Ian McDonald was a British multi-instrumentalist who co-founded King Crimson and Foreigner.
- Died: February 9, 2022 (Who else died on February 9?)
- Details of death: Died at his home in New York of cancer at the age of 75.
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Musical career
After serving in the British Army as a bandsman, McDonald helped form the classic prog-rock band King Crimson. He played saxophone, flute, keyboards, and other instruments on their influential first album, 1969’s “In the Court of the Crimson King,” before leaving the band. He played with fellow King Crimson alum Michael Giles for a time, then briefly rejoined King Crimson before co-founding Foreigner in 1976. McDonald played guitar, keyboards, saxophone, and flute with Foreigner, as well as singing backing vocals. He stayed with the band through their first three albums, cowriting songs and playing on popular singles including “Feels Like the First Time,” “Hot Blooded,” and “Head Games” before being fired as the band reworked its lineup. McDonald was also a session musician whose contributions included saxophones on “Bang a Gong (Get it On)” by T. Rex. In later years, he released two solo albums and played with bands including Honey West.
McDonald on his musical influences
“We had a record player and thinking about it, I’m really glad. We had Les Paul and Mary Ford records and classical records and things like Scheherazade and things like that so I did grow up listening to music and then when rock & roll appeared, I got really interested and decided that’s what I want to do. People like Chuck Berry and Little Richard and others like Eddie Cochran and Gene Vincent and even Ricky Nelson – he made some great records as well. I got interested from that point of view and then of course the Beatles came along and I was about sixteen years old and that was it.” —source
Tributes to Ian McDonald
Full obituary: Billboard
