Doobie Brothers Albums for song lyrics and biography.

The Doobie Brothers are an American rock band, best known for the hit single "Black Water". The Doobie Brothers were popular throughout the 1970s. The founding members were lead vocalist Tom Johnston and drummer John Hartman, both former members of a group called Pud. In 1970, after leaving that band, they joined up with bass player Dave Shogren and guitarist Patrick Simmons, and thus The Doobie Brothers was formed. The band's name was taken from a slang term for the marijuana joint.

The group's 1971 self-titled debut album didn't make the charts. But their next album, Toulouse Street, spawned the hit singles "Listen To The Music" and "Jesus Is Just Alright". Bass player Dave Shogren was replaced by Tiran Porter on that album, which brought the band their breakthrough success. Under the leadership of Johnston and Simmons, the Doobies' trademark sound, a cross between heavy metal and Southern rock, helped lead the band to the Top Ten charts with such other hits as "Long Train Runnin'" and "China Grove" (The Captain And Me), and "Black Water" (What Were Once Vices Are Now Habits). These early singles continued to be hits for the next few years and eventually earned continued airplay among today's Classic Rock radio stations. The following year, Steely Dan member Jeff Baxter (Skunk) joined The Doobie Brothers as a guitarist. Their live shows had given The Doobie Brothers an energetic fanbase, primarily among the Hells Angels of Southern California.

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By 1976, lead singer Johnston grew tired of touring, and fell ill as a result. So he left the Doobies, and shortly Michael McDonald (Steely Dan) was recruited to replace Johnston. Their sound also changed, from a hard-edged guitar-filled sound to mellow rock. Their first album under McDonald was Takin' It To The Streets ("It Keeps You Runnin'" and "Takin' It To The Streets"). Their new sound was further forged with their next album, Livin' On The Fault Line, which featured "Little Darlin' (I Need You)", "Echoes Of Love", and "You Belong To Me". Carly Simon also covered "You Belong To Me".

The Doobie Brothers' career peaked with the success of Minute by Minute which spent five weeks at the top of the charts and brought the group their greatest success. Their hit "What a Fool Believes" won them a Grammy Award. The album also featured the first female lead vocal, from Nicolette Larson, who herself scored a hit with Neil Young's "Lotta Love". By the beginning of the 1980s, former Moby Grape saxophonist Cornelius Bumpus joined The Doobie Brothers as an occasional lead singer for the album One Step Closer. The LP, which featured the Top Ten hit "Real Love" (Not the Beatles song written by John Lennon), was a success, but did not match the blockbuster figures of Minute by Minute. By 1982, the Doobie Brothers announced their imminent break-up by embarking on a farewell tour. The final show on that tour brought back former lead singer Tom Johnston. The Doobie Brothers reunited with their original line-up, minus Michael McDonald, and released Cycles, which included the top ten single "The Doctor", and toured to promote their new music. New albums continued through the 1990s. Also, Michael McDonald rejoined the band briefly in 1995. But by the end of the decade the Doobies were engaged in a legal battle of their own. Saxophonist/vocalist Cornelius Bumpus was sued by his former bandmates because Bumpus and other musicians were using the band's name. Eventually, Bumpus lost the case.

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Percussionist Bobby LaKind passed away in 1992, original bassist Dave Shogren died in 1999, Cornelius Bumpus passed away in 2004, and drummer Keith Knudsen died in 2005. Meanwhile, Michael McDonald has forged ahead with his own solo career. The original version of The Doobie Brothers has continued to tour and are a popular concert draw, though their recordings' success has been very limited.