Doc McKinney facts for kids

Martin "Doc" McKinney (born August 27, 1971) is a talented Canadian-American record producer and songwriter. A record producer helps artists create their music, from recording to mixing. A songwriter writes the words and music for songs. Doc McKinney was once part of a music group called Esthero.

He is well-known for helping to create the unique sound of the artist The Weeknd. Doc McKinney produced The Weeknd's early mixtapes, House of Balloons and Thursday. He also helped produce most of The Weeknd's third album, Starboy, in 2016. For his work on Starboy, Doc McKinney won a Grammy Award for Best Urban Contemporary Album in 2016.

Doc McKinney's Journey in Music

Early Life and Music

Martin McKinney was born in Canada. He grew up in Minneapolis, a city in the U.S. This allowed him to experience the local independent music scene. When he was a teenager, McKinney played in different music groups. These groups played punk rock and hip hop music. He was very involved in the music scene of the 1980s.

Starting as a Producer

In 1994, McKinney moved to Toronto, Canada. He wanted to become a music producer. There, he met Jenny Bea Englishman, who is now known as Esthero. They formed a music duo together. McKinney produced and wrote all the music for their first album, Breath From Another.

After this album, McKinney left the group. Esthero continued as a solo artist. McKinney then worked with another singer named Res. He helped write her album, HowIDo. He also worked with Santi White, known as Santigold, on several projects.

Working with Famous Artists

Over the years, Doc McKinney has worked with many well-known musicians. These include Sting, Drake, Kelis, Mary J. Blige, and Sinéad O'Connor. He has also worked with Latin artists like Belinda and Debi Nova.

Doc McKinney's Charity Work

Doc McKinney cares about helping others. He supports several charities. These include War Child (charity), which helps children in war zones. He also supports GEM's, which stands for Girls Educational and Mentoring Services. This group helps young girls. Another charity he supports is the Red Hot Organization, which raises awareness about AIDS. To show his support, he often donates his skills as a producer, songwriter, and engineer to these causes.

Music He Has Produced

Doc McKinney has produced many songs and albums for various artists. Here are some of the notable projects he has worked on:

• In 1998, he produced all the songs on the album Breath from Another for Esthero.
• In 2001, he produced all the songs on the album How I Do for RES.
• He worked on the song "Stolen Car (Remix)" for Sting (musician) in 2004.
• In 2011, he was a producer for The Weeknd's mixtapes House of Balloons and Thursday.
• He also produced "The Ride" for Drake on the album Take Care in 2011.
• In 2016, he was an executive producer for The Weeknd's album Starboy.
• More recently, in 2020, he produced songs like "So Bad" and "Lonely Hearts" for JoJo on her album Good to Know.

See also

In Spanish: Doc McKinney para niños