Ralph MacDonald | |
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| Background information | |
| Born | Ralph Anthony MacDonald (1944-03-15)March 15, 1944 Harlem, New York, U.S. |
| Died | December 18, 2011(2011-12-18) (aged 67) Stamford, Connecticut, U.S. |
| Occupations | |
| Instruments | |
Ralph Anthony MacDonald (March 15, 1944 – December 18, 2011)[1] was an Americanpercussionist,steelpanvirtuoso,songwriter,musical arranger, andrecord producer.
His compositions include "Where Is the Love", a Grammy Award winner for the duet ofRoberta Flack andDonny Hathaway; "Just the Two of Us", recorded byBill Withers andGrover Washington Jr.; and "Mister Magic" recorded by Grover Washington Jr.
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Growing up inHarlem,New York, United States, under the close mentorship of hisTrinbagonian father, Patrick MacDonald (acalypsonian andbandleader originally fromTrinidad and Tobago who used thestage name "Macbeth the Great"), MacDonald began showing his musical talent, particularly with thesteelpan, and when he was 17 years old started playing pan for theHarry Belafonte show.[2]
He remained with the Belafonte band for a decade before deciding to strike out on his own.[2] In 1967, together with Bill Eaton and William Salter, he formed Antisia Music Incorporated. Antisia is based inStamford, Connecticut.
In 1971,Roberta Flack recorded "Where Is the Love", which MacDonald and Salter had written. The duet withDonny Hathaway won aGrammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal. The single was awarded gold status and sold more than one million copies.[3] MacDonald played on the session for the song.[4]
He performed onHerbie Mann's albumDiscothèque in 1975.[5] One of MacDonald's best-known co-compositions is "Just the Two of Us", a single sung byBill Withers, withsaxophone performance by Grover Washington, Jr. It reached number two on theBillboard Hot 100, and has since been covered and sampled by many artists, includingWill Smith.
MacDonald regularly travelled back to Trinidad and Tobago, where he renewed his work in the steelpan, particularly on the hills ofLaventille, Trinidad with the multipleSteelband Panorama championsDesperadoes Steel Orchestra, whose shows he attended and with whom he played whenever he got the opportunity, "beating iron" in "The Engine Room" (as a steelband's rhythm section is often called).Calypso and the steelpan were Ralph MacDonald's roots. He recorded a song called "You Need More Calypso", written by William Eaton to articulate how he felt the music world could more benefit by the genre his homeland had given to the world.
On December 18, 2011, MacDonald died oflung cancer. His wife, Grace, and four children Jovonni, Anthony, Atiba and Nefra-Ann survive him. MacDonald was cremated, with his ashes buried at the Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx, New York.[6][1][7]
His recording collaborations number in the hundreds and includeBurt Bacharach,George Benson,David Bowie,Aretha Franklin,Art Garfunkel,Billy Joel,Quincy Jones,Carole King,Miriam Makeba,David Sanborn,Paul Simon,Steely Dan,James Taylor,Luther Vandross,Amy Winehouse,Bob James,Ashford and Simpson,Nana Mouskouri,The Average White Band,Hall & Oates,The Brothers Johnson, and he spent years as a charter member ofJimmy Buffett'sCoral Reefer Band.
He is also featured on percussion on George Benson's 1976 album,Breezin'; on percussion on Carole King's 1975 album,Thoroughbred, and onLooking Glass's 1973 albumSubway Serenade.
His song "Jam on the Groove" was featured on thebreakbeat compilationUltimate Breaks and Beats. His "Calypso Breakdown" is on theSaturday Night Fever soundtrack. He provided the percussion to "Mister Magic" recorded bysaxophonist Grover Washington, Jr.
MacDonald also appears onAmy Lee's CDUse Me.
WithPeter Allen
WithPatti Austin
WithGato Barbieri
WithBee Gees
WithGeorge Benson
WithDavid Bowie
WithMartin Briley
WithJames Brown
WithJimmy Buffett
WithKenny Burrell andGrover Washington Jr.
WithJonathan Butler
WithRon Carter
WithThe Carpenters
WithMerry Clayton
WithJudy Collins
WithRandy Crawford
WithLou Courtney
WithJackie DeShannon
WithPaul Desmond
WithYvonne Elliman
WithLittle Feat
WithRoberta Flack
WithRoberta Flack andDonny Hathaway
WithAretha Franklin
WithMichael Franks
WithGlenn Frey
WithArt Garfunkel
WithBarry Goldberg
WithLesley Gore
WithHall & Oates
WithJohn Hall
WithTim Hardin
WithDonny Hathaway
WithLena Horne
WithBob James
WithBob James andEarl Klugh
WithMilt Jackson
WithAl Jarreau
WithGarland Jeffreys
WithBilly Joel
WithDr. John
WithMargie Joseph
WithEric Kaz
WithCarole King
WithMorgana King
WithHubert Laws
WithDonal Leace
WithJulian Lennon
WithO'Donel Levy
WithKenny Loggins
WithJon Lucien
WithElliot Lurie
WithTaj Mahal
WithJunior Mance
WithHerbie Mann
WithArif Mardin
WithEsther Marrow
WithMac McAnally
WithGene McDaniels
WithDon McLean
WithBette Midler
WithMelba Moore
WithLaura Nyro
WithEsther Phillips
WithJohn Prine
WithBernard Purdie
WithBonnie Raitt
WithThe Rascals
WithLou Rawls
WithLeon Redbone
WithMartha Reeves
WithLionel Richie
WithMax Roach
WithDiana Ross
WithDavid Ruffin
WithDavid Sanborn
WithShirley Scott
WithDon Sebesky
WithJanis Siegel
WithCarly Simon
WithLucy Simon
WithPaul Simon
WithFrank Sinatra
WithPhoebe Snow
WithSplinter
WithSteely Dan
WithGábor Szabó
WithHoward Tate
WithJames Taylor
WithKate Taylor
WithKenny Vance
WithCris Williamson
WithBill Withers
WithZulema
