Forrest McDonald

Fifty-four seconds into the 1978 Bob Seger classic, Old Time Rock and Roll, you'll hear what is perhaps Forrest McDonald's biggest claim to fame: the iconic guitar solo! It resulted from being in the right place at the right time. At his father's suggestion, McDonald stopped by the famed Muscle Shoals studio in Alabama one day and a producer asked if he had his guitar. McDonald laid down the track that two months later was purchased by Seger for the song. Born in 1950 in Austin, Texas, McDonald made his way to the Richmond area six years ago from Atlanta. McDonald says he's had a burning desire to be a professional musician since he was 14, learning to write songs and learning to play blues, jazz, rock, R & B and folk music. When I started, McDonald admits, I had no rhythm and was tone deaf. He gave up the drums, picked up a guitar and never looked back. He has a platinum record for the Seger album with his guitar work, Stranger in Town, and a gold one for the 2002 soundtrack to the Sean Penn movie, I Am Sam, on which he sang backup on several Beatles cover tunes. McDonald has written nearly 200 songs and is currently working on developing as a solo acoustic artist, producing a band, performing with his wife, Kaylon, and writing an autobiography with what he calls a unique look at how America has changed over his lifetime.