Blues | Americana | Country
To purchase music visit any of the major platforms, Bandcamp, Apple Music, Spotify, Hearnow etc ... You can also visit the music page to listen to the latest releases ...
The Artist
A Lifetime in the Blues
For over four decades, John McDonald has carried the blues from the stages of Massachusetts to the red clay roads of Athens, Georgia — and everywhere in between.
His sound is rooted in tradition but restless in spirit, blending Americana, folk, and classic roots music into something unmistakably his own.
A lifelong collaborator with guitarist and producer Mark Maxwell, John's music captures the raw honesty of lived experience. Every song is a story, every performance a conversation between the artist and the audience.
With Blues & Beyond, John delivers his most personal and ambitious work yet — a testament to the enduring power of the blues.
Discography
THE MUSIC
Blues & Beyond
2026
The latest collaboration with Mark Maxwell — twelve tracks of pure soul.
One Red Rose
2015
A moody, atmospheric album about love, loss, and what remains.
Feeling Blues
2023
A raw, emotionally charged collection born from late-night studio sessions.
On a Magnolia Wind
2012
Southern-fried blues and Americana, carried on a warm Georgia breeze.
Fools for Each Other
2020
Love songs, heartbreak, and two-stepping on a Southern porch at midnight.
Even Cowboys
2009
Where the blues meets the open range — dusty roads and wide horizons.
Blues & Beyond
2006
The album that started it all — raw, real, and rooted in tradition.
Press
What They're Saying
Behind the Music
In the Studio
The making of Blues & Beyond was a journey. Recorded over nine months in Mark Maxwell’s recording studio in Athens, Georgia, the album captures the spontaneity of a group of musicians who I've been playing together for many years.
“The blues is all about emotion. It doesn’t matter if it’s a song composed 100 years ago or an hour ago. If you don’t just hear it but feel it deep down in your soul, we’re talking about the blues”, says John.
A good blues album requires not only musicians with technical expertise but with the ability to feel the music and release that emotion it in their performances. John and Mark were fortunate to be able to partner with some of the best blues musicians in the South in the making of Blues & Beyond.
“We hope listeners of this album will have as much pleasure listening to it as we all did in making it”.
