John McDonald
Blues | Americana | Country
New Album
BLUES AND BEYOND
The latest blues release from John McDonald and Mark Maxwell, available April 20, 2026
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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 in itself. Recorded over six months between a converted barn in the Berkshires and a basement studio in Athens, Georgia, the album captures the spontaneity of two musicians who've been playing together for decades.
"We didn't want to overthink it," John says. "Mark would start a riff, I'd find the melody, and we'd just let the song tell us where it wanted to go. Some of the best takes on this record were the first ones."
The result is an album that feels both intimate and expansive — campfire confessionals that open up into wide, cinematic landscapes of sound.
