McDONALD, KATHI

Bellingham Accents w/ Kathi McDonald, early-1960s.

Homebase: Bellingham, WA
Stats: 9/25/1948 - 10/3/2012
Misc Notes: In 1963 the Anacortas-born singer Kathi McDonald joined her first rock band, the Bellingham Accents. Then in 1965 she moved on to the Unusuals, and cut a single for Seattle's Panorama Records. Then in 1966 they hooked up with Chicago's Mainstream label for a followup. Interestingly, the band's label-mate at that time was San Francisco's Big Brother & the Holding Company. Times were changing, and in 1967 she joined the Western Washington College-based electric-folk-rock band, the Safety Patrol - whose debut gig was opening for the Jefferson Airplane on May 27th. Then she gigged with Fat Jack. At one point while in San Francisco, McDonald was right in front of the stage at an Ike & Tina Turner show - singing along and dancing wildly - and Ike spotted her, told her to come backstage at the break. Long story short, McDonald auditioned , and was hired as one of the group's backup singers: the Ikettes. Later, in 1969 and after Big Brother's singer Janis Joplin had moved on, McDonald was recruited to fill that role. Recognized widely within the biz as a great and soulful vocalist, McDonald would go on to tour and record (Exile On Main Street LP, including "Tumblin' Dice") with the Rolling Stones, and also work with Joe Cocker and Leon Russell. In 1974, McDonald cut her first of four solo LPs, Insane Asylum, for Capitol Records which received modest airplay on FM radio. McDonald also partnered with the British bluesman, Long John Baldry, recording and gigging together for two decades. All told, McDonald is said to have sung on 150-some albums, 70 of which went platinum. In time, McDonald returned home to the Northwest and gigged for many years on the region's blues scene, performing with Nick Vigarino, and the Seattle Women of R&B among other groups. In 1999 her solo LP, Above & Beyond, was released. Kathi McDonald passed away in Seattle on October 3, 2012.

SEE ALSO:
1.) BELLINGHAM ACCENTS
2.) UNUSUALS, The
3.) SAFETY PATROL, The
4.) FAT JACK
5.) BALDRY & KATHI McDONALD, LONG JOHN
6.) VIGARINO & KATHI McDONALD, NICK
7.) SEATTLE WOMEN of R&B, The

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