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As
one of the most popular Californian pop/rock bands of
the '70s, the Doobie Brothers evolved from a mellow,
post-hippie boogie band to a slick, soul-inflected pop
band by the end of the decade. Along the way, the group
racked up a string of gold and platinum albums in the
US, along with a number of radio hits like "Listen
to the Music," "Black Water" and "China
Grove." The roots of the Doobie Brothers lay in
Pud, a short-lived Californian country-rock band in
the vein of Moby Grape featuring guitarist/vocalist
Tom Johnston and drummer John Hartman. After Pud collapsed
in 1969, the pair began jamming with bassist John Shogren
and guitarist Patrick Simmons. Eventually, the quartet
decided to form a group, naming themselves the Doobie
Brothers after a slang term for marijuna. Soon, the
Doobies earned a strong following throughout Southern
California, especially among Hell's Angels, and they
were signed to Warner Bros. in 1970. The band's eponymous
debut was ignored upon its 1971 release. Following its
release, Shogren was replaced by Tiran Porter and the
group added a second drummer, Michael Hossack for 1972's
Toulouse Street. Driven by the singles "Listen
to the Music" and "Jesus Is Just Alright,"
Toulouse Street became the group's breakthrough. The
Captain and Me (1973) was even more successful, spawning
the Top 10 hit "Long Train Runnin'" and "China
Grove." Keith Knudsen replaced Hossack as the group's
second drummer for 1974's What Once Were Vices Are Now
Habits, which launched their first number one single,
"Black Water," and featured heavy contributions
from former Steely Dan member Jeff "Skunk"
Baxter. Jeff "Skunk" Baxter officially joined
the Doobie Brothers for 1975's Stampede. Prior to the
album's spring release, Johnston was hospitilized with
a stomach ailment, and was replaced for the supporting
tour by keyboardist/vocalist Michael McDonald, who had
also worked with Steely Dan. Although it peaked at number
four, Stampede wasn't as commercially successful as
its three predecessors, and the group decided to let
McDonald and Baxter, who were now official Doobies,
revamp the band's light country-rock and boogie. The
new sound was showcased on 1976's Takin' It to the Streets,
a collection of light funk and jazzy pop that resulted
in a platinum album. Later that year, the group released
the hits compilation, The Best of the Doobies. In 1977,
the group released Livin' on the Fault Line, which was
successful without producing any big hits. Johnston
left the band after the album's release to pursue an
unsuccessful solo career. Following his departure, the
Doobies released their most successful album, Minute
By Minute (1978) which spent five weeks at number one
on the strength of the number one single "What
a Fool Believes." Hartman and Baxter left the group
after the album's supporting tour, leaving the Doobie
Brothers as McDonald's backing band.
Following a year of audition, the Doobies hired ex-Clover
guitarist John McFee, session drummer Chet McCracken
and former Moby Grape saxophonist Cornelius Bumpus and
released One Step Closer (1980), a platinum album that
produced the Top Ten hit "Real Love." During
the tour for One Step Closer, McCracken was replaced
by Newmark. Early in 1982, Doobie Brothers announced
they were breaking up after a farewell tour, which was
documented on the 1983 live album, The Doobie Brothers
Farewell Tour. After the band's split, McDonald pursued
a successful solo career, while Simmons released one
unsuccessful solo record. In 1987, the Doobies reunited
for a concert at the Hollywood Bowl, which quickly became
a brief reunion tour; McDonald declined to particpate
in the tour. By 1989, the early '70s lineup of Johnston,
Simmons, Hartman, Porter, and Hossack, augmented by
percussionist and former Doobies roadie Bobby La Kind,
had signed a contract with Capitol Records. Their reunion
album, Cycles, went gold upon its summer release in
1989, spawning the Top Ten hit "The Doctor."
Brotherhood followed two years later, but it failed
to generate much interest. For the remainder of the
'90s, the group toured the US, playing the oldies circuit
and '70s revival concerts. By 1995, Michael McDonald
had joined the group again and the following year saw
the release of Rockin' Down the Highway. But the line
up had once again shifted by the turn of the new millennium.
2000 saw the band -- Michael Hossack, Tom Johnston,
Keith Knudsen, John McFee, and Pat Simmons -- issue
Sibling Rivalry, which featured touring members Guy
Allison on keyboards, Marc Russo on saxophone, and Skylark
on bass. |
