Career
Active since the 1970s, he performed and recorded with The Bushwackers, The Sundowners, Moving Cloud, and The Colonials. He became better known when he joined the folk-rock group Redgum in 1981. McDonald wrote a number of the group"s songs, including "The Diamantina Drover".
After lead singer John Schumann left the band in 1986, he took over as lead singer until the group disbanded in 1990.
Post-Redgum, he continued playing and recording music, and also taught music, including working with the Geelong Music College Orchestra. In addition, he has his own recording studios in Melbourne.
Hugh has also lent his musical and recording expertise to the production of the Poowong Consolidated Primary School"s annual music Civil Defense and more recently Digital Video Disc. From 2005 McDonald has been working with Schumann again as part of the Vagabond Crew, touring and performing on the albums Lawson and Behind the Lincolnshire. The latter album was recorded at McDonald"s studios.
McDonald has performed for Australian forces overseas several times.
In December 2009 he visited East Timor to play for Australian and New Zealand troops stationed there, in September–October 2011 he played for Australian troops in Afghanistan and in July 2013 he played for Australian troops and Australian Federal Police in the Solomon Islands. In 2014 he played for the Royal Australian Navy troops in Tanzania, Africa.
