The Doobie Brothers are an American rock band, best known for hit singles like " Black Water" and " What a Fool Believes". They sold millions of records throughout the 1970s.
Singer, guitarist and songwriter Tom Johnston and drummer John Hartman formed the nucleus of what would become The Doobie Brothers. Skip Spence of Moby Grape had introduced them to one another in 1969, after Hartman arrived in California determined to meet Spence and join his band. Johnston and Hartman called their fledgeling group Pud and experimented with different lineups and styles as they performed in and around San Jose, California. They were briefly a power trio, and briefly worked with a horn section. In 1970, they teamed up with bass player Dave Shogren and singer, guitarist and songwriter Pat Simmons. Simmons had belonged to several area bands and also performed as a solo artist. He was already an accomplished fingerstyle player by the time he joined. The new band's name, suggested by a friend (apparently as a joke), was taken from a slang term for a marijuana joint.
The Doobie Brothers honed their chops by performing live all over northern California in 1970. They attracted a particularly strong following among local chapters of the Hells Angels. An energetic set of demos (some of which were briefly released on Pickwick Records in 1980 under the title Introducing the Doobie Brothers) showcased fuzz-toned, dual lead electric guitars, three-part harmonies and Hartman's frenetic drumming and earned the band a contract at Warner Brothers Records.
At this point in their history, the band's image reflected that of their biggest fans (leather jackets and motorcycles). However, the group's 1971 self-titled debut album departed significantly from that image and their live sound of the period. The underrated album, which failed to chart, emphasized acoustic guitars and frequently reflected country influences. The bouncy lead-off song "Nobody," the band's first single, has surfaced in their live set several times over the ensuing decades and even appears on the 2004 DVD Live at Wolf Trap.