stories that evolve into universal experiences and outcomes. During his extensive career as a musician, Forrest McDonald has recorded with the legendary Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section. His playing on Bob Seger’s Stranger in Town, Greatest Hits and Ultimate Hits garnered him three RIAA-certified platinum albums, which combined have sold over 15 million copies. That’s Forrest guitar solo heard on Seger’s classic, “Old Time Rock and Roll.” McDonald’s other accolades include his induction in the Boston Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, being awarded “Best Modern Southern Guitarist” by Real Blues Magazine (2002), which also voted his band as “Best Southern Blues Band” for three years-in-a-row (1999-2001). Forrest McDonald has performed with Debbie Davies, Bonnie Bramlett, and Kathi McDonald. He’s recorded with such legends as Bobby Womack, Steve Perry and Doris Troy, and over the years has swapped licks with such guitar greats as Duane Allman, Johnny Winter, Jeff Beck, Bob Margolin, Eddie Van Halen, Jimmy Page and Roy Gaines.
Interview by Michael Limnios Special Thanks: Betsie Brown (Blind Raccoon)
How has the Blues and Rock Counterculture influenced your views of the world and the journeys you’ve taken?
I was always a non-conformist and basically an unsupervised child. I first picked up an acoustic guitar in 1963 and began listening to Folk Singers like Odetta, Dylan, Leadbelly and Josh White. Odetta was a Civil rights activist. Although she grew up in the city, she described black folk music and spirituals as “liberation songs" and used this music to “do my teaching and preaching, my propagandizing.” Both Odetta and Bob Dylan sang at the 1963 Civil Rights March in Washington DC. The anti-establishment counter cultural phenomenon was developing in the United States at this time. The heart of the action began with the beat movement in New York City and then spread to San Francisco. Greenwich Village was where I went to immerse myself in a hotbed of early countercultural activity. In the coming years classic rock bands with a Blues influence hit the airwaves. The Beatles, Rolling Stones, Cream, and others covered Blues greats such as Muddy Waters, T-Bone Walker, and Slim Harpo on their albums. Muddy said the blues had a baby and they called it Rock and Roll. Drugs such as marijuana and LSD were now embedded into the counter culture. In 1968-69 I played my share of Moratoriums to End the War in Vietnam. I wanted to be in the heart of the action so I moved to California in 1973. I jammed with many popular band members from the Jefferson Airplane, Grateful Dead, and the Quicksilver Messenger Service. Playing in the San Francisco bay area was great. There were lines of beautiful women in front of the stage at my feet passing me lit joints and their phone numbers. We took the party with us wherever we played in Europe, Asia, and the USA. I have found that people around the world are basically the same. We all want food, clothing, shelter, love and entertainment. I see the world through the prism of music and love. Everywhere I go these days I hear the same complaint in 1,000 different ways we don’t have enough money. That view never changes and people everywhere confirm it. A small group of very rich people essentially control everything and we are all just trying to get by. That’s why they call it the blues.
"The impact is clear. We started with a line in one place and we crossed it. So, they redrew the line and we crossed that one. On and on it went until society eventually changed. Sex, art, music, video games, violence were expanded to appease the minds of those who had grown tired of the old ways. That’s why I love the blues and blues-rock it keeps me grounded." (Forrest McDonald / Photo by Wayne Gammon)
What were the reasons that made the 60s to be the center of Blues, Folk and Rock researches and experiments?
If there was any money in the Blues, they would call it the greens. In the 40’s and 50’s the African-American musicians were confined to the “Chitlin Circuit.” After the white bands brought notoriety to Muddy Waters, Chuck Berry and others they were invited to play venues like the Newport Folk Festival and large concert venues. Listen to Elvis interpret Big Mamma Thornton’s version of Hound Dog. All early Rock and Roll songs are just like blues following the 12-bar format with just a different drum beat. Groups like Cream, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, The Doors, The Who and Jimi Hendrix really moved the needle. The Monterey Pop Festival and Woodstock were landmark music festivals. The flower power generation and the hippie movement were all a result of this musical evolution and the new counter culture surrounding it. It is no wonder researchers are consumed with the time period it was the greatest.
How do you think that you have grown as an artist since you first started making music? What has remained the same about your music-making process?
Since I first picked up a guitar and started performing professionally in 1964 at age 14, my growth as an artist has been a winding road through blues, folk, and rock. Back then, my focus was soaking up as many songs as I could, mastering the sounds I loved. By 1969, I began writing my own, realizing songwriting could carry me far beyond the stage. A defining moment came that year, jamming with guitarist Melvin Wachs in Boston. My playing was all raw soul, channeling Hendrix, while his technical precision—sight-reading Mozart—opened my eyes to the power of blending heart with knowledge. That revelation led me, after nine years of performing, to study at the Dick Grove Conservatory and the Guitar Institute of Technology in California under jazz giants like Dick Grove, Jimmy Stewart, and Howard Roberts. There, I unlocked the theory behind the sounds I’d always chased, sharpening my craft.
My songwriting has transformed over the years. Early on, songs were platforms for guitar solos, and I wrote some fiery ones. But I’ve since learned that the story and lyrics are the soul of a song. Moving from the Forrest McDonald Band to a solo career, I now craft music about love, hope, hard times, and faith—blues and blues-rock with shades of Americana and folk, designed to connect deeply with listeners by reflecting the heartbeat of everyday life.
What hasn’t changed is the soul at the core of my process. From the beginning, I’ve poured my experiences and emotions into every riff and lyric, driven by the same raw passion to create music that resonates. That fire, lit when I was 14, still burns, fueling my evolution as an artist and keeping my music true to its roots.
"My heart holds hope, though, for a return to those roots I love. I dream of a future where musicians rediscover the joy of forming bands, playing for the love of the craft, and bringing back that raw, soulful sound. We’re seeing glimmers of it—bands like Black Pumas or Tedeschi Trucks Band carry that torch, blending vintage vibes with fresh fire." (Photo: Forrest McDonald)
How did your relationship with blues rock music come about? What moment changed your music life the most?
My passion for blues rock was sparked in the early 1960s, captivated by the raw, soulful sounds of T-Bone Walker, Muddy Waters, Lightnin’ Hopkins, Howlin’ Wolf, and the Paul Butterfield Blues Band. Their music hit me straight in the heart. Then came the pioneers who reshaped the genre: Eric Clapton with the Bluesbreakers, Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page with the Yardbirds, and Jimi Hendrix’s searing Red House. When Jeff Beck’s Truth and Led Zeppelin’s first album hit, they fused gritty blues with rock’s electric pulse, birthing blues rock as I knew it. Mick Taylor’s soulful touch with the Rolling Stones took it even deeper, inspiring guitarists like me to dive in.
The moment that forever changed my music life was witnessing Jeff Beck at the Boston Tea Party in fall 1968. His Gold Top Les Paul wailed with a tone that shook me, backed by Rod Stewart’s vocals, Ron Wood on bass, and Mick Waller on drums. Meeting the band that night, I felt their raw, electric energy up close, and it ignited something in me. From that day on, I was all in for blues rock, driven to pour that same fire and soul into every note I play.
Do you have any stories about the making of Songs From My Soul? Your work is known for creatively reimagining blues tradition. How do you balance respect for the roots with experimentation?
I intended to write the songs for Songs from My Soul in 2022 but I was booked into a years worth of performances before I could start the writing process. Then I was struck with 18 months of serious health issues that made live performing impossible. I took advantage of the down time to pick up my acoustic guitar every day and start writing. The events in the world worsened and Song like On Your Life’s Road, Spirit in the Night, Make Love Not War, Misery and Blues and Wish I May came to me channeling the energy of people around the world there was too much suffering, hate, poverty, and misery. The signs of the times spoke to me and channeled into my lyrics. At the same time my optimistic spirit, belief in love and hope for the future manifested in positive songs like Take My Hand, I Need You, A Girl Like You and I can’t stop the love had to be told. I drew on my life’s experiences and others close to me to tell these stories. Finally, I had to record some traditional blues that my mother sang to me as a child to give it that down home feeling.
"The moment that forever changed my music life was witnessing Jeff Beck at the Boston Tea Party in fall 1968. His Gold Top Les Paul wailed with a tone that shook me, backed by Rod Stewart’s vocals, Ron Wood on bass, and Mick Waller on drums. Meeting the band that night, I felt their raw, electric energy up close, and it ignited something in me. From that day on, I was all in for blues rock, driven to pour that same fire and soul into every note I play." (Photo: Forrest McDonald)
What do you miss most nowadays from the music of the past? What are your hopes and fears for the future of
I feel a warmth of nostalgia for those golden days of music, when bands like the Allman Brothers, Marshall Tucker Band, and Wet Willie poured their hearts into blues, soul, and R&B, creating something soul-stirring together. What I miss most is that beautiful camaraderie—the way musicians would gather, united by a shared love for a sound, jamming late into the night, dreaming big as equals. Those bands were like families, weaving magic through their collective spirit, and that’s a vibe I cherish deeply.
Today, things feel different. With tools like Pro Tools and Logic, anyone can craft a song solo, which is empowering in its own way. But it often misses the spark of a group bouncing ideas off each other, the laughter and grit of a live session. Many musicians now are sidemen, hustling multiple gigs, hesitant to dive into the all-in dream of a band where everyone’s chasing the same star. The music world’s tougher, with streaming and side hustles making it hard to nurture that old-school band bond.
My heart holds hope, though, for a return to those roots I love. I dream of a future where musicians rediscover the joy of forming bands, playing for the love of the craft, and bringing back that raw, soulful sound. We’re seeing glimmers of it—bands like Black Pumas or Tedeschi Trucks Band carry that torch, blending vintage vibes with fresh fire. The rise of local music scenes, vinyl’s comeback, and fans craving authentic live shows all point toward a revival of that real, connected music you’re talking about.
Yet, I confess a quiet fear: that the pull of solo digital creation and the chase for viral hits might overshadow the patience and heart needed for true band chemistry. Algorithms favor quick, shiny tracks, and the grind of modern life can make it hard for musicians to take the leap together. But I believe we can keep it real, as you say, by cheering on live music, supporting young artists who dig into those classic styles, and celebrating the messy, joyful art of making music as a crew.
How do you want the music to affect people? What's the balance in music between technique (skills) and soul/emotions?
I want my music to touch people deeply, making them feel like I’m telling their story, something they can connect with and sing along to, finding comfort in knowing their thoughts, emotions, and daily experiences aren’t theirs alone. On this album, I’ve stripped away the extra layers a band might add, keeping it raw with just an acoustic guitar. A song that holds its own like this can always be built up later with a band, but a great arrangement or solos can sometimes polish a weaker song and hide its flaws. I’m focusing on delivering passionate soul and heartfelt lyrics, pouring raw emotion into every word to create honest music that’s free of gimmicks and true to its core.
"The golden era of blues rock shaped the core of my musical soul, setting the compass for how I compose and perform today. Its raw, soulful energy guides my choices, leading me to craft songs that feel right rhythmically, spiritually, and emotionally. I focus on building progressions that support heartfelt lyrics, always aiming to tell the most compelling story possible with authenticity and passion." (Forrest McDonald / Photo by Robert O'Neal)
You’ve worked in many different settings, from clubs and studios to open air festivals. How do you navigate between these different worlds?
Whether I’m playing a massive arena, an open-air festival, a cozy theater, or an intimate club, each setting has its own vibe, and I lean into that to connect with the audience. In an arena, I’m up on a huge stage, facing a sea of people whose faces I can’t quite make out. It’s loud, electric, and the crowd’s applause is my compass, guiding me to give my all in every performance. Festivals feel more approachable—daylight lets me see the crowd up close, make eye contact, and feed off their energy, with a sound mix that’s often clearer and more vibrant. In theaters or small clubs, I can get personal, stepping into the audience for a stage walk, reading their expressions, and locking eyes to forge a real connection. No matter the venue, I keep my focus on the music—whether solo or with a band—delivering a show that’s cohesive, spontaneous, and brimming with energy, woven together with stories that resonate. I approach every performance with the same open, flexible mindset, drawing on past experiences to navigate any challenges or surprises, like white water, while aiming to lift the audience to a shared, spiritual high where we’re all in it together.
What are you doing to keep your music relevant today, to develop it and present it to the new generation?
To keep my music vibrant and relevant for today’s world, I stay deeply connected to the socio-political, economic, and personal currents shaping our times. As a songwriter, it’s my responsibility to always listen to the heartbeat of the world, capturing its joys, struggles, and trends. By channeling these truths into my songs with honesty and passion, I ensure my music resonates with the new generation, staying fresh and timeless.
How has your experience with the “golden era” of blues rock influenced the way you compose and perform today?
The golden era of blues rock shaped the core of my musical soul, setting the compass for how I compose and perform today. Its raw, soulful energy guides my choices, leading me to craft songs that feel right rhythmically, spiritually, and emotionally. I focus on building progressions that support heartfelt lyrics, always aiming to tell the most compelling story possible with authenticity and passion.
"My songwriting has transformed over the years. Early on, songs were platforms for guitar solos, and I wrote some fiery ones. But I’ve since learned that the story and lyrics are the soul of a song. Moving from the Forrest McDonald Band to a solo career, I now craft music about love, hope, hard times, and faith—blues and blues-rock with shades of Americana and folk, designed to connect deeply with listeners by reflecting the heartbeat of everyday life." (Photo: Forrest McDonald)
What characterizes previous release "Blues in a Bucket" (2020) in comparison to other albums? What touched (emotionally) you from studio's sessions?
Blues in a Bucket is a culmination everything I had learned since I began writing and recording songs. The performances of each song are as good as it gets with your clothes on. That goes double for the sound quality, instrumentation, mixing and mastering. I have dedicated the CD to my brother, Steve, who I lost in January 2019 to cancer, and to anyone who has lost a loved one to this terrible disease. The song Blue Morning Sun tells that story. A related song, “Go to the light,” was written with positive and spiritual energy for those that have crossed over after passing. “Boogie me till I drop” has a great New Orleans party feel, so I started the CD with it to get everyone in good spirit. I was in China a few years ago and feeling lonely for the USA. I thought about two great blues towns—Memphis and Chicago and that led me to write “Windy City Blues.” It grounded me. I had some low points like we all do and I wrote “Misery and Blues” to relieve some of that anxiety. I was watching a lot of the series “Supernatural” at this time and “Powerhouse” just jumped out of me. The title track “Blues in a Bucket” is a positive classic. I was full of the blues one afternoon, pondering my problems, when I thought of how fantastic it would be to just put them into a bucket and then toss them away. The song tells the story. The closing song “Let the Love in Your Heart” is what we need a lot more of. It’s an optimistic vision inspired by love.
How started the thought of World Talent Records? Do you have a dream project you'd most like to accomplish?
When I was 29 years old, I had a vision of one day starting my own independent record label so that I could record my own music and call my own shots. It took me 15 years to save the money but I did it my way. My 9th CD is Titled Nothing Wrong with Dreaming. I am always moving forward. Today "Blues in a Bucket" is the dream project I would most like to accomplish. (Forrest McDonald / Photo by Wayne Gammon)
"If you know what you are doing and listen to all of the players it is amazing what you can play live with no rehearsal. Fortunately for me I love many styles of music and I did my best to master those styles. When you are selling yourself as a studio musician you have to put what you want to do in the back of your mind and listen to the producer or songwriter when they tell you what kind of solo they want."
Are there any memories from Duane Allman, Bobby Womack, and Johnny Winter which you’d like to share with us?
I have several pages in a book I’m writing. I will lay out some of it for you to edit. I was living in Boston in 1970 when I read in the Boston Phoenix the Allman Brothers were coming to the Boston Tea Party November 19-21. Nothing was going to keep me from that show. I brought my 1955 Fender Stratocaster to show Duane as a door opener. He played it and dug it but had just traded a Marshall for a Gibson Les Paul and he was going to play the Les Paul. After the show I told Duane about my 1960 Gibson Firebird and he said to come back tomorrow, Saturday, and bring it with me. After the show on Friday I went to their hotel in Brookline and played acoustic guitars until the pre-dawn hour with Greg leading the way. I left just before the sun came up and returned with my Gibson Firebird the next evening. I also brought Chris Hayward my girlfriend at the time. Our names were on the guest list and we arrived just before the band. We went straight to the dressing room. Chris had strapped on my Firebird and was playing some hot licks when the Brothers walked in. Dickey and Duane were impressed with what she was playing and I felt good having brought her with me. Duane said Dickey listen to this girl play that guitar. She played a few cool blues licks and Duane said, “Dicky you may be out of a job.” Everyone laughed. Soon Duane relieved Chris of the guitar and started playing it. He liked it a lot. When it was show time he had Red Dog their head roadie, bring it to the stage along with Duane’s Les Paul. The set began with great energy and the band was on fire. After the first song they launched into Whipping Post and Duane’s E string broke just as his solo was coming up. I was standing right in front of him on the floor in front of the stage. He yelled “Red Dog, give me the Firebird.” Red Dog tossed him the Guitar. It seemed to sail 20 feet in the air across the stage and into Duane’s waiting arms. Duane plugged it in just in time to begin his solo. It was a great moment. I had friends there that night and they all knew that Duane was playing my Firebird. After the show we retreated back to the dressing room. The cold beer, weed, whites and wine were plentiful.
The afternoon I met Bobby Womack I was walking down the hall at the new Muscle Shoals Sound with my Stratocaster slung over my back like a rifle. Producer/guitarist Jimmy Johnson put his head out into the hall and said come on in here. He introduced me to Bobby who was there Recording “The Roads of Life.“ Bobby said I know the way you wear that guitar that you are a bad ass guitar player. I’m recording down the hall in studio B come give me some solos. So, I did and that’s how my friendship with Bobby began.
I met Johnny July 1969 as the Newport Jazz and folk festival. The three-day event attracted a record crowd of some 80,000, the heaviest attendance figures of 25,000 coming on Friday night, which was devoted entirely to rock. All of these hippies spooked the local authorities who, because of the tension and large crowd on Friday night, demanded that Led Zeppelin be cancelled from the final bill on Sunday. I loved Johnny Winter’s Set on Sunday. He was absolutely at the top of his game. His vocals were soulful and straight from the heart. His guitar let out a barrage of incredible tones during his slide solos on his Fender Mustang. My family was from Orange Texas and he was from and Johnny was born in Beaumont just west of Orange on I10. I talked to Johnny in his dressing room after his hour and a half set and he let me play his guitar while we talked. Well I tried to play it. His action was set really high for the slide and his strings were ultra-heavy gage. I could barely bend a note. Most guitarists of the day were using a Hawaiian G for our high E string that was equivalent to a 008 and Johnny was using a 013 for his high E string with the rest of his strings equally as thick. Johnny got the crowd fired up for BB King who came on next. I was sitting with Jimmy Page, Alvin Lee, and Robert Plant during BB’s performance. BB played all of his standards and the crowd loved him. There was talk that Johnny was going to come out and jam with BB. Sure enough BB came back for an encore and invited Johnny to the stage. Jimmy was sitting with a group of us and asked Alvin Lee how he thought Johnny would do playing next to BB. Robert Plant said loud and proud “BB will kill him.” They played a slow scorching blues “It’s My Own Fault.” BB played with great concentration and feeling. When BB finished his solo amidst the applause, he gave Johnny the nod. Johnny played like he just made a deal with the Devil at the crossroads. He was at the top of his game playing like a true blues master that could shred those strings making them scream and cry. What a show! Johnny blew them all away. Later in life my friend James Montgomery for the Boston Rock Symphony fronted Johnny’s band after Johnny’s health failed. I keep that first memory close to my heart. (Phoro: Forrest McDonald)
"I was always a non-conformist and basically an unsupervised child. I first picked up an acoustic guitar in 1963 and began listening to Folk Singers like Odetta, Dylan, Leadbelly and Josh White. Odetta was a Civil rights activist. Although she grew up in the city, she described black folk music and spirituals as “liberation songs" and used this music to “do my teaching and preaching, my propagandizing.”
What are some of the most important lessons you have learned from your experience in music paths?
If you know what you are doing and listen to all of the players it is amazing what you can play live with no rehearsal. Fortunately for me I love many styles of music and I did my best to master those styles. When you are selling yourself as a studio musician you have to put what you want to do in the back of your mind and listen to the producer or songwriter when they tell you what kind of solo they want. They will reference a solo off a track and ask you to play like that. Being well versed in all of the standards and classics it invaluable in the studio. In 1969 I auditioned for and landed one of the two guitar slots for the Boston Rock Symphony. The other guitarist was a music student at Juilliard named Melvin Wax from Long Island, NY. One day Melvin invited me to his apartment so we could have a jam session. When I arrived, he said I’m just finishing my homework come in and get comfortable. Mel was sight reading a classical piece by Mozart. It sounded beautiful. I thought to myself what I am doing here this guy is great I need to go. Before I could walk out the door Melvin stopped playing and said I’m done let’s jam. I said ok what do you want to jam on? He said let’s jam some Hendrix. I was cool with that and said let’s do it. We started playing and Mel sounded like Mozart and I sounded like Jimi Hendrix. This was astonishing to me. I realized Melvin was all head and no soul. I had learned to solo listening to and learning licks that really moved me. When I played I just blended them together. Our jam was cool but my playing sounded more in the vein I was trying to hit. I said to myself that day I am going to develop my style to the fullest before I learn any theory so that I don’t end up like Melvin; all head and no soul. I played guitar by year for 9 years before entering the Dick Grove Conservatory of music in Studio City California in 1974. Dick is a genius. He played a difficult Be Bop progression and played an impressive solo behind it. Then he casually mentioned I haven’t practiced in 10 years I just know what all the good notes are and I play them. The way he broke down songwriting was inspirational. I won’t give it away here but I strongly recommend his songwriting and composition courses.
What is the impact of the Blues and Rock culture on the racial, political and socio-cultural implications?
Many of the old hippies of yesteryear are now politicians. As at the end of 2018, 33 states plus D.C have legalized medicinal marijuana. Meanwhile, there are now 10 states (plus D.C.) where recreational weed is legal with others under consideration. Many of the SDS crowd that was feeding their propaganda to the college campuses in the 1960’s are embedded in Government today. There is something called the law of unintended consequences. They are outcomes that are not the ones foreseen and intended by a purposeful action. When I was a 9-year-old boy I often wished some of the actresses would appear topless. We have gone so far beyond that if makes you consider that old phrase be careful what you wish for. The impact is clear. We started with a line in one place and we crossed it. So, they redrew the line and we crossed that one. On and on it went until society eventually changed. Sex, art, music, video games, violence were expanded to appease the minds of those who had grown tired of the old ways. That’s why I love the blues and blues-rock it keeps me grounded. I avoid politics because it is spiritually draining. I don’t buy in to fear mongers on TV news that are shills for the Billionaires who try to pit one group against the other while they get richer. It’s time to all join hands. We’ve got to live together. It’s time to stand up united as one through the hard times and stormy weather. I say hey, hey, the Blues is all right!
(Forrest McDonald / Photo by Robert O'Neal)
Curt’s Blues
Forrest McDonald - "Songs From My Soul" - World Talent Records - Blues, Folk, and Americana From the Heart With a July 1st release date, this 15-cut CD of 13 McDonald originals and two covers, "Songs From My Soul" is the first outing in five years from this highly talented guitarist and singer who hails from Virginia. Thirteen of the 15 selections here showcase McDonald's lofty proficiencies in a solo setting, his deep, rich, and expressive voice the ideal match for his adept fingerpicking style. The two remaining tunes find McDonald in a group format, one that too finds his broad musical competencies idyllically suited. The man has over 60 years as a musician, and every minute of those decades was obviously well spent in framing his craft, one that is certainly rooted in blues, but also gloriously highlights his folk and Americana sensibilities. Simply, this is great music making from a seasoned artist whose songs reach into the listener's heart and form a connection. Thank you, Mr. McDonald, for sharing your inner thoughts with all of us via your terrific music. Here's hoping that this collection affords McDonald well-deserved recognition.
https://www.facebook.com/forrest.h.mcdonaldhttps://curtsblues.com/
Forrest McDonald Songs From My Soul
Forrest McDonald
Songs From My Soul
World Talent Records
Forrest McDonald's career began six decades ago. Originally from Austin, Texas, his family moved to Rhode Island when Forrest was fifteen. He gained a reputation playing in 'The Ox Bow Incidents' and was a member of 'The Boston Rock Symphony' with his friend James Montgomery, playing a fusion of rock and classical music throughout New England. At the age of twenty he toured with Wadsworth Mansion. Forrest moved to Los Angeles and formed the band 'Slingshot' and played gigs at The Whiskey and The Starwood, both clubs on Sunset Strip. He moved to Muscle Shoals, Alabama and worked with the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section, backing both Bob Seger and Bobby Womack. Forrest's guitar solos can be heard on Seger's hit 'Old Time Rock and Roll'. Real Blues Magazine awarded Forrest McDonald and the 3D Blues Band 'Best Southern Blues Band' in 1999, 2000, and 2001. He also received a 'Just Plain Folks Music Award' for Best Blues Album for 'Spirit of the Blues'. His 1999 song 'Work, Work' won 'Best Blues Song' in 2000 and in 2006 Forrest won that award again for 'Going Back To Memphis'. Forrest now resides in Richmond, Virginia.
This is Forrest McDonald's sixteenth album overall. His two best albums may be 1995's 'I Need You' and 2020's 'Blues In A Bucket". Included are eleven originals written by Forrest, two co-writes, and two covers. There are thirteen songs performed solo and two songs performed with a band.
On the first of the originals "On Your Life's Road", Forrest plays guitar as he sings, "going down on your life's road...speakin' about my family, I left them all alone, it's time to stand for something....on your life's road". "Blue Mood" is the first of the two covers, written by Jesse Mae Robinson a.k.a. Jessie Mae Booker (her most famous song was "Let's Have A Baby" recorded by both Elvis Presley and Wanda Jackson), as Forrest sings "I guess I'll go out walkin', I'll see the blue mood comin' on...everytime I hear that music...it takes me back to my woman, it's about to drive me insane...I got to keep on smiling so folks will think I'm satisfied".
On "I Can't Stop The Love" Forrest cries "she makes the sun shine on a cloudy day...like a good wine she takes my troubles away...we have such good times makin' sweet memories...I can't stop the love that's in my heart". "Take My Hand", "breakin' down those walls...so baby, take my hand...I'm not gonna' judge you girl, it's a crazy mixed up world... take my hand...you'll never be alone, we are family, take my hand".
"Spirit in The Night" is the first of the two co-writes as Forrest chants "there's a spirit in the night...I can feel it in the air...my silent partner, spirit in the night...it takes my breathe and leaves me breathless, my silent partner, a spirit in the night". "I Need You" is the title track from the 1995 album of the same name, "it stirs those memories inside of me, can't you see I Need You by my side...I need you deep inside...to keep me satisfied...you look so good, you put my rocket ship in flight...I need you".
"A Girl Like You", Forrest chimes "it takes a girl like you to make a guy like me...take a little step closer to me...don't walk away, it takes a girl like you to make my dreams come true...it takes a girl like you". On "The Next Time", Forrest belts out "when you come around, everytime I told you, you said I was crazy...I won't come to you next time...this time I'm walkin' out the door, I won't come to you next time".
"That's How I Want Our Love" is the second co-write, a walkin' blues, "mostly love has brought me down on my knees, if you believe in me, that's how I want our love to be". "Make Love Not War" "we're on the verge of world war III, it doesn't make any sense to me, I just want to spend the day in the sun...too much fear, too much hate...let's make love not war".
"Blue Morning Sun", Forrest moans "I took my band to Memphis to play some down home blues.. I got a call my brother he's gone, he passed away...the sky is so grey...he took what life gave and never complained". On "I Had A Dream" Forrest sings "I moved to the city in the drivin' rain...I had a dream last night...I looked to the ocean in a hurricane...I had a dream last night the whole world had changed".
On the first of two band songs "Misery and Blues", Forrest, guitar and vocals; is accompanied by Matthew Wauchope, piano; Jimmy King, trumpet; Norman Franks, sax; Pix Ensign, harmonica; Lee Gammon, bass; and John McKnight, drums, as Forrest howls "the whole world 's gone crazy and it's filled with misery...there is just pain everywhere I see...I just want to live our lives without so much misery and pain".
The second band song "I Wish I May", includes Jim Scarlett, Hammond B-3; Ron Benner, bass; and Terrell Sass, drums, as Forrest chirps "I'm working hard everyday to make things right...no matter what I do I come up short...we plan for the future, hope for a better life, everyday...every night wish I may, wish I might...through the darkness into the light".
On the closer, "Trouble In Mind", written and recorded by Richard M. Jones in 1936, Forrest croons "trouble in mind, I'm blue...but I won't be blue always, 'cause the sun gonna' shine in my backdoor someday".
"Songs From My Soul" is the first album from Forrest McDonald in five years. It was certainly worth the wait as we get to hear this mostly solo, folk and Americana release. Like always this all-original Forrest McDonald album includes some nice surprises. This is highly recommended listening.
Richard Ludmerer
Contributing Editor/Making A Scene
Blues in a Bucket is still climbing the Roots Contemporary Blues Charts May 18, 2020.
Mark Pucci Media
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 10, 2020
Contact: Mark Pucci (770) 804-9555 / mpmedia@bellsouth.net
Acclaimed Musician/Songwriter Forrest McDonald Unleashes 11 Original Tracks on his 15th CD, Blues in a Bucket, On sale February 10 from World Talent Records
Award-winning guitarist Forrest McDonald has been performing and recording earth-shaking, soul-stirring music distilled in the blues for nearly six decades. His insightful song writing skills embrace the journey of an adventurous explorer who plunges head first into every twist of fate life throws his way.
The addition of a full horn section and background vocalists to many of these musical tapestries adds remarkable texture as each song unfurls. The stunning vocals of Andrew Black and guest vocalist Becky Wright deliver the golden threads that seamlessly bind everything together into one helluva musical experience.
The result is an array of finely polished, deeply faceted musical gems contained in Blues in a Bucket – reflecting those personal stories that evolve into universal experiences and outcomes.
Black Jack Ketchum
Good Morning Blues
WRFG/89.3 FM-Atlanta
www.wrfg.org
The Musical Journey
- Boogie Me Till I Drop 4:54 (McDonald, Victor)
- Blues in the Basement 5:43 (McDonald, Parnell)
- Blues in a Bucket 4:00 (McDonald)
- Blue Morning Sun 4:36 (McDonald)
- Hard To Lose 3:58 (McDonald, Zinner)
- Windy City Blues 4:28 (McDonald)
- Go to the Light 3:54 (McDonald)
- Misery and Blues 5:31 (McDonald)
- Powerhouse 5:10 (McDonald)
- Going Back to Memphis 3:48 (McDonald)
- Let the Love in Your Heart 4:26 (McDonald)
Recorded Mixed and Mastered at Dogwood Recording & Mastering
Oxford, GA Engineer: Ron Benner
World Talent Records: ForrestMcDonald.com
© 2020 804.477.4488
The Band
Forrest McDonald (Guitar, Vocals) 8, 12
Andrew Black (Lead Vocals) 1-8, 10, 11
Becky Wright (Lead Vocals) 9, 11, 12
Lee Gammon (Bass)
Jon Schwenke (Bass) 2
John McKnight (Drums)
Pix Ensign (Harmonica)
Jimmy King (Trumpet, Flugelhorn)
Norman Frank (Saxophones)
Tony Carey (Organ, Piano) 2,10
Matthew Wauchope (Organ, Piano)
Shelene Huey Booker (BG Vocals) 5,7
Romney Sears (BG Vocals) 5,7
Monica Thrower (BG Vocals) 5,7
Jocelyn Ware (BG Vocals) 5,7
Gear for the CD
I play a 2006 Gibson ES-335 made in Memphis, TN
I use Ernie Ball Super Slinky strings .009-.042 and
GHS Boomers .009-.042.
On this CD I used a JCM 800 50 watt head/1960A cabinet.
For some of the solos I used a Fulltone OCD Obsessive Compulsive Drive Pedal.
For some of the solos I use a Browntone Electronics Hoochee Mama Pedel.
Forrest’s thoughts on the CD
This is actually my 15th release. I will turn 70 this year and feel 2020 is going to be a big year for me and this recording. I have dedicated the CD to my brother, Steve, who I lost in January 2019 to cancer, and to anyone who has lost a loved one to this terrible disease. The song Blue Morning Sun tells that story. A related song, “Go to the light,” was written with positive and spiritual energy for those that have crossed over after passing.
“Boogie me till I drop” has a great New Orleans party feel, so I started the CD with it to get everyone in good spirit. I was in China a few years ago and feeling lonely for the USA. I thought about two great blues towns—Memphis and Chicago and that led me to write “Windy City Blues.” It grounded me. I had some low points like we all do and I wrote “Misery and Blues” to relieve some of that anxiety. I was watching a lot of the series “Supernatural” at this time and “Powerhouse” just jumped out of me. The title track “Blues in a Bucket” is a positive classic. I was full of the blues one afternoon, pondering my problems, when I thought of how fantastic it would be to just put them into a bucket and then toss them away. The song tells the story. The closing song “Let the Love in Your Heart” is what we need a lot more of. It’s an optimistic vision inspired by love.
Review of Forrest’s last CD Stand My Ground:
“What do you get when you mix a Texan—raised on rock and classic blues—throw in some harmonica, the hard-driving pulse of Chicago, some mean harp, a rhythmic bass, and a knock-your-socks-off vocalist?
“You get Stand My Ground, a rocking, riveting, soulful new blues release, the latest offering from singer, songwriter, and instrumentalist Forrest McDonald and his award-winning band. Whether you’ve been following McDonald’s career over the last 53 years like I have, or are a new listener, run don’t walk to your computer to download these tunes or order a CD, or both. Your heart and your ears will thank you—it’s outstanding!
“McDonald is a veteran blues guitarist with an individual approach to the genre, tempered by his roots in rock and his upbringing on the blues of the 20s, 30s, and 40s. He leads the Forrest McDonald band with the clear vision of someone who’s worked with the likes of Bob Seger (“Old Time Rock ‘n Roll” features his guitar solo), has traveled around the world performing for 56 years, and has nearly two dozen recordings under his belt.”
Performances
Forrest has appeared or headlined many popular outdoor festivals such as The Atlanta Blues Festival, The Gasparilla Festival, Spring Fest, The River Place Arts Festival, Bay Fest, The Vallejo Jazz & Blues Fest, Sun Fest, The Carolina Blues & Seafood Festival, Bluesapalooza, The Montreaux Atlanta Festival, The Jacksonville Beach Annual Festival, The Melbourne Art Festival, The Hi-Fi Buys Amphitheater, the King Biscuit Blues Festival. and many others.
Quotes
“The performing maturity and clarity of this group, coupled with the lyrical
rhythmic genius of Texas-born McDonald, make this group a can’t miss.”
~Cooper Rock and Blues News
“Forrest McDonald pulls no punches. Everything he plays is “Certified Blue” all the way through. With “Turnaround Blues,’ he and the band have cooked up another sure-fire winner!!” ~Sheryl and Don Crow.
“This is blues, top-notch and worthy of a spot among the greats.” ~Bill Wilson: Reflections in Blue, commenting on Forrest’s Turnaround Blues CD.
“McDonald’s fiery guitar licks showcase his vast experience in blues-based rock ‘n’ roll and R&B. Raymond Victor’s gut-wrenching, blues-drenched vocals soar above, around, and through each tune building to a choke-hold that won’t loosen its grip until you jump up and boogie!” ~Black Jack Ketchum, Atlanta Blues Society
“This Texas-born journeyman has hot licks to spare and they come down fast
and furious. McDonald’s flat out Southern style of wailing is ably supported
by a tight band. Lovers of white-hot guitar will not be disappointed.” ~Blues Access
Facts
Forrest McDonald has recorded with the Legendary Muscle Shoals Rhythm
Section.
His playing on Bob Seger’s Stranger in Town, Greatest Hits and Ultimate Hits have garnered him 3 RIAA certified platinum albums combined they have sold over 15 million copies. Forrest played the guitar solo on “Old Time Rock & Roll.”
Forrest is in the Boston R&R Hall of Fame.
He was awarded the title of “Best Modern Southern Guitarist” by Real Blues
Magazine 2002.
His band was voted “Best Southern Blues Band” for three years in a row by Real
Blues Magazine 1999-2001.
Forrest McDonald has performed with Debbie Davies, Bonnie Bramlett, and Kathi McDonald.
Just Plain Folks Winner for Best Blues Album 2000 Spirit of the Blues
Just Plain Folks Winner for Best Blues Song 2001 “Work Work” on What’s It Gonna Take?
Just Plain Folks Winner for Blues Song 2001 “Going Back to Memphis” on his Colorblind CD.
Forrest McDonald has recorded with the Legendary Bobby Womack.
He has swapped licks with blues guitar greats such as Dwayne Allman, Johnny
Winter, Jeff Beck, Bob Margolin, Eddie Van Halen, Jimmy Page and Roy Gaines.
Forest McDonald has recorded with the Legendary Doris Troy.
Forrest McDonald has recorded with the Legendary Steve Perry.
Hi-res cover:
Hi-res photo:
Video links: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4CY63dGAWdc
FORREST MCDONALD :
Acclaimed Musician/Songwriter Forrest McDonald Unleashes 11 Original Tracks on his 15th CD, Blues in a Bucket, On sale February 10 from World Talent Records.
Fifty-four seconds into the 1978 Bob Seger classic, Old Time Rock and Roll, you’ll hear what is perhaps Forrest McDonald’s biggest claim to fame: the iconic guitar solo! It resulted from being in the right place at the right time. At his father’s suggestion, McDonald stopped by the famed Muscle Shoals studio in Alabama one day and a producer asked if he had his guitar. McDonald laid down the track that two months later was purchased by Seger for the song.
Born in 1950 in Austin, Texas, McDonald made his way to the Richmond area six years ago from Atlanta. McDonald says he’s had a burning desire to be a professional musician since he was 14, learning to write songs and learning to play blues, jazz, rock, R & B and folk music. When I started, McDonald admits, I had no rhythm and was tone deaf. He gave up the drums, picked up a guitar and never looked back.
He has a platinum record for the Seger album with his guitar work, Stranger in Town, and a gold one for the 2002 soundtrack to the Sean Penn movie, I Am Sam, on which he sang backup on several Beatles cover tunes.
McDonald has written nearly 200 songs and is currently working on developing as a solo acoustic artist, producing a band, performing with his wife, Kaylon, and writing an autobiography with what he calls a unique look at how America has changed over his lifetime.
Forrest McDonald appeared on Virginia This Morning on Wed., Dec. 14. WTVR-CBS 6 in Richmond. Click here to see Forrest’s Interview.
Magazine article
Interview
Performance
Forrest has been selected by Boomer Magazine with CBS 6 News as a Richmonder with the
“IT” factor.
He will be featured in the December 1 issue of Boomer Magazne and will be on good
Morning Richmond with Cheryl Miller Wednesday December 14.
This will be a great interview and live performance. Set your DVR’s.
Thanks to all our fans for sending “Certified Blue”to # 4 on the
It has an all star lineup.
Including harp Masters Jon Liebman, Little Ronnie Owens
Sax wizzard fromerly with the Albert Collins Band “Chuck Williams”
If it’s not playing on your favorite station send us an email and let us know.
If it is on your favorite station please give it a thumbs up for us!
April 2010 “Certified Blue” hits number 4 on the blues power rankings.
Forrest McDonald
“Certified Blue”
World Talent Records
BY PETER “BLEWZZMAN” LAURO, © May 2010
It amazes me that as talented as this man is, with as many releases that he’s had, and the number of great artists he’s worked with, that the name Forrest McDonald isn’t a household name in the blues community. Although he’s not all that young, let’s all hope – for the good of the music – that he doesn’t have to pay another 20 – 30 years of dues before enjoying a more widespread recognition. After all, this is the blues, and as the song goes….. “It Be’s That Way Sometimes”.
To be exact, “Certified Blue” is Forrest’s eleventh release on his own World Talent Records. On this project, besides playing guitar and organ, Forrest steps in front of the microphone for the very first time. That’s right, after all these years, for the first time on a record, he actually sings a song. There’ll be more on that when I get to the song. The rest of the ensemble on the disc are: Kaylon (Mrs.) McDonald on vocals; Lee Gammon on bass; Roddy Barnes on piano and organ; Rich Ianucci on organ; Terry Garland and Barry Richman on guitar; John McKnight and Bob Saydlowski on drums; John Lieberman on harp & vocals; “Little Ronnie” Owens on harp; and Chuck Williams on tenor & alto sax.
On the opener, Forrest and Barry have a good time trading off guitar leads as Lee and John are maintaining the fierce pace with rippin’ rhythm behind them. All while Kaylon belts out about driving down 95 “Keeping The Blues Alive” – something we are all hoping gets achieved. This is the first of nine McDonald originals.
Just as mashed potatoes, gravy and cranberry sauce make the turkey better, the saxophone, harp and organ do the same thing for a blues song. Chuck, Ronnie and Rich do just that on the swinging “Till The Morning Light”, which is surely a fast dancer’s delight.
“Rock & Roll Bye, Bye, Bye” is one of two tracks that feature Jon Liebman on both vocal and harp, and he’s all over both of them. Along with that, the groove that Lee, John, and Rich are in on bass, drums and organ, make this one hell of a track.
“You Keep Telling Me” is the kind of stuff that attracted me to Forrest way back in ’99 when he released “Spirit Of the Blues”. That disc was full of straight up scorching guitar riffs, one track right after another, and that’s what I’m hearing right now. This is what I call the blues.
Although he won’t give much competition to Darrell Nulisch as my all time favorite male blues vocalist, Forrest does a heck of a good job on “Double Back” – his debut as a singer. As a matter of fact, part of the lyrics have Forrest singing “…..I’m just a guitar player……”. Well Forrest, that’s no longer true.
The discs, and maybe the decades, best drum work can be heard right here on “Piney Brown”. I’ve got to tell you, John McKnight is about to take off on this one. With Forrest and Jon chasing him on guitar and harp, this one’s a total rush.
The title track’s been “Blewzz approved” which definitely means it’s “Certified Blue”. All it takes for that to happen is burning blues guitar work, soulful and passionate vocals, great rhythm and some sharp harpin’….which are all right here.
Other tracks on “Certified Blue” include: “Mess Around With Love”, “Danced Our Last Dance”, “Double Dipping Man”, “Trying To Get By”, “Gas Pump Blues Revisited”, and “Chicken Scratch Boogie”.
You can visit Forrest at www.forrestmcdonald.com. Once you’re impressed with what you read, pick up a few of his discs and be impressed with what you hear. Of course you’ll tell him the Blewzzman sent ya, right?
Peter “Blewzzman” Lauro
Blues editor @ www.Mary4Music.com
Living Blues Issue #149
Forrest McDonald
A Decade of Blues
World Talent Records
Forrest McDonald may be best known to the wider world as the man who played the instantly recognizable guitar solo in Bob Seger’s classic Old Time Rock ‘n’ Roll. He has some serious rock chops, having traded licks with Robert Planet and Jeff Beck and toured with Alice Cooper and Edgar Winter. But McDonald’s first love was blues, and he has built up strong root credentials, too. McDonald has played with Jimmy Reed Jr. and Bonnie Bramlett. He has released over ten blues albums under his own name, creating a discography that more than proves McDonald is no blues lightweight.
With A Decade of Blues, a compilation album is finally available that showcases the best work of this prodigious and multitalented artist between 1997 and 2007.
Not surprisingly (from a man who impressed Bob Seger and has jammed with both Johnny Winter and Eddie Van Halen), one of the most outstanding features of the disc is its diversity. The sheer number of styles and genres McDonald has mastered is almost disconcerting. The album opens with Hard to Love a hard-biting and swaggering blues tune that clearly owes much to McDonald’s days as a rock ‘n’ roll guitar virtuoso. From there, it moves onto a cover of Jimmy Witherspoon’s Times Getting Tougher Than Tough, where McDonald creates a full, rich R&B session sound. This is followed by Work Work a classic piano boogie-woogie—as it might have sounded as produced by Sun Records’ Sam Phillips (and supplemented by a swank saxophone and fierce guitar work). And it doesn’t stop there. McDonald also pulls of heart-rending R&B ballads (River of Tears), soul/funk anthems a la the Bar-Kays (Going Back to Memphis), and just about everything in between.
Much of the credit for the musical success of the disc belongs to an incredibly solid and versatile line of musicians in McDonald’s band, including keyboardist and sometime vocalist Raymond Victor (who has been playing with McDonald for more than 30 years), vocalist and rhythm guitarist Andrew Black, Diane Dutra on bass, and percussionist Chuck CapDeville. McDonald’s wife, Kaylon, an accomplished musician in her own right, adds gorgeous full alto vocals to two tracks.
Few albums, even compilation albums, in recent years have included so many truly amazing tracks representing so many different styles of blues and R&B. To borrow a phrase from the world of McDonald’s non-blues music, Decade of Blues rocks.
~ Jon Black
Atlanta’s Forrest and Kaylon McDonald play an agreeable brand of blues rock. Among the better tracks, “I’ll Be There for You,” with it’s old time feel, sounds great; the slow blues “I Feel So Bad” is a gritty guitar workout for Forrest; and the original ballad “I Want To Know,” with its dramatic, familiar changes, is a potential standard.
New From Italy 3/1/09
Forrest McDonald “A Decade Of Blues”. World Talent 2008. Músico formado dentro de los cánones del blues clásico de los cincuenta, Forrest McDonald creció escuchando y comprando discos de Howlin’ Wolf, Muddy Waters, T-Bone Walker o Sonny Boy Williamson, y empezó a tocar la guitarra acústica sacando canción tras canción de todos aquellos héroes suyos. Desde entonces Forrest ha estado al pie del cañón con más de cuatro mil actuaciones a sus espaldas en treinta y cinco años de carrera.
“A Decade Of Blues”, es una perfecta muestra de su enorme talento y maestría. Forrest posee un estilo intenso y un fraseo elegante y hábil, que nos ofrece a lo largo de dieciocho blues de espléndida y maravillosa factura, combinando canciones propias con varios blues tradicionales y alguna que otra joya de T-Bone Walker o Jimmy Whiterspoon. Las canciones que aquí se recogen pertenecen a la década que va de 1997 al 2007 y la variedad de músicos que intervienen dan mas interés, si cabe, a este trabajo que personalmente me ha sorprendido gratamente, especialmente la aportación de su amigo, el impresionante cantante y pianista Raymond Victor, que está realmente magnífico. Un disco de los que dejan huella y que hay que tener en casa.
MUY BUENO.
Forrest is musician who has developed his style on fifties classic blues. He grew up listening and buying Howlin’ Wolf, Muddy Waters, T-Bone Walker or Sonny Boy Williamson records. In fact he learned to play acoustic guitar playing and playing again over those recordings until he got the songs. Since then on Forrest McDonald has always been on the job with more than four thousand gigs in his back along his thirty five years of a non stop career. “A Decade Of Blues” is the perfect example of his huge musical talent. Forrest has got an intense style and a skilful elegant phrasing he gives us along eighteen splendid well done blues, combining his own songs with different traditional blues and some T-Bone Walker or Jimmy Whiterspoon jewels.
All cd songs come from the decade between 1997 to 2007 and the variety of performing musicians give still more interest to this last piece of work that has greatly surprised me, specially the amazing work of his friend and impressive singer and piano player Raymond Victor, who does an unbelievable playing. A record that will leave a deep mark on you, if you get a copy. It is truly GREAT
Tom Hyslop Blues Review – The Worlds Best Blues Magazine Feb/Mar
2008
bluebar.jpg – 1226 Bytes
Forrest and Kaylon McDonald team up for a delightful musical journey through the various hues of the blues on their first CD together, There’s Nothing Wrong With Dreaming. Forrest’s guitar riffs are the centerpiece of each track. Kaylon’s credible vocals are a comfortable fit and she has the ability to turn the original compositions into blues standards. The CD also features an array of stellar musicians — from Ken Rhyne on harp to Rich Ianucci on Hammond B-3 with John McKnight behind the drum kit — making this one a keeper.
Black Jack & AJ Good Morning Blues WRFG/Atlanta — 89.3 FM www.wrfg.org www.wrfg.org bluebar.jpg – 1226 Bytes
There’s Nothing Wrong With Dreaming is Forrest McDonald’s first collaboration with his wife Kaylon. Those familiar with Forrest’s guitar playing won’t be disappointed with what they hear. Adding to Forrest’s exceptional guitar technique is Kaylon’s blues infused vocals. Kaylon’s style takes me back; her voice reminds me of the torch singers of the 40’s, she has a jazz -influenced bluesy style that’s very easy to listen to and the perfect compliment to Forrest’s high caliber guitar licks. There are 13 well-written and produced original compositions on this CD.
Mary — Mary4Music.com “Since 1998, the Internet’s Most Comprehensive Blues and Indie Music Network”
‘Forrest & Kaylon McDonald’
‘There’s Nothing Wrong with Dreaming’
– Label: ‘World Talent Records’
– Genre: ‘Blues’ – Release Date: ‘2007’
Our Rating: *********
“There’s Nothing Wrong with Dreaming” offers a two-for-one package.
Often you will discover a female blues singer with a voice from the heavens, or a blues guitarist who can crank the most smoking riffs. But both on the same CD? Forrest and Kaylon McDonald (http://www.forrestmcdonald.com) provide a two-fisted punch on “There’s Nothing Wrong with Dreaming,” a nicely polished blues record that’ll appease not just the purists but curious pop listeners as well.
Much of the blues I hear through the independent scene is raw and monotonous. There’s a vast number of undisciplined musicians out there who need to gain more experience before entering the studio. However, it’s not just experience in playing the blues but living it as well. For the blues comes from the heart, the soul; it is the essence of rock and roll.
“My tears are falling down,” Kaylon laments on “I Feel So Bad,” her voice melting in a melancholic drawl as Forrest simply scorches with his guitar. That is textbook blues, brimming with intense, open emotions and sizzling catharsis. “Boy I’m Busy Now” is a pointed kiss-off that kicks you in the gut. It’s so refreshing to hear the blues from a woman’s perspective; that “woman done me wrong” thang becomes old hat after a while so it’s a blast to hear us guys getting the slam.
There’s versatility here, too. The timely and witty “Gas Pump Blues” has vibrant pop hooks while “You’re My Dream” flirts with jazz and “I’ll Be There ” injects some country into the mix.
Author: Adam Harrington – Whispering and Hollering
