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Joseph McDonald, the lead singer of Country Joe and the Fish, died Saturday in Berkeley, Calif, Fox News Digital confirmed. He was 84.
Better known as “Country Joe,” the rock star died following a decline in health due to Parkinson’s Disease.
Country Joe McDonald died Saturday in the Bay Area. He was 84. (kpa/United Archives)
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He is survived by his wife of 43 years, Kathy McDonald; children Seven McDonald, Devin McDonald, Tara Taylor McDonald, Emily McDonald Primus, and Ryan McDonald; and grandchildren, Celia, Reuben, Kepler, and Marcus.
Born on Jan. 1, 1942 in Washington, D.C., Joseph Allen McDonald grew up in the Los Angeles suburb of El Monte.
He enlisted in the U.S. Navy while still a teenager, and was stationed in Japan for three years.
Country Joe and the Fish was founded in 1965. (Michael Ochs Archive)
Founded in 1965 by McDonald and Barry “The Fish” Melton, the group’s lead guitarist, Country Joe and the Fish heavily influenced the San Francisco music scene in the ‘60s with counterculture anthems, including “I-Feel-Like-I’m-Fixin’-to-Die Rag.”
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The song became one of the most recognizable anti-Vietnam War protest hits. In 1969, Country Joe led “The Fish Cheer” to nearly 500,000 people at the Woodstock music festival before playing the tune.
Speaking of the signature song, he told the New York Times in 2017 that he “was inspired to write a song about how soldiers have no choice in the matter, but to follow orders, but with the irreverence of rock ‘n’ roll. It was essentially punk rock before punk existed.”
“I-Feel-Like-I’m-Fixin’-to-Die Rag” became an anti-Vietnam War protest anthem after Country Joe’s Woodstock performance. (Jorgen Angel)
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While the group disbanded in 1970, Country Joe continued his activism work with groups including Vietnam Veterans Against War and Swords to Plowshares, a 501(c)(3) dedicated to “helping veterans as they navigate the challenges of post-military life so that they can achieve health, housing, wellness, and stability.”
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