Press Release – “Angel Midnight” CD Release Event
John McDonald to Release Career Retrospective CD, “Angel Midnight”
Songwriter John McDonald’s CD collection, “Angel
Midnight” will be released March 14. Partial proceeds will
benefit the Huntington’s Disease Foundation of America.
A CD release party for songwriter John McDonald’s new collection, “Angel Midnight,” will be held at Sally O’Brien’s in Somerville, Sunday, March 14, from 3 to 5 pm.
The 16 tracks on “Angel Midnight” were written over a 35 year time span (1973 to the present) and represent “the best of” John McDonald’s lifetime career as a songwriter and performer.
A native of Somerville, John honed his musical skills in local rock bands, among them Indescribably Delicious, before joining John Lincoln Wright and the Sour Mash Boys. His career with the legendary Cambridge-based country rock band lasted six years, and included tours of the East Coast and gigs in venues as varied as King’s (the band’s home club in Harvard Square), The Lone Star (New York City showcase), and The Boston Garden. With the Sour Mash Boys he shared the stage with such legends as Waylon Jennings, Jerry Lee Lewis, Duke Robillard, Del McCoury, Willie Nelson, and the J. Geils Band.
During his time with John Lincoln Wright, he began writing songs, and his first, “Sweet Montana” became a staple of the Sour Mash Boys’ repertoire. One of that band’s most requested numbers, it was a solid fan favorite, and a high point of their show.
John left active performing in the late 1970s when he settled down with his wife Peggy, and raised three children: Ryan, Travis, and Lindsay. He has continued to write new songs, record them at home, and occasionally to play out with a band of his own.
At Sally O’Brien’s, John’s son Travis, a musician based in Austin Texas, will perform a few of his dad’s songs. Also performing will be former Sour Mash Boys Larry Flint and Chuck Parrish, of Larry Flint and the Road Scholars. John Lincoln Wright is expected to attend, as is Hutch Hutchinson (Bonnie Raitt’s bass player), a former band mate of John’s in Indescribably Delicious.
Recently John was diagnosed with Huntington’s Disease, a hereditary condition, the same illness that Woody Guthrie suffered from. Huntington’s is a genetic dysfunction, but because the gene that causes it has been identified and isolated for study, there is hope that research will produce a cure before long.
Part of the proceeds from sales of “Angel Midnight” will go toward supporting the work of the Huntington’s Disease Society of America, a major provider of funding for Huntington’s research.
For more information see The Huntington’s Disease Society of America’s website: http://hdsainfo@hdsa.org
For more information on “Angel Midnight,” and John McDonald, see John’s website: http://sweetmontana.com
Contact: Peggy McDonald at megs2mac19@yahoo.com
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