Ralph MacDonald


Ralph Anthony MacDonald was an American percussionist, steelpan virtuoso, songwriter, musical arranger, and record producer.
His compositions include "Where Is the Love", a Grammy Award winner for the duet of Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway; "Just the Two of Us", recorded by Bill Withers and Grover Washington Jr.; and "Mister Magic" recorded by Grover Washington Jr.

Career

Growing up in Harlem, New York, United States, under the close mentorship of his Trinbagonian father, Patrick MacDonald, MacDonald began showing his musical talent, particularly with the steelpan, and when he was 17 years old started playing pan for the Harry Belafonte show.
He remained with the Belafonte band for a decade before deciding to strike out on his own. In 1967, together with Bill Eaton and William Salter, he formed Antisia Music Incorporated. Antisia is based in Stamford, Connecticut.
In 1971, Roberta Flack recorded "Where Is the Love", which MacDonald and Salter had written. The duet with Donny Hathaway won a Grammy 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. MacDonald played on the session for the song.
He performed on Herbie Mann's album Discothèque in 1975. One of MacDonald's best-known co-compositions is "Just the Two of Us", a single sung by Bill Withers, with saxophone performance by Grover Washington, Jr. It reached number two on the Billboard Hot 100, and has since been covered and sampled by many artists, including Will Smith.

Later life

MacDonald regularly travelled back to Trinidad and Tobago, where he renewed his work in the steelpan, particularly on the hills of Laventille, Trinidad, with the multiple Steelband Panorama champions Desperadoes Steel Orchestra, whose shows he attended and with whom he played whenever he got the opportunity, "beating iron" in "The Engine Room". 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 of lung 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.

Discography

His recording collaborations number in the hundreds and include Burt 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 of Jimmy Buffett's Coral 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 on Looking Glass's 1973 album Subway Serenade.
His song "Jam on the Groove" was featured on the breakbeat compilation Ultimate Breaks and Beats. His "Calypso Breakdown" is on the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack. He provided the percussion to "Mister Magic" recorded by saxophonist Grover Washington, Jr.
MacDonald also appears on Amy Lee's CD Use Me.

As leader

  • Sound of a Drum
  • The Path
  • Counterpoint
  • Universal Rhythm
  • Surprize
  • Reunion
  • Port Pleasure
  • Trippin'
  • Home Grown
  • Just the Two of Us
  • ''Mixty Motions''

    As sideman

With Peter Allen
  • Tenterfield Saddler
  • Continental American
With Average White Band
  • AWB
With Patti Austin
  • End of a Rainbow
  • Havana Candy
  • Every Home Should Have One
  • In My Life
  • Gettin' Away With Murder
With Ashford & Simpson
  • Gimme Something Real
  • I Wanna Be Selfish
  • Come As You Are
  • Send It
  • So So Satisfied
  • Is It Still Good to Ya
  • Stay Free
  • A Musical Affair
  • High-Rise
  • Solid
With Gato Barbieri
  • Caliente
With Bee Gees
  • Living Eyes
  • Still Waters
With George Benson
  • Breezin
  • In Flight
  • Livin' Inside Your Love
  • 20/20
  • Big Boss Band
  • That's Right
With Blood, Sweat & Tears
  • Mirror Image
With David Bowie
  • Young Americans
With The Brecker Brothers
  • The Brecker Bros.
With Martin Briley
  • Dangerous Moments
With The Brothers Johnson
With James Brown
  • Hell
With Jimmy Buffett
With Kenny Burrell and Grover Washington Jr.
  • Togethering
With Jonathan Butler
  • Jonathan Butler
With Ron Carter
With The Carpenters
  • Lovelines
With Merry Clayton
  • Keep Your Eye on the Sparrow
With Judy Collins
  • Judith
With Randy Crawford
  • Everything Must Change
With Lou Courtney
  • I'm In Need of Love
With Jackie DeShannon
  • Your Baby Is a Lady
With Paul Desmond
  • Skylark
With Yvonne Elliman
  • Yvonne Elliman
With Little Feat
  • Join the Band
With Roberta Flack
  • Quiet Fire
  • Killing Me Softly
  • Feel Like Makin' Love
  • I'm the One
With Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway
  • Roberta Flack & Donny Hathaway
With Aretha Franklin
  • Let Me in Your Life
  • With Everything I Feel in Me
With Michael Franks
  • Burchfield Nines
  • The Camera Never Lies
With Glenn Frey
  • Soul Searchin
With Art Garfunkel
  • Breakaway
  • Watermark
With Barry Goldberg
  • Barry Goldberg
With Lesley Gore
  • Love Me By Name
With Hall & Oates
  • Abandoned Luncheonette
With John Hall
  • Recovered
With Tim Hardin
With Donny Hathaway
  • Extension of a Man
With Lena Horne
  • Lena & Michel
With Bob James
  • One
  • Two
  • Three
  • BJ4
  • Heads
  • Touchdown
  • Lucky Seven
With Bob James and Earl Klugh
  • One on One
With Milt Jackson
  • Sunflower
With Al Jarreau
  • Glow
With Garland Jeffreys
  • Garland Jeffreys
  • One-Eyed Jack
With Billy Joel
  • The Stranger
  • 52nd Street
  • An Innocent Man
With Dr. John
  • In the Right Place
With Margie Joseph
  • Margie Joseph
  • Sweet Surrender
  • Margie
With Eric Kaz
  • If You're Lonely
With Carole King
  • Thoroughbred
With Morgana King
  • New Beginnings
With Hubert Laws
  • Morning Star
  • The Chicago Theme
With Donal Leace
  • Donal Leace
With Julian Lennon
  • Valotte
With O'Donel Levy
With Kenny Loggins
  • Celebrate Me Home
With Jon Lucien
  • Mind's Eye
  • Premonition
With Elliot Lurie
  • Elliot Lurie
With Taj Mahal
With Junior Mance
  • That Lovin' Feelin
With Herbie Mann
  • Discotheque
  • Brazil Once Again
With Arif Mardin
  • Journey
With Esther Marrow
  • Sister Woman
With Mac McAnally
  • Semi-True Stories
With Gene McDaniels
  • Natural Juices
With Don McLean
  • Playin' Favorites
  • Homeless Brother
With Bette Midler
With Melba Moore
  • Peach Melba
With The Neville Brothers
  • Fiyo on the Bayou
With David "Fathead" Newman
  • Mr. Fathead
With Laura Nyro
  • Christmas and the Beads of Sweat
With Teddy Pendergrass
  • TP
  • This One's for You
With Esther Phillips
  • Alone Again, Naturally
  • Performance
  • Capricorn Princess
  • What a Diff'rence a Day Makes
  • For All We Know
With John Prine
  • Sweet Revenge
With Bernard Purdie
  • Soul Is... Pretty Purdie
With Bonnie Raitt
  • Streetlights
With The Rascals
  • Peaceful World
With Lou Rawls
  • It's Supposed to Be Fun
With Leon Redbone
  • On the Track
With Martha Reeves
  • Martha Reeves
With Lionel Richie
  • Tuskegee
With The Ritchie Family
  • African Queens
With Max Roach
With Diana Ross
With David Ruffin
  • Everything's Coming Up Love
With David Sanborn
  • Taking Off
  • Heart to Heart
  • Hideaway
  • Voyeur
With Shirley Scott
  • Something
With Don Sebesky
  • Giant Box
With Janis Siegel
  • Experiment in White
With Carly Simon
  • Hotcakes
With Lucy Simon
  • Lucy Simon
With Paul Simon
With Frank Sinatra
  • L.A. Is My Lady
With Phoebe Snow
  • Phoebe Snow
  • It Looks Like Snow
  • Second Childhood
  • Never Letting Go
  • Against the Grain
With Splinter
  • Harder to Live
With Starland Vocal Band
  • Starland Vocal Band
With Steely Dan
  • Gaucho
With Gábor Szabó
  • Mizrab
  • Macho
With Howard Tate
  • Howard Tate
With James Taylor
  • Walking Man
With Kate Taylor
  • Kate Taylor
With The Manhattan Transfer
  • Coming Out
With Kenny Vance
  • Vance 32
With Grover Washington Jr.
  • All the King's Horses
  • Soul Box
  • Mister Magic
  • A Secret Place
  • Skylarkin
  • Winelight
  • Come Morning
  • Inside Moves
With Mary Lou Williams
  • Mary Lou's Mass
With Cris Williamson
  • Cris Williamson
With Bill Withers
  • Making Music
  • Menagerie
  • Bout Love
  • Watching You, Watching Me
With Zulema'
  • ''Zulema''