Woodstock legend Country Joe McDonald dead at 84

Woodstock legend Country Joe McDonald dead at 84 — Pagesix
Source: Pagesix

Country Joe McDonald, the lead singer of Country Joe and the Fish, has died. The iconic singer, born Joseph Allen McDonald, was 84. He died Saturday evening, TMZ reported, and his cause of death is unclear.

Country Joe and the Fish, co-founded by McDonald and Barry "The Fish" Melton, were known for psychedelic folk rock and their memorable 1969 Woodstock performance. The group became one of the most influential acts in the San Francisco music scene in the mid to late ’60s, addressing counterculture issues like protesting the Vietnam War and recreational drug use.

They released two albums in 1967 — "Electric Music for the Mind and Body" and "I-Feel-Like-I’m-Fixin’-to-Die" — and are remembered for songs such as "I-Feel-Like-I’m-Fixin’-to-Die Rag," one of the era’s most recognizable anti-Vietnam War protest songs. The band disbanded in 1971; McDonald went on to a solo career and continued to release songs with political messages.

country joe, barry melton, woodstock, psychedelic rock, folk rock, san francisco, vietnam war, protest song, 1969, electric music