Country Joe & The Fish
'Country' Joe McDonald was born on January 1st, 1942, in El
Monte, California. Shades of his future political activism were
evident in his first song, written for a friend's campaign to
become President of his high school.
After four years in the US Navy McDonald spent a year at
college and then moved to Berkeley, where he began singing on the
campus and in local folk clubs.
He formed Country Joe and The Fish with guitarist Barry Melton
in 1967, and their first performances were at college
demonstrations where Joe's anti-Vietnam War song Fixin' To Die
became popular.
Country Joe and The Fish released their first Vanguard album
later that year (Electric Music For The Mind And Body) and followed it in 1968 with Fixin' To Die.
One of the few electric groups to sing protest and social comment
songs in the era of peace and 'flower power', the Fish's
popularity spread through the growing political youth movement of
the USA.
Through his appearance in Woodstock (including his
"give us an F" chant) he became well known in Europe
too.
In 1969 the band recorded their sixth and last album, C J
Fish, before Joe went solo and released his Thinking Of
Woody Guthrie album in 1969.
He followed this with the albums Tonight I'm Singing Just
For You, Hold On It's Coming, Incredible Live, Paris
Sessions and Country Joe McDonald, as well as lecturing
and appearing in films including the 'psychedelic western' Zachariah
and a film about American involvement in Chilean affairs.
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