The Doobie Brothers

The Doobie Brothers are an American rock band, best known for hit singles like "Black Water". They were popular throughout the 1970s.

The Michael McDonald years

But by 1976, lead singer Johnston grew tired of touring, even briefly battling illness. So he left the Doobies (eventually he forged his own short-lived solo career), and shortly after a new lead singer named Michael McDonald (another member of Steely Dan) was recruited to replace Johnston. Their sound also changed, from a hard-edged guitar-filled sound to that of mellow rock (filled with keyboards and horns). Their first album under McDonald was Takin' It To The Streets (which featured the singles "It Keeps You Runnin'" and the title cut). Their new sound was further forged with their next album, Livin' On The Fault Line, which featured "Little Darlin' (I Need You)", "Echoes Of Love", and "You Belong To Me" (later a hit for Carly Simon).

Related Topics:
1976 - Michael McDonald - Carly Simon

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Their career peaked with the success of 1978's Minute by Minute which spent five weeks at the top of the charts and brought the group their greatest success. Their hit "What a Fool Believes" won them a Grammy Award. The album also featured the first (and to date, the only) female lead vocal, from Nicolette Larson (who herself scored a hit with Neil Young's "Lotta Love").

Related Topics:
1978 - Minute by Minute - Grammy Award - Nicolette Larson - Neil Young

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By the beginning of the 1980s, former Moby Grape saxophonist Cornelius Bumpus joined the band as an occasional lead singer for the album One Step Closer. The LP, which featured the Top Ten hit "Real Love" (not to be confused with the John Lennon composition that would later be a hit for The Beatles), was a success, but did not match the blockbuster figures of Minute by Minute. By 1982, the Doobie Brothers announced their imminent break-up by embarking on a "farewell tour". The final show on that tour reunited former lead singer Tom Johnston with his former band mates.

Related Topics:
1980s - Moby Grape - Cornelius Bumpus - One Step Closer - John Lennon - The Beatles - 1982

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