Ralph MacDonald

Ralph Anthony MacDonald (March 15, 1944 – December 18, 2011) 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 (a calypsonian and bandleader originally from Trinidad and Tobago who used the stage name "Macbeth the Great"), 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 performanced 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.

As a solo recording artist, MacDonald scored a massive disco hit with “Calypso Breakdown”, recorded for the TK Records imprint, Marlin Records. It was also featured on the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack.

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" (as a steelband's rhythm section is often called). 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 (Marlin, 1976)
 * The Path (Marlin, 1978)
 * Counterpoint (Marlin, 1979)
 * Universal Rhythm (Polydor, 1984)
 * Surprize (Polydor, 1985)
 * Reunion (Videoarts Music, 1995)
 * Port Pleasure (1998)
 * Trippin' (2000)
 * Home Grown (2003)
 * Just the Two of Us (2004)
 * Mixty Motions (2008)

As sideman
With Peter Allen With Average White Band With Patti Austin With Ashford & Simpson With Gato Barbieri With Bee Gees With George Benson With Blood, Sweat & Tears With David Bowie With Martin Briley With The Brecker Brothers With The Brothers Johnson With Jimmy Buffett With Kenny Burrell and Grover Washington Jr. With Jonathan Butler With Ron Carter With Merry Clayton With Judy Collins With Randy Crawford With Lou Courtney With Jackie DeShannon With Paul Desmond With Yvonne Elliman With Little Feat With Roberta Flack With Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway With Aretha Franklin With Michael Franks With Glenn Frey With Art Garfunkel With Barry Goldberg With Lesley Gore With Hall & Oates With Tim Hardin With Donny Hathaway With Lena Horne With Bob James With Bob James and Earl Klugh With Milt Jackson With Al Jarreau With Garland Jeffreys With Billy Joel With Dr. John With Margie Joseph With Eric Kaz With Carole King With Morgana King With Hubert Laws With Donal Leace With Julian Lennon With O'Donel Levy With Kenny Loggins With Jon Lucien With Elliot Lurie With Taj Mahal With Junior Mance With Herbie Mann With Arif Mardin With Esther Marrow With Mac McAnally With Gene McDaniels With Don McLean With Bette Midler With Melba Moore With The Neville Brothers With David "Fathead" Newman With Laura Nyro With Teddy Pendergrass With Esther Phillips With John Prine With Bernard Purdie With Bonnie Raitt With The Rascals With Leon Redbone With Martha Reeves With Lionel Richie With Max Roach With Diana Ross With David Ruffin With David Sanborn With Shirley Scott With Don Sebesky With Janis Siegel With Carly Simon With Paul Simon With Phoebe Snow With Splinter With Steely Dan With Gábor Szabó With James Taylor With Kate Taylor With The Manhattan Transfer With Kenny Vance With Grover Washington Jr. With Mary Lou Williams With Cris Williamson With Bill Withers With Zulema
 * Continental American (A&M, 1974)
 * AWB (Atlantic, 1974)
 * End of a Rainbow (CTI, 1976)
 * Havana Candy (CTI, 1977)
 * Every Home Should Have One (Qwest, 1981)
 * In My Life (CTI Records, 1983)
 * Gettin' Away With Murder (Qwest, 1985)
 * Gimme Something Real (Warner Bros., 1973)
 * I Wanna Be Selfish (Warner Bros., 1974)
 * Come As You Are (Warner Bros., 1976)
 * Send It (Warner Bros., 1977)
 * So So Satisfied (Warner Bros., 1977)
 * Is It Still Good to Ya (Warner Bros., 1978)
 * Stay Free (Warner Bros., 1979)
 * A Musical Affair (Warner Bros., 1980)
 * High-Rise (Capitol, 1983)
 * Solid (Capitol, 1984)
 * Caliente (A&M Records, 1976, 1986, CD 3247)
 * Living Eyes (RSO, 1981)
 * Still Waters (Polydor, 1997)
 * Breezin' (Warner Bros., 1976)
 * In Flight (Warner Bros., 1977)
 * Livin' Inside Your Love (Warner Bros., 1979)
 * 20/20 (Warner Bros., 1985)
 * Big Boss Band (Warner Bros., 1990)
 * That's Right (GRP, 1996)
 * Mirror Image (Columbia, 1974)
 * Young Americans (RCA Records, 1975)
 * Dangerous Moments (Mercury Records, 1984)
 * The Brecker Bros. (Arista, 1975)
 * Look Out for #1 (A&M Records, 1976)
 * Right on Time (A&M Records, 1977)
 * Floridays (MCA Records, 1986)
 * Hot Water (MCA Records, 1988)
 * Beach House on the Moon (Island Records, 1999)
 * Take the Weather With You (RCA Records, 2006, 88697-00332-2)
 * Togethering (Blue Note, 1984)
 * Jonathan Butler (Jive, 1987)
 * Blues Farm (CTI, 1973)
 * Spanish Blue (CTI, 1974)
 * Anything Goes (Kudu, 1975)
 * A Song for You (Milestone, 1978)
 * New York Slick (Milestone, 1979)
 * Empire Jazz (RSO, 1980)
 * Pick 'Em (Milestone, 1980)
 * Keep Your Eye on the Sparrow (Ode, 1975)
 * Judith (Elektra, 1975)
 * Everything Must Change (Warner Bros., 1976)
 * I'm In Need of Love (Epic, 1974)
 * Your Baby Is a Lady (Atlantic, 1974)
 * Skylark (CTI, 1973)
 * Yvonne Elliman (Decca, 1972)
 * Join the Band (429 Records, 2008)
 * Quiet Fire (Atlantic, 1971)
 * Killing Me Softly (Atlantic, 1973)
 * Feel Like Makin' Love (Atlantic, 1975)
 * I'm the One (Atlantic, 1982)
 * Roberta Flack & Donny Hathaway (Atlantic, 1972)
 * Let Me in Your Life (Atlantic, 1974)
 * With Everything I Feel in Me (Atlantic, 1974)
 * Burchfield Nines (Warner Bros., 1978)
 * The Camera Never Lies (Warner Bros., 1987)
 * Soul Searchin' (MCA Records, 1988)
 * Breakaway (Columbia Records, 1975)
 * Watermark (Columbia Records, 1977)
 * Barry Goldberg (Atco Records, 1974)
 * Love Me By Name (A&M, 1976)
 * Abandoned Luncheonette (Atlantic, 1973)
 * Bird on a Wire (Columbia, 1971)
 * Extension of a Man (Atco, 1973)
 * Lena & Michel (RCA Victor, 1975)
 * One (CTI, 1974)
 * Two (CTI, 1975)
 * Three (CTI, 1976)
 * BJ4 (CTI, 1977)
 * Heads (CTI, 1977)
 * Touchdown (Tappan Zee Records, 1978)
 * Lucky Seven (Tappan Zee Records, 1979)
 * One on One (Tappan Zee Records, 1979)
 * Sunflower (CTI, 1972)
 * Glow (Reprise, 1976)
 * Garland Jeffreys (Atlantic, 1973)
 * One-Eyed Jack (A&M, 1978)
 * The Stranger (Columbia, 1977)
 * 52nd Street (Columbia, 1978)
 * An Innocent Man (Columbia, 1983)
 * In the Right Place (Atco, 1973)
 * Margie Joseph (Atlantic, 1973)
 * Sweet Surrender (Atlantic, 1974)
 * Margie (Atlantic, 1975)
 * If You're Lonely (Atlantic Records, 1972)
 * Thoroughbred (A&M Records, 1976)
 * New Beginnings (Paramount Records, 1973)
 * Morning Star (CTI, 1972)
 * The Chicago Theme (CTI, 1974)
 * Donal Leace (Atlantic Records, 1972)
 * Valotte (Atlantic Records, 1984)
 * Everything I Do Gonna Be Funky (Groove Merchant, 1974)
 * Celebrate Me Home (Columbia Records, 1977)
 * Mind's Eye (RCA, 1974)
 * Premonition (Columbia, 1976)
 * Elliot Lurie (Epic Records, 1975)
 * Taj (Gramavision, 1987)
 * That Lovin' Feelin' (Milestone, 1972)
 * Discotheque (Atlantic, 1975)
 * Brazil Once Again (Atlantic, 1978)
 * Journey (Atlantic, 1974)
 * Sister Woman (Fantasy, 1972)
 * Semi-True Stories (Mailboat Records, 2004)
 * Natural Juices (Ode, 1975)
 * Playin' Favorites (United Artists Records, 1973)
 * Homeless Brother (United Artists Records, 1974)
 * The Divine Miss M (Atlantic Records, 1972)
 * Bette Midler (Atlantic Records, 1973)
 * Peach Melba (Buddah Records, 1975)
 * Fiyo on the Bayou (A&M, 1981)
 * Mr. Fathead (Warner Bros., 1976)
 * Christmas and the Beads of Sweat (Columbia Records, 1970)
 * TP (Philadelphia, 1980)
 * This One's for You (Philadelphia, 1982)
 * Alone Again, Naturally (Kudu, 1972)
 * Performance (Kudu, 1974)
 * Capricorn Princess (Kudu, 1976)
 * What a Diff'rence a Day Makes (Kudu, 1976)
 * For All We Know (Kudu, 1976)
 * Sweet Revenge (Atlantic Records, 1973)
 * Soul Is... Pretty Purdie (Flying Dutchman, 1972)
 * Streetlights (Warner Bros. Records, 1974)
 * Peaceful World (Columbia Records, 1971)
 * On the Track (Warner Bros., 1975)
 * Martha Reeves (MCA Records, 1974)
 * Tuskegee (Mercury Records, 2012)
 * Lift Every Voice and Sing (Atlantic, 1971)
 * Why Do Fools Fall in Love (RCA Records, 1981)
 * Everything's Coming Up Love (Motown, 1976)
 * Taking Off (Warner Bros., 1975)
 * Heart to Heart (Warner Bros., 1978)
 * Hideaway (Warner Bros., 1979)
 * Voyeur (Warner Bros., 1980)
 * Something (Atlantic, 1970)
 * Giant Box (CTI, 1973)
 * Experiment in White (Atlantic Records, 1982)
 * Hotcakes (Elektra, 1974)
 * Still Crazy After All These Years (Columbia Records, 1975)
 * Graceland (Warner Bros. Records, 1986)
 * Phoebe Snow (Shelter, 1974)
 * It Looks Like Snow (Columbia, 1976)
 * Second Childhood (Columbia Records, 1976)
 * Never Letting Go (Columbia Records, 1977)
 * Against the Grain (Columbia Records, 1978)
 * Harder to Live (Dark Horse, 1975)
 * Gaucho (MCA, 1980)
 * Mizrab (CTI, 1972)
 * Macho (Salvation, 1975)
 * Walking Man (Warner Bros., 1974)
 * Kate Taylor (Columbia, 1978)
 * Coming Out (Atlantic, 1976)
 * Vance 32 (Atlantic, 1975)
 * All the King's Horses (Kudu, 1972)
 * Soul Box (Kudu, 1973)
 * Mister Magic (Kudu, 1975)
 * A Secret Place (Kudu, 1976)
 * Skylarkin' (Motown, 1980)
 * Winelight (Elektra, 1980)
 * Come Morning (Elektra, 1981)
 * Inside Moves (Elektra, 1984)
 * Mary Lou's Mass (Mary Records, 1975)
 * Cris Williamson (Ampex Records, 1971)
 * Making Music (Columbia, 1975)
 * Menagerie (Columbia, 1977)
 * 'Bout Love (Columbia, 1978)
 * Watching You, Watching Me (Columbia, 1985)
 * Zulema (Sussex, 1972)