Mitch MacDonald (born October 22, 1985) is a Canadian singer who was runner-up in season 6 of the reality series Canadian Idol.
Early life
MacDonald is from Port Hood, Nova Scotia on Cape Breton Island.[1] He grew up in a family of seven siblings.[2] He worked primarily as a carpenter before Idol.[3] He cites his musical influences as including fellow Cape Bretoner Gordie Sampson. Bright Eyes is one of his favourite bands.[4]
Canadian Idol
On Canadian Idol in 2008, MacDonald worked with such artists as Anne Murray, Simple Plan, Gavin Rossdale, and Tom Jones.[2] During his run on Idol, he never appeared in the "bottom two" or "bottom three".[5]
Music writer Martha Worboy described MacDonald's music as "tender, mostly acoustic renderings."[6] He received accolades in particular for his rendition of Joel Plaskett's "Love This Town", which drew comparisons to Paul Simon from the judges.[7] Nova Scotia Premier Rodney MacDonald, a musician himself before entering politics, said, "The key to his success throughout the contest was that he remained true to his musical roots."[8]
Performances
| Week | Theme | Mentor | Song | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Semi-final Group 1 | Top 24 | "Follow Through" | Gavin DeGraw | |
| Semi-final Group 2 | Top 20 | "I'm Yours" | Jason Mraz | |
| Semi-final Group 2 | Top 16 | "Blue" | The Jayhawks | |
| Top 10 | Songs of David Bowie | "Moonage Daydream" | David Bowie | |
| Top 9 | Hits by Dead Artists | "Angel Eyes" | The Jeff Healey Band | |
| Top 8 | Week of Unplugged Music | Gavin Rossdale | "Oh, Atlanta" | Alison Krauss |
| Top 7 | UK Top 10 | Tom Jones | "Jealous Guy" | John Lennon |
| Top 6 | Canada Rocks Canadian Rock n' Roll |
Simple Plan | "Love This Town" | Joel Plaskett |
| Top 5 | Judges' Theme Lennon–McCartney |
"In My Life" | The Beatles | |
| Top 4 | Music of Anne Murray Idol's Choice |
Anne Murray | "Cotton Jenny" "Between the Bars" |
Anne Murray Elliott Smith |
| Top 3 | Songs of Bryan Adams | Bryan Adams | "Heat of the Night" "When You Love Someone" |
Bryan Adams |
| Top 2 | Idol's Choice Idol Single Judges' Choice |
John Legend Hedley |
"Paris" "Where We Begin" "If" |
Gordie Sampson Mitch MacDonald Bread |
Post-Idol
MacDonald toured Canada as part of the Top 3 Tour, with Theo Tams, and Drew Wright.[9][10]
As of 2010, he continued to tour occasionally, both in his home province and in other parts of Canada, and he started work on an album.[11]
References
- ^ Keilty, Lindsey (August 29, 2008). "'It's just a crazy cool experience'". The Weekly News. Archived from the original on July 26, 2011. Retrieved January 30, 2011.
- ^ a b Pottie, Erin (August 23, 2008). "Archived copy". Cape Breton Post. Archived from Welcome home Mitch the original on January 19, 2013. Retrieved December 24, 2017.
{{cite news}}: Check|url=value (help)CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ Brioux, Bill (September 11, 2008). "West bests East as another Idol is crowned", Toronto Star, p. E1.
- ^ Levine, Sheri (September 12, 2008). "Second-place finish won't stop this singer", The Province, p. B8.
- ^ Millar, Sarah (September 11, 2008). "Canadian Idol: Mitch MacDonald on being the runner up". National Post. Retrieved January 30, 2011.[permanent dead link]
- ^ Worboy, Martha (September 11, 2008). "Lethbridge piano man tops in season six: Soaring vocals carry Theo Tams to victory over Mitch MacDonald", Canwest News Service. Reprinted in Edmonton Journal, p. D1.
- ^ (September 5, 2008). "Mitch MacDonald Age: 22 Hometown: Port Hood, Nova Scotia Pre-Idol Occupation: Carpenter Archived 24 December 2017 at the Wayback Machine", Niagara Falls Review. Retrieved December 24, 2017.
- ^ Keilty, Lindsey (September 19, 2008). "First in the hearts of Nova Scotians". The Halifax West Weekly News. Archived from the original on July 26, 2011. Retrieved January 28, 2011.
- ^ "Mitch MacDonald is still Cape Breton's idol". CBC News. September 11, 2008. Retrieved December 24, 2017.
- ^ (October 24, 2008). "Top 3 Tour books Winnipeg", Winnipeg Free Press, p. W1.
- ^ Hicks, Duane (September 1, 2010). "'Idol' finalist enjoys visit here". Fort Frances Times. Archived from the original on July 11, 2011. Retrieved February 3, 2011.
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