Country Joe McDonald Dies: ‘I-Feel-Like-I’m-Fixin’-to-Die Rag’ Singer Remembered
Country Joe McDonald, the singer and songwriter whose defiant anthem I-Feel-Like-I’m-Fixin’-to-Die Rag
became a defining protest song of the Vietnam War era, has died at the age of 84. His death was reported on .
While McDonald released a substantial body of perform – over 30 solo albums alongside six studio albums and two live albums with Country Joe and the Fish – We see I-Feel-Like-I’m-Fixin’-to-Die Rag
that secured his place in music history. The song, released in 1967 as the title track of his band’s second album, was a darkly humorous and scathing critique of the war and the political climate surrounding it.
Country Joe and the Fish, though never achieving mainstream chart dominance – their album Together peaked at No. 23 in the US in 1968, and I-Feel-Like… reached No. 67 – were pivotal in channeling the anxieties and frustrations of a nation grappling with the Vietnam War, civil unrest, and political assassinations. They were also central figures in the burgeoning psychedelic rock scene of San Francisco’s Bay Area, alongside bands like the Grateful Dead and Jefferson Airplane, known for their light shows and improvisational performances.
The song’s enduring legacy was cemented by McDonald’s solo performance at the Woodstock festival. Armed with only an acoustic guitar, he delivered the song to a crowd of approximately 400,000, its biting lyrics – come on mothers throughout the land, pack your boys off to Vietnam…
and Be the first one on your block to have your boy come home in a box
– resonating deeply with an audience weary of escalating casualties and the seemingly endless conflict. The performance became a celebrated moment in the subsequent Woodstock film.
McDonald’s musical journey began before Country Joe and the Fish. He was a member of groups like the Instant Action Jug Band, which also featured guitarist Barry Melton (nicknamed “The Fish”), and the Berkeley String Quartet. He also contributed to the vibrant music scene in Berkeley, California, appearing on the Midnight Special radio show on KPFA and co-launching the San Francisco music magazine Rag Baby in with Eugene “ED” Denson, who later became the manager of Country Joe and the Fish.
The band initially formed as an acoustic folk group but quickly transitioned into an electric rock band, releasing their debut album, Electric Music for the Mind and Body, in . A single from the album, Not So Sweet Martha Lorraine
, briefly charted, reaching No. 98 on the Billboard singles chart.
Born in Washington D.C. On , Joseph Allen McDonald was the son of Florence (nee Plotnik) and Worden McDonald. He grew up in El Monte, California. His father, originally from Oklahoma, hailed from a farming background near Okemah, the birthplace of folk singer Woody Guthrie. His mother was the daughter of Russian Jewish immigrants and served as Berkeley’s city auditor for many years.
McDonald’s upbringing was shaped by his parents’ staunch communist beliefs. They named him after Joseph Stalin, whose nickname was “Country Joe.” He recalled a relatively isolated childhood, stating, My family were the only communists in the entire area, and we lived a very isolated life.
His father lost his job after being called to testify before the House Un-American Activities Committee in the 1950s, a consequence of their political affiliations.
Music entered McDonald’s life through a Hawaiian guitar gifted by his father, and he began writing songs as a teenager. He also demonstrated musical talent as a trombone player, leading the marching band at Arroyo High School in El Monte.
He served in the US Navy for three years, stationed in Japan. This experience, surprisingly, fostered some empathy for the military, leading him to emphasize that Fixin’-to-Die Rag
just blamed the politicians and it blamed the manufacturers of weapons. It didn’t blame the soldiers.
Following his naval service, he briefly attended Los Angeles State College before relocating to Berkeley, where he became immersed in the burgeoning folk music and political protest scene of the early 1960s.
In , McDonald embarked on a solo career with the release of Thinking of Woody Guthrie, a tribute album featuring covers of Guthrie’s songs. Country Joe and the Fish disbanded in (though they briefly reunited for the Reunion album in ), and McDonald continued to record and perform as a solo artist, exploring both folk and rock styles, often with a political edge.
McDonald’s activism extended beyond his music. He testified at the Chicago Seven trial in , alongside figures like Tom Hayden and Abbie Hoffman, relating to protests against the Vietnam War during the Democratic National Convention. He was also a vocal advocate for environmental causes, particularly the Save the Whales campaign, and supported Greenpeace.
His later albums, War War War () – based on poems by Robert W. Service – and Vietnam Experience (), delved into the themes of combat and its aftermath. He actively supported Vietnam veterans, contributing to the establishment of veterans’ memorials in Berkeley and San Francisco. He participated in the Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans benefit concert in , sharing the stage with Neil Young and Stevie Wonder.
McDonald also made appearances in film and television, including roles in Roger Corman’s Gas-s-s-s (), the psychedelic Western Zachariah (), and More American Graffiti (). He also appeared in the television series Tales of the City in .
McDonald is survived by his fourth wife, Kathy Wright, and their children, Ryan and Emily; his daughter, Seven Anne, from his second marriage to Robin Menken; and his son, Devin, and daughter, Tara, from his third marriage to Janice Taylor.