The Doobie Brothers

The Doobie Brothers are an American rock band formed in 1970 in San Jose, California. Rooted in a laid-back blend of rock, country, folk and R&B, the group built its early sound around guitarist-vocalist Tom Johnston, whose gritty, riff-driven songs like «Long Train Runnin’» and «China Grove» defined their first commercial peak in the early-to-mid 1970s.

The band’s sound shifted dramatically in the mid-1970s when keyboardist and vocalist Michael McDonald joined, bringing a smoother, jazz- and soul-inflected style that produced some of their biggest hits, including «What a Fool Believes», «Takin’ It to the Streets» and «Minute by Minute». This blue-eyed-soul period gave the band crossover success on pop and R&B charts alike.

Over five decades the Doobie Brothers have gone through numerous lineup changes while remaining a fixture of American classic rock, known for tight vocal harmonies and genre versatility. Guitarist Patrick Simmons has remained a constant presence, and the band continues to tour, drawing on a catalog that spans gritty roadhouse rock and polished soft-rock balladry.