Glenn McDonald

Who was Glenn McDonald?

William Glenn McDonald was a Canadian jazz saxophonist.

Born in Vancouver, British Columbia, McDonald became rebellious as a teen and ended up in a reform school run by the Christian Brothers of Ireland. At the age of fourteen, he discovered the saxophone and Charlie Parker. He eventually moved to Toronto, and became a regular on Canada’s jazz scene from the 1960s through the 1980s.

McDonald migrated to Toronto and joined the Soul Searchers – a well-known R&B band in Canada - in 1969. It was fronted by Dianne Brooks and Eric Mercury, with Terry Logan on guitar, William "Smitty" Smith on organ, and Eric “Mouse” Johnson on drums. Glenn replaced Steve Kennedy on saxophone. Later, Glenn teamed up with arranger Ray Sicora and Jim Heineman to form a film soundtrack production company. The company recorded four compositions by Smitty Smith. Engineered by Phil Sheridan, these sessions included several horn players that would eventually become the Boss Brass, as well as string players from the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. The plan was for the label to become Canada’s answer to Motown, and the recordings from these sessions are classics, with Glenn the featured soloist on the only instrumental. Unfortunately, these recordings ended up in litigation and were never released.