The legendary Doobie Brothers perform the pop vocals and instrumentals that made the ensemble a household name.
Where: Wolf Trap Filene Center
When: 8 p.m. Thursday
Info: $40 in-house, $25 lawn; 877-965-3872; wolftrap.org
When Tom Johnston teamed up with drummer John Hartman in 1969, the singer/guitarist/songwriter could not have envisioned that their modest entrance into the San Jose, Calif., music scene was the promise of a powerhouse ensemble down the road. The subsequent addition of guitarist Patrick Simmons and bass player Dave Shogren completed the first incarnation of the Doobie Brothers, starting a tradition embraced by two generations.
Forty years later, Johnston and Simmons are going strong with a stellar lineup that includes drummer Mike Hossack, back after recuperating six months from a taxi cab accident. Their Wolf Trap concert Thursday, part of an extensive cross-country tour into November, promises to lure fervent fans of all ages.
“We just finished working on a new album that will be out the beginning of next year,” Johnston said. “The audience can look forward to a couple songs off the new CD, but the majority of numbers are favorites from our albums and every era of rock.”
From the beginning, the Doobie Brothers attracted an eclectic fan base with early emphasis on the leather jacket and motorcycle crowd. Following the success of their second album, “Toulouse Street,” their versatile styles soon defied category. Johnston’s creative melodies and memorable vocals reached out to rock, country, jazz, blues and gospel audiences alike. Multiple Grammy Awards, along with gold and platinum albums, reflected their crossover popularity.
Sidelined by health problems in the mid-1970s, Johnston watched the Doobies continue to flourish with new members, but when Simmons pulled out by 1981, nobody from the original lineup remained. Although both Johnston and Simmons successfully performed in various configurations until they got together in 1986 to work on another album, it was not until they were recruited for a concert to benefit Vietnam veterans that they revisited the idea of a true Doobie Brothers reunion. What began then as a single venture, grew into a 12-city tour that climaxed in Moscow with a July 4th “Peace Concert.”
Together once again, the hits came fast and furiously with “Cycles” in 1989, “Brotherhood” in 1991, “Rockin’ Down the Highway: The Wildlife Concert” in 1996 and “Long Train Runnin’: 1970-2000,” a collector’s dream of a boxed set. Following the “Live at Wolf Trap” CD and DVD released in 2004 and the 2005 Katrina Benefit with concert and DVD proceeds going to the hurricane victims and Habitat for Humanity, they are firmly in the groove and eager for their latest recording to become available to fans.
“Looking back on my career, the highlights have been playing before live audiences and doing good recordings,” Johnston said. “After not being together for 10 years, I realized that there’s nothing I like better than to be still rocking and performing with the Doobie Brothers in front of our fans.”
