Hugh McDonald Bass player for Bon Jovi Date of Birth: 28.12.1950 Country: USA

Biography of Hugh McDonald

Hugh McDonald was born in 1950 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. He began playing the bass guitar in his teenage years, inspired by the music of Paul McCartney. At the advice of his parents, he started taking lessons and by the early 1970s, Hugh had already become a professional session bassist. During this period, he met Steve Goodman and collaborated on several albums. Their collaboration continued until Steve's death in 1984.

After meeting guitarist David Bromberg, McDonald joined his band and embarked on a tour together with the David Bromberg Band. In the early 1980s, Hugh moved to New York and recorded at the Power Station studio under the guidance of Tony Bongiovi. It was there that he was introduced to Tony's cousin, Jon Bon Jovi. Their collaboration began with the song "She Don't Know Me," in which McDonald was asked to play bass. He also participated in the recording of the hit song "Runaway." This encounter with Jon Bon Jovi can be considered being in the right place at the right time, as it happened before the band Bon Jovi even existed. McDonald recalls, "I worked with Jon Bon Jovi when there was no band called 'Bon Jovi'." He saw something in the young ambitious rocker that made him believe in him, stating, "I felt that this guy might become a star. In his young years, he worked hard for his future, and it paid off. I don't know anyone else who gives himself so much to his work, and that's one of the reasons why I love playing with him."

Since then, McDonald has frequently been involved in both live performances and studio work with the legendary band. Although he participated in almost every Bon Jovi album, he was not in the spotlight. The official bassist position was held by Alec John Such, but Hugh was always somewhere nearby. In 1995, when Alec John Such left the group, tired of the touring life, his place was taken by Hugh McDonald. Since then, he has been actively involved in all of the band's concerts and album recordings. The distinctive sound of Bon Jovi is largely influenced by the interplay between McDonald's bass guitar and Richie Sambora's guitar, as can be heard in the single "Everyday."

Despite his now official status as a member of the famous group, Hugh still prefers to remain "in the shadows." Nevertheless, the whole world knows him as the bassist of Bon Jovi. It is known that the musician has been married twice. He was married to his first wife from 1996 to 2006, and in the same year, he remarried Kelli. They currently reside in Park City, Utah.