Article Contributed by Gratefulweb
Published on 2026-03-09
Photo: Country Joe McDonald
Following the sad news of the passing of Country Joe McDonald, the vocalist of the legendary psychedelic rock band Country Joe and the Fish, Jorma Kaukonen of Jefferson Airplane and Hot Tuna shared the following reflections remembering his longtime friend and fellow traveler from the San Francisco music scene of the 1960s.
Country Joe McDonald
January 1, 1942 – March 7, 2026
You can neither run nor hide from death, or life. In the last month or two I have lost many friends from ‘my time,’ and I doubt it is going to get any better. It is just a moment of passing for my generation. In any case, I met Joe McDonald back in the mid 1960’s in San Francisco in a time when, as artists, the flexing of our young wings was beginning to stir a wind that was causing people to notice. My upbringing was certainly different than Joe’s. His parents were left wing activists and mine were civil servants with a social conscience. Somehow we both wound up in a milieu when, as children of the 60’s, we both found homes.
I always felt that Joe had a larger than life personality. He was a talented writer, player and singer but there was more to him than that. His art captured a different zeitgeist. He was an artist with a populist agenda that somehow seemed a little more tangible than the so-called psychedelic bands of the 60’s. He was closer to Joe Glazer than Donavon. His heart songs often reflect the plight of the people.
I remember when he came to our Fur Peace Ranch in Meigs County, Ohio a couple of times, the last being in 2012 which in itself seems a lifetime ago. We were walking together down the stone pathway from the Fur Peace Station Theater to the kitchen and dining area. We were just talking together about life paths as older men sometimes do and I remember he stopped and turned to. ‘Jorma, we were in our 50’s before we finally grew up.’ I thought about that for a second or two and then had to allow that it was certainly true.
Joe, may you roll on like the Columbia River you and Woody sang about. Roll on indeed…
