Background
He grew up in a family of seven siblings.
He grew up in a family of seven siblings.
MacDonald is from Portuguese Hood, Nova Scotia on Cape Breton Island. He worked primarily as a carpenter before Idol. He cites his musical influences as including fellow Cape Bretoner Gordie Sampson.
Bright Eyes is one of his favourite bands.
On in 2008, MacDonald worked with such artists as Anne Murray, Simple Plan, Gavin Rossdale, and Tom Jones. During his run on Idol, he never appeared in the "bottom two" or "bottom three".
Music writer Martha Worboy described MacDonald"s music as "tender, mostly acoustic renderings." He received accolades in particular for his rendition of Joel Plaskett"s "Love This Town", which drew comparisons to Paul Simon from the judges. Nova Scotia Premier Rodney MacDonald, a musician himself before entering politics, said, "The key to his success throughout the contest was that he remained true to his musical roots." MacDonald toured Canada as part of the Top 3 Tour, with Theo Tams, and Drew Wright.
As of 2010, he continued to tour occasionally, both in his home province and in other parts of Canada, and he started work on an album.