How The Grateful Dead Inspired Paul McCartney To Return To Live Music After a 10-Year Hiatus
Paul McCartney has rarely taken time off. In fact, well into his 80s, the former Beatle and rock star still tours semi-regularly and knows how to put on one heck of a live show. Surprisingly, though, there was a time when McCartney really didn’t feel like performing live. And we’re not talking about The Beatles’ inevitable retirement from live music, several years before they officially broke up. Rather, we’re talking about a 10-year period from 1979 to 1989 in which McCartney refused to tour.
Paul McDonald & The Mourning Doves perform as part of Underground Sound Series in Beaver Creek
Paul McDonald ultimately has remained true to himself and his authentic voice throughout his 20-some years touring, but it wasn’t always easy. Raised in Alabama, he grew up listening to Southern Rock bands like The Allman Brothers and Lynyrd Skynyrd. Then, he discovered the sounds of the late 1960s and ’70s in the form of the Laurel Canyon scene through the likes of Crosby, Stills & Nash and Joni Mitchell. He fused that with a little Tom Petty, The Rolling Stones and Neil Young. At age 15, his dad gave him a guitar for Christmas, and he started writing songs.