Time may be the great equalizer, but the concepts of equality and unity at the core of the Doobie Brothers' creative partnerships are truly timeless. And on their new album, Walk This Road — the first to feature the foursome of Tom Johnston, Michael McDonald, Pat Simmons, and John McFee in 40-plus years — the group's melting pot of funk-informed rock and blue-eyed soul is overflowing with bonhomie.
"We came up in a time when you had a lot of latitude to experiment with musical styles and visit different genres on one album," says McDonald, who rejoined the band for its 50th anniversary tour in 2021 after spending decades as a solo artist. "If you could do something with a certain amount of sincerity, you were welcome to try it."
Walk This Road's leadoff song and title track brings that spirit of adventurous songwriting back to the fore with a call for togetherness. All three of the band's principal songwriters — McDonald, Johnston and Simmons — each take a turn at the mic in a show of unity, while guest vocalist Mavis Staples brings the authority of Civil Rights era Staple Singers to lyrics like, "You may be weary, you may feel strong/ We all need someone sometimes to help us walk on/ Walk this road with me."
Throughout the rest of the album's 10 tracks, the Doobie Brothers remind listeners why their music endures. The band channels the upbeat rock of its early years on "Angels & Mercy" and "Call Me," then drops an instant Doobie soul classic straight from their late-'70s McDonald era on "Learn to Let Go." And to close things out, they tap into their charitable side with "Lahaina," a benefit single for Maui wildfire victims (co-written by Simmons, a longtime Maui resident, and featuring another Hawaiian transplant, Mick Fleetwood). The camaraderie is clear and genuine across Walk This Road, and their signature vocal harmonies complete the circle.
As part of our Living Legends series, Michael McDonald and Tom Johnston chatted with GRAMMY.com about the two-time GRAMMY-winning band's legacy, the meaning of the Doobies' brotherhood, and how it all played a part in Walk This Road.
Michael, you originally joined the Doobie Brothers at a moment of transition in 1975, when Tom was no longer performing with the group. Did that feeling resurface when you rejoined for the 50th anniversary?
McDonald: This time it was a little more of a solid landing, if you will, for me. Tom and the guys had been together for a good 10, maybe 15 years interim, and I remember going to hear the guys at different times and thinking the band is sounding better than ever. I would play with them once in a while, [but] I always felt like a drunk wandering on stage, because I would be doing my best to stay out of the way and not do anything stupid.
This time, I got to rehearse with them in full rehearsal and actually know the arrangements when I got up there. So, it was a much more fulfilling experience for me, musically. The Doobies have always been a band in transition, even when it was Pat, Tommy, and the original guys — Michael Hossack and Keith Knudsen, John Hartman, all the way back.
With my coming into the band, the biggest adjustment we had was, for a moment there, Tom wasn't with us, and so we're filling a great void. We were lucky that Pat had written a certain amount of the stuff for the band with Tom during that whole period, so his influence was still there, and Tom's music was always a mainstay. Everybody participated and contributed.
I've gotten a lot of credit or blame for changing the band, but I think really it was everybody's effort to try to come up with something in a moment when Tom wasn't as actively involved. We had to think fast and hard about what the hell we're gonna do. And sometimes we hit the mark and sometimes not so much.
What's the X factor that makes it a Doobie Brothers song?
Johnston: The band coming in and adding their parts [to the songs]. Previous to working with [producer] John [Shanks], we would come in with a song fairly fleshed out, but it wouldn't be completely done. And the guys in the band would come up with ideas of their own that they thought fit the song.
Working with John, you would get a lot of those ideas before you even put it down in the studio. Not the harmonies and maybe not even all the lyrics, but you had the way the track was gonna feel, and that would evolve. It's a different style of writing and production.
Those vocal harmonies are a signature part of the band's sound. On the classic tunes, was that done as that group, hanging out around a microphone and knocking it out?
Johnston: Harmony has always been a part of this band, no matter who was writing the song or what kind of song it was. We always figured that was something we wanted to do, and it's always there and part of the Doobie Brothers — the background parts, the chorus, all that stuff involves harmony. We don't even think about it anymore. It makes it more inclusive as a band, as well, I think, as opposed to doing a solo project or something.
The band collaborated with some fellow music legends on Walk This Road. Mavis Staples added a gospel touch to the roadhouse-rock of the title song. Mick Fleetwood and others contributed to "Lahaina." Were these bucket-list pairings?
McDonald: A lot of the collaborations were on the spot, "Lahaina" especially. We had finished the song, but we started adding people like Jake [Shimabukuru] and everybody else who played and sang on it. Everybody was kind of drawn to the cause and wanted to help, because it was a song we recorded in hopes of raising some awareness and monetary assistance for the Lahaina fire victims [in 2023].
We felt like the song ["Walk This Road"] had kind of taken on its own meaning, and we felt there was no one better than her to be the ambassador of social conscience than Mavis. With the Staples Singers, most all their songs had some kind of a moral message and conscience, and sometimes you could take it into the political realm if you wanted. It was really all based on the better part of human nature to bring about good change for all of us and for the better good. And having her singing that song with us just seemed like such an appropriate addition. And of course she sang the hell out of it, which she always does.
Fans get exposed to music in lots of ways — like when Warren G sampled Michael's solo hit "I Keep Forgettin'' on "Regulate." How are people discovering the band today?
Johnston: I think live, now, they're seeing everything the band has ever done style-wise. I think people really enjoy hearing the various writing styles. I know I've been enjoying it.
And it's a bigger show. If they came to hear a certain song, no matter what era it's from, more than likely they'll hear it. I just look at that as a more valid expression of what this band has been able to do over 50 years. It's for real, and people appreciate that.
Of all the hits you've had so far, what has been the most fun to play with the band?
Johnston: That depends on the night you're playing it. One of the great things about Mike being on the road with us is being able to play the songs he had hits with the band with. And they also respond to things like "Black Water" or "Listening to the Music," "Long Train Running," those kinds of things — the songs that got a lot of exposure. But they also respond to the deep album cuts. If it's played well and it's a good song, whatever it might be, then they'll respond to it. And I think that says a lot for the guys on stage.
McDonald: One of the things I've always enjoyed personally about playing with the Doobie Brothers is the diversity of the songbook that we get to play every night live. The band always had a diverse songbook from the beginning, but it's only gotten more so over the years.
Like Tom was saying, we've got songs like "Black Water," "Long Train Running," "Listen to the Music," "You Belong To Me" — there's so many different styles we're able to do in one show. And our audience seems to enjoy the eclectic nature of our show. There's a lot of bands that do a more singular style of music, and one of the things that's always been a plus for us is that it would be hard to pin us down to any style of music because we've visited many different stylistic approaches. That helps our live show to a large degree.
Most bands can't stay together half as long as the Doobie Brothers. What does the word "brotherhood" mean to you all now, in this band?
Johnston: We all are comfortable doing whatever songs we're playing, and we feel enthusiasm about whatever the song is. What really changes, though, is the crowd. When you're playing a song you've been playing for 50 years, truthfully, you just accept that the audience is gonna want to hear it, so you better play 'em. But when you do, it's like you're playing the song for the first time. Even though you know it really well, no matter what the song is, the crowd is responding to it and that really makes the song special in that moment. That's huge.
The brotherhood that you mentioned is being able to put that out to a crowd, and everybody wants to make it the best they can, no matter the song. It's pretty hard to get upset when people are dancing and singing to the song you're playing, and they're yelling and screaming, they're having a great time. That's a special feeling you can't get anywhere else.
You've earned GRAMMYs, and you're in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. And now the Songwriters Hall of Fame is going to induct several members of the band. Does this one feel different?
Johnston: A lot of people that are in both of these halls, be it the Rock and Rock Hall of Fame or Songwriting Hall of Fame, were people I was influenced by growing up and coming up in the music business. They came up with great songs that stood themselves as far as the quality of the tune or what it said, or how it felt. Those can be mutually exclusive, but I think overall, it's an honor. I feel very honored to be getting inducted.
McDonald: The biggest thing about any of these awards for us is being in the company of people we have admired throughout our careers, and to be counted among those people is a source of pride for us.
"Lahaina" was a benefit single for the People's Fund of Maui, and you've previously contributed to cancer foundation Love Hope Strength and many other charities. Why are these causes important to the band?
Johnston: The band has had that going on for various reasons, various causes. We used to do it for, say, the Stanford Children's Hospital — we would play for them and raise money. And we'd actually go in there and talk to the kids and play for them in a small acoustic setting. It makes you feel good to be able to give to people, to be able to do something that helps out.
I'd say that ran through the years of the band; there's been quite a few. The reason this band got back together in '87, for instance, was initially because Keith — I believe he was the one who initiated it — called everybody and said, "Would you be willing to play a benefit?" And we were all there. Mike was there, Bobby LaKind was there. I was there, Pat was there, Tiran [Porter] was there. I think four drummers? It was ridiculous, but it was pretty amazing.
It was a fun thing for everybody to do because everybody is doing their own thing, and it was a neat moment. It made everybody appreciate what the band had to offer as far as people wanting to hear this kind of music and what we've always done, no matter what genre it is, no matter who wrote the songs, and it was huge. People really responded to it.
And then the early band, if you wanna call it that, the one that started it all, did the album Cycles, and that was the beginning and we haven't quit since, essentially, so from '87 'til now. I think this is the culmination of all that and having Mike join us on the road for the last few years. With this album, I think it's come full circle.