Movies of War

American rock musician Country Joe McDonald performs at the last night at Fillmore East, a nightclub on Second Avenue, New York City, June 1971. Getty Images Trending on Billboard Country Joe McDonald, the counterculture musician whose Vietnam War protest anthem “I-Feel-Like-I’m-Fixin’-to-Die Rag” became a defining song of the 1960s protest movement, has died at age 84. Explore Billboard See latest videos, charts and news McDonald died at his home in Berkeley, Calif., from complications related to Parkinson’s disease, according to his wife, Kathy. News of his death was first reported Monday (March 9). Related Rita Ora Performs During Australia's Formula 1 Grand Prix Weekend G Flip and Vanessa Amorosi Perform 'Absolutely Everybody' at Melbourne Arena Show Justin Bieber Throws Water Bottle Toward Paparazzi During L.A. Date Night With Wife Hailey Born Joseph Allen McDonald on Jan. 1, 1942, in Washington, D.C., McDonald rose to prominence as the frontman of Country Joe and the Fish, a San Francisco Bay Area psychedelic rock band that emerged from the counterculture scene in the mid-1960s. The group blended politically charged lyrics with psychedelic rock and became closely associated with the anti-war movement of the era. McDonald’s most enduring composition, “I-Feel-Like-I’m-Fixin’-to-Die Rag,” became a rallying cry for Vietnam War protesters. The song reached global notoriety during McDonald’s solo appearance at the 1969 Woodstock festival, where he led the crowd through the now-famous “Fish Cheer,” a call-and-response chant that encouraged hundreds of thousands of attendees to spell out an expletive before launching into the anti-war anthem. Reflecting on the song decades later, McDonald said its message was intentionally aimed at political leadership rather than soldiers fighting in the conflict. “The important thing about the Fixin’ to Die Rag was that it had a new point of view that did not blame soldiers for war,” McDonald told Street Spirit in 2016, adding, “It just blamed the politicians, and it blamed the manufacturers of weapons. It didn’t blame the soldiers.” “Someone who was in the military could sing the song, and the attitude is, ‘Whoopee, we’re all going to die’. Most peace songs of the era blamed the soldiers for the war.” Country Joe and the Fish released their debut album, Electric Music for the Mind and Body, in 1967. The record helped establish the band within the San Francisco psychedelic rock movement alongside groups such as Jefferson Airplane and Grateful Dead. Two of the band’s albums reached the top 40 of the Billboard 200 during the late 1960s, cementing their place in the era’s rock landscape even as peers like Jefferson Airplane and the Grateful Dead achieved broader commercial success. After the group dissolved in the 1970s, McDonald continued recording and performing as a solo artist, releasing dozens of albums across folk, rock and politically themed songwriting. His 1986 album Vietnam Experience revisited the cultural impact of the war that had defined much of his early work. Before launching his music career, McDonald served in the U.S. Navy from 1959 to 1962. He moved to the San Francisco Bay Area in 1965 and soon co-founded Country Joe and the Fish in Berkeley with guitarist Barry “The Fish” Melton. Although his commercial peak came during the late 1960s counterculture era, McDonald remained active in music for decades, performing at festivals and continuing to write songs reflecting on war, politics and social change. His legacy remains closely tied to Woodstock and the protest music movement of the late 1960s — a period when rock musicians used their platforms to challenge political power and give voice to a generation shaped by war and cultural upheaval. Get weekly rundowns straight to your inbox Sign Up Leave a Comment Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked * Name * Email * Website Post Comment Want to know what everyone in the music business is talking about? Get in the know on Visit Billboard Pro for music business news