Snapp Shots: Berkeley’s Country Joe led praiseworthy life of music, service
By Martin Snapp
Published on March 10, 2026.
Berkeley's Country Joe McDonald, the co-founder and lead singer of the iconic 1960s psychedelic band Country Joe and the Fish, passed away on Saturday. McDonald, who had lived in Berkeley since the early '60s, co-founded the Fish with guitarist Barry Melton and played alongside artists such as the Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane, Jimi Hendrix, Canned Heat, Moby Grape, the Doors, Howlin’ Wolf, Richie Havens, Sam & Dave, and the Woodstock music festival. His most famous song was "I-Feel-Like-I’m-Fixin’-To-Die Rag," an antiwar ditty popular among American troops in Vietnam. Despite his criticism of the Vietnam War, he spent his life fighting for veterans' rights and served on city commissions on issues affecting veterans' issues. He also led the successful effort to create the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Berkeley and established the Vietnam veterans Memorial in San Francisco.
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