First published 2024
Michael McDonald opens his story as a high school dropout from Ferguson, Missouri, chasing dreams in 1970s California during rock's golden age of opportunity and excess. Working as a session musician and backing vocalist, McDonald encounters the artists and moments that launch him into stardom with Steely Dan and The Doobie Brothers before breaking out as a solo R&B performer. His smooth baritone voice powers hits like "What A Fool Believes," "Takin' It to the Streets," and "I Keep Forgettin'." Written with comedian Paul Reiser, McDonald confronts the insecurities that drove his ambition, the addictions that nearly destroyed him, and the disconnect between effort and reward. Through encounters with James Taylor, Ray Charles, Carly Simon, and Quincy Jones, he reveals both the music industry's wild excesses and his personal struggle to find himself beyond the spotlight.
Genres: biography, american-fiction, addiction, 20th-century, american, autobiography, biography-memoir, 21st-century
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: coming-of-age, found-family
Setting: California, Ferguson, Missouri
Period: 1970s
336 pages · Hardcover · Dey Street Books
Content warnings: addiction, substance-abuse