Tom Johnston Of The Doobie Brothers Talks About His Songwriters Hall Of Fame Honor, The Band’s New Album, And Their Classic Hits

Tom Johnston, who is one of the co-founders, lead singers & songwriters for the legendary band, the Doobie Brothers, has had an phenomenal career that began when he helped form the band 55 years ago (in 1970). He has written and sung many of the group’s biggest hits, and including “Listen to the Music,” “China Grove,” “Long Train Runnin’” and “The Doctor.”

Currently, the Doobie Brothers are in the midst of one of their biggest years. The three main songwriters in the band—Tom Johnston, Michael McDonald and Patrick Simmons—were recently inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. The band has also released their first studio album in four years, Walk This Road. In addition, the Doobie Brothers have launched a major new concert tour, playing arenas and amphitheaters throughout the U.S.

Along with their Songwriters Hall of Fame honor, the Doobie Brothers are also members of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame (they were inducted in 2020). The band is also in the Vocal Group Hall of Fame, and they’ve been nominated for many Grammy Awards.

With their new album, Walk This Road, Johnston, McDonald and Simmons each contributed songs, and they collaborated with hit writer/producer, John Shanks. Highlights include songs that feature Johnston on lead vocals (“Call Me,” “Here to Stay” and “New Orleans”), McDonald on lead vocals (“Walk This Road,” “Learn to Let Go,” “The Kind That Lasts“), and Patrick Simmons on lead vocals (“Angels & Mercy,” “State of Grace”).

We are pleased to do this new Q&A interview with Johnston. He discusses his Songwriters Hall of Fame induction, the band’s new album, and how he wrote several of their hit songs. But before we get started, here’s a rundown of the Doobie Brothers hit discography, including their classic hits and platinum & gold albums.

Hit songs by the Doobie Brothers: “Listen to the Music,” “Long Train Runnin,” “China Grove,” “Black Water,” “Take Me in Your Arms (Rock Me),” “Takin’ It to the Streets,” “What a Fool Believes,” “Minute by Minute,” “Real Love” and “The Doctor.” Platinum and gold albums: Toulouse Street (1972), The Captain and Me (1973), What Were Once Vices Are Now Habits (1974), Stampede (1975), Takin’ It to the Streets (1976), Livin’ on the Fault Line (1977), Minute by Minute (1978), One Step Closer (1980), and Cycles (1989).

Here’s our interview with Tom Johnston:

DK: Congratulations on being inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. How does it feel to receive this honor?

Tom Johnston: I’m still pinching myself. You think about the people that are already in there, the people that you grew up listening to, and the people that influence you musically pretty much your whole life. It’s an honor…it’s pretty amazing. I know we were all thrilled.

DK: Back in the early ‘70s. you wrote several big hits for the Doobie Brothers, with your first hit being “Listen to the Music.” Can you tell the story behind writing that song?

Johnston: I was in my room on 12th Street in San Jose. I was a college student, and at that point we’d already done an album called The Doobie Brothers (in 1971). We didn’t have a great amount of success with it, but our label (Warner Bros. Records) saw something positive with the band. It was in the midst of the Vietnam War.

There was a lot going on, and there were big SDS (Students for a Democratic Society) riots going on, where I was at San Jose State. There were some philosophers speaking at the school who I listened to over time. They put a different picture on things…very idyllic, sort of utopian in nature. And that’s what I was thinking when I wrote that song.

First of all, you have to write the chords and get a feel for what you’re doing. And writing those chords, and with the rhythm structure I had set up…playing a rhythm style which I still use, that involves a drum pattern inherent in the way you’re playing the guitar, because you don’t have a drummer (at that moment). Then the chord structure was to me, positive, like an uplifting feel to it. So I wrote a melody to fit that, and the lyrics for me always come last.

I started writing about things that were positive, with the words flowing. Whatever words comes flying through is what you grab and put down on paper. Then I took it in to the band when we were starting that album. And we left it that way, which was awesome.  Then I had played it for (producer) Ted Templeman around two in the morning once. And he said, “Yeah I don’t know, let me hear it tomorrow.” I did play it for him later, and the band added all the parts they had in mind, and it became what it is. I’m so glad the song has stood the test of time. It blows me away that it still resonates with people.

DK: A year later you had two more big hits: “China Grove” and “Long Train Runnin’.” Can you talk about writing those songs?

Johnston: I wrote “China Grove” on an acoustic…it was just a chord pattern in that rhythm structure. Then I grabbed John Hartman, who was the drummer in the band, and I said, “Let’s go downstairs and turn this electric—it’s gotta be electric.”

So we did, and we turned up the volume and went for it. We kept the chord changes and the rhythm feel of it, and we took it in and recorded it that way. I think I wrote that in latter ’72, when I was still living on 12th Street. Then we cut the track, and interestingly enough, something happened on the road. We were touring in the Winnebago and we were heading to San Antonio. We drove by a town called China Grove, and I guess I saw the sign saying China Grove.

With “Long Train Runnin’,” it started out as just a jam. Then Ted (Templeman) said in the studio, “Man, you should make a song out of this. Go write some words for it.” And so I did. I went and spent about 20 minutes in the bathroom at Amigo Studio because there’s great tile work in there. If you were singing, it would act like a reverb chamber. So I sat down and I wrote the words there. They weren’t in-depth lyrics or anything. Ted said, “Write something about a train,” and I did.

DK: In 1989 you had another big hit called “The Doctor” which is a fun, catchy song. How did you write that song?

Johnston: I wrote that with Charlie Midnight and Eddie Schwartz. I already had the chord changes to that, and they came up with a chorus, which is what really sold the song. Then I came up with all the verse stuff, and we stuck it together and that’s what came out of it. We wrote all the lyrics together in a place in Sausalito, which is where we were recording that album. And that came out pretty well. I was really happy to see that we had some success with that. That was the first album we’d done in years. It came out in 1989, after we’d gotten back together in 1987. Then with the success we had with “The Doctor,” it set up getting back on the road and doing it again. Then we followed that up with another album in ‘91, which was Brotherhood. And we’ve been going ever since.

DK: Recently you, Michael McDonald, and Patrick Simmons were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. So with the Doobie Brothers, what’s it been like to have three excellent songwriters and singers in the band, who each have their own distinctive style and sound?

Johnston: I have to say we’re very fortunate to have that—most bands don’t. Each of us have our own separate, stand-alone style. Each guy had his upbringing in music and his tone and everything. We all write songs to this day. And I think it’s what got us to where we are with the new album. It also works great live. The people love the combination of the three different styles of writing, and they like the different eras that are represented. And to be able to be out touring with brand new stuff is a plus. It’s amazing.

I think having three strong songwriters has always been one of the things that kept the band going, because you had the juxtaposition of one style with another style. Sometimes those would cross over, like “Long Train Runnin’” had a big finger-picking part on it, and that’s an example of what I’m talking about. And Pat (Simmons) came up with the banjo part on “Listen to the Music.”  You’ve got a little rock/R&B thing going on, and you’ve got an Americana blues thing over the top of that. That’s always been a strength for the band, and I think it’s a strength for the songwriting as well. Then Mike (McDonald) came up with a totally different style completely…very keyboard-oriented but also musically a style that we never even thought about doing. I wasn’t there for most of that, but I have to say it elevated the band to another place.

DK: The Doobie Brothers recently released their first album in several years, Walk This Road. Can you talk about the making of the new album?

Johnston: The interesting thing about the new album is that we co-wrote all the songs. I mean, all the songs were written from the ground up. Except for one song, “Here to Stay,” all the songs were written with (writer/producer) John Shanks.

Most of the time I’ve written by myself, but it was fun working with John. John worked with me, Pat and Michael on the songs. And that gave a new focus and function to the band as far as the recording goes. With this way, whoever’s writing the song is there with John and that’s it. And you put down the basic track and get it going with a vocal, and then everybody comes in and adds their parts later after the song’s been established.

The album is a combination of three writers and to me it sounds that way. And I think that’s a positive thing. We’re out there playing live and we’re doing four new songs on the tour which is unheard of for us. We usually play just one or two new songs.

DK: Tom, the Doobie Brothers have now been together for an amazing 55 years. As you look back on your great career and journey with the Doobie Brothers, what are some of the special things that come to mind?

Johnston: One of the things early on—I can remember listening to the music being played on the radio. It was in my Volkswagen…I was in Cupertino and I heard our song on the radio for the first time. I just said “Holy Shit,” and I hit that wheel and pulled over to the side of the road. That was mind-blowing. It was the first time I felt like, “Wow, we’re actually doing something.” Back in those days, being on the radio was a big deal…it meant a lot. I think everybody felt that way.

Another thing was when we had successive songs that did well. We toured a lot, and we still tour a lot. In those days, you’re either on the road or you’re in the studio. That’s been the lifestyle of the Doobie Brothers, but I don’t think it was uncommon. I think that anybody who has some success in the music business, that’s generally where you end up. And you see a lot of places you wouldn’t have seen otherwise…traveling and seeing a lot of cities in the world, a lot of countries. It’s been a rich experience…I’m very grateful for this whole situation. I don’t take it for granted, and I think we’re very fortunate to still have a following. And if anything, it’s gotten bigger. They’re still responding to songs I wrote 50 years ago. It blows me away.