“I wouldn’t have left,” McDonald told Big Bang magazine. He appeared on the first three of their four consecutive five-times platinum-certified albums, but was sacked in 1980 as Jones sought greater control over the group. McDonald formed Foreigner in 1976, alongside British guitarist Mick Jones (not the Clash guitarist) and US singer Lou Gramm. In 2002, former members of King Crimson, minus Fripp, reformed as the 21st Century Schizoid Band.
Foreigner lead singer dies free#
McDonald briefly rejoined King Crimson in 1974 before Fripp put the band on hiatus – though he would play with Fripp again in the 50-strong prog-jazz group Centipede, led by British free jazz pianist Keith Tippett. The departing pair released one album together, 1970’s McDonald and Giles, which reflected their poppier approach to prog. The band’s original lineup went their separate ways at the end of 1969, with McDonald and drummer Michael Giles diverging from the darker styles preferred by guitarist Robert Fripp. “When we made it – and I was basically at the forefront of the production – I wanted to make sure everything that went into the record would bear repeated listening and hopefully stand the test of time.”
McDonald told Ultimate Classic Rock that he wasn’t surprised the album had held up for more than 50 years. King Crimson: 21st Century Schizoid Man – video