American R&B/soul baritone singer Michael McDonald will headline at the Aquarius Outdoor Amphitheater on Sunday, May 27 at 8 p.m. Tickets are $40 and $5, call 800-435-8469.
Michael McDonald, who was born and raised in St. Louis, Mo., was 'discovered' while playing with a group called Blue and consequently moved to Los Angeles in 1970. He first gained wide attention as an adjunct member of the group Steely Dan, providing back-up vocals on tracks and showcasing his talent on keyboards up to their 1980 "Gaucho" release.
McDonald joined Steely Dan again on tour during the summer of 2006.
McDonald was recruited by The Doobie Brothers in April 1975 when lead singer Tommy Johnston became ill during a national tour. As a member of the Doobies, he recorded some of his most memorable songs including "It Keeps You Runnin'," which was used in the movie "Forrest Gump" and "What a Fool Believes," which became a No. 1 single in the United States and earned him a 1980 Grammy Award for Song of the Year. McDonald has reunited as a guest performer with the Doobies several times since their initial dissolution in 1982
After the Doobies' first farewell tour, McDonald continued with a very successful solo career. Among his hits are "Sweet Freedom," the theme to the 1986 MGM film "Running Scared," "Yah Mo B There," a duet with James Ingram, which won a 1985 Grammy for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals, and "On My Own," a 1986 duet with Patti Labelle which reached No. 1 on the U.S. charts.
The American musical group, KC & The Sunshine Band will headline at Harrah's Rio Vista Outdoor Amphitheater on Sunday, May 20 at 8 p.m. Tickets are $25, $30 and $40, call 800-447-8700.
KC & The Sunshine Band, founded in 1973, has a versatile style that has included funk, R&B and disco. Their most well known songs include the disco hits "That's the Way (I Like It)," "(Shake, Shake, Shake) Shake Your Booty." "Give It Up" and "Get Down Tonight."
The group was formed by Richard Finch and Harry Wayne Casey ("KC"), a record store employee and part-timer at TK Records in Miami. Following demo work, Casey and Finch were encouraged to create their own group. The initial members were just Casey and Finch (his main partner in songwriting), but Finch soon added guitarist Jerome Smith, and drummer Robert Johnson, both TK studio musicians.
With the release of the self-titled triple platinum second album "KC and the Sunshine Band" in 1975, came the group's first major U.S. hit with "Get Down Tonight." Eventually when disco declined, the group explored other styles and changed labels, joining Epic Records in 1980 after TK Records went bankrupt. In 1981, the Finch and Casey partnership came to an acrimonious end.
A revival in the interest of disco music in 1991 brought Casey out of retirement. He reformed the group with entirely new members and began touring once again. Most of the original members of the band are now deceased. The new band has released a large number of compilation albums through Rhino Records, featured along with some newly recorded material.
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