Hugh McDonald (American musician)

Last updated

Hugh McDonald
Hughmcdonald2013.png
McDonald performing live with Bon Jovi in 2013
Background information
Birth nameHugh John McDonald
Born (1950-12-28) December 28, 1950 (age 73)
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Occupation(s)Bassist
Years active1969–present
Member of Bon Jovi [1]
Formerly of

Hugh John McDonald (born December 28, 1950) is an American musician who is best known for his session work and for being the current bassist and backup singer of American rock band Bon Jovi, which he joined as an unofficial band member in November 1994, before becoming an official band member in 2016. Before joining Bon Jovi, he was the bass guitarist for the David Bromberg Band, touring extensively worldwide and playing on many Bromberg albums. He has played with many other artists, both live and in the studio, including Willie Nelson, Steve Goodman, Ringo Starr, Lita Ford, Michael Bolton, Cher, Alice Cooper, [4] Ricky Martin, Gavin Whittaker, Michael Bublé, Poison, [5] and did a few dates during Shania Twain's the Woman in Me TV tour.[ citation needed ]

Contents

He has worked with Bon Jovi in the studio since its inception [6] and has been their bass guitarist since original bass guitarist Alec John Such's departure after Cross Road which was released in 1994but was still regarded as an 'unofficial' member of Bon Jovi until 2016. [5] At this time, McDonald was left out of most publicity shoots and album covers but did appear in some of the band's promo videos. The band members said they never agreed to officially replace Such. Regardless, his work with the band earned him a 1995 Metal Edge Readers' Choice Award for "Best Bassist" (tying with White Zombie's Sean Yseult). [7] McDonald was one of the studio musicians that recorded Jon Bon Jovi's original first demo for the song "Runaway". [5] When the song became a local hit, Jon Bon Jovi nevertheless assembled a band without McDonald in order to record a full band album around the hit song. He has also appeared on Jon Bon Jovi's solo album Destination Anywhere and was part of Jon Bon Jovi's backing group, The Big Dogs.

McDonald married his long-term partner, Nancy in 1996 but they divorced some years later.

In 2004, McDonald married Kelli, a horse trainer and jewelry designer. [8] McDonald has two children, one of whom, a stepson, is also a musician. [9] [5] In 2018, McDonald was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Bon Jovi. [10]

Discography

With Alice Cooper

Studio albums
Compilation albums

With Bon Jovi

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bon Jovi</span> American rock band

Bon Jovi is an American rock band formed in 1983 in Sayreville, New Jersey. The band currently consists of singer Jon Bon Jovi, keyboardist David Bryan, drummer Tico Torres, guitarist Phil X, and bassist Hugh McDonald. Original bassist Alec John Such left the band in 1994, and longtime guitarist and co-songwriter Richie Sambora left in 2013. The band has been credited with "bridging the gap between heavy metal, rock and pop with style and ease".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jon Bon Jovi</span> American rock musician (born 1962)

John Francis Bongiovi Jr., known professionally as Jon Bon Jovi, is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, and actor. He is best known as the founder and frontman of the rock band Bon Jovi, which was formed in 1983. He has released 15 studio albums with his band as well as two solo albums.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richie Sambora</span> American musician (born 1959)

Richard Stephen Sambora is an American musician, singer, songwriter and producer, best known as the lead guitarist of the rock band Bon Jovi from 1983 to 2013. He and lead singer Jon Bon Jovi formed the main songwriting unit for the band. He has also released three solo albums: Stranger in This Town in 1991, Undiscovered Soul in 1998, and Aftermath of the Lowdown released in September 2012.

<i>Bon Jovi</i> (album) 1984 studio album by Bon Jovi

Bon Jovi is the debut studio album by American rock band Bon Jovi, released on January 21, 1984, by Mercury Records. Produced by Tony Bongiovi and Lance Quinn, it is significant for being the only Bon Jovi album in which a song appears that was not written or co-written by a member of the band. The album charted at number 43 on the US Billboard 200.

<i>These Days</i> (Bon Jovi album) 1995 studio album by Bon Jovi

These Days (stylized as (these Days)) is the sixth studio album by American rock band Bon Jovi, released on June 27, 1995, by Mercury Records. This was the first album Bon Jovi released after the dismissal of original bass guitarist Alec John Such, and their first album to be recorded officially as four-piece band (without an official bassist, but featured Hugh McDonald as a session/touring member on bass guitar). The album, produced by Peter Collins, Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora, is praised by many critics and fans as their best album. These Days is overall a darker album in contrast to the band's usual brand of feel-good, inspiring rock songs and love ballads.

<i>Trash</i> (Alice Cooper album) 1989 studio album by Alice Cooper

Trash is the eleventh solo studio album by American rock musician Alice Cooper. It was released on July 25, 1989, by Epic Records. The album features the single "Poison", Cooper's first top ten hit since his single "You and Me" in 1977 and marked a great success in Cooper's musical career, reaching the Top 20 of various album charts and selling more than two million copies. Trash features John McCurry on guitar, Hugh McDonald of Bon Jovi on bass as well as Bobby Chouinard and Alan St. Jon, both from Billy Squier's solo band on drums and keyboards, respectively. The album was the "biggest hit among his hair metal albums", peaking at number two in the UK and number 20 in the US.

<i>Have a Nice Day</i> (Bon Jovi album) 2005 studio album by Bon Jovi

Have a Nice Day is the ninth studio album by American rock band Bon Jovi, released on September 20, 2005. Produced by John Shanks, the album was recorded at Sanctuary Sound II in New Jersey, and Ocean Way Recording in Hollywood, California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Livin' on a Prayer</span> 1986 single by Bon Jovi

"Livin' on a Prayer" is a song by the American rock band Bon Jovi, and is the band's second chart-topping single from their third album Slippery When Wet. Written by Jon Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora and Desmond Child, the single, released in late 1986, was well received at both rock and pop radio and its music video was given heavy rotation at MTV, giving the band their first No. 1 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart and their second consecutive No. 1 Billboard Hot 100 hit.

<i>Dancin on the Edge</i> 1984 studio album by Lita Ford

Dancin' on the Edge is second solo studio album by English/American rock musician Lita Ford. It was her final release with Mercury Records, as she departed to sign with RCA Records in 1987. The album was a moderate commercial success, reaching No. 66 of the US Billboard 200 chart. The album was also nominated for a Grammy Award in category of Best Female Rock Vocal Performance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Runaway (Bon Jovi song)</span> 1984 single by Bon Jovi

"Runaway" is the debut single by American rock band Bon Jovi. It was originally recorded in 1981 for the so-called "Power Station Demos" at the beginning of singer Jon Bon Jovi's career, featuring the vocalist backed by session musicians.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phil X</span> Canadian rock guitarist

Theofilos Xenidis, better known as Phil X, is a Canadian musician, singer and songwriter. Since 2013, he has played lead guitar with Bon Jovi and officially replaced former lead guitarist Richie Sambora in 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Real Life (Bon Jovi song)</span> 1999 single by Bon Jovi

"Real Life" is a song by American rock band Bon Jovi, released in 1999. It is taken from the soundtrack of the film EDtv.

<i>Lost Highway: The Concert</i> 2007 live album / Video album by Bon Jovi

Lost Highway: The Concert is the fourth live DVD from American rock band Bon Jovi. The DVD shows the band performing the Lost Highway album in its entirety to an audience of approximately 2,000 people in Chicago Illinois. It is the first time in the band's history that they have performed an entire album in sequence live. After they completed performing the album in its entirety, the band played three of their hits: "It's My Life", "Wanted Dead or Alive" and "Who Says You Can't Go Home". The concert was released as a bonus audio disk with the German and UK version of Lost Highway on May 16, 2008, under the name Lost Highway: Tour Edition.

Dean Fasano was the lead singer of the bands Message and Prophet.

Bon Jovi Live! was a concert tour by the rock band Bon Jovi. Staged in support of the band's thirteenth studio album Burning Bridges, the tour played arenas and open-air venues in 2015. It began on September 11, 2015, in Jakarta, Indonesia, at the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium and continued through Asia, ending on October 3, 2015, in Tel Aviv, Israel, at Yarkon Park. It was the band's first tour without the guitarist Richie Sambora.

<i>This House Is Not for Sale</i> 2016 studio album by Bon Jovi

This House Is Not for Sale is the fourteenth studio album by American rock band Bon Jovi. Released on November 4, 2016, by Island Records. It is their first studio album with Phil X on lead guitar after replacing founding member Richie Sambora in 2013, as well as the first album to feature bassist Hugh McDonald as an official member after having played with the band in a touring/session capacity since 1994.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">This House Is Not for Sale (song)</span> 2016 single by Bon Jovi

"This House Is Not for Sale" is a song by American rock band Bon Jovi from their thirteenth studio album, This House Is Not for Sale. It was released as the album's lead single on August 12, 2016. The song was written by Jon Bon Jovi, John Shanks, and Billy Falcon, and it was produced by Bon Jovi and Shanks. Bon Jovi has said of "This House Is Not for Sale": "this song is about integrity and what we were going through these last three years. We've become even closer and, as the song says, 'this heart, this soul, this house is not for sale.'" It is the first single to feature new guitarist Phil X, who was also a co-writer. The song also features the promotion of unofficial bassist Hugh McDonald to a full-time band member.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">This House Is Not for Sale Tour</span> 2017–19 concert tour by Bon Jovi

The This House Is Not for Sale Tour was a concert tour by American rock band Bon Jovi in support of their album This House Is Not for Sale. The tour marked the first time of Phil X and Hugh McDonald as official members of the band.

Alexander John Such was an American musician, singer and record producer. Best known as the bassist of the rock band Bon Jovi from 1983 to 1994, he played on their first five albums.

References

  1. Clark, Kelly (January 12, 2022). "Hugh McDonald On Becoming One Of The Most Sought-After Bassists In The Music Industry". Dan Clark. Retrieved February 3, 2023.
  2. Jordan, Chris. "Bon Jovi in Rock Hall: Bassist Hugh McDonald is going in, too". Asbury Park Press. Retrieved February 3, 2023.
  3. "Bon Jovi Always in My Heart - Jon Bon Jovi and the Big Dogs, Destination Anywhere tour 1997 | Facebook". www.facebook.com. Retrieved February 3, 2023.
  4. "Trash". alicecooper.com. Retrieved March 16, 2022.
  5. 1 2 3 4 "Bon Jovi bassist Hugh McDonald not living on a prayer — he's living in Utah". Deseret News. March 14, 2018. Retrieved March 16, 2022.
  6. "3 Famous Bands with A "Silent Partner"". November 4, 2013.
  7. Metal Edge, June 1996
  8. "Bon Jovi Bassist Hugh McDonald Upgrades His WFH, Virtual Concert Tech". CEPRO. April 29, 2021. Retrieved March 16, 2022.
  9. "Jake from Jake J and the Killjoys is the Owner of the Haunted Smoking Pipe that Belonged to Infamous Serial Killer Ted Bundy". Rock 'N' Load. July 11, 2021. Archived from the original on March 17, 2022.
  10. "Read Bon Jovi's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Speeches". Rolling Stone. April 15, 2018. Retrieved March 16, 2022.