The Doobie Brothers’ Tom Johnston on being replaced by Michael McDonald
Throughout the 1970s, The Doobie Brothers made an ascent to becoming one of the most popular rock bands in America. Thanks to hits like ‘Listen to the Music’ and the chart-topping ‘Black Water’, The Doobies were able to play arenas across the US. The band was riding high when a massive hurdle was put in front of them: lead singer Tom Johnston came down with a medical ailment that effectively and immediately sidelined him as a member of the band.
“I had an ulcer, and it was a really, really bad ulcer,” Johnston told Dan Rather on his show The Big Interview. “I ended up in the hospital for a year with it.” Johnston’s medical issues came at a time when The Doobies were more popular than ever. The band decided to come to an agreement: vocalist Michael McDonald would come in to augment Johnston’s role as lead singer while he recuperated.
“Initially, my understanding [was that] Mike was brought in to do backgrounds and fill in with keyboards. I think Jeff Baxter was the one who brought him in from Steely Dan,” Johnston added. “As it turned out, Mike had this huge treasure trove of songs sitting there that no one knew about, and [he] changed the direction of the band.”
By 1976, McDonald was a full-time member of the band. Johnston and McDonald worked together on the 1976 album Takin’ It to the Streets, and McDonald’s more pronounced pop style began to take hold. “It kept the ball rolling. It was another direction altogether musically, but it was a popular one for a lot of people,” Johnston claimed. “They really liked this change. So these kinds of things – you can call them blessings, you can call them whatever you want – but these things happen for a reason and that worked.”
McDonald’s leaning toward pop and jazz didn’t fit Johnston’s image of the band. Now with three singers and songwriters in their ranks, Johnston began to feel alienated from the band that he had co-founded. The initial sessions for 1977’s Livin’ on the Fault Line featured Johnston’s contributions, but soon after, Johnston decided to leave The Doobie Brothers. McDonald would continue with the band until their 1982 farewell tour, after which he left to pursue a solo career. The Doobie Brothers would officially reunite in 1987, with McDonald coming and going from the lineup at different points throughout their existence.
