Media Resources
Jim's Biography
After stints as a high school band director, cruise ship entertainer and air-traffic controller, Jim McDonough began selling his distinctive brand of soothing piano music in gift shops in eastern Iowa. Today, the International Steinway Concert and Recording Artist’s CDs are available in nearly 1,000 stores across the country and via his Web site, www.pianofavorites.com. Jim’s independent record label, Jim McDonough Productions, Inc., has already sold more than 125,000 of his CDs.
The road to success, though, has been paved with detours. In eighth
grade, an accident nearly ended his musical career. A falling piano
crushed three fingers on his right hand - and nearly crushed his
dreams in the process. Jim emerged from two hours of surgery with
pins in his fingers and tiny fractures across his hand. But throughout
more than a year of physical therapy, Jim kept playing -- with a
cast on his right hand -- and concentrated on improving his performance
with his left hand. "Playing the piano defined me," McDonough says.
"It was my life, and I was determined to play again." He devoted
nearly every spare moment to working to get back the dexterity in
his right hand, and the rigorous rehearsing paid off. In ninth grade,
instead of a car, Jim bought a Steinway grand piano to celebrate
how far he'd come.
His debut CD Requests, released in 2002,
features timeless solo piano music, including favorites such as
My Heart Will Go On (from Titanic), Time to Say Goodbye,
and All I Ask of You (from Phantom of the Opera). Jim's
first holiday CD, Home for Christmas,
includes 13 tunes, including O Holy Night, Have Yourself
a Merry Little Christmas, Christmas Time is Here (from
A Charlie Brown Christmas) and The Prayer. His early
2004 collection of movie music, Projections: Songs from the
Silver Screen, features familiar film themes including Theme
from On Golden Pond, Brian's Song and Through
The Eyes Of Love (from Ice Castles). An Ivory Christmas
is a taste of Jim's live holiday show, and features a combination
of solo piano pieces and holiday tunes with vocals and full orchestrations,
including We Need a Little Christmas, My Favorite Things
and Ave Maria. Music of the Night
is a collection of sophisticated, relaxing and romantic evening-inspired
melodies including Some Enchanted Evening, Moon River
and Somewhere Out There. Simple Gifts
features 14 songs of faith and inspiration, including On Eagle's
Wings, You Raise Me Up and How Great Thou Art.
With Love is filled with timeless, most-often-requested
love songs, including Unchained Melody, Unforgettable,
and Somewhere My Love. Homeward Bound
features melodies designed to accompany us on the many stages of
our journeys through life, including You'll Never Walk Alone,
Climb Ev'ry Mountain and Danny Boy.
New in 2008,
Country Dreaming, features 16 classic country
melodies, including
Crazy,
Always on My Mind and
Tennessee Waltz.
A
Christmas to Remember is Jim’s second holiday
album, and filled with such favorites as
Mary Did You Know?,
Silver Bells and
Joy to the World.
Rat Pack Remembered features one full hour of Jim’s
distinctive solo piano arrangements of the most beloved hits of
Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Sammy Davis, Jr., including
My Way,
Everybody Loves Somebody Sometime and
Mr. Bojangles. Isn’t
It Romantic, the second CD in his series of classic
love songs including
The Rose,
Tenderly, and
When I Fall in Love. New in 2011,
Christmas Eve is Jim’s latest holiday album and
includes such favorites as
Carol of the Bells, Away in a Manger and
The First Noel. And McDonough’s most recent release,
Young At Heart, featuring
beloved themes from timeless movies for the young – and the young at
heart, including
Over the Rainbow, Beauty and the Beast and
Edelweiss.
Now in its ninth year, Jim's annual "Holiday Grande" concert
tour has become a must-attend tradition for thousands of people
each Christmas. The spectacular holiday stage production includes
Jim at the grand piano, his 15-piece orchestra, a cast of singers
and dancers, elaborate sets and costumes and the true spirit of
the season.
For more information, visit Jim McDonough's web site at www.pianofavorites.com
or call (800) 375-7095.
Download Jim’s full biography in Microsoft Word format
Here
Download Jim’s full biography in Adobe Acrobat PDF format
Here
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