Country Joe McDonald

A pioneer of the psychedelic rock movement, Country Joe McDonald was a singer and songwriter whose music merged sardonic wit, social and political commentary, and folkie introspection. McDonald was best known as the leader of Country Joe & the Fish, whose 1967 debut album, Electric Music for the Mind and Body, was one of the key texts of the West Coast psychedelic movement. By the time the band split up in 1970, McDonald had already started a solo career with 1969's Thinking of Woody Guthrie and 1970's Tonight I'm Singing Just for You. Over the next five decades, he would prove to be a tireless and enduring troubadour, writing and recording music that encompassed folk, rock, blues, and country, often with a sharp wit and a strong point of view.