Michael McDonald, Patient With ‘Blue Obsession’

The music business is merciless. Always attuned to the bottom line, record labels don’t hesitate to sever ties with artists who take too long to produce big dividends, even if that artist has a long and prosperous track record.

Such was the case with Michael McDonald. Both as a solo artist and as a member of the Doobie Brothers, the singer, songwriter and keyboardist has played a key role in records that have sold in excess of 10 million copies for Warner Bros. Yet he was dropped from the label’s roster in August 1997, a victim of record biz realpolitik.

“I know that things change and markets change,” says McDonald, now a Nashville resident. “Those are the realities of the business. Warner Bros. was a great label to be affiliated with. It’s the best label out there, and the fact that I was with them for 20 years was just an honor.”

McDonald, 47, gets another honor on Friday, when he receives the lifetime achievement award in musical excellence from the Yamaha Corp. at a tribute concert at the Shrine Auditorium. The event is part of the NAMM International Music Market, a huge convention showcasing most everything that makes music. In addition to McDonald, scheduled performers include Ray Charles, Boz Scaggs, Steve Winwood and the Doobie Brothers, and proceeds benefit four music-related charities.

Jeff Bridges and McDonald Found Label

McDonald is that rare performer who can go away for long periods of time and still seem present. His raspy, soulful wail powered such enduring Doobies records as “What a Fool Believes” and “Takin’ It to the Streets,” which can still be found in rotation on adult contemporary radio stations all over the country.

McDonald takes a long time between solo projects. His last album, “Blink of an Eye,” was released in 1993, and that was only his fourth album since the Doobie Brothers’ first official breakup in 1982.

“I think it takes longer for me to make a record than most artists,” says McDonald. “I’m not one of those guys that writes all the time. Most of my life is taken up with family. It takes me awhile to get a record together that I feel is worthy of putting out.”

Apparently, that time has come. After a few years of touring and writing, McDonald is ready to enter the arena again. His new album, the R&B-heavy; “Blue Obsession,” comes out later this month and will be the first release from Ramp Records, an independent label that McDonald co-founded with actor Jeff Bridges.

The two unlikely allies met two years ago through a mutual friend, studio designer Chris Pelonis. “We met surfing . . . in central California,” says McDonald. “Jeff needed help with some demos he was working on, so I offered to assist. That led to producing masters and then forming a label.”

Bridges, who sings and plays guitar and piano, will release his own solo album, “Be Here Soon,” in March (a free download of one track is available on Bridges’ Web site, https://www.jeffbridges.com).

The Business Side of Making Records

“We’re both kind of running around with our pants around our ankles right now,” says McDonald of the fledgling label. “We’re finding that having to deal with so many loose ends is just unbelievable.”

Bridges will be the host of Friday’s tribute at the Shrine, which is titled “The Yamaha NAMM Millennium Concert.”

“I’m really flattered,” says McDonald, who has endorsed Yamaha’s keyboard products for years. “For a corporate entity, their heart has always been in the right place. They’ve always provided a service for musicians at every level, from the guy making his 12th platinum album to the guy making his first demo.”

BE THERE

“The Yamaha NAMM Millennium Concert,” Friday at Shrine Auditorium, 665 W. Jefferson Blvd., Los Angeles. 7:30 p.m. $25. (323) 749-5123.