Kathi McDonald

Kathi McDonald remains as one of the great, unsung legends of Rock ‘n’ Roll. A long-time backup singer for such classic performers as Joe Cocker, Leon Russell, the Rolling Stones, Elton John, Long John Baldry, and Ike & Tina Turner, Kathi contributed to some of the most thrilling, iconic music of the 60s and 70s, lending her bold, stirring vocals to songs that have shaped and rocked generations.

Kathi grew up in Mt. Vernon, Washington, where her passion for music flared early on. She began singing professionally at the tender age of 12 in clubs around the Seattle area. She had her first real brush with stardom at 19, when she was invited to audition as the lead singer of what was to become Big Brother and the Holding Company by none other than storied music promoter Chet Helms, often referred to as the Father of San Francisco’s 1967 “Summer of Love”. While Kathi hitchhiked her way down the coast from Seattle, however, a young Janis Joplin beat her to the audition and snagged the gig for herself. Nevertheless, Kathi’s relationship with the raucous Blues band would prove far from finished