ST. LOUIS — “You don’t know me, but I’m your father.”
That is a variation of the opening line from the Doobie Brothers’ 1976 song, “Takin’ It to the Streets.” The song, written and sung by Michael McDonald, has added meaning for a St. Louis man, who recently learned that the five-time Grammy Award winner is his biological father.
Michael Goessling did finally get to know and meet his father, thanks to a DNA test taken by a half-brother he never knew existed.
Goessling was put up for adoption as an infant because his biological parents were 14 when he was conceived, KMOV reported. He was raised by Paul and Kay Goessling and raised in St. Louis.
“Always knew I was adopted,” Goessling told the television station. “Had a wonderful childhood. I could not pick two finer folks to raise me.”
Goessling always wondered about his origins, and he was surprised when a half-brother literally appeared out of thin air after taking a DNA test from 23andMe.
“Within 36 hours, he got an email notifying him: Michael Goessling, half-brother, St. Louis,” Goessling told KMOV. “And that’s how this all began.”
On his 58th birthday, Goessling met his biological birth mother in person and later connected with McDonald, now 74, over the phone, according to the television station.
When Goessling asked his biological father what he did for a living, he said he was a musician planning to tour through St. Louis during the summer.
Goessling had to ask, KMOV reported.
“And I said, ‘Are you Michael McDonald?’” Goessling said. “And he said, ‘Yeah, I’m afraid so.’”
McDonald, who was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2025, is noted for writing “I Keep Forgettin’ (Every Time You’re Near)” and “It Keeps You Runnin’.” He co-wrote two hits with Kenny Loggins -- “What a Fool Believes,” which won a Grammy for Song of the Year; and “This is It.” He also shared writing credits on “Minute By Minute” and “I’ll Wait.”
McDonald said that he and Goessling’s biological mother remained close friends through the years, according to the television station. During a FaceTime call, the singer spoke about the angst he had not knowing about what happened to his son.
“We always talked about him. And it always came down to our greatest fear was, how did life treat him?” McDonald said, according to KMOV. “I always carried that guilt with me. But just to know that he was OK and that he had a good life, and a life certainly that I wouldn’t have been able to afford him at that time, was a great reward. The real rock stars in this story are his adoptive parents.”
Goessling and McDonald would later meet in person and share a warm embrace.
“When he first saw me, he put his arms out, gave me a big old bear hug and told me he loved me, and I told him the same,” Goessling told the television station.
Now at least, McDonald can tell his son “Ya Mo B There” -- an R&B song he co-wrote and sang in 1983 -- since he also learned that he was a grandfather.
“Yeah, I’m still wrapping my head around that,” McDonald said with a laugh, KMOV reported. “My daughter-in-law is just the daughter-in-law you’d hope for. And the kids are two of the greatest kids you’d ever meet. I’m just so proud of them.”