Doobie Brothers to Fire Up Soon At Sunset Music Series

Multi-Grammy Award-winner, the Doobie Brothers, will be hitting the Nantucket Nectars stage for the first time ever next Friday evening, July 29^th. Opening for the Doobies will be Fairhaven, one of the strongest up and coming bands in pop music today who combine intricate, melodic vocals with driving piano and guitar. Beginning the night on the smaller, Courtyard Stage will be -based veteran singer-songwriter and guitarist, Brian Scott. A limited number of tickets are still available at $55 for standard seats and $75 for preferred seats and those interested can purchase and print tickets at home by visiting www.newportwaterfrontevents.com or by calling the Newport Yachting Center Box Office at (401) 846-1600.

The roots, country and swamp rockers from San Jose, California, the Doobie Brothers have sold over 30 million albums in the United Sates, enjoyed #1 singles and albums and earned multiple Grammy awards. The band’s second album, Toulouse Street, featuring the classic rock staples, “Listen to the Music” and “Jesus is Just Alright”, brought the band its breakthrough success in 1972. A string of hits soon followed, including “Long Train Running”, “China Grove” and South City Midnight Lady”, as well as the 1974 hit, “Black Water” which was the band’s first #1 single and propelled the album, What Were Once Vices Are Now Habits to multi-Platinum status.

In 1976, the band reached a crossroads as primary singer and songwriter, Tom Johnston, was no longer an active member of the band due to health reasons. The Doobie Brothers turned to Steely Dan alum, Michael McDonald, to fill the void. This resulted in the Takin It to the Streets album with its hit title track representing a radical change in their sound as electric guitar based rock and roll gave way to blue-eyed soul and soft rock emphasizing keyboards and horns. The greatest hits compilation, Best of the Doobies, followed before year’s end, an album that the Recording Industry Association of America certified “Diamond” in 1996 for sales in excess of ten million.

The Doobie Brothers popularity reached its zenith in 1978 with the release of the album, Minute by Minute. It spent five weeks at the top of the music charts and McDonald’s song, “What a Fool Believes” was the band’s second #1 single and earned the Doobie Brothers two Grammy awards for “Pop Vocal Performance by a Group” along with “Album of the Year.”

Since the late Seventies, the band has toured and cut several more albums, including Cycles in 1989 which featured the Top Ten single, ”The Doctor” and was certified Gold. The Doobie Brothers latest album, released last year, is entitled, World Gone Crazy and is an analogy of the band as a whole. “In a certain sense, the album is vintage Doobie Brothers. It certainly has the two original writers and there’s a certain signature there in terms of the vocal sound. As far as the songs are concerned, there are elements of things we’ve done in the past and some new ways we’ve applied them,” said Simmons.

“As we thought, the Doobie Brothers is certainly shaping up to be our signature show this summer,” said Michele Maker Palmieri, General Manager of the Newport Yachting Center. “They’re one of the most well know bands the Sunset Music Series has ever featured and, with the way ticket sales are tracking, I’d be surprised if it didn’t sell out this week. What better way to celebrate the summer than listening to the Doobies on the Newport waterfront!”