Biography
Kathi McDonald possesses a voice so captivating that listeners pay close attention regardless of whether she occupies center stage. The sheer force of that instrument secured her initial major professional break during a concert at the Winterland club, where her spontaneous participation from the crowd caught Ike Turner’s ear and prompted an invitation to the next Ike and Tina Turner rehearsal. Without any audition, she thereby entered the ranks of the Ikettes. No formal vocal training had prepared her for such an abrupt launch into the profession.
Born in Washington state in 1948, she made her first paid appearance near Seattle at age twelve. At nineteen she relocated to San Francisco amid its expanding music scene, encountered the Turners, and thereby embarked on a path that would stretch across more than thirty years. Shortly afterward, Big Brother & the Holding Company guitarist Sam Andrew recognized her ability and brought her into the group in 1969, resulting in her contributions to the albums Can’t Go Home Again, How Hard It Is, and Be a Brother. She subsequently performed with Joe Cocker’s Mad Dogs & Englishmen and with Leon Russell’s Shelter People.
Her session credits encompass the Rolling Stones, Nils Lofgren, Rita Coolidge, Delaney & Bonnie, and Dave Mason, among many others, yielding appearances on nearly 150 albums, more than seventy-two of which attained gold certification. In 1974 she issued her debut solo album, Insane Asylum, arranged by Pete Sears, whose prior affiliations included Hot Tuna and Jefferson Starship. Tower of Power, the Pointer Sisters, Aynsley Dunbar, John Cippolina, Neil Schon, and Ronnie Montrose all appeared on the record, yet commercial returns proved modest; two decades therefore elapsed before she released Save Your Breath. Above and Beyond followed in 1999, with Lee Oskar supplying harmonica and Brian Auger on keyboards.
For more than twenty years she collaborated with Long John Baldry, and their recording of “You’ve Lost That Loving Feeling” became a hit in Canada. She also participated in the Seattle Women in Rhythm and Blues project and rejoined Big Brother & the Holding Company for a New Year’s Eve concert in California in 1997. Two years later the Washington Blues Society inducted her into its Hall of Fame. McDonald continues to live in the Pacific Northwest while studying toward a Master Chef’s degree.
Born in Washington state in 1948, she made her first paid appearance near Seattle at age twelve. At nineteen she relocated to San Francisco amid its expanding music scene, encountered the Turners, and thereby embarked on a path that would stretch across more than thirty years. Shortly afterward, Big Brother & the Holding Company guitarist Sam Andrew recognized her ability and brought her into the group in 1969, resulting in her contributions to the albums Can’t Go Home Again, How Hard It Is, and Be a Brother. She subsequently performed with Joe Cocker’s Mad Dogs & Englishmen and with Leon Russell’s Shelter People.
Her session credits encompass the Rolling Stones, Nils Lofgren, Rita Coolidge, Delaney & Bonnie, and Dave Mason, among many others, yielding appearances on nearly 150 albums, more than seventy-two of which attained gold certification. In 1974 she issued her debut solo album, Insane Asylum, arranged by Pete Sears, whose prior affiliations included Hot Tuna and Jefferson Starship. Tower of Power, the Pointer Sisters, Aynsley Dunbar, John Cippolina, Neil Schon, and Ronnie Montrose all appeared on the record, yet commercial returns proved modest; two decades therefore elapsed before she released Save Your Breath. Above and Beyond followed in 1999, with Lee Oskar supplying harmonica and Brian Auger on keyboards.
For more than twenty years she collaborated with Long John Baldry, and their recording of “You’ve Lost That Loving Feeling” became a hit in Canada. She also participated in the Seattle Women in Rhythm and Blues project and rejoined Big Brother & the Holding Company for a New Year’s Eve concert in California in 1997. Two years later the Washington Blues Society inducted her into its Hall of Fame. McDonald continues to live in the Pacific Northwest while studying toward a Master Chef’s degree.
Albums
