Missouri man adopted as baby learns his biological father is rock star Michael McDonald

When Michael Goessling, 59, heard his biological father’s voice for the first time last year, he vowed to recognize it.

“I just said, ‘What a voice this guy has!’… it sounded so familiar, but I couldn’t place it.”

When they spoke on the phone that evening, something clicked.

“Finally, I just said, ‘Are you Michael McDonald?’” Goessling recalled. “And he laughed and he said, ‘Yeah, I’m afraid so.'”

McDonald, a five-time Grammy winner, lead singer of the Doobie Brothers and successful solo artist, had a child in Missouri with his sweetheart and middle school neighbor when they were 14, Goessling told NBC News on Friday.

The couple gave up the baby in a closed adoption to Goessling’s parents, who lived about 20 minutes away in a St. Louis suburb, and separated, Goessling said.

Nearly 58 years later, they contacted their son.

In May, Goessling said she received a letter in the mail from her biological parents asking her to get in touch. The 59-year-old said they found him after one of Goessling’s half-brothers found him through a 23andMe DNA test.

Goessling said he spoke with his birth mother that evening and suggested they have lunch that Friday — a date that had sentimental value.

“She got very emotional and said, ‘Your birthday.’ And I said ‘Yes, you’ve waited long enough.’ I’ve waited long enough. Let’s meet on my birthday, 58 years to the day,” he said.

The two met that Friday, and Goessling received a voice memo from his biological father that evening.

Goessling and McDonald spoke for the first time on the phone the next day. During the call, Goessling said he only knew his father’s first name.

“I said to Mike, ‘So hey, tell me, what do you do?’ And he said, “Well, I’m a musician. And I said, “That’s great.” I like music. I’ve always been passionate about music,’” Goessling said.

Goessling said his biological father told him he had a show in St. Louis on September 4, 2025.

“I was surprised by that statement, after doing the math and knowing how old he was,” Goessling said. “Being a touring musician was not what I expected. »

He said he thought McDonald was part of some sort of small touring orchestra, until McDonald revealed in passing that he was performing at the Hollywood Casino Amphitheater. When Goessling Googled who was playing at the music hall that day and saw that it was the Doobie Brothers, he pieced together his father’s identity.

“There are still days where I wake up, and my first thought is that I’m coming out of the wildest dream, and it’s been a year and a half,” Goessling said. “I’m still trying to figure this all out.”

Goessling has listened to the Doobie Brothers since he was little and remembers when McDonald replaced singer and guitarist Tom Johnston in 1975, he said. He said he was 8 or 9 when the change happened and he got into an argument with other kids about whether a song they were listening to was actually the band’s.

“They said to me, ‘No, they found a new singer. It’s Michael McDonald.’ And I was like, ‘Well, that’s great,'” he said. “And I was just a fan from the start.”

Goessling said he saw the Doobie Brothers in concert twice before learning McDonald was his biological father.

Her adoptive family was supportive of her reunification with her birth parents, Goessling said.

For the first time, Goessling’s entire family gathered the day before the McDonald’s concert in St. Louis, which he described as “one of the biggest events of my life.”

Goessling said he later learned that his biological parents had tried to reach him several times during his life with similar letters, but he had not received them. He said that although his biological parents dated other people and had other children, they remained good friends over the years.

“I just wanted to thank them for the choices they made on my behalf and for giving me a chance in this world, and how grateful I was for that,” he said. “They have always been heroes in my story.”