Nadirah Shakoor posted this video of Jimmy Buffett and the Coral Reefer Band doing “Knees of My Heart” in a hotel room in 1999 as Ralph contributes with plastic bags and sheets of paper. As Nadirah said, this is “one reason Ralph is hailed as one of the best.”

Mac McAnally also left a very nice remembrance on his Facebook page:

So as you may know by now the Coral Reefer Family lost a Big Brother this week. Ralph MacDonald was One of a Kind in a hundred ways, and was family to me in more than one way as well.

At first inspection we were as different as one could imagine. A white kid from small town Mississippi and a black kid from Harlem. A larger than life of the party guy and a boring Southern Baptist. But we both have these Irish names…. and nicknames (both called Mac). And it turns out we both put our families and our music far above all other things. Ralph lit up at the mention of his kids or his Grace or his music in a way that cannot be measured or faked.

And so the two Mac’s in the Coral Reefers turn out to be more alike than different. My life is better better for having known him. Because of Ralph I’m a better Musician and a better Father and there’s always room for improvement.

As a percussionist (the official term does not do him justice) he did what he did as well as it’s ever been done. Period.

I and my Daughters are blessed to call him family and his status does not change with his passing. He had and shared so much and I will never forget him.

A life well lived.

GodSpeed my Brother

Mac McAnally

Longtime Coral Reefer Ralph MacDonald died early this morning after battling lung cancer.

From his humble beginnings as the son of Caribbean immigrant parents, MacDonald followed his family’s musical heritage and, in the process, defined the the very nature of percussion in American music.

Our condolences to Ralph’s friends and family.

(H/T Bam Bam)

Update:

• Uncle Jim Mayer remembers Ralph
• Peter Mayer’s message on Facebook
• NY Daily News: “Ralph MacDonald dies at 67”

For the fourth year in a row singer/songwriter and Coral Reefer Band member Mac McAnally has won CMA Musician of the Year. The award was announced before the live airing of the 45th annual CMA Awards on Wednesday night.

Mac beat out Sam Bush, Jerry Douglas, Paul Franklin, and Dann Huff.

Be sure to pick up Mac’s new live album, Live in Muscle Shoals. Get it here.

Congratulations Mac!

Mac McAnally’s new live album drops in a week and you can watch a couple videos from the show that the live recordings were taken from.

Go to www.margaritaville.com to see Mac perform “Bound to Get Down” and “I Heard It Through The Grapevine.”

Here’s the track listing:

1. It’s a Crazy World
2. New Orleans Intro
3. Blame It On New Orleans
4. Down the Road Intro
5. Down the Road
6. Down by the River
7. Dark Ages Intro
8. Dark Ages
9. Pop Top Hop Intro
10. Pop Top Hop
11. Miracle
12. Cafe on the Corner Intro
13. Cafe on the Corner
14. Opinion on Love Intro
15. Opinion on Love
16. All These Years Intro
17. All These Years
18. This Time Intro
19. This Time
20. Bound to Get Down
21. Little Blue Phil
22. On Account of You
23. Last Man Standing
24. Back Where I Come From Intro
25. Back Where I Come From
26. It’s My Job
27. I Heard It Through The Grapevine

Go to www.macmcanallystore.com to pre-order Live in Muscle Shoals for $15.00.

Recorded live from the Norton Auditorium at the University of North Alabama during the W.C. Handy Music Festival, Mac put together an incredible band of musicians consisting of fellow Coral Reefers and Muscle Shoals/Nashville session friends in which they captivated the audience.

The album will be released October 11th.

As we reported last week, Mac McAnally is releasing a live album in October. If you pre-order through his website, you can get it autographed by Mac!

Go to www.macmcanallystore.com to pre-order Live in Muscle Shoals for $15.00.

Recorded live from the Norton Auditorium at the University of North Alabama during the W.C. Handy Music Festival, Mac put together an incredible band of musicians consisting of fellow Coral Reefers and Muscle Shoals/Nashville session friends in which they captivated the audience.

Track Listing:
1. It’s a Crazy World
2. New Orleans Intro
3. Blame It On New Orleans
4. Down the Road Intro
5. Down the Road
6. Down by the River
7. Dark Ages Intro
8. Dark Ages
9. Pop Top Hop Intro
10. Pop Top Hop
11. Miracle
12. Cafe on the Corner Intro
13. Cafe on the Corner
14. Opinion on Love Intro
15. Opinion on Love
16. All These Years Intro
17. All These Years
18. This Time Intro
19. This Time
20. Bound to Get Down
21. Little Blue Phil
22. On Account of You
23. Last Man Standing
24. Back Where I Come From Intro
25. Back Where I Come From
26. It’s My Job
27. I Heard It Through The Grapevine

You can also pre-order a non-autographed copy from Mailboat Records for $9.99. The album will be released October 11th.