The Doobie Brothers Vinyl Record Albums

The Doobie Brothers are an American rock band, best known for hit singles like "Black Water". They were popular throughout the 1970s.he founding members were lead vocalist, guitarist and songwriter Tom Johnston and drummer John Hartman, whom Skip Spence of Moby Grape introduced to one another. Johnston and Hartman originally called their group Pud and experimented with different lineups and sounds as they performed in and around San Jose, California. In 1970, they teamed up with bass player Dave Shogren and co-lead vocalist, guitarist and songwriter Pat Simmons, and thus The Doobie Brothers were born. The band's name, suggested by a friend (perhaps as a joke), was taken from a slang term for a marijuana joint.
The Doobie Brothers honed their chops by performing live all over northern California in 1970. They attracted a particularly strong following among local chapters of the Hells Angels. An energetic set of demos that showcased fuzzy, twin electric guitars, three-part harmonies and Hartman's frenetic drumming earned the band a contract at Warner Brothers Records. However, the group's 1971 self-titled debut album failed to chart. Not shortly after, Mike Hossack joined the group on the drums. The underrated album emphasized acoustic guitars and vocal harmonies, frequently reflecting country influences. The bouncy lead-off song "Nobody," the band's first single, has surfaced in their live set several times over the ensuing decades and even appears on the 2004 DVD Live at Wolf Trap.
The following year's sophomore album, Toulouse Street (which spawned the hit singles "Listen To The Music" and "Jesus Is Just Alright"), brought the band their breakthrough success. In collaboration with manager Bruce Cohn and producer Ted Templeman, the Doobies had decided to replace Shogren with bass guitarist extraordinaire Tiran Porter and to supplement Hartman's manic drumming with that of talented Navy veteran Michael Hossack. Porter and Hossack were both veterans of the local music scene and well acquainted with the members of the Doobies. With a tight new rhythm section and the dual songwriting talents of Johnston and Simmons, the Doobies' trademark sound (an amalgam of R&B, country, bluegrass, heavy metal and Southern rock) emerged.
A string of hits followed, including Johnston's "Long Train Runnin'" and "China Grove" (from the 1973 album The Captain and Me). Simmons' "Black Water" (from 1974's What Were Once Vices Are Now Habits) became the band's first #1 single. These early singles have become modern rock staples, having earned perinneal airplay among today's Classic Rock radio stations. During the recording of Vices, Hossack departed the band. Drummer, songwriter and vocalist Keith Knudsen was recruited quickly and left with the Doobies on a major tour within days of joining the band.
Also in 1974, Steely Dan co-lead guitarist Jeff Baxter (nicknamed "Skunk") learned that his band was retiring from the road. He immediately segued into the Doobie Brothers as third lead guitarist. He had previously worked with the band in the studio, having added pedal steel guitar to both Captain ("South City Midnight Lady") and Vices ("Black Water").