Country Joe McDonald, singer of Country Joe and the Fish and author of the anti-Vietnam War anthem “I-Feel-Like-I'm-Fixin'-to-Die Rag,” died Saturday at the age of 84.
An iconic voice of the 1960s counterculture
The group's official social media account announced McDonald's death on Sunday. “We are deeply saddened to announce the death of Country Joe McDonald, who died yesterday, March 7, at the age of 84, in Berkeley, California, from complications related to Parkinson's disease”wrote the group. “He was surrounded by his family. »
An official obituary stated that “McDonald was widely recognized as one of the defining voices of the countercultural movement of the 1960s. His music blended folk, rock and political commentary, capturing the spirit of a generation deeply affected by social upheaval, civil rights struggles and the Vietnam War. »
Inspired by Woody Guthrie and the folk and protest music of the era, McDonald, born in Washington DC and raised in California, founded Country Joe and the Fish alongside Barry “The Fish” Melton. The duo played their darkly humorous songs in Bay Area coffeehouses in the early 1960s, before sharing the bill with other San Francisco bands like Jefferson Airplane and Quicksilver Messenger Service.
“I-Feel-Like-I'm-Fixin'-to-Die Rag”, the anti-war anthem
McDonald, who recorded more than 30 albums during a prolific career spanning from the early 1960s to the mid-2010s, was best known for his 1965 protest track, “I-Feel-Like-I'm-Fixin'-to-Die Rag,” written early in the United States' involvement in the Vietnam War. McDonald said he wanted “write a song about how soldiers have no choice and must obey orders, but with the irreverence of rock & roll. It was basically punk rock before punk existed.”he told the New York Times in 2017.
The track, originally released as an acoustic version on a McDonald's Rag Baby magazine EP, was later covered on Country Joe and the Fish's second album, I-Feel-Like-I'm-Fixin'-to-Die Rag (1967), the group adding the famous “The 'Fish' Cheer”.
A legendary moment at Woodstock
Country Joe and the Fish also delivered a memorable set at the 1969 Woodstock festival. “I always say that Woodstock was like a family picnic; it was fun”McDonald told WECB in 2019 for the 50th anniversary of the festival. “You can't underestimate the fact that we had fun. »
At the concert, where the band sang “The 'Fish' Cheer” and “I-Feel-Like-I'm-Fixin'-to-Die Rag”, McDonald led the huge crowd in a chant spelling out the word “fuck”, an act considered obscene in the late 1960s – and which had led to McDonald being arrested during previous performances – but which was nevertheless preserved in the documentary devoted to the festival. “It was just amazing that they agreed to leave him in the film in 1969”McDonald told WECB.
Solo career and political involvement
However, after their legendary performance at Woodstock, Country Joe and the Fish broke up, and McDonald began a solo career with Thinking of Woody Guthrie in 1969, a collection of songs by the legendary folker. In 1970, McDonald was among the artists called to testify at the Chicago Seven trial.
In addition to a long musical career, McDonald remained politically engaged, campaigning in particular for the protection of whales and aid to veterans of the Vietnam War.
