Doobie Brothers

Few bands (except maybe for Yes) have had such an intense rotation of members since the Doobie Brothers first started playing together in 1971. Along the way, they've churned out hits like "Taking It to the Streets," "What a Fool Believes," and "Listen to the Music," among the most memorable,...

By Ernest Barteldes

November 13, 2008

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Few bands (except maybe for Yes) have had such an intense rotation of members since the Doobie Brothers first started playing together in 1971. Along the way, they've churned out hits like "Taking It to the Streets," "What a Fool Believes," and "Listen to the Music," among the most memorable, plus notching several gold albums and a Grammy Award. Interestingly, they accomplished all of this without being able to keep a consistent lineup longer than a few years at a time. In fact, one needs to have almost encyclopedic skills (or access to Wikipedia) to chronicle how many musicians have come and gone since the band started. We all remember the Michael McDonald years, but there have been plenty of other lead singers along the way. With changing players came an ever-evolving sound that went from heavy guitar riffs to blues-inflected jams to songs with prog-rock tendencies. Thankfully, they've got an open-door policy for old members to sit in when schedules align, so you never know what surprises they may have in store when they arrive this week.

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