Doobie Brothers Biography

The Doobie Brothers are an American rock band, best known for hit singles like "Black Water". They were popular throughout the 1970s.

The founding members were lead vocalist, guitarist and songwriter Tom Johnston and drummer John Hartman, whom Skip Spence of Moby Grape introduced to one another. Johnston and Hartman originally called their group Pud and experimented with different lineups and sounds as they performed in and around San Jose, California. In 1970, they teamed up with bass player Dave Shogren and co-lead vocalist, guitarist and songwriter Pat Simmons, and thus The Doobie Brothers were born.
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The band's name, suggested by a friend (perhaps as a joke), was taken from a slang term for a marijuana joint.

The Doobie Brothers honed their chops by performing live all over northern California in 1970. They attracted a particularly strong following among local chapters of the Hells Angels. An energetic set of demos that showcased fuzzy, twin electric guitars, three-part harmonies and Hartman's frenetic drumming earned the band a contract at Warner Brothers Records. However, the group's 1971 self-titled debut album failed to chart. Not shortly after, Mike Hossack joined the group on the drums. The underrated album emphasized acoustic guitars and vocal harmonies, frequently reflecting country influences. The bouncy lead-off song "Nobody," the band's first single, has surfaced in their live set several times over the ensuing decades and even appears on the 2004 DVD Live at Wolf Trap.

The following year's sophomore album, Toulouse Street (which spawned the hit singles "Listen To The Music" and "Jesus Is Just Alright"), brought the band their breakthrough success. In collaboration with manager Bruce Cohn and producer Ted Templeman, the Doobies had decided to replace Shogren with bass guitarist extraordinaire Tiran Porter and to supplement Hartman's manic drumming with that of talented Navy veteran Michael Hossack. Porter and Hossack were both veterans of the local music scene and well acquainted with the members of the Doobies. With a tight new rhythm section and the dual songwriting talents of Johnston and Simmons, the Doobies' trademark sound (an amalgam of R&B, country, bluegrass, heavy metal and Southern rock) emerged.

A string of hits followed, including Johnston's "Long Train Runnin'" and "China Grove" (from the 1973 album The Captain and Me). Simmons' "Black Water" (from 1974's What Were Once Vices Are Now Habits) became the band's first #1 single. These early singles have become modern rock staples, having earned perinneal airplay among today's Classic Rock radio stations. During the recording of Vices, Hossack departed the band. Drummer, songwriter and vocalist Keith Knudsen was recruited quickly and left with the Doobies on a major tour within days of joining the band.

Also in 1974, Steely Dan co-lead guitarist Jeff Baxter (nicknamed "Skunk") learned that his band was retiring from the road. He immediately segued into the Doobie Brothers as third lead guitarist. He had previously worked with the band in the studio, having added pedal steel guitar to both Captain ("South City Midnight Lady") and Vices ("Black Water").

Michael McDonald years

By the end of 1974, Johnston's health was suffering from the rigors of the road. He was absent when the band gamely performed in formal wear on Dick Clark's Rockin' New Year's Eve that December. By then, Stampede had been completed for release in 1975. It featured yet another hit single, Johnston's rollicking cover of the Motown hit "Take Me in Your Arms (Rock Me A Little While)." With Johnston convalescing and another tour already booked, the Doobies recruited singer, songwriter and keyboardist Michael McDonald (another Steely Dan alum) to augment their sound on the road. Simmons, Knudsen and McDonald divided up and sang Johnston's parts on tour.

Under contract for another album, the Doobies were at a crossroads. Their primary songwriter and singer remained unavailable, so they turned to McDonald for material. The resulting album, Takin' It to the Streets, announced a radical change in their sound. Hard-charging, guitar-based rock and roll gave way to jazz-inflected soft rock highlighted with keyboards and horns. Above all, McDonald's distinctive voice became the band's new signature sound. Takin' It featured McDonald's title track and "It Keeps You Runnin'," both hits. Their new sound was further refined with their next album, Livin' on the Fault Line, which featured "Little Darlin' (I Need You)", "Echoes Of Love" (written by Simmons with Al Green in mind), and "You Belong To Me" (later a hit for McDonald's collaborator Carly Simon). Briefly back in the fold, Johnston contributed one song to the ...The Streets album. His contributions to Fault Line were less apparent, although he was credited with guitars and vocals. Before Fault Line's release, Johnston departed for a solo career that eventually yielded two modestly successful Warner Brothers albums: Everything You've Heard is True and Still Feels Good. (Johnston's underrated albums were recently reissued on compact disc by Wounded Bird Records.)

After almost a decade on the road, the Doobies' career peaked with the success of 1978's Minute by Minute. It spent five weeks at the top of the music charts. McDonald's song "What a Fool Believes," written with Kenny Loggins, earned the songwriting duo a Grammy Award for Song of the Year. The title song received the Grammy for Record of the Year and the album was honored as Album of the Year. Among the other songs on the album: "Dependin' On You" (co-written by McDonald and Simmons), and McDonald's title cut. Nicolette Larson (whose best-known hit was "Lotta Love") contributed guest vocals on the album.

The success of Minute by Minute was bittersweet, however, because it coincided with the near dissolution of the band. The pressure of touring while recording and releasing an album each year had worn the members down. Before Minute by Minute's success was even recognized, Hartman and Baxter exited through the revolving door. Once again, the band was at a crossroads. As the album climbed the charts and more touring was demanded, the remaining Doobies (Simmons, Knudsen, McDonald and Porter) decided to forge ahead. In 1979, they added drummer Chet McCracken, guitarist, violinist, songwriter and singer John McFee and multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and singer Cornelius Bumpus. They also honored their former roadie turned vocalist, songwriter and percussionist Bobby LaKind with full recognition as a member of the band. This line-up toured throughout 1979 and released the album One Step Closer in 1980. The LP featured the Top Ten hit "Real Love" (not to be confused with the John Lennon composition), but did not dominate the charts and the radio as Minute by Minute had two years earlier. Long frustrated with the realities of relentless touring, Porter finally threw in the towel. Renowned bassist Willie Weeks stepped in and the Doobies continued touring throughout 1980 and 1981.

By 1982, even Simmons had run out of steam and resigned from the band. Faced with the prospect of calling themselves "The Doobie Brothers" with no remaining original members, the group elected instead to disband. Simmons was drafted for a farewell tour on the promise that this truly would be the end. At their final concert in San Francisco, they were joined onstage by original member and lead singer/guitarist Tom Johnston for a raunchy and triumphant rendition of "China Grove." Porter, Hossack and Hartman subsequently found their way to the stage for an extended version of "Listen to the Music." Of all the members through the years, only Baxter and Shogren were absent when the group took its "final" bow. A live album, Farewell Tour, followed in 1983.

Reunion years and beyond

The Doobies hibernated for the next five years, reuniting in different configurations only for annual Christmas season performances for the patients and staff at the Stanford Children's Hospital. Simmons released his first solo album, Arcade (album), in 1983. Knudsen and McFee formed Southern Pacific, a country-rock band, and recorded four acclaimed albums. McDonald became established as a solo artist, releasing numerous hits.

The reformation of the Doobies came about in an unlikely manner. Knudsen had become active in Vietnam veterans' affairs. Early in 1987, he persuaded eleven other Doobie alumni (Johnston, Simmons, Hartman, Hossack, Porter, Baxter, McDonald, LaKind, Bumpus, McCracken and McFee) to join him for a concert to benefit veterans' causes. They soon discovered that tickets were in great demand, so the "one concert" quickly evolved into a brief tour that culminated with a performance in Moscow on July 4 in front of a huge and enthusiastic crowd of Soviet subjects.

The brief reunion sparked discussions about reconstituting the band. They eventually settled on a line-up featuring Johnston, Simmons, Hartman, Porter, Hossack and LaKind (resembling the original 1970s incarnation of the band) and released Cycles (album) on Capitol Records in 1989. It featured a Top Ten single, "The Doctor," which showcased Johnston's distinctive voice and lead guitar, and appeared calculated to remind listeners of the band's pre-McDonald triumphs. Cycles was certified gold. Bumpus participated in the 1989 tour, adding his distinctive voice, keyboards, saxophone and flute to the proceedings.

Doobie Brothers, 1995. Tom Johnston, Pat Simmons and Michael McDonald shared lead vocals during this one-off tour.The success of Cycles led to the release of 1991's Brotherhood (The Doobie Brothers album), also on Capitol. By this time, LaKind had been diagnosed with a terminal illness and had left the band. In spite of strong material led by Simmons' now trademark "Dangerous" (featured in the Brian Bosworth vehicle, Stone Cold), Brotherhood was unsuccessful. The uber-Doobie lineup reunited in 1992 to perform a benefit for LaKind's children shortly before his passing that year.

A period of hiatus followed, but the band emerged yet again. This time, Porter and Hartman were gone but Knudsen and McFee were back. Incessant touring has kept the band's music before its fans ever since. In 1995, they even persuaded McDonald to hit the road with them for a one-off tour featuring all three lead vocalists and reflecting all phases of the band's storied career. He continues to "stumble onto the stage" with them on occasion. A 1996 double live album, Rockin' Down the Highway: The Wildlife Concert, featured McDonald on three of his signature tunes.

The year 2000 marked the Doobies' first studio release in almost a decade. Rhino Records' Sibling Rivalry featured the strongest material the Doobies had recorded since Minute by Minute, as well as rare and delightful lead vocal turns by both Knudsen and McFee. Regrettably, the album did not find a large audience.

In the mid-90's, the band was forced to obtain an injunction preventing confusing or misleading uses of its name in advertisements promoting a tribute band featuring McCracken, Bumpus and Shogren.

Four members of the Doobies have passed away (percussionist LaKind in 1992, original bassist Shogren in 1999, Bumpus in 2004, and Knudsen in 2005). Former Vertical Horizon drummer Ed Toth was selected to fill Knudsen's drum seat as the band played on.

The current version of the band (Johnston, Simmons, Hossack and McFee, with support from Skylark on bass, Toth on drums, Marc Russo on saxophone and Guy Allison on keyboards) continues to tour and remains a popular concert draw.

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