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Composer Ralph MacDonald dead at 67

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Published: Dec. 18, 2011 at 3:14 PM

STAMFORD, Conn., Dec. 18 (UPI) -- Ralph MacDonald, the composer of "Where is the Love" and "Just the Two of Us," died Sunday in Connecticut at the age of 67, his family announced.

MacDonald, a longtime percussionist with Jimmy Buffett's Coral Reefer Band, won two Grammys for producing "Calypso Breakdown" and wrote most of the songs on Harry Belafonte's landmark 1966 album "Calypso Carnival."

The New York Daily News said MacDonald battled lung cancer and suffered a stroke in recent years that forced him to give up touring.

The Harlem-born MacDonald was the son of calypso musician MacBeth the Great and worked with a roster of prominent singers, including Aretha Franklin, Paul Simon, Amy Winehouse and Billy Joel. He also wrote "Where is the Love," which Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway turned into a huge hit.

Topics: Jimmy Buffett, Harry Belafonte, Aretha Franklin, Paul Simon, Amy Winehouse, Billy Joel, Roberta Flack
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