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LOS ANGELES – Friday, February 28
– Four-time Grammy winning band the Doobie Brothers with Michael
McDonald are teaming up with country’s biggest stars including Toby
Keith, Brad Paisley, Zac Brown Band, Sara Evans, Chris Young, Jerrod
Niemann, Love and Theft, and more to be announced for an album of
all-new recordings of the Doobie Brothers’ biggest hits. Releasing later
this year on Sony Music Nashville, the album was announced during last
week’s Country Radio Seminar at Sony Music Nashville’s annual,
invitation-only show aboard the General Jackson Showboat, which treated
radio, media, and industry VIPs to a surprise performance by the Doobie
Brothers collaborating with album stars Paisley, Evans, and Young.
The album has come together organically over the last few months with
artists picking their favorite Doobie songs and recording them with the
Doobies. Many of the artists have performed Doobie Brothers songs live
in concert, and Sony Music Nashville label head Gary Overton’s first
live concert was a Doobie Brothers show in Phoenix, Arizona, in 1972.
ago was such a thrill for me. I loved their sound, and the enduring
appeal and influence of the Doobies runs deep. Artists have been telling
me how excited they are to be a part of this project, and that alone
speaks volumes about the amazing heritage of music that the Doobie
Brothers have created.”
As durable as American steel, Northern California’s four-time Grammy
winning Doobie Brothers sound has become part of America’s musical
firmament, sampled on dance records, reinterpreted on “American Idol,”
and a fixture on radio formats from top 40 to classic rock. They
continue to write and record new material and tour the world, boasting
one of the most loyal fan bases in music, all while breaking new
creative ground. In 2011, the band marked a new chapter, filming a CMT
Crossroads special with superstar Luke Bryan, and appearing for the
first time ever on the Grand Ole Opry. Their relationship with Nashville
continues to unfold with this new project.
The Doobies have rung up a glittering track record that would be the
envy of any band. Beginning with their multi-million-selling sophomore
collection Toulouse Street (1972), the Doobies have 3 multi-platinum, 7
platinum and 14 gold albums. Their Best of the Doobies (1976) has sold
more than 11 million copies – a rare “diamond record.” The Doobies’
propulsive, roots-based, harmony-laden, guitar-driven style has sold
more than 30 million albums.
Their No. 1 singles “Black Water” (1974) and “What a Fool Believes”
(1979), both gold, lead a catalog of indelible songs that include
“Jesus Is Just All Right,” “Rockin’ Down the Highway,” “Long Train
Runnin’,” “China Grove,” “Take Me in Your Arms,” “Takin’ It to the
Streets,” “Minute by Minute,” “You Belong to Me,” “The Doctor” and
more. In all, the Doobies have tallied-up five top 10 singles and 16 top
40 hits.
Formed in 1969 by fellow singer-songwriter-guitarist-lead vocalists
Patrick Simmons and Tom Johnston, the Doobies made their mark with a run
of punchy, melodic hits on Warner Bros. Records. They attained radio
and chart ubiquity in the early ‘70s. The group’s expanded line-up was
later augmented by Michael McDonald, whose soaring lead vocals pushed
the band to new commercial and critical heights.
The years have witnessed many changes in the Doobies, but the band’s
most recent studio lineup harkens back to their earliest days. Simmons
and Johnston continue to front the group. And multi-instrumentalist John
McFee’s history with the Brothers dates back to 1978, after his stint
with Southern Pacific. Michael McDonald returns to the Doobie Brothers
for this project.