"It’s time to all join hands. We’ve got to live together. It’s time to stand up united as one through the hard times and stormy weather. I say hey, hey, the Blues is all right!"

Forrest McDonald: Songs From My Soul

Award-winning singer, songwriter, guitarist Forrest McDonald has been performing and recording earthshaking, soul-stirring music distilled in the blues for nearly six decades. His insightful song writing skills embrace the journey of an adventurous explorer who plunges head first into every twist of fate life throws his way. He started playing guitar in 1964 after meeting Muddy Waters at the Café Midnight in Harlem. That same year his father gave him a copy of Two Bones and a Pick by T-Bone walker. He was hooked on the blues. Virgina guitarist Forrest McDonald is set to release his new acoustic oriented album Songs From My Soul, on July 1, 2025. The fifteen tracks expertly recorded at Dogwood Studios in Atlanta by Ron Benner. Rooted in blues and blues-rock, with hints of Americana and folk, the thirteen solo songs and two additional full band tracks showcase his sublime guitar skills and easy-going baritone. The album marks McDonald’s transition from a band leader, who has spent sixty years as a professional recording artist, to focus on work as a solo artist, playing music that connects heart to heart, and reflects his world view on the pulse of everyday life.                             (Photo: Forrest McDonald)

His insightful song writing skills embrace the journey of an adventurous explorer who plunges head first into every twist of fate life throws his way. The addition of a full horn section and background vocalists to many of these musical tapestries adds remarkable texture as each song unfurls. The result is an array of finely polished, deeply faceted musical gems contained in Blues in a Bucket – reflecting those personal stories that evolve into universal experiences and outcomes. During his extensive career as a musician, Forrest McDonald has recorded with the legendary Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section. His playing on Bob Seger’s Stranger in Town, Greatest Hits and Ultimate Hits garnered him three RIAA-certified platinum albums, which combined have sold over 15 million copies. That’s Forrest guitar solo heard on Seger’s classic, “Old Time Rock and Roll.” McDonald’s other accolades include his induction in the Boston Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, being awarded “Best Modern Southern Guitarist” by Real Blues Magazine (2002), which also voted his band as “Best Southern Blues Band” for three years-in-a-row (1999-2001). Forrest McDonald has performed with Debbie Davies, Bonnie Bramlett, and Kathi McDonald. He’s recorded with such legends as Bobby Womack, Steve Perry and Doris Troy, and over the years has swapped licks with such guitar greats as Duane Allman, Johnny Winter, Jeff Beck, Bob Margolin, Eddie Van Halen, Jimmy Page and Roy Gaines.

Interview by Michael Limnios          Special Thanks: Betsie Brown (Blind Raccoon)

How has the Blues and Rock Counterculture influenced your views of the world and the journeys you’ve taken?

I was always a non-conformist and basically an unsupervised child. I first picked up an acoustic guitar in 1963 and began listening to Folk Singers like Odetta, Dylan, Leadbelly and Josh White. Odetta was a Civil rights activist. Although she grew up in the city, she described black folk music and spirituals as “liberation songs" and used this music to “do my teaching and preaching, my propagandizing.” Both Odetta and Bob Dylan sang at the 1963 Civil Rights March in Washington DC. The anti-establishment counter cultural phenomenon was developing in the United States at this time. The heart of the action began with the beat movement in New York City and then spread to San Francisco. Greenwich Village was where I went to immerse myself in a hotbed of early countercultural activity. In the coming years classic rock bands with a Blues influence hit the airwaves. The Beatles, Rolling Stones, Cream, and others covered Blues greats such as Muddy Waters, T-Bone Walker, and Slim Harpo on their albums. Muddy said the blues had a baby and they called it Rock and Roll. Drugs such as marijuana and LSD were now embedded into the counter culture.  In 1968-69 I played my share of Moratoriums to End the War in Vietnam. I wanted to be in the heart of the action so I moved to California in 1973. I jammed with many popular band members from the Jefferson Airplane, Grateful Dead, and the Quicksilver Messenger Service. Playing in the San Francisco bay area was great. There were lines of beautiful women in front of the stage at my feet passing me lit joints and their phone numbers. We took the party with us wherever we played in Europe, Asia, and the USA.  I have found that people around the world are basically the same.  We all want food, clothing, shelter, love and entertainment. I see the world through the prism of music and love. Everywhere I go these days I hear the same complaint in 1,000 different ways we don’t have enough money. That view never changes and people everywhere confirm it.  A small group of very rich people essentially control everything and we are all just trying to get by. That’s why they call it the blues.

"The impact is clear. We started with a line in one place and we crossed it. So, they redrew the line and we crossed that one. On and on it went until society eventually changed. Sex, art, music, video games, violence were expanded to appease the minds of those who had grown tired of the old ways. That’s why I love the blues and blues-rock it keeps me grounded." (Forrest McDonald / Photo by Wayne Gammon)

What were the reasons that made the 60s to be the center of Blues, Folk and Rock researches and experiments?

If there was any money in the Blues, they would call it the greens. In the 40’s and 50’s the African-American musicians were confined to the “Chitlin Circuit.”  After the white bands brought notoriety to Muddy Waters, Chuck Berry and others they were invited to play venues like the Newport Folk Festival and large concert venues. Listen to Elvis interpret Big Mamma Thornton’s version of Hound Dog. All early Rock and Roll songs are just like blues following the 12-bar format with just a different drum beat. Groups like Cream, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, The Doors, The Who and Jimi Hendrix really moved the needle. The Monterey Pop Festival and Woodstock were landmark music festivals. The flower power generation and the hippie movement were all a result of this musical evolution and the new counter culture surrounding it. It is no wonder researchers are consumed with the time period it was the greatest.

How do you think that you have grown as an artist since you first started making music? What has remained the same about your music-making process?

Since I first picked up a guitar and started performing professionally in 1964 at age 14, my growth as an artist has been a winding road through blues, folk, and rock. Back then, my focus was soaking up as many songs as I could, mastering the sounds I loved. By 1969, I began writing my own, realizing songwriting could carry me far beyond the stage. A defining moment came that year, jamming with guitarist Melvin Wachs in Boston. My playing was all raw soul, channeling Hendrix, while his technical precision—sight-reading Mozart—opened my eyes to the power of blending heart with knowledge. That revelation led me, after nine years of performing, to study at the Dick Grove Conservatory and the Guitar Institute of Technology in California under jazz giants like Dick Grove, Jimmy Stewart, and Howard Roberts. There, I unlocked the theory behind the sounds I’d always chased, sharpening my craft.

My songwriting has transformed over the years. Early on, songs were platforms for guitar solos, and I wrote some fiery ones. But I’ve since learned that the story and lyrics are the soul of a song. Moving from the Forrest McDonald Band to a solo career, I now craft music about love, hope, hard times, and faith—blues and blues-rock with shades of Americana and folk, designed to connect deeply with listeners by reflecting the heartbeat of everyday life.

What hasn’t changed is the soul at the core of my process. From the beginning, I’ve poured my experiences and emotions into every riff and lyric, driven by the same raw passion to create music that resonates. That fire, lit when I was 14, still burns, fueling my evolution as an artist and keeping my music true to its roots.

"My heart holds hope, though, for a return to those roots I love. I dream of a future where musicians rediscover the joy of forming bands, playing for the love of the craft, and bringing back that raw, soulful sound. We’re seeing glimmers of it—bands like Black Pumas or Tedeschi Trucks Band carry that torch, blending vintage vibes with fresh fire." (Photo: Forrest McDonald)

How did your relationship with blues rock music come about? What moment changed your music life the most?

My passion for blues rock was sparked in the early 1960s, captivated by the raw, soulful sounds of T-Bone Walker, Muddy Waters, Lightnin’ Hopkins, Howlin’ Wolf, and the Paul Butterfield Blues Band. Their music hit me straight in the heart. Then came the pioneers who reshaped the genre: Eric Clapton with the Bluesbreakers, Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page with the Yardbirds, and Jimi Hendrix’s searing Red House. When Jeff Beck’s Truth and Led Zeppelin’s first album hit, they fused gritty blues with rock’s electric pulse, birthing blues rock as I knew it. Mick Taylor’s soulful touch with the Rolling Stones took it even deeper, inspiring guitarists like me to dive in.

The moment that forever changed my music life was witnessing Jeff Beck at the Boston Tea Party in fall 1968. His Gold Top Les Paul wailed with a tone that shook me, backed by Rod Stewart’s vocals, Ron Wood on bass, and Mick Waller on drums. Meeting the band that night, I felt their raw, electric energy up close, and it ignited something in me. From that day on, I was all in for blues rock, driven to pour that same fire and soul into every note I play.

Do you have any stories about the making of Songs From My Soul? Your work is known for creatively reimagining blues tradition. How do you balance respect for the roots with experimentation?

I intended to write the songs for Songs from My Soul in 2022 but I was booked into a years worth of performances before I could start the writing process. Then I was struck with 18 months of serious health issues that made live performing impossible. I took advantage of the down time to pick up my acoustic guitar every day and start writing. The events in the world worsened and Song like On Your Life’s Road, Spirit in the Night, Make Love Not War, Misery and Blues and Wish I May came to me channeling the energy of people around the world there was too much suffering, hate, poverty, and misery. The signs of the times spoke to me and channeled into my lyrics. At the same time my optimistic spirit, belief in love and hope for the future manifested in positive songs like Take My Hand, I Need You, A Girl Like You and I can’t stop the love had to be told. I drew on my life’s experiences and others close to me to tell these stories. Finally, I had to record some traditional blues that my mother sang to me as a child to give it that down home feeling.

"The moment that forever changed my music life was witnessing Jeff Beck at the Boston Tea Party in fall 1968. His Gold Top Les Paul wailed with a tone that shook me, backed by Rod Stewart’s vocals, Ron Wood on bass, and Mick Waller on drums. Meeting the band that night, I felt their raw, electric energy up close, and it ignited something in me. From that day on, I was all in for blues rock, driven to pour that same fire and soul into every note I play." (Photo: Forrest McDonald)

What do you miss most nowadays from the music of the past? What are your hopes and fears for the future of

I feel a warmth of nostalgia for those golden days of music, when bands like the Allman Brothers, Marshall Tucker Band, and Wet Willie poured their hearts into blues, soul, and R&B, creating something soul-stirring together. What I miss most is that beautiful camaraderie—the way musicians would gather, united by a shared love for a sound, jamming late into the night, dreaming big as equals. Those bands were like families, weaving magic through their collective spirit, and that’s a vibe I cherish deeply.

Today, things feel different. With tools like Pro Tools and Logic, anyone can craft a song solo, which is empowering in its own way. But it often misses the spark of a group bouncing ideas off each other, the laughter and grit of a live session. Many musicians now are sidemen, hustling multiple gigs, hesitant to dive into the all-in dream of a band where everyone’s chasing the same star. The music world’s tougher, with streaming and side hustles making it hard to nurture that old-school band bond.

My heart holds hope, though, for a return to those roots I love. I dream of a future where musicians rediscover the joy of forming bands, playing for the love of the craft, and bringing back that raw, soulful sound. We’re seeing glimmers of it—bands like Black Pumas or Tedeschi Trucks Band carry that torch, blending vintage vibes with fresh fire. The rise of local music scenes, vinyl’s comeback, and fans craving authentic live shows all point toward a revival of that real, connected music you’re talking about.

Yet, I confess a quiet fear: that the pull of solo digital creation and the chase for viral hits might overshadow the patience and heart needed for true band chemistry. Algorithms favor quick, shiny tracks, and the grind of modern life can make it hard for musicians to take the leap together. But I believe we can keep it real, as you say, by cheering on live music, supporting young artists who dig into those classic styles, and celebrating the messy, joyful art of making music as a crew.

How do you want the music to affect people? What's the balance in music between technique (skills) and soul/emotions?

I want my music to touch people deeply, making them feel like I’m telling their story, something they can connect with and sing along to, finding comfort in knowing their thoughts, emotions, and daily experiences aren’t theirs alone. On this album, I’ve stripped away the extra layers a band might add, keeping it raw with just an acoustic guitar. A song that holds its own like this can always be built up later with a band, but a great arrangement or solos can sometimes polish a weaker song and hide its flaws. I’m focusing on delivering passionate soul and heartfelt lyrics, pouring raw emotion into every word to create honest music that’s free of gimmicks and true to its core.

"The golden era of blues rock shaped the core of my musical soul, setting the compass for how I compose and perform today. Its raw, soulful energy guides my choices, leading me to craft songs that feel right rhythmically, spiritually, and emotionally. I focus on building progressions that support heartfelt lyrics, always aiming to tell the most compelling story possible with authenticity and passion." (Forrest McDonald / Photo by Robert O'Neal)

You’ve worked in many different settings, from clubs and studios to open air festivals. How do you navigate between these different worlds?

Whether I’m playing a massive arena, an open-air festival, a cozy theater, or an intimate club, each setting has its own vibe, and I lean into that to connect with the audience. In an arena, I’m up on a huge stage, facing a sea of people whose faces I can’t quite make out. It’s loud, electric, and the crowd’s applause is my compass, guiding me to give my all in every performance. Festivals feel more approachable—daylight lets me see the crowd up close, make eye contact, and feed off their energy, with a sound mix that’s often clearer and more vibrant. In theaters or small clubs, I can get personal, stepping into the audience for a stage walk, reading their expressions, and locking eyes to forge a real connection. No matter the venue, I keep my focus on the music—whether solo or with a band—delivering a show that’s cohesive, spontaneous, and brimming with energy, woven together with stories that resonate. I approach every performance with the same open, flexible mindset, drawing on past experiences to navigate any challenges or surprises, like white water, while aiming to lift the audience to a shared, spiritual high where we’re all in it together.

What are you doing to keep your music relevant today, to develop it and present it to the new generation?

To keep my music vibrant and relevant for today’s world, I stay deeply connected to the socio-political, economic, and personal currents shaping our times. As a songwriter, it’s my responsibility to always listen to the heartbeat of the world, capturing its joys, struggles, and trends. By channeling these truths into my songs with honesty and passion, I ensure my music resonates with the new generation, staying fresh and timeless.

How has your experience with the “golden era” of blues rock influenced the way you compose and perform today?

The golden era of blues rock shaped the core of my musical soul, setting the compass for how I compose and perform today. Its raw, soulful energy guides my choices, leading me to craft songs that feel right rhythmically, spiritually, and emotionally. I focus on building progressions that support heartfelt lyrics, always aiming to tell the most compelling story possible with authenticity and passion.

"My songwriting has transformed over the years. Early on, songs were platforms for guitar solos, and I wrote some fiery ones. But I’ve since learned that the story and lyrics are the soul of a song. Moving from the Forrest McDonald Band to a solo career, I now craft music about love, hope, hard times, and faith—blues and blues-rock with shades of Americana and folk, designed to connect deeply with listeners by reflecting the heartbeat of everyday life." (Photo: Forrest McDonald)

What characterizes previous release "Blues in a Bucket" (2020) in comparison to other albums? What touched (emotionally) you from studio's sessions?

Blues in a Bucket is a culmination everything I had learned since I began writing and recording songs. The performances of each song are as good as it gets with your clothes on. That goes double for the sound quality, instrumentation, mixing and mastering.  I have dedicated the CD to my brother, Steve, who I lost in January 2019 to cancer, and to anyone who has lost a loved one to this terrible disease. The song Blue Morning Sun tells that story. A related song, “Go to the light,” was written with positive and spiritual energy for those that have crossed over after passing. “Boogie me till I drop” has a great New Orleans party feel, so I started the CD with it to get everyone in good spirit. I was in China a few years ago and feeling lonely for the USA. I thought about two great blues towns—Memphis and Chicago and that led me to write “Windy City Blues.” It grounded me. I had some low points like we all do and I wrote “Misery and Blues” to relieve some of that anxiety. I was watching a lot of the series “Supernatural” at this time and “Powerhouse” just jumped out of me. The title track “Blues in a Bucket” is a positive classic. I was full of the blues one afternoon, pondering my problems, when I thought of how fantastic it would be to just put them into a bucket and then toss them away. The song tells the story. The closing song “Let the Love in Your Heart” is what we need a lot more of. It’s an optimistic vision inspired by love.

How started the thought of World Talent Records? Do you have a dream project you'd most like to accomplish?

When I was 29 years old, I had a vision of one day starting my own independent record label so that I could record my own music and call my own shots. It took me 15 years to save the money but I did it my way. My 9^th CD is Titled Nothing Wrong with Dreaming. I am always moving forward. Today "Blues in a Bucket" is the dream project I would most like to accomplish.                   (Forrest McDonald / Photo by Wayne Gammon)

"If you know what you are doing and listen to all of the players it is amazing what you can play live with no rehearsal. Fortunately for me I love many styles of music and I did my best to master those styles. When you are selling yourself as a studio musician you have to put what you want to do in the back of your mind and listen to the producer or songwriter when they tell you what kind of solo they want."

Are there any memories from Duane Allman, Bobby Womack, and Johnny Winter which you’d like to share with us?

I have several pages in a book I’m writing. I will lay out some of it for you to edit. I was living in Boston in 1970 when I read in the Boston Phoenix the Allman Brothers were coming to the Boston Tea Party November 19-21. Nothing was going to keep me from that show. I brought my 1955 Fender Stratocaster to show Duane as a door opener. He played it and dug it but had just traded a Marshall for a Gibson Les Paul and he was going to play the Les Paul. After the show I told Duane about my 1960 Gibson Firebird and he said to come back tomorrow, Saturday, and bring it with me. After the show on Friday I went to their hotel in Brookline and played acoustic guitars until the pre-dawn hour with Greg leading the way. I left just before the sun came up and returned with my Gibson Firebird the next evening. I also brought Chris Hayward my girlfriend at the time. Our names were on the guest list and we arrived just before the band. We went straight to the dressing room. Chris had strapped on my Firebird and was playing some hot licks when the Brothers walked in. Dickey and Duane were impressed with what she was playing and I felt good having brought her with me. Duane said Dickey listen to this girl play that guitar. She played a few cool blues licks and Duane said, “Dicky you may be out of a job.” Everyone laughed. Soon Duane relieved Chris of the guitar and started playing it. He liked it a lot. When it was show time he had Red Dog their head roadie, bring it to the stage along with Duane’s Les Paul. The set began with great energy and the band was on fire. After the first song they launched into Whipping Post and Duane’s E string broke just as his solo was coming up. I was standing right in front of him on the floor in front of the stage. He yelled “Red Dog, give me the Firebird.” Red Dog tossed him the Guitar. It seemed to sail 20 feet in the air across the stage and into Duane’s waiting arms. Duane plugged it in just in time to begin his solo. It was a great moment. I had friends there that night and they all knew that Duane was playing my Firebird. After the show we retreated back to the dressing room. The cold beer, weed, whites and wine were plentiful.

The afternoon I met Bobby Womack I was walking down the hall at the new Muscle Shoals Sound with my Stratocaster slung over my back like a rifle. Producer/guitarist Jimmy Johnson put his head out into the hall and said come on in here. He introduced me to Bobby who was there Recording “The Roads of Life.“ Bobby said I know the way you wear that guitar that you are a bad ass guitar player. I’m recording down the hall in studio B come give me some solos. So, I did and that’s how my friendship with Bobby began.

I met Johnny July 1969 as the Newport Jazz and folk festival. The three-day event attracted a record crowd of some 80,000, the heaviest attendance figures of 25,000 coming on Friday night, which was devoted entirely to rock. All of these hippies spooked the local authorities who, because of the tension and large crowd on Friday night, demanded that Led Zeppelin be cancelled from the final bill on Sunday.   I loved Johnny Winter’s Set on Sunday. He was absolutely at the top of his game. His vocals were soulful and straight from the heart. His guitar let out a barrage of incredible tones during his slide solos on his Fender Mustang. My family was from Orange Texas and he was from and Johnny was born in Beaumont just west of Orange on I10. I talked to Johnny in his dressing room after his hour and a half set and he let me play his guitar while we talked. Well I tried to play it. His action was set really high for the slide and his strings were ultra-heavy gage. I could barely bend a note. Most guitarists of the day were using a Hawaiian G for our high E string that was equivalent to a 008 and Johnny was using a 013 for his high E string with the rest of his strings equally as thick.  Johnny got the crowd fired up for BB King who came on next. I was sitting with Jimmy Page, Alvin Lee, and Robert Plant during BB’s performance. BB played all of his standards and the crowd loved him. There was talk that Johnny was going to come out and jam with BB. Sure enough BB came back for an encore and invited Johnny to the stage. Jimmy was sitting with a group of us and asked Alvin Lee how he thought Johnny would do playing next to BB.  Robert Plant said loud and proud “BB will kill him.” They played a slow scorching blues “It’s My Own Fault.” BB played with great concentration and feeling. When BB finished his solo amidst the applause, he gave Johnny the nod. Johnny played like he just made a deal with the Devil at the crossroads. He was at the top of his game playing like a true blues master that could shred those strings making them scream and cry. What a show! Johnny blew them all away. Later in life my friend James Montgomery for the Boston Rock Symphony fronted Johnny’s band after Johnny’s health failed. I keep that first memory close to my heart.                              (Phoro: Forrest McDonald)

"I was always a non-conformist and basically an unsupervised child. I first picked up an acoustic guitar in 1963 and began listening to Folk Singers like Odetta, Dylan, Leadbelly and Josh White. Odetta was a Civil rights activist. Although she grew up in the city, she described black folk music and spirituals as “liberation songs" and used this music to “do my teaching and preaching, my propagandizing.”

What are some of the most important lessons you have learned from your experience in music paths?

If you know what you are doing and listen to all of the players it is amazing what you can play live with no rehearsal. Fortunately for me I love many styles of music and I did my best to master those styles. When you are selling yourself as a studio musician you have to put what you want to do in the back of your mind and listen to the producer or songwriter when they tell you what kind of solo they want. They will reference a solo off a track and ask you to play like that. Being well versed in all of the standards and classics it invaluable in the studio. In 1969 I auditioned for and landed one of the two guitar slots for the Boston Rock Symphony. The other guitarist was a music student at Juilliard named Melvin Wax from Long Island, NY. One day Melvin invited me to his apartment so we could have a jam session. When I arrived, he said I’m just finishing my homework come in and get comfortable. Mel was sight reading a classical piece by Mozart. It sounded beautiful. I thought to myself what I am doing here this guy is great I need to go. Before I could walk out the door Melvin stopped playing and said I’m done let’s jam. I said ok what do you want to jam on? He said let’s jam some Hendrix. I was cool with that and said let’s do it. We started playing and Mel sounded like Mozart and I sounded like Jimi Hendrix. This was astonishing to me. I realized Melvin was all head and no soul. I had learned to solo listening to and learning licks that really moved me. When I played I just blended them together. Our jam was cool but my playing sounded more in the vein I was trying to hit. I said to myself that day I am going to develop my style to the fullest before I learn any theory so that I don’t end up like Melvin; all head and no soul. I played guitar by year for 9 years before entering the Dick Grove Conservatory of music in Studio City California in 1974. Dick is a genius. He played a difficult Be Bop progression and played an impressive solo behind it. Then he casually mentioned I haven’t practiced in 10 years I just know what all the good notes are and I play them. The way he broke down songwriting was inspirational. I won’t give it away here but I strongly recommend his songwriting and composition courses.

What is the impact of the Blues and Rock culture on the racial, political and socio-cultural implications?

Many of the old hippies of yesteryear are now politicians. As at the end of 2018, 33 states plus D.C have legalized medicinal marijuana. Meanwhile, there are now 10 states (plus D.C.) where recreational weed is legal with others under consideration. Many of the SDS crowd that was feeding their propaganda to the college campuses in the 1960’s are embedded in Government today. There is something called the law of unintended consequences. They are outcomes that are not the ones foreseen and intended by a purposeful action. When I was a 9-year-old boy I often wished some of the actresses would appear topless. We have gone so far beyond that if makes you consider that old phrase be careful what you wish for. The impact is clear. We started with a line in one place and we crossed it. So, they redrew the line and we crossed that one. On and on it went until society eventually changed. Sex, art, music, video games, violence were expanded to appease the minds of those who had grown tired of the old ways. That’s why I love the blues and blues-rock it keeps me grounded. I avoid politics because it is spiritually draining. I don’t buy in to fear mongers on TV news that are shills for the Billionaires who try to pit one group against the other while they get richer. It’s time to all join hands. We’ve got to live together. It’s time to stand up united as one through the hard times and stormy weather. I say hey, hey, the Blues is all right!

Forrest McDonald - Home

(Forrest McDonald / Photo by Robert O'Neal)