![]() ![]() ![]() A creative genius.”įonfara’s final recording was Downchild’s Live At The Toronto Jazz Festival, recorded at their 50th Anniversary party in 2019, where he performed live alongside special guests Dan Aykroyd, Paul Shaffer, David Wilcox, Kenny Neal, Gene Taylor and Erja Lyytinen. Bassist Gary Kendall echoes that sentiment “Yesterday we lost a brother, a band mate, a co-writer and a dear friend. “He's the best musician I've ever worked with,” states Downchild leader and co-founder Donnie Walsh. He also recorded with The Everly Brothers, Rough Trade, Rhinoceros, Electric Flag and was a current and 30-year plus member of Canadian blues legends Downchild, who are perhaps best known as the inspiration for Hollywood stars Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi‘s hit film The Blues Brothers, until his untimely death. He was 74.īorn in Stevensville, ON, Canada in 1946, the former Lou Reed keyboardist/bandleader appeared on nine of Reed’s albums between 19, including his highest charting US album (#10) Sally Can’t Dance on RCA, as well as Rock and Roll Heart, Street Hassle, The Bells (which Fonfara executive produced) and Growing Up In Public that was co-written and co-produced by Fonfara for Clive Davis’ Arista Records in 1980.Ī supremely talented musician, Fonfara loved many different styles of music, performing on British-American rock band Foreigner’s iconic album 4, produced by Mutt Lange, including their Top 5 Billboard Hot 100 hit “Urgent”. Hear clips and see video of McDonald performing with King Crimson and Foreigner below.Internationally renowned Canadian keyboard player, Michael Fonfara, died in a Toronto hospital on January 8, 2021, due to complications from his two-year battle with cancer. McDonald was born in England on June 25, 1946, and served for five years in the British Army. Loudwire sends condolences to McDonald's family, friends and fans. They could be quite adventurous, quite wild sometimes." One of the songs, 'Get Thy Bearings,' was a vehicle for improvisation. "They were a mixture of arranged songs and group improvisations. "Those early shows were fantastic," he continued. "When we made it, and I was basically at the forefront of the production, I wanted to make sure if I could deliver everything that went into the record would bear repeated listening and hopefully stand the test of time," McDonald said in a 2019 interview with UCR. It is widely seen as a defining document of early prog rock. ![]() ![]() With Crimson, McDonald recorded the band's influential debut album, 1969's In the Court of the Crimson King, contributing sax, clarinet and more. He will live on forever through his beautiful music and the love of his fans." He added, "My father was a brilliant, intuitive musician, a gentle soul, and a wonderful dad. He was incredibly brave, and never lost his kindness or his sense of humor even when the going was rough." McDonald's son Max wrote on Facebook, "I'm deeply saddened to tell you that my father passed away yesterday from cancer. He released two solo albums in his lifetime. Rex's 1971 hit "Bang a Gong (Get It On)." He also contributed to recordings by Steve Hackett, John Wetton, Ian Lloyd, McDonald & Giles, the 21st Century Schizoid Band and several more. ![]()
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