Clarence “Mac” McDonald, a keyboard player, producer, songwriter and arranger who worked with artists including James Taylor, Ray Charles, Bill Withers and the Emotions, died in Las Vegas July 21 from complications related to cancer, his friends and family reported. He was 76.
Albums he played on as a keyboard player include Barbra Streisand’s “Butterfly,” James Taylor’s “JT,” “Gorilla” and “In the Pocket,” Linda Ronstadt’s “Prisoner in Disguise,” “Simple Dreams” and “Hasten Down the Wind,” Daryl Hall & John Oates’ self-titled LP, Seals & Crofts’ “Summer Breeze,” Cheech & Chong’s “Big Bambu” and Rickie Lee Jones’ “Pirates.” Among the classic singles he played on were the Jackson Five’s “I Want You Back” and Hall & Oates’ “Sara Smile.
Others McDonald worked with as a producer, arranger or writer included Patti LaBelle, Johnny Mathis, Freddie Hubbard, Friends of Distinction, the Fifth Dimension, Billy Preston, Stanley Turrentine, the Whispers, the Memphis Horns and Nancy Wilson. Some of his early success as a songwriter came as a co-writer on most of the songs on Deniece Williams’ debut album, “This Is Niecy.”
Said jazz pianist and producer Mike Lipskin, “Producing fusion albums at RCA in the 1970s I first had the fine pleasure of working with and getting to know Clarence McDonald, a very adept session keyboard player and arranger. We were close friends for the next 45 years, allowing me to appreciate his warmth, musicality and deep intelligence. This is a profound loss for me and music.”
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