A 59-year-old man has revealed the moment he found out his dad was a rock legend.
Michael Goessling was adopted as an infant but only decided to find out more about his biological parents after being contacted by a half-brother he hadn’t known existed following a DNA test.
Goessling, from St. Louis, Missouri, initially tracked down his birth mother, meeting her in person, who put him in touch with his dad.
Speaking on the phone, Michael’s dad told him he was a musician and was touring St Louis that summer.
The 59-year-old recalled the moment when he realised who his dad was.
He told KMOV: ‘I finally said, ‘‘Are you Michael McDonald?’” And he said, “Yeah, I’m afraid so.’”
McDonald is the Grammy Award-winning lead singer of Californian rock band the Doobie Brothers, who scored number one hits in the US in the 1970s with What a Fool Believes and Black Water. He was also a member of Steely Dan.
Goessling told CNN: ‘I was a crazy Doobie Brothers fan and people remember me singing along to China Grove and listening to their music like Black Water back in the day. I was always a bit of a music nut and it’s starting to make sense nowadays.’
KMOV reported that both McDonald and Goessling’s mother were 14 years old when he was conceived, leading to him being put up for adoption. His birth parents have remained friends since.
Goessling said he holds no grudge over his adoption, saying: ‘I had a wonderful childhood. I could not have handpicked two finer folks to raise me.’
He added that it is a coincidence he shares a first name with his biological dad as he was named by his adopted mum Kay.
McDonald also praised the parents. He said: ‘I always carried that guilt with me, but just to know that he was okay and that he had a good life, and a life certainly that I wouldn’t have been able to afford him at that time in my life, was a great reward.
‘The real rock stars in this story for us are his adoptive parents, who really gave Michael everything a child needs in terms of love and security.’
The pair have now met in person and McDonald said: ‘It was a wonderful, wonderful experience to see Michael and get to meet my son after all these years thinking about him.’
Goessling had another surprise for McDonald as the singer was introduced to his two grandchildren.
‘Yeah, that’s still sinking in for me. What a gift,’ McDonald said. ‘My daughter-in-law is just the daughter-in-law you’d hope for as a parent. And the kids are two of the greatest kids you’d ever meet. I’m just so proud of them.’
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