Forrester has announced acclaimed musician and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Michael McDonald will serve as headline musical performer for its Security & Risk Global 2020, Data Strategy & Insights North America 2020, and Technology & Innovation Global 2020 virtual experiences. With a career encompassing five Grammys, numerous chart successes, and collaborations with some of the world’s most prominent artists, Michael McDonald is an enduring force in popular music.
In 2020, McDonald was elected to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the Doobie Brothers. In celebration of the group’s 50th anniversary, McDonald will tour with the band for the first time in nearly 25 years. “Wide Open,” McDonald’s first full-length record of all-new music in nearly a decade, came out in 2017 and received extensive critical acclaim.
Hailing from St. Louis, McDonald first honed his talents as a studio musician before becoming an integral part of the band Steely Dan. In the mid-1970s, McDonald was invited to join the Doobie Brothers, serving as singer, keyboardist, and songwriter on such Top 40 singles as “Takin’ It to the Streets” and “What a Fool Believes.” Throughout the 1980s and 1990s McDonald’s solo career saw a string of hits, including “I Keep Forgettin’ (Every Time You’re Near)” and the Grammy-winning James Ingram duet “Yah Mo B There.”
“Forrester was one of the first organizations to successfully pivot to a live virtual event format earlier this year, at a time when other organizations were canceling events,” said Lisa Riley, vice president of global events at Forrester. “Regardless of whether we organize events as live or virtual experiences, our mission is to deliver exceptional and immersive experiences to our attendees so that they derive the maximum value from attending Forrester events. Michael McDonald is a consummate professional who has spent his career adapting his unique style to complement legendary bands and artists, and we are truly excited for him to headline a ‘tour’ of our H2 2020 events.”
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