He has worked with Bon Jovi in the studio since its inception[6] and has been their bass guitarist since original bass guitarist Alec John Such's departure after Cross Road—which was released in 1994—but was still regarded as an 'unofficial' member of Bon Jovi until 2016.[5] At this time, McDonald was left out of most publicity shoots and album covers but did appear in some of the band's promo videos. The band members said they never agreed to officially replace Such. Regardless, his work with the band earned him a 1995 Metal Edge Readers' Choice Award for "Best Bassist" (tying with White Zombie's Sean Yseult).[7]
McDonald was one of the studio musicians that recorded Jon Bon Jovi's original first demo for the song "Runaway".[5] When the song became a local hit, Jon Bon Jovi nevertheless assembled a band without McDonald in order to record a full band album around the hit song. He has also appeared on Jon Bon Jovi's solo album Destination Anywhere and was part of Jon Bon Jovi's backing group, The Big Dogs.
McDonald married his long-term partner, Nancy in 1996 but they divorced some years later.
In 2004, McDonald married Kelli, a horse trainer and jewelry designer.[8] McDonald has two children, one of whom, a stepson, is also a musician.[9][5] In 2018, McDonald was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Bon Jovi.[10]