Mr Nice GuyThe Doobie Brothers
June 22nd 2010 03:24
Probably best known for "Listen To The Music" (1972), "Black Water" (1975), "What A Fool Believes" (1979), and "The Doctor" (1989) the Doobies 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 including the song voted as having one of the best guitar riff intro’s ever - "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.
That same year, when illness forced Johnston out of The Doobies lineup, Baxter suggested another Steely Dan alumnus to fill his spot, and Michael McDonald was drafted. His presence was felt immediately as The Doobie Brothers scored a platinum million-selling album in 1976 with Takin' It To The Streets.
Johnston returned briefly to help record the next album, Livin' On the Fault Line (1977), but for all intents and purposes McDonald had taken over the lead vocal chair, launching a second golden era of hits for The Doobie Brothers. "What A Fool Believes," a song McDonald wrote with Kenny Loggins, gave the band its second #1 hit. It was included on Minute By Minute (1979), whose title tune "Minute By Minute" (#14) notched up another hit, followed in turn by "Dependin' On You" (#25).
1979 also found Baxter leaving the Doobies, to be replaced by steel guitarist John McFee, a veteran of Clover, the Marin County country-rockers who not only backed up Elvis Costello on his debut album (before the Attractions were formed), but also nurtured the early career of singer-songwriter Huey Lewis.
1980 began with The Doobie Brothers nailing three Grammy awards for "What A Fool Believes" (Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Best Vocal Arrangement) and a fourth Grammy going to Minute By Minute (Best Pop Vocal Performance, Duo/Group). The year ended with a new album, One Step Closer, and another pair of hits, "Real Love" (#5) and the title tune "One Step Closer" (#24).
The Doobies embarked on their final tour in 1982. In essence – the Doobies are more about a feel than what their music actually delivered.
While quintessentially pop – it had all the hallmarks of its time – with a rich mix of harmonized marketable soul melded with catchy wailing riffs and an a back to basics approach to its lyicism.
In an era when the term supergroups reined supreme – the Doobies probably don’t reach the mantle of bands such as The Bee Gees, The Eagles or Supertramp – but they damned near came close.
What they did leave us with was a legacy of classic 70s pop and rock that is unlikely to be replicated.
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