Paul McDonald (musician)

Paul McDonald
Background information
Birth name William Paul McDonald
Born (1984-08-29) August 29, 1984
Auburn, Alabama, U.S.
Origin Huntsville, Alabama
Nashville, Tennessee
Genres Rock
Occupation(s) Singer-songwriter
Years active 2005–present
Associated acts Hightide Blues
The Grand Magnolias
Website www.thepaulmcdonald.com
www.thegrandmagnolias.com

Paul McDonald (born William Paul McDonald; August 29, 1984) is an American singer-songwriter from Huntsville, Alabama, who as of 2011, resides in Nashville, Tennessee. McDonald placed 8th on the tenth season of American Idol and since 2005, he has been the lead singer of the band Hightide Blues, renamed The Grand Magnolias in 2010.

Early life

McDonald was born to Susan and David McDonald, in Auburn/Opelika. His father is a clinical psychologist and his mother teaches occupational therapy at the University of Tennessee Chattanooga. McDonald was raised in Huntsville, Alabama. He is a graduate of Huntsville High School, where he also played wide receiver on the varsity football team, and he was in the school's play, "The Wizard of Oz", directed by Mike Chappell.

McDonald attended Auburn University and joined The Fraternity of Phi Gamma Delta fraternity. McDonald left Auburn University six hours shy of graduation to focus on his growing music career in Nashville, Tennessee.

Career

Hightide Blues

In the spring of 2005, he and fellow Auburn student Jonathan Pears began writing songs together, forming the band Hightide Blues. Adding two other members, Cragon Sims and Rob Foster, 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, Tennessee. 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 close friend to the band, Meg Ingram, who died of cancer at the age of 21. McDonald performed the song at her memorial service. 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 15 Top 10 placements, as well as reaching number 2 on Best of Pop for 2011. From 2007 to 2010, the band continued touring around the country, performing with musicians such as the Zac Brown Band, Sarah Bareilles, 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 Skynyrd Simple Man Cruise. Between 2007 and 2010, Hightide Blues averaged around 150-200 shows per year.

The Grand Magnolias

In August 2010, McDonald and his band members moved to Nashville, Tennessee, 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. The album has seen a boost in sales since Paul McDonald’s appearance on American Idol,[2] and it reached number twelve on the Billboard Heatseekers chart and had sold 9,000 copies by April 27, 2011.[3] iTunes pulled the album from its store, without explanation, and the sales dropped off 60% from the previous week. A week later the album returned, again without explanation.[4]

When the band learned that McDonald had made it through to the Hollywood round they put together a content release campaign to maximize the exposure from the show.[5]

American Idol

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.[6] Thirteen competed 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.[7] The album also debuted on the Billboard Heatseekers chart before McDonald even sang in the show’s semi-final round.[8] He was also the first 2011 Idol hopeful to reach 50,000 followers on his newly created official American Idol Twitter account.[9] McDonald continues to be one of the most popular American Idol Season 10 competitors on the social networking site.[10][11]

McDonald was eliminated from the show on April 14, 2011, with a finish of 8th place.[12]

Performances and results

Episode Theme Song choice Original artist Order # Result
Audition Auditioner's Choice
[13]		 "Tutti Frutti"[14] Little Richard N/A Advanced
"Maggie May" Rod Stewart
Hollywood Round, Part 1 First Solo N/A Grace Potter and the Nocturnals N/A Advanced
Hollywood Round, Part 2 Group Performance "Carry On Wayward Son" Kansas N/A Advanced
Hollywood Round, Part 3 Second Solo "Landslide" Fleetwood Mac N/A Advanced
Las Vegas Round Songs of The Beatles Group Performance "Blackbird" The Beatles N/A Advanced
Hollywood Round Final Final Solo "American Dreams" The Grand Magnolias N/A Advanced
Top 24 (12 Men) Personal Choice "Maggie May" Rod Stewart 10 Advanced
Top 13 Your Personal Idol "Come Pick Me Up" Ryan Adams 4 Safe
Top 12 Year You Were Born "I Guess That's Why They Call It the Blues" Elton John 2 Safe
Top 11 Motown "The Tracks of My Tears" The Miracles 9 Safe
Top 111 Elton John "Rocket Man" Elton John 3 Bottom 32
Top 9 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame "Folsom Prison Blues" Johnny Cash 9 Safe
Top 8 Songs from the Movies "Old Time Rock and Roll" — Risky Business Bob Seger 1 Eliminated

Post-Idol

McDonald was one of the 11 performers in the 2011 American Idols Live Tour, which began in West Valley City, Utah, on July 6, 2011, and ended in Rochester, New York, on September 10, 2011. On May 25, 2011 he appeared on Rachael Ray along with Stefano Langone and Pia Toscano.[15] McDonald even recorded a song, "Now That I've Found You", with his wife Nikki Reed, which debuted on Ryan Seacrest's radio show on November 15, 2011.[16] The couple released their first EP together, The Best Part, on October 29, 2012.[17]

In September 2012, McDonald appeared in a Parenthood episode as a musician who used Crosby and Adam's recording space, The Luncheonette, and sang a new song, "Counting Stars."

McDonald and his wife, Nikki Reed, starred in Hanson's 2013 music video for "Get the Girl Back".[18] The video was filmed in January 2013, and released in April, 2013. As well as Paul and Nikki, other famous faces in the video include Kat Dennings, Drake Bell, Drew Seeley, Amy Paffrath, and Alex Beh. On July 8, 2014, McDonald and Reed released an album titled I'm Not Falling.[19]

In 2014, McDonald launched his solo career by releasing a single, "Bright Lights," on October 7, 2014,[20] and a video released on November 3, 2014.[21]

Personal life

McDonald met actress Nikki Reed on the red carpet at the premiere of Red Riding Hood in March 2011. The moment they met was broadcast on an American Idol episode as part of a segment that showed McDonald and his fellow contestants attending the premiere.[22] McDonald and Reed soon began dating,[23] and moved in together not long after.[24] Their engagement was confirmed in June 2011,[25][26] and they married on October 16, 2011 in Malibu, California.[27] In March 2014, McDonald and Reed announced that they had separated.[28] Reed filed for divorce on May 16, 2014, citing irreconcilable differences.[29] The divorce was finalized in January 2015.[30]

Discography

Albums

As part of Hightide Blues
  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)
  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. "Merle's Last Stand" (2:05)
  7. "Black Crows" (4:30)
  8. "Dancing with the Angels (Meg's Song)" (4:29)
As part of The Grand Magnolias
  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)
Paul McDonald and Nikki Reed
  1. "Bouquet of Lies (Ghost in Apt. 8)"
  2. "All I'm Asking"
  3. "The Best Part"
  4. "Now That I've Found You (Version 2)"
  5. "Goodbye"
Year Album details Peak Certifications
(sales threshold)
US
Heat
2011 The Grand Magnolias 12
"—" denotes releases that did not chart

Extended plays

Title Details Sales
The Best Part (feat. Nikki Reed)
  • Released: October 29, 2012
  • Label: Enzo and Ira Records
  • Formats: Digital downloads
Appearances

References

  1. 1 2 "American Idol Top 24 Contestant Paul McDonald This Season's New Heartthrob?". Okmagazine.com. 2011-02-24. Retrieved 2014-05-07.
  2. ↑ "Paul McDonald's Grand Magnolias reaping 'Idol' benefits". Content.usatoday.com. 2011-03-09. Retrieved 2014-05-07.
  3. 1 2 "Chatter 04-27-2011". Content.usatoday.com. 2011-04-27. Retrieved 2014-05-07.
  4. ↑ "The Grand Magnolias return to iTunes". Content.usatoday.com. 2011-03-17. Retrieved 2014-05-07.
  5. ↑ "The Nashville Business Journal". Bizjournals.com. 2011-03-18. Retrieved 2014-05-07.
  6. ↑ Bell, Carrie (2011-03-06). "Entertainment Weekly: 'American Idol' - Q&As With the Top 13!". Ew.com. Retrieved 2014-05-07.
  7. ↑ https://twitter.com/thepaulmcdonald
  8. ↑ "'Idol' album sales: Crystal Bowersox, Fantasia and more". Content.usatoday.com. 2011-03-02. Retrieved 2014-05-07.
  9. ↑ https://twitter.com/PMcDonaldAI10
  10. ↑ "Will new Twitter and Facebook accounts predict the next American Idol winner?". Dailynewsbeat.com. Retrieved 2014-05-07.
  11. ↑ Paul McDonald Most Popular American Idol on Twitter
  12. ↑ "Did 'American Idol' finally send a guy home?". Content.usatoday.com. 2011-04-15. Retrieved 2014-05-07.
  13. ↑ Chris Welch, The Huntsville Times (2011-03-04). "Chris Welch, ''The Huntsville Times'': Paul McDonald's journey to 'American Idol' Top 13". Blog.al.com. Retrieved 2014-05-07.
  14. ↑ Paul McDonald'd Twitter message about singing "Tutti Frutti" first
  15. ↑ http://www.playbill.com/news/article/149176-American-Idol-Judges-Save-Contestant-Fantasia-to-Perform-on-Next-Results-Show
  16. ↑ "Nikki Reed, husband Paul McDonald duet on new song ‘Now That I Found You’ - NY Daily News". Daily News (New York).
  17. ↑ Garibaldi, Christina (5 November 2012). "Nikki Reed, Paul McDonald Give It Their Best On New EP". Retrieved 7 November 2012.
  18. ↑ "Taylor Hanson shares a story and a clip of HANSON's new music video for Get The Girl Back. by Hanson". MTV. Retrieved 2014-05-07.
  19. ↑ Alexa Rae Johnson (July 18, 2014). "Nikki Reed flashes her black bra under sheer white top as she indulges in some retail therapy with pal in Beverly Hills". The Daily Mail.
  20. ↑ Chris Payne (October 9, 2014). "Exclusive: 'American Idol' Alum Paul McDonald Premieres New Song 'Bright Lights'". Billboard.
  21. ↑ Aimee Curran (November 3, 2014). "Premiere: Paul McDonald 'Bright LightS'". Baeble Music.
  22. ↑ "Nikki Reed Dating American Idol's Paul McDonald?". People. 2011-03-08. Retrieved 2011-06-06.
  23. ↑ "Paul McDonald: Nikki Reed Is 'Pumped' About American Idol Elimination". People. 2011-04-15. Retrieved 2011-06-06.
  24. ↑ "Nikki Reed on Paul McDonald: 'I Love Him'". People. 2011-05-18. Retrieved 2011-06-06.
  25. ↑ "Twilight's Nikki Reed Engaged: "He's the One!"". 2011-06-05. Retrieved 2011-06-08.
  26. ↑ "Paul McDonald Is 'Pumped Up' About Marrying Nikki Reed". 2011-06-21. Retrieved 2011-08-07.
  27. ↑ "Nikki Reed and Paul McDonald Married". Retrieved 2011-10-16.
  28. ↑ "Nikki Reed, Paul McDonald split". USA Today.
  29. ↑ Shira, Dahvi (May 21, 2014). "Nikki Reed Files for Divorce from Paul McDonald". People. Retrieved August 23, 2014.
  30. ↑ Smirke, Richard (January 2, 2015). "Nikki Reed and 'American Idol' Alum Paul McDonald Finalize Divorce". Billboard. Retrieved January 2, 2015.
  31. ↑ "iTunes - Music - Hightide Blues - EP by Hightide Blues". Itunes.apple.com. 2007-03-14. Retrieved 2014-05-07.
  32. ↑ "iTunes - Music - Love Come Easy by Hightide Blues". Itunes.apple.com. 2008-06-06. Retrieved 2014-05-07.
  33. ↑ "iTunes - Music - The Grand Magnolias by The Grand Magnolias". Itunes.apple.com. 2010-11-01. Retrieved 2014-05-07.
  34. ↑ "iTunes - Music - The Best Part - EP by Paul McDonald & Nikki Reed". Itunes.apple.com. 2012-10-29. Retrieved 2014-05-07.
  35. ↑ "iTunes - Music - I'm Not Falling". July 8, 2014.
  36. ↑ Brian Mansfield (December 5, 2012). "'Idol' album sales: Phillip Phillips stays in the Top 5". Idol Chatter (USA Today). Retrieved December 5, 2012.

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Wednesday, February 17, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.