The Doobie Brothers

About

Also known as: Doobie Brothers, Dooby Brothers, The Dobbie Brothers, The Doobie Bros, The Doobie Bros., The Doobie Brother, The Doobies

Few bands have pulled off as many stylistic reinventions as the Doobie Brothers and still held onto a massive audience. Formed in San Jose in 1970, they built their early reputation on twin guitar riffs, three part harmonies, and a hard driving rock sound that drew a devoted biker following across Northern California. When Michael McDonald joined in 1975, the whole vibe shifted toward soul and smooth pop, and that pivot paid off big: the 1978 album Minute by Minute hit number one for five weeks and won a Grammy, while the McDonald and Kenny Loggins co write 'What a Fool Believes' took home both Record of the Year and Song of the Year. Over sixteen studio albums, the Doobies racked up 16 Billboard Hot 100 top 40 hits, including 'Listen to the Music', 'Black Water', 'Long Train Runnin'' and 'China Grove'. Their Best of the Doobies compilation went diamond with ten million copies sold, and in 2020 the band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. More than 40 million records worldwide later, founding members Tom Johnston and Patrick Simmons are still at the core, with McDonald back in the fold full time since 2019.