As you know, I love music. Studiocraft in particular fascinates me. What does it take to collaborate efforts of unique personalities to produce sounds that thrill us so?
Ever since I was a kid, I especially wondered about those back-up singers who enhance and flesh out songs I heard on the radio. Yeah, the Smokey Robinsons got attention for being the lead singers of popular groups and bands. I wondered about the Pete Whites, guys who didn't get the lion's share of the credit but did great work.
I also realize this context isn't meant to slight the solo careers of artists who may have done backing vocals on a different track with a different act. This man mentioned in the title of this post is one whose work has graced many tunes by myriad artists.
McDonald's career, either solo or with the Doobie Brothers, has thrilled legions of music fans. He's as good a pop and R&B singer as I've heard since the '70s. Even with all the personal success he's had, he still took the time to contribute backing vocals on many popular songs. That level of collaboration didn't diminish his career, but showed a different facet of his talent.
Let's look at two examples (both videos, courtesy of YouTube):
Go to the 6:22 mark to hear his story about his backing vocals on this Steely Dan track. He'd worked with the band on other occasions, so both parties understood what they were trying to accomplish on this track. Hearing it on the radio over the years, I didn't note the nuance of his vocals. Hearing his impressions of what was required & how the overdubs were accomplished blew me away. This is cool stuff.
The second example is on a song from my favorite band:
The first time I heard this song, and heard McDonald's backing vocal track, is was a pleasant surprise. His work made a really good song even better.
I expect that both songs are familiar to many music fans. I've always loved them both, and McDonald's vocals were a key reason why both songs resonate with me.
Michael McDonald is one of the best.
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