Doobie Brothers
Veteran actor Rob Lowe has used a recent episode of his podcast to reflect on how he almost embarked upon a music career thanks to Toto.
Lowe made the claim during a discussion with journalist, author, and fellow podcaster Bill Simmons as part of the latest episode of SiriusXM’s Literally! With Rob Lowe. During their chat, the pair switched their focus onto the world of ’80s music and nascent documentary Yacht Rock: A Dockumentary, for which Simmons is an executive producer.
“That’s the other thing about yacht rock,” Simmons said during a focus on the somewhat negative attitudes to the genre in recent years. “These songs were some of – literally – the biggest songs of the year; songs that won Grammys.
Explore
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
“[The Doobie Brothers‘] ‘Minute by Minute’ won a Grammy, Christopher Cross won, like, four Grammys. Toto crushed at the Grammys. Toto crushed at the Grammys to the point that people got pissed about it. Like, there was a Grammys backlash. They were like, ‘Who the fuck are these guys?’”
Trending on Billboard
Lowe countered Simmons’ claims about Toto’s success at the 1983 Grammy Awards (in which they won six awards due to the success of Toto IV and lead single “Rosanna”) by recalling how he too had a brush with the Los Angeles rockers.
“I got one for ya. There was a minute in the ’80s where I was definitely doing too much Bolivian marching powder and just being a fucking lunatic,” Lowe remembered. “And [it was] also coming at the time in a young actor’s career where they’re too old to play the roles they’ve been playing, but they’re too young to play the roles that will last you the rest of your life, which are really the great ones. And you can kind of feel it.
“I love music so much, as evidenced by this talk and all of that, that I got it into my head that maybe I should think more about music and I cut a demo with Toto.”
“Wow, this is one of the reasons you’re the world’s most interesting man,” Simmons responded. “You were partying with the Showtime Lakers as they were winning titles during the Magic’s shots scenario. Who weren’t you involved with in L.A. in the ’80s?”
“Probably nobody, because I also took having fun very seriously,” Lowe added.
Lower did not elaborate on the track further, and it’s unclear what happened to the demo that he recorded with Toto, or if it may ever see a potential release – ideally on a future sequel to the Yacht Rock documentary.
The Doobie Brothers are readying their 16th studio album, with the group revealing that Michael McDonald will return to perform vocals on the newly announced Walk This Road.
Explore
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
News of the band’s forthcoming record was shared during a year-end wrap-up post shared to Facebook on Monday (Dec. 30). “It’s hard to believe another year just shot by like a rocket!” the band wrote. “We’re currently celebrating almost 56 years together as a band. 55 years since we released our very first self titled album The Doobie Brothers.
“It’s been a long winding road since those early days but we’re still working together, doing our best to remain creative, and looking forward to bringing our music to you folks out there again next year.”
Trending on Billboard
Reflecting on their activities across 2024 (which included close to 60 live shows and featured U.K. opening for the Eagles), the Doobie Brothers closed by looking ahead to the coming year and their plans for new music.
“Here’s the goal we’ve set for 2025,” the post continued. “This train keeps rollin’ down the track and we’re almost ready to release our new album Walk This Road sometime after the first of the year. We have 10 new songs sung by Tom [Johnston], Michael [McDonald], and Pat [Simmons]. The three of us wrote songs and collaborated together. We had a lot of fun recording it and we feel very proud of the results.
“John McFee added his incredible musical talents as well. Once more we turned to the amazing John Shanks who produced, wrote, and played on the tracks with us. Fortunately we’re back working with our friends at Warner Brothers/Rhino Records on this release. We’ll probably debut a song soon after the first of the year and the full album will follow sometime in the Spring/Summer.”
The most notable takeaway from the band’s update is the return of McDonald on an album of original music. Joining the band in 1975 ahead of their Takin’ It to the Streets album the following year, McDonald remained lead vocalist of the band until their 1982, overseeing some of their most popular releases, including 1978’s Minute by Minute – their only album to top the Billboard 200.
Though the Doobie Brothers would reunite in 1987, McDonald’s time with the band was somewhat sporadic, with stints within the group in 1992, 1995, and again in 2014 as a studio member. His last studio album of original material recorded with the Doobie Brothers was 1980’s One Step Closer, though he would feature on one song from 2010’s World Gone Crazy, and feature on the band’s 2014 covers/collaboration album Southbound.
While McDonald rejoined the band as a full-time member in 2019, he was ultimately absent from their 2021 album, Liberté.
-
Pages