The band's self-titled 1971 debut album, "The Doobie Brothers", yielded no hit singles, but the subsequent "Toulouse Street" of 1972 burst out with Johnston's "Listen To The Music" (#11) and "Jesus Is Just Alright" (#35) in the last three months of the year.
The third album, "The Captain and Me" (1973) established the Doobies as concert headliners on the strength of the hits "Long Train Runnin'" (#8) and "China Grove" (#15) (both penned by Johnston).
The fourth album, "What Were Once Vices Are Now Habits" (1974), included "Black Water," the band's first #1 record which eventually sold more than 2 million copies, and was the first hit to feature Simmons as lead vocalist (he also wrote the song). By 1975, with the release of "Stampede", which included the remake of the Motown classic "Take Me In Your Arms (Rock Me A Little While)" (#11) and the addition of former Steely Dan guitarist Jeff "Skunk" Baxter, The Doobies had become one of the most popular rock bands in the country.
Ironically, the Doobies' own version of the song released five months later did even better for them, hitting #37.
Johnston returned briefly to help record the next album, "Livin' On the Fault Line" (1977), but for all intents and purposes McDonald had taken over the lead vocal chair, launching a second golden era of hits for The Doobie Brothers. "What A Fool Believes," a song McDonald wrote with Kenny Loggins, gave the band its second #1 hit.
It was included on "Minute By Minute" LP (1979), whose title tune notched up another hit (#14), followed in turn by "Dependin' On You" (#25).
Here are The Doobie Brothers - LIVE in 1979!
Jesus is just alright
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..Very Clear and Bright.
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