The Doobie Brothers Tickets

The Doobie Brothers are an American rock group. They have sold over 20 million albums in the United States from the 1970s to the present.

Original incarnation
In 1969 Tom Johnston and drummer John Hartman formed the nucleus of what would become The Doobie Brothers. Skip Spence introduced them to one another after Hartman arrived in California determined to meet Spence and join an aborted Grape reunion. New bandmates Johnston and Hartman called their fledgling group Pud and experimented with different lineups and styles as they performed in and around San Jose.

In 1970, they teamed up with bass player Dave Shogren and Patrick Simmons. Simmons was already an accomplished fingerstyle player whose approach to the instrument complemented Johnston's rhythmic R&B strumming. In a recent interview, Tom Johnston attributed the band's eventual name to friend and housemate Keith "Dyno" Rosen.

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 joined the Beach Boys, Chicago and Olivia Newton-John Rockin' New Year's Eve". By then, the western-themed Stampede had been completed for release in 1975 . Simmons contributed the atmospheric "I Cheat the Hangman," as well as "Neal's Fandango,". Ry Cooder added his slinky slide guitar to Johnston's cowboy song, "Rainy Day Crossroad Blues."

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 a fine but commercially disappointing solo album, Arcade, in 1983. Knudsen and McFee formed Southern Pacific and recorded four albums that found success in the country charts. Out of print for decades, Arcade was reissued on compact disc in early 2007 by specialty label Wounded Bird Records. McDonald became established as a solo artist. His voice dominated adult contemporary radio throughout the eighties, though his star faded in the nineties.

Simmons collaborated with bassist and songwriter John Cowan on a project that remains unreleased. When the band emerged yet again for a 1993 co-headlining tour with the partially reunited Foreigner, Porter and Hartman had exited for good but veteran drummer Knudsen and guitarist McFee had rejoined as permanent members. As a sideman, Cowan played bass in 1993 and 1994. With renewed energy, the band began to experiment with different arrangements of several tunes. They even sampled McDonald's songbook from time to time, eventually restoring "Takin' it to the Streets" to the set on a semi-permanent basis with Simmons and bassist Skylark subbing for McDonald. Bumpus and McCracken stepped in as sidemen on occasion.

To date, four members of the Doobies family are deceased: LaKind in 1992; Shogren in 1999; and Bumpus in 2004. Drummer and activist Keith Knudsen died in 2005. Former Vertical Horizon drummer Ed Toth was selected to fill Knudsen's drum seat as the band soldiered on.

Given the history of turnover, the current version of the band has proven to be remarkably stable in its core membership since 1993. It features one-half of the four original members - Johnston and ever-present Simmons - plus veteran drummer Hossack and longtime guitarist McFee.

They are supported by Skylark on bass and vocals, keyboardist Guy Allison, and Marc Russo on saxophone. With Hossack, newest member Toth keeps the trademark double-drummers driven sound going. The group continues to tour heavily and remains a popular concert draw. In 2005 and 2006 they headlined benefit concerts at manager Cohn's winery in Glen Ellen. They have maintained a continuous and active presence on the Internet through their official website since 1996.

Since 1996, The Doobie Brothers have been eligible for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame but have yet to be nominated.