Why the Doobie Brothers still matter in 2025

San Francisco Chronicle​

2 days ago

Since the early 1970s, the Doobie Brothers have provided the soundtrack to countless road trips and backyard parties with songs like ' Listen to the Music,' ' Long Train Runnin' ' and ' What a Fool Believes,' among many others. Yet half a century into their storied classic rock career, the band finds itself stuck with an unlikely label: yacht rock pioneer.
After a 2005 web spoof went viral, the Doobie Brothers got lumped into the R&B-influenced soft rock subgenre promulgated by acts like Boz Scaggs, Kenny Loggins and Christopher Cross. Nostalgic heartstrings were tugged, yacht rock cover bands spread the gospel, and a recent HBO documentary exposed new generations to this invented but totally legit phenomenon.
'The whole idea of yacht rock, comically, is not lost on me,' Michael McDonald told the Chronicle, on video call from his Santa Barbara home. 'If I have to be attached to any group of musicians or bands or songs, I couldn't be prouder to be counted among bands like Steely Dan and Hall & Oates.'
It's another curious twist of the tail for the Bay Area music legends. During their Carter-era peak, the Doobie Brothers were hitting cruising altitude in their DoobieLiner jet, high off a string of instantly recognizable hits and readily available substances. By 1976, they already had a greatest hits compilation that has sold more than 10 million albums in the U.S. to date.
Now 56 years after their humble San Jose beginnings, the Rock and Roll Hall of Famers are back with their 16th studio album 'Walk This Road,' out Friday, June 6. A week later, members Patrick Simmons, Tom Johnston and McDonald will be inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame on June 12.
Johnston credits the band's success and longevity — they survived addiction, deaths, lineup changes and a five-year hiatus — to the strong connection fans have made with their music.
'They look fondly on the band because our songs are associated with good times,' said Johnston, on joint video call with his bandmates, from his home in Visalia (Tulare County). 'We're extremely fortunate to have that.'
Johnston and Simmons are OG San Jose like the Winchester Mystery House. They met at San Jose State University in the '60s, and together they would prowl Bay Area clubs and bars. In the process, they scooped up like-minded souls like drummer John Hartman and bassist Dave Shogren who would eventually form the Doobie nucleus in 1970.
'Living in the Bay Area had a profound influence on me musically because there was so much live music all the time,' said Simmons. 'It really sparked my imagination.'
A regular gig as the unofficial house band at Chateau Liberté in the Santa Cruz Mountains sealed their reputation as a favorite among local Hells Angels, who would ride their hogs into the joint without complaint. Moby Grape's Skip Spence was a key contributor to their rootsy hybrid sound. Hits like 'Black Water,' 'Take Me In Your Arms (Rock Me a Little While)' and 'Jesus Is Just Alright' revealed regional inspirations outside the 408, from swampy blues to joyous R&B.
'One of the things I really like about the band was that it never put stylistic limits on the music,' said Doobies guitarist John McFee, who joined the band in 1979, from his Santa Barbara home. 'We try to find things that work and just be as creative as possible.'
The addition of McDonald in 1976 opened up the band's sonic palette further into R&B and gospel territory, and set the wheels in motion for a sound reset. 'Takin' it to the Streets' and 'What a Fool Believes,' the latter which won a 1980 Grammy for song of the year, showcased McDonald's bearded brogue that would later define the yacht rock aesthetic.
On the band's new album 'Walk This Road,' the Doobie Brothers have matured like fine whiskey. Their voices have mellowed a touch, yet still have a satisfying residual burn. Mortality is a naturally occurring topic for the members whose average age is 74, as the group reflects on strengthening bonds ('Call Me'), achieving peace ('State of Grace') and pondering life's eternal lessons (the title track, a duet with gospel and R&B legend Mavis Staples).
'We have a lot of common feelings about where we've been and where we're going,' Simmons explained, joining the Zoom from his Maui residence. 'And it comes out in the songs.'
'Walk This Road' is a homecoming for McDonald, who hasn't recorded with the Doobie Brothers since 1980. He contributed 'Speed of Pain' and 'Learn to Let Go' to the new album, both imbued with his inimitable voice and keyboard touches.
Even during the peak of his solo popularity, McDonald said he's always stayed in touch with his Doobie brothers. He especially enjoys playing different instruments with the group, which he doesn't get to do in his own band.
'It's a great opportunity to become a part of the band again,' McDonald said. 'I've always enjoyed playing the music of the Doobie Brothers every bit as much, and sometimes more than, my own.'
Having a string of hits has resulted in a wide swath of Doobie admirers across a spectrum of genres. A 2010 tribute album, 'Southbound,' highlighted their lasting give-and-take connection with country music, featuring artists like Zac Brown Band and Brad Paisley.
There are pop, house, funk, even Cuban jazz renditions of the Doobie Brothers songs. They've been sampled by producers and DJs like J Dilla ('367') and Daft Punk ('Face to Face'). And McDonald's 'I Keep Forgettin' (Every Time You're Near)' forms the foundational bed for Warren G and Nate Dogg's G-funk classic 'Regulate.' Oakland R&B great Raphael Saadiq included 'China Grove' in his 2025 NBA All-Star Game medley, and yacht rock cover bands keep sprouting up as a new generation taps in and climbs aboard.
All this interest keeps the Doobie Brothers hype train on track. In July, they'll kick off their 2025 'Walk This Road' tour in the U.K., with U.S. dates following in August.
Johnston doesn't take the transformational power of live music for granted. He said the goosebump-raising feeling of an audience reacting to familiar opening chords of hits like ' Rockin' Down the Highway ' never gets old, even after more than five decades.
'If you can get that, man, take that to the bank and hang on to it,' Johnston said, 'because that's one of the reasons people keep coming back.'
'It's like we've been invited into people's lives, and we've become part of them,' added McFee. 'And that's an amazing thing. What a great benefit of playing music — to be lucky enough to make that kind of connection with people.'