Here's How Many People Have Been Members Of The Doobie Brothers
The Doobie Brothers will finally get inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame later this year, and rightly so. They've given us songs like Black Water, Listen To The Music, Long Train Runnin', Takin' It to the Streets, and more. According to the band's website, the group has also won four Grammy Awards and has sold more than 48 million records worldwide.
The band has gone through many members of the years — some decided to quit the band, others moved on to other projects, some filled in for a few performances, and others have died, but the Doobie Brothers are still active in performing today. "There have always been such great musicians in the band and we've always been motivated," guitarist Patrick Simmons said in a 2013 interview with Cleveland.com.
What started as a simple quartet of Tom Johnston, Patrick Simmons, Dave Shogren, and John Hartman, evolved into an ever-changing lineup that plays a mixture of country, bluegrass, and rock and roll.
The early years
At least 28 musicians have played as a "Doobie Brother" in the band's 50-year career. The initial members were, of course, Johnston, Simmons, Hartman, and Shogren. During the 1970s, Tiran Porter, Keith Knudsen, and Jeff "Skunk" Baxter contributed to performances and producing albums. The Doobie Brothers also added a second drummer around this time, which they became known for — the first being Michael Hossack.
One of the band's roadies, Bobby LaKind, was even added to the lineup in 1977 as a percussionist and background singer, according to Ultimate Classic Rock. Michael McDonald also stepped in during this time, bringing with him experience as the former backup singer and keyboardist for Steely Dan. McDonald even became the focal point of the band in the late 1970s, and wrote six songs on the 1978 album Minute by Minute.
A multi-instrumentalist from the band Clover, John McFee, joined the lineup in the late '70s, along with Willie Weeks. The Doobie Brothers' "final" concert was in September 1982, and original members Johnston and Hartman returned to the stage once more with their new brothers.
Reunion tours
Of course, that wasn't their final concert at all. All generations of the Doobie Brothers came together on stage at once to raise money for LaKind after he was diagnosed with terminal colon cancer in 1992, according to the LA Times. After LaKind's death, the Doobie Brothers went on the road again, this time without a label. The band added some new faces along the way, including John Cowan, Danny Hull, Guy Allison, and Mark Russo, among others.
The most recent lineup of the Doobie Brothers consists of Johnston, Simmons, McDonald, and McFee backed up by Ed Toth, Bill Payne, and former Allman Brothers Band percussionist, Marc Quinones. The band was scheduled to go on tour this year for their 50th anniversary, but given the global pandemic, the band announced on their website that they would be postponing the 46-city tour.
No matter who currently represents the Doobie Brothers, their decades-long career and expansive cast of members is an impressive part of rock and roll history.