The Doobie Brothers On ‘Civic Duty,' ‘Limitations' in Today's Music & Writing Songs With Charlie Puth
Over two distinct sonic eras, The Doobie Brothers — led by singer-guitarist Tom Johnston and singer-pianist Michael McDonald — have sustained a genre-agnostic, commercially viable career since the early 1970s. That includes nine top 10 albums on the Billboard 200 and 10 top 20 entries on the Billboard Hot 100, as well as hits spanning the rock, adult contemporary, R&B and country charts.
But what truly defines the band is that 'it's a democracy,' according to Karim Karmi, its comanager of a decade alongside Irving Azoff.
More from Billboard
The Doobie Brothers, Queen, Bee Gees and Other Groups in the Songwriters Hall of Fame
Kylie Minogue Joins Prestigious '21 Club' at London's O2 Arena
Kevin Parker Previews New Tame Impala Music During Barcelona DJ Set
Now, 50 years in, the Doobies are proving just that with Walk This Road, their first album to feature significant contributions from all three principal songwriters (Johnston, McDonald and Pat Simmons). Produced by pop-rock stalwart John Shanks, the project is McDonald's first appearance on a Doobies album in 20 years and will arrive a week before he, Johnston and Simmons are inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame (alongside George Clinton, Rodney 'Darkchild' Jerkins, Ashley Gorley, Mike Love and Tony Macaulay) on June 12. After which, McDonald teases, the Doobies 'might even do another' album.
How did working with John Shanks affect your songwriting process for ?
Michael McDonald: We found ourselves revisiting old ideas that might have never gotten recorded — in my case, songs that I might have demoed, gosh, 10 years ago, that I would every once in a while run across in my phone. And then some of the stuff was more immediate, where we just sat down with John and came up with a song in a moment.
Tom Johnston: John's a hell of a guitar player, and he has good ideas on sound. He's got a place up in the Hollywood Hills overlooking part of the San Fernando Valley and he's got a lot of toys, so you can try pretty much anything you want to try and that's liberating.
McDonald: It's every musician's fantasy man cave — literally every kind of keyboard, keyboards I never even knew existed.
A sense of social conscience is central to the band's music, especially on this album's title track with Mavis Staples. Do you feel a responsibility to address current times in your writing?
Johnston: The civic duty bit that you express when writing, that's something that you just feel — it's an organic thing.
McDonald: With 'Walk This Road,' I think John had the original idea for the title — of us getting back together, here we are still trudging the same road all these years later. But it immediately took on a bigger meaning, and I think bringing Mavis onto the track cemented that idea because she is an ambassador of the gospel of humanity. The sound of her voice and her intent made it clear what we might be talking about in the bigger sense, which is, we're all here together. As a band, we hope to appeal to the collective better nature of people.
You have a long track record on the charts. What does it take to write a hit?
Johnston: When you're writing a song, you're not thinking about that; you're just trying to put into it what you feel at that moment. The only time I ever even thought [about] that was on 'Listen to the Music.' You just want to do the best you can.
McDonald: We came up in the middle of the '60s and the '70s, when recording artists were starting to exercise a lot more latitude in terms of style and genre, and the Doobies were always a very eclectic band; we were free to do what we wanted or whatever we thought we could be sincere at portraying musically. I always felt fortunate that we came up in a time when there were a lot less limitations set on artists to stay in their lane.
HBO's highlights that aspect of you and your contemporaries — as well as your habit of turning up in unexpected places, Mike, both in the Doobies and as a solo artist. What's the most unexpected place or collaborator you've found yourself around recently?
McDonald: I wrote a couple songs recently with a kid named Charlie Puth, who's a really talented musician. And I find that I'm being taken more places than I would ever have gone on my own. I've been trying to co-write with people, which I always do with a little bit of mixed feelings. I never really know if what I'm writing is good or not. You start to compare yourself to everything else, and it gets a little scary sometimes. But I do like co-writing because it gets me out of the house and it makes me do something rather than watch another episode of HGTV. (Laughs.)
This story appears in the June 7, 2025, issue of Billboard.
Best of Billboard
Chart Rewind: In 1989, New Kids on the Block Were 'Hangin' Tough' at No. 1
Janet Jackson's Biggest Billboard Hot 100 Hits
H.E.R. & Chris Brown 'Come Through' to No. 1 on Adult R&B Airplay Chart
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
Country Singer Conner Smith Was the Driver in Fatal Nashville Crosswalk Car Accident
Country singer Conner Smith was driving the truck that struck and killed a 77-year-old pedestrian in Nashville on Sunday (June 8), Billboard has confirmed. A release from the Metro Nashville Police Department on Monday (June 9) stated that a 24-year-old man named Conner Smith was behind the wheel during Sunday's accident. The pedestrian was identified as 77-year-old Dorothy Dobbins. More from Billboard Hot 100 First-Timers: Conner Smith Debuts With Country Hit 'Creek Will Rise' Kylie Minogue Joins Prestigious '21 Club' at London's O2 Arena Kevin Parker Previews New Tame Impala Music During Barcelona DJ Set According to the release, a preliminary investigation showed that a Chevrolet Silverado truck driven by Smith was traveling north on 3rd Ave. N. while Dobbins was crossing the road. The release indicated that Dobbins was inside a marked crosswalk when she was struck around 7:30 p.m. that evening. Dobbins was transported to Vanderbilt University Medical Center, where she died due to injuries sustained in the accident. According to the police department's release, the primary factor in the crash seemed to be Smith failing to yield the right of way to the pedestrian. The release noted that Smith showed no signs of impairment and that there are currently no charges, though the investigation is ongoing. Smith's attorney Worrick G. Robinson told Billboard in a statement: 'On June 8th, Mr. Smith was involved in a car accident that tragically claimed a life. His heart goes out to Ms. Dobbins' family during this incredibly difficult time. Mr. Smith continues to cooperate fully with the ongoing investigation.' Sources close to Smith tell Billboard that the incident was a tragic accident and that Smith was not under the influence, nor distracted by his phone at the time of the incident. Sources at the scene note that Smith was released quickly, as there was no sign of impairment. Nashville native Smith first broke through in 2021, when his song 'I Hate Alabama' went viral. He issued the EP Didn't Go Too Far in 2022 and followed with the singles 'Learn From It' and 'Take It Slow.' He earned his all-genre Billboard Hot 100 chart debut last year with 'Creek Will Rise,' which entered the chart at No. 89 and rose to No. 12 on the Country Airplay chart. This year, he teamed with Dylan Marlowe to release the collaboration 'Country In the Clouds.' Best of Billboard Chart Rewind: In 1989, New Kids on the Block Were 'Hangin' Tough' at No. 1 Janet Jackson's Biggest Billboard Hot 100 Hits H.E.R. & Chris Brown 'Come Through' to No. 1 on Adult R&B Airplay Chart
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Yahoo
Liam Gallagher Gushes About Oasis Reunion Drummer Joey Waronker: ‘This Guy Is Special'
The Oasis drum seat has been filled by a number of time keepers, from original drummer Tony McCaroll, to longtime member Alan 'Whitey' White, Steve White, Zak Starkey and Chris Sharrock. But when the reunited group finally hits the stage on July 4 for the first show on their anticipated Oasis Live '25 tour, none of those men will be holding down the rhythm. This time around the seat will be filled by veteran drummer Joey Waronker, who has worked with everyone from Beck to R.E.M., Elliott Smith and Thom Yorke's Atoms For Peace side project. Singer Liam Gallagher seemed chuffed by the addition to the group after a fan asked last week what he thought about the musician and if he is 'appropriate for the Oasis sound?' More from Billboard Liam Gallagher Has Joined the Oasis Rehearsals and Confirms That Reunited Band Sounds 'F–king FILTHY' Kylie Minogue Joins Prestigious '21 Club' at London's O2 Arena Kevin Parker Previews New Tame Impala Music During Barcelona DJ Set Liam was unequivocal in his praise, responding, 'He's the best and we're lucky to have him I've enjoyed all our drummers but this guy is special.' Waronker will join Liam and brother/songwriter and occasional vocalist Noel Gallagher, as well as bassist Andy Bell and, reportedly, guitarists Paul 'Bonehead' Arthurs and Gem Archer. Anticipation has been building for the group's first shows in 16 years, with Liam forced to apologize to fans on Monday morning (June 9) after raising anticipation for more major news with an X post that read, 'BIG ANNOUNCEMENT 6.30 am.' The wild speculation quickly unfurled, with fans guessing that Gallagher may have been hinting at warm-up gigs or additional dates. When Gallagher responded a short time later with 'I WORK OUT,' the fury went up 10 notches, with one fan complaining, 'you played with our feelings,' as another raged, 'I F–KING HATE YOU,' to which Gallagher quipped, 'Hate is such a strong word.' Soon enough the singer appeared to genuinely regret the wind-up, writing, 'Gotta admit that was good craic gotta you all riled up to ras,' then sincerely apologizing for the false alarm. 'If I caused any distress and upset anyone this morning I'm deeply sorry that wasn't my intention I thought it was a bit of fun I got it wrong please forgive me,' he wrote. Oasis will criss-cross the U.K. in July before heading to North America in August for shows in Toronto, Chicago, New Jersey, Pasadena and Mexico City, then moving on to Asia and Australia in the fall and Argentina, Chile and Brazil in November. Best of Billboard Chart Rewind: In 1989, New Kids on the Block Were 'Hangin' Tough' at No. 1 Janet Jackson's Biggest Billboard Hot 100 Hits H.E.R. & Chris Brown 'Come Through' to No. 1 on Adult R&B Airplay Chart
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Yahoo
The Doobie Brothers On ‘Civic Duty,' ‘Limitations' in Today's Music & Writing Songs With Charlie Puth
Over two distinct sonic eras, The Doobie Brothers — led by singer-guitarist Tom Johnston and singer-pianist Michael McDonald — have sustained a genre-agnostic, commercially viable career since the early 1970s. That includes nine top 10 albums on the Billboard 200 and 10 top 20 entries on the Billboard Hot 100, as well as hits spanning the rock, adult contemporary, R&B and country charts. But what truly defines the band is that 'it's a democracy,' according to Karim Karmi, its comanager of a decade alongside Irving Azoff. More from Billboard The Doobie Brothers, Queen, Bee Gees and Other Groups in the Songwriters Hall of Fame Kylie Minogue Joins Prestigious '21 Club' at London's O2 Arena Kevin Parker Previews New Tame Impala Music During Barcelona DJ Set Now, 50 years in, the Doobies are proving just that with Walk This Road, their first album to feature significant contributions from all three principal songwriters (Johnston, McDonald and Pat Simmons). Produced by pop-rock stalwart John Shanks, the project is McDonald's first appearance on a Doobies album in 20 years and will arrive a week before he, Johnston and Simmons are inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame (alongside George Clinton, Rodney 'Darkchild' Jerkins, Ashley Gorley, Mike Love and Tony Macaulay) on June 12. After which, McDonald teases, the Doobies 'might even do another' album. How did working with John Shanks affect your songwriting process for ? Michael McDonald: We found ourselves revisiting old ideas that might have never gotten recorded — in my case, songs that I might have demoed, gosh, 10 years ago, that I would every once in a while run across in my phone. And then some of the stuff was more immediate, where we just sat down with John and came up with a song in a moment. Tom Johnston: John's a hell of a guitar player, and he has good ideas on sound. He's got a place up in the Hollywood Hills overlooking part of the San Fernando Valley and he's got a lot of toys, so you can try pretty much anything you want to try and that's liberating. McDonald: It's every musician's fantasy man cave — literally every kind of keyboard, keyboards I never even knew existed. A sense of social conscience is central to the band's music, especially on this album's title track with Mavis Staples. Do you feel a responsibility to address current times in your writing? Johnston: The civic duty bit that you express when writing, that's something that you just feel — it's an organic thing. McDonald: With 'Walk This Road,' I think John had the original idea for the title — of us getting back together, here we are still trudging the same road all these years later. But it immediately took on a bigger meaning, and I think bringing Mavis onto the track cemented that idea because she is an ambassador of the gospel of humanity. The sound of her voice and her intent made it clear what we might be talking about in the bigger sense, which is, we're all here together. As a band, we hope to appeal to the collective better nature of people. You have a long track record on the charts. What does it take to write a hit? Johnston: When you're writing a song, you're not thinking about that; you're just trying to put into it what you feel at that moment. The only time I ever even thought [about] that was on 'Listen to the Music.' You just want to do the best you can. McDonald: We came up in the middle of the '60s and the '70s, when recording artists were starting to exercise a lot more latitude in terms of style and genre, and the Doobies were always a very eclectic band; we were free to do what we wanted or whatever we thought we could be sincere at portraying musically. I always felt fortunate that we came up in a time when there were a lot less limitations set on artists to stay in their lane. HBO's highlights that aspect of you and your contemporaries — as well as your habit of turning up in unexpected places, Mike, both in the Doobies and as a solo artist. What's the most unexpected place or collaborator you've found yourself around recently? McDonald: I wrote a couple songs recently with a kid named Charlie Puth, who's a really talented musician. And I find that I'm being taken more places than I would ever have gone on my own. I've been trying to co-write with people, which I always do with a little bit of mixed feelings. I never really know if what I'm writing is good or not. You start to compare yourself to everything else, and it gets a little scary sometimes. But I do like co-writing because it gets me out of the house and it makes me do something rather than watch another episode of HGTV. (Laughs.) This story appears in the June 7, 2025, issue of Billboard. Best of Billboard Chart Rewind: In 1989, New Kids on the Block Were 'Hangin' Tough' at No. 1 Janet Jackson's Biggest Billboard Hot 100 Hits H.E.R. & Chris Brown 'Come Through' to No. 1 on Adult R&B Airplay Chart
