The time has come. “After much consideration,” Berkeley’s own Country Joe McDonald writes on his website, “it occurred to me that no one will ever do a tribute to me . . . at least while I am alive. And so I am proud to introduce my own tribute to myself: Country Joe McDonald's Tribute to Country Joe McDonald. Using the same format I used with my tribute to Woody Guthrie and my tribute to Florence Nightingale, I will sing songs and tell stories. Among those stories will be how County Joe and The Fish started the smoking banana thing and how the Fish Cheer turned into the F*** Cheer and lots of other fun stuff. Also singing those great audience favorites from over the decades.”

Way back in the early 1960s, after serving a hitch in the U.S. Navy and singing folk songs on Telegraph Avenue, Joe became an anti-war activist, a rock music icon, and a staunch advocate for veterans and the environment. His ground-breaking band, Country Joe and the Fish, gained fame for performing at rallies and demonstrations against the war in Vietnam and for its high-flying psychedelic music that became a staple of college, progressive, and underground radio stations. In recent decades Joe has continued to bring his music to audiences around the world and to campaign for the issues closest to his heart. His new album, Time Flies By, features 25 songs from his rich career as a solo artist and band leader.

Don’t miss this hometown favorite at the Freight. Nobody does a tribute to Country Joe like Country Joe.

Visit Country Joe's website

Listen to a track from Country Joe McDonald: