Jump to content

Paul McDonald (musician)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Fulhamzimmer (talk | contribs) at 12:00, 7 March 2011. The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Paul McDonald
Born (1984-08-29) August 29, 1984 (age 40)
Auburn, Alabama, United States

Paul McDonald, born August 29, 1984, is an American singer-songwriter from Huntsville, AL who currently resides in Nashville, TN. McDonald is currently a Top 13 finalist on Season 10 of American Idol. Since 2005, he has been the lead singer of the band Hightide Blues, renamed The Grand Magnolias in 2010.

Beginnings

Paul McDonald was born in Auburn, Alabama to Dave and Susan McDonald. He also has a sister, Beth. In 2002, McDonald graduated from Huntsville High School and attended college at Auburn University to pursue a degree in Biomedical Sciences to become a pediatric dentist. While at Auburn University he was a member of Phi Gamma Delta Fraternity.

Hightide Blues

In the Spring of 2005, he and fellow student Jonathan Pears began writing songs together, forming the band Hightide Blues. Adding two other members, Phillip Gayle and Scott Rollins, they began touring small clubs around the state of Alabama. In 2006, McDonald put his education on hold to pursue a full-time career in music. After a limited edition self-titled EP Hightide Blues in 2007, the band released in 2008 a self-produced album, Love Come Easy, which was recorded in an old boarding school turned recording studio, operated by David Briggs, called the House of David in Nashville, TN. The album garnered radio play from the songs "Dreamin' Alone" and "Let it Roll". Also included was a song called "Dancing with the Angels (Meg's Song)". McDonald wrote this song the night before the funeral of a very close friend to the band, Meg Ingram, who passed away from cancer at the age of 21. The band performs annually at the Meg Ingram Memorial Scholarship benefit concert in Huntsville.

Hightide Blues has also had success on the internet, winning multiple awards on OurStage.com including over fifteen Top 10 placements, as well as reaching number 2 on Best of Pop for 2011. From 2007-2010, the band continued touring around the country, performing with musicians such as the Zac Brown Band, Sarah Barellis, and JJ Grey and Mofro.[1] Hightide Blues also played festivals such as the Bonnaroo Music Festival, the Florida Music Festival, the Hangout Festival, and the Lynyrd Skynrd Simple Man Cruise. Between 2007-2010, Hightide Blues averaged around 150-200 shows per year.

The Grand Magnolias

In August 2010, McDonald and his band members moved to Nashville, TN, and launched a campaign to let their fans choose a new name for the band. The group's first album under its new name, entitled The Grand Magnolias, was released in 2011. The songs were written by McDonald and band member Jonathan Pears and produced by Dan Hannon and Ken Coomer.

American Idol, Season 10

On January 27, 2011, McDonald received a golden ticket to compete in Hollywood from judges Steven Tyler, Jennifer Lopez and Randy Jackson, and made it into the Top 24[1] by singing an original song, "American Dreams." He was one of ten candidates chosen as a finalist based on public voting.[2] Thirteen will compete in the finals.

Since entering the competition McDonald has made use of the social networking site Twitter to communicate with his fans and promote his band The Grand Magnolias.[3] Due to McDonald’s prolific use of Twitter and other social media he propelled his band’s debut album “The Grand Magnolias” to #3 on the iTunes Rock Albums chart, and #43 on the overall iTunes Albums chart.[4] The album also debuted on the Billboard Heatseekers chart before McDonald even sang in the show’s semi-final round.[5] He was also the first 2011 Idol hopeful to reach 5000 followers on his newly created official American Idol Twitter account.[6] McDonald continues to be one of the most popular American Idol, Season 10 competitors on the social networking site.[7][8]

Performances:
Week # Theme Song choice Original artist Result
Audition 1
(Not broadcast) 		Auditioner's Choice
[9][10] 		"Tutti Frutti" Little Richard Advanced
Audition 2 Auditioner's Choice "Maggie May" Rod Stewart Advanced
Hollywood Round, Part 1 First Solo Grace Potter and the Nocturnals Advanced
Hollywood Round, Part 2 Group Performance "Carry On Wayward Son" Kansas Advanced
Hollywood Round, Part 3 Second Solo "Landslide" Fleetwood Mac Advanced
Las Vegas Round Songs of The Beatles Group Performance "Blackbird" The Beatles Advanced
Hollywood Round Final Final Solo to determine Top 24 "American Dreams" The Grand Magnolias Advanced
Top 24 Personal Choice "Maggie May" Rod Stewart Advanced

Discography

Albums

As part of Hightide Blues
  • 2007: Hightide Blues (EP) [1]
    • Tracklist of Hightide Blues EP:
  1. "I Can't" (4:09)
  2. "4:15" (3:24)
  3. "Will She" (3:02)
  4. "Tired of Leavin'" (5:16)
  5. "Jennifer" (4:54)
  • 2008: Love Come Easy [2]
    • Tracklist of Love Come Easy album:
  1. "Katie, Can You Hear Me" (3:10)
  2. "Far from Home" (4:59)
  3. "Dreamin Alone" (3:52)
  4. "Let It Roll" (3:13)
  5. "Giving Up On You" (3:57)
  6. "Merles Last Stand" (2:05)
  7. "Black Crows" (4:30)
  8. "Dancing with the Angels" (4:29)
As part of The Grand Magnolias
  • 2011: The Grand Magnolias [3]
    • Tracklist of The Grand Magnolias album:
  1. "Sing Out" (4:07)
  2. "American Dreams" (3:46)
  3. "Fly Me to the Moon" (3:27)
  4. "I Can't Remember" (3:14)
  5. "No More One More Nights" (3:51)
  6. "Heartbreak" (5:01)
  7. "Four Fifteen" (5:06)
  8. "Whoa" (4:22)
  9. "Top of the World" (3:11)
  10. "Please Believe Me" (4:08)

References

  1. ^ a b American Idol Top 24 Contestant Paul McDonald This Season's New Heartthrob?
  2. ^ Entertainment Weekly: 'American Idol' - Q&As With the Top 13!
  3. ^ Paul McDonald's Twitter Account
  4. ^ Singer/Songwriter Paul McDonald Named to American Idol’s Top 13
  5. ^ 'Idol' album sales: Crystal Bowersox, Fantasia and more
  6. ^ Paul McDonald's Official American Idol 10 Twitter account
  7. ^ Will new Twitter and Facebook accounts predict the next American Idol winner?
  8. ^ Paul McDonald Most Popular American Idol on Twitter
  9. ^ Chris Welch, The Huntsville Times: Paul McDonald's journey to 'American Idol' Top 13
  10. ^ Paul McDonald'd Twitter message about singing "Tutti Frutti" first

Template:Persondata

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/enwiki/w/index.php?title=Paul_McDonald_(musician)&oldid=417590192"