Tom Johnston (US musician)
Encyclopedia
Tom Johnston is an American
musician
. He is a guitarist
and vocalist, and co-founded The Doobie Brothers
with drummer
John Hartman
, guitarist
Patrick Simmons
and bassist
Dave Shogren.
as he grew up included Little Richard
, Bo Diddley
, Elvis Presley
, James Brown
, and other rhythm and blues
artists featured on the radio in the 1950s. At the age of twelve, he took up guitar following the stylings of Freddie King and Chuck Berry, and had formed his first band by age fourteen. In his early career he played in a variety of bands, including a Mexican wedding band that played half soul and half Latin music. His interest in rhythm and blues led to his singing in a soul group from a neighboring town and, eventually, his own blues
band.
Johnston moved to San Jose
to finish college and started playing in bands around town. It was here that he met Skip Spence
, a former drummer
with Jefferson Airplane
, and founding member of a group that had a major influence on the Doobie Brothers - Moby Grape
. Spence introduced Johnston to John Hartman. Johnston and Hartman soon formed their own band, Pud, featuring Greg Murphy on bass
. Pud played many clubs
in and around San Jose, including the Golden Horn Lounge in Cupertino, California
, which no longer exists. Murphy was soon replaced by Shogren, Simmons was recruited, and Pud gave way to the Doobie Brothers.
Johnston wrote and sang many of the Doobie Brothers' early hits
, including "Listen to the Music," "Rockin' Down the Highway," "China Grove
," and "Long Train Runnin'." He also sang the hit song "Take Me in Your Arms" (written by Holland-Dozier-Holland
).
In December 1973, the British
music magazine, NME
reported that Johnston had been arrested in California on a charge of marijuana possession.
Following years of road touring lifestyle and health challenges
, Johnston became severely ill and was hospitalized on the eve of a major tour in 1975 to promote Stampede. Johnston's illness led to the emergency hiring of Michael McDonald
, who became the lead singer of the band. After a few years of restored health but diminished influence in the group, Johnston finally left in 1977 to pursue a solo career that produced two albums with Warner Bros: Everything You've Heard Is True and Still Feels Good (reissued on compact disc
by Wounded Bird Records
). Johnston toured in the late 1970s and early 1980s with the Tom Johnston Band, which featured fellow Doobie alum John Hartman on drums.
In 1985, Johnston toured U.S. clubs with a group called Border Patrol, that also included former Doobies Michael Hossack
and briefly Patrick Simmons. This group toured but never recorded. In 1987, he contributed a tune to the Dirty Dancing
soundtrack
entitled "Where are You Tonight?"
Johnston joined the Doobie Brothers when they reunited together for a brief tour in 1987 to benefit Vietnam veterans. This event led to the permanent reformation of the band, with Johnston again taking the helm alongside co-founder Simmons. Johnston co-wrote, sang and contributed a signature guitar solo to the group's last major chart hit, "The Doctor" (from 1989's Cycles).This was followed by the album "Brotherhood" in 1991 which featured 4 songs by Johnston, and "Sibling Rivalry" in 2000 featuring the single "People Gotta Love Again". The Doobie's most recent album "World Gone Crazy" features 13 songs, eight of which were penned by Johnston including the album's title track and the first single "Nobody", a rerecording of the band's first single in 1971.
. His daughter Lara was a competitor on MTV
's Rock the Cradle
and was a 2011 participant in American Idol
being eliminated at the "group round" stage of competition. His son Christopher lives and works in Marin.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
. He is a guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
and vocalist, and co-founded The Doobie Brothers
The Doobie Brothers
The Doobie Brothers are an American rock band. The group has sold over 40 million units worldwide throughout their career. The Doobie Brothers were inducted into The Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2004.-Original incarnation:...
with drummer
Drummer
A drummer is a musician who is capable of playing drums, which includes but is not limited to a drum kit and accessory based hardware which includes an assortment of pedals and standing support mechanisms, marching percussion and/or any musical instrument that is struck within the context of a...
John Hartman
John Hartman
John Hartman is a U.S. drummer who was a co-founder and original drummer of the Doobie Brothers. At the band's inception, Hartman was the sole drummer. However, in late 1971, the group added second drummer Michael Hossack, and the dual-drummers formation has persisted ever since...
, guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
Patrick Simmons
Patrick Simmons
Patrick Simmons is an American musician best known as a guitarist and vocalist for the rock band The Doobie Brothers. His fingerstyle guitar playing complements the strumming style of Tom Johnston. Born in Aberdeen, Washington, he has been the band's only consistent member throughout their tenure...
and bassist
Bassist
A bass player, or bassist is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass, bass guitar, keyboard bass or a low brass instrument such as a tuba or sousaphone. Different musical genres tend to be associated with one or more of these instruments...
Dave Shogren.
Career
Johnston's favorite musicMusic
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
as he grew up included Little Richard
Little Richard
Richard Wayne Penniman , known by the stage name Little Richard, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, recording artist, and actor, considered key in the transition from rhythm and blues to rock and roll in the 1950s. He was also the first artist to put the funk in the rock and roll beat and...
, Bo Diddley
Bo Diddley
Ellas Otha Bates , known by his stage name Bo Diddley, was an American rhythm and blues vocalist, guitarist, songwriter , and inventor...
, Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
, James Brown
James Brown
James Joseph Brown was an American singer, songwriter, musician, and recording artist. He is the originator of Funk and is recognized as a major figure in the 20th century popular music for both his vocals and dancing. He has been referred to as "The Godfather of Soul," "Mr...
, and other rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
artists featured on the radio in the 1950s. At the age of twelve, he took up guitar following the stylings of Freddie King and Chuck Berry, and had formed his first band by age fourteen. In his early career he played in a variety of bands, including a Mexican wedding band that played half soul and half Latin music. His interest in rhythm and blues led to his singing in a soul group from a neighboring town and, eventually, his own blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
band.
Johnston moved to San Jose
San Jose, California
San Jose is the third-largest city in California, the tenth-largest in the U.S., and the county seat of Santa Clara County which is located at the southern end of San Francisco Bay...
to finish college and started playing in bands around town. It was here that he met Skip Spence
Skip Spence
Alexander Lee "Skip" Spence was a Canadian-born musician and singer-songwriter. He was co-founder of Moby Grape, and played guitar with them until 1969. He released one solo album, 1969's Oar, and then largely withdrew from the music industry...
, a former drummer
Drummer
A drummer is a musician who is capable of playing drums, which includes but is not limited to a drum kit and accessory based hardware which includes an assortment of pedals and standing support mechanisms, marching percussion and/or any musical instrument that is struck within the context of a...
with Jefferson Airplane
Jefferson Airplane
Jefferson Airplane was an American rock band formed in San Francisco in 1965. A pioneer of the psychedelic rock movement, Jefferson Airplane was the first band from the San Francisco scene to achieve mainstream commercial and critical success....
, and founding member of a group that had a major influence on the Doobie Brothers - Moby Grape
Moby Grape
Moby Grape is an American rock group from the 1960s, known for having all five members contribute to singing and songwriting and that collectively merged elements of folk music, blues, country, and jazz together with rock and psychedelic music...
. Spence introduced Johnston to John Hartman. Johnston and Hartman soon formed their own band, Pud, featuring Greg Murphy on bass
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
. Pud played many clubs
Nightclub
A nightclub is an entertainment venue which usually operates late into the night...
in and around San Jose, including the Golden Horn Lounge in Cupertino, California
Cupertino, California
Cupertino is an affluent suburban city in Santa Clara County, California in the U.S., directly west of San Jose on the western edge of the Santa Clara Valley with portions extending into the foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains. The population was 58,302 at the time of the 2010 census. Forbes...
, which no longer exists. Murphy was soon replaced by Shogren, Simmons was recruited, and Pud gave way to the Doobie Brothers.
Johnston wrote and sang many of the Doobie Brothers' early hits
Hit record
A hit record is a sound recording, usually in the form of a single or album, that sells a large number of copies or otherwise becomes broadly popular or well-known, through airplay, club play, inclusion in a film or stage play soundtrack, causing it to have "hit" one of the popular chart listings...
, including "Listen to the Music," "Rockin' Down the Highway," "China Grove
China Grove (song)
"China Grove" is a song from The Doobie Brothers' 1973 album The Captain and Me. It was written by original lead singer Tom Johnston, before he fell ill in 1975 and was replaced by Michael McDonald. The song is based on a real town in Texas with the same name. The connection is obvious given its...
," and "Long Train Runnin'." He also sang the hit song "Take Me in Your Arms" (written by Holland-Dozier-Holland
Holland-Dozier-Holland
Holland–Dozier–Holland is a songwriting and production team made up of Lamont Dozier and brothers Brian Holland and Edward Holland, Jr. They are considered to be one of the greatest songwriting teams in popular music...
).
In December 1973, the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
music magazine, NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
reported that Johnston had been arrested in California on a charge of marijuana possession.
Following years of road touring lifestyle and health challenges
Leptospirosis
Leptospirosis is caused by infection with bacteria of the genus Leptospira, and affects humans as well as other mammals, birds, amphibians, and reptiles.The...
, Johnston became severely ill and was hospitalized on the eve of a major tour in 1975 to promote Stampede. Johnston's illness led to the emergency hiring of Michael McDonald
Michael McDonald (singer)
Michael McDonald is a five-time Grammy Award winning American singer and songwriter. McDonald is known for a soulful baritone singing style and a multi-octave range. He began his career singing back-up vocals with Steely Dan...
, who became the lead singer of the band. After a few years of restored health but diminished influence in the group, Johnston finally left in 1977 to pursue a solo career that produced two albums with Warner Bros: Everything You've Heard Is True and Still Feels Good (reissued on compact disc
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
by Wounded Bird Records
Wounded Bird Records
Wounded Bird Records is a CD only, re-issue record label, that was founded in 1998 in Guilderland, New York. They re-release lesser known albums from both popular and lesser known artists, including Deborah Harry, Chic, David Blue, Marilyn Martin, Gordon Haskell, Jon Anderson, Adrian Belew, Ellen...
). Johnston toured in the late 1970s and early 1980s with the Tom Johnston Band, which featured fellow Doobie alum John Hartman on drums.
In 1985, Johnston toured U.S. clubs with a group called Border Patrol, that also included former Doobies Michael Hossack
Michael Hossack
Michael Hossack is the drummer in the band The Doobie Brothers.Hossack, known as "Big Mike," learned his craft drumming in the Boy Scouts and later served in the United States Navy during the Vietnam War. His musical career began in a short-lived band called Mourning Reign, but upon their break-up...
and briefly Patrick Simmons. This group toured but never recorded. In 1987, he contributed a tune to the Dirty Dancing
Dirty Dancing (soundtrack)
Dirty Dancing is the original soundtrack of the 1987 film Dirty Dancing. The album became a huge commercial success in the USA. It spent 18 weeks at #1 on the Billboard 200 album sales charts and went multi-platinum. It spawned a follow-up album entitled More Dirty Dancing . Executive Produced by...
soundtrack
Soundtrack
A soundtrack can be recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, book, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; or the physical area of a film that contains the...
entitled "Where are You Tonight?"
Johnston joined the Doobie Brothers when they reunited together for a brief tour in 1987 to benefit Vietnam veterans. This event led to the permanent reformation of the band, with Johnston again taking the helm alongside co-founder Simmons. Johnston co-wrote, sang and contributed a signature guitar solo to the group's last major chart hit, "The Doctor" (from 1989's Cycles).This was followed by the album "Brotherhood" in 1991 which featured 4 songs by Johnston, and "Sibling Rivalry" in 2000 featuring the single "People Gotta Love Again". The Doobie's most recent album "World Gone Crazy" features 13 songs, eight of which were penned by Johnston including the album's title track and the first single "Nobody", a rerecording of the band's first single in 1971.
Family
Johnston and his wife now live in northern Marin County, CaliforniaMarin County, California
Marin County is a county located in the North San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California, across the Golden Gate Bridge from San Francisco. As of 2010, the population was 252,409. The county seat is San Rafael and the largest employer is the county government. Marin County is well...
. His daughter Lara was a competitor on MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
's Rock the Cradle
Rock the Cradle
Rock the Cradle was an MTV reality show in which the offspring of R&B, pop, and rock stars from the 1980s and 1990s vie in a six-week singing competition...
and was a 2011 participant in American Idol
American Idol (season 10)
The tenth season of American Idol premiered on January 19, 2011 and concluded on May 25, 2011, on Fox. The show underwent a number of changes from season nine, including the reduction of the judging panel to its original number of just three judges , a returning executive producer, a new music...
being eliminated at the "group round" stage of competition. His son Christopher lives and works in Marin.
With the Doobie Brothers
- The Doobie BrothersThe Doobie Brothers (album)The Doobie Brothers is the first studio album by American rock band The Doobie Brothers, released in 1971 . It is their only official studio album to feature original bass player Dave Shogren on all tracks, who left during the recording of their second album.The first single from the album,...
(1971) - Toulouse StreetToulouse StreetToulouse Street is the second studio album by American rock band The Doobie Brothers, released in 1972 . Toulouse Street is the name of a street in the French Quarter of New Orleans.-Track listing:Side One...
(1972) (U.S. #21) - The Captain and MeThe Captain and MeThe Captain and Me is the third studio album by American rock band The Doobie Brothers, released in 1973. It features some of their most popular hits including "Long Train Running", "China Grove" and "Without You". The album is certified 2x Platinum by the RIAA.- Recording and content :This time...
(1973) (U.S. #7) - What Were Once Vices Are Now HabitsWhat Were Once Vices Are Now HabitsWhat Were Once Vices Are Now Habits is the fourth studio album by American rock band The Doobie Brothers, released in 1974.-Recording and content:...
(1974) (U.S. #4) - Stampede (1975) (U.S. #4)
- Takin' It to the Streets (1976) (U.S. #8) (does not actually appear on much of album)
- Livin' on the Fault LineLivin' on the Fault LineLivin' on the Fault Line is the seventh studio album by the American rock band The Doobie Brothers, released in 1977. It is one of the few Doobie Brothers albums which did not produce a hit . Still, the album received modest critical acclaim...
(1977) (U.S. #10) (listed in credits but may not actually appear on album) - Farewell TourFarewell TourFarewell Tour is the first live album by American rock band The Doobie Brothers, released in 1983. . It documents what they thought would be their final concert. The front cover shows Keith Knudsen cutting the strings on John McFee's guitar as a symbolic gesture. Original lead vocalist and...
[Live] (1983) (U.S. #79) (guest appearance on two songs) - Cycles (1989) (U.S. #17)
- BrotherhoodBrotherhood (The Doobie Brothers album)Brotherhood is the eleventh studio album by American rock band The Doobie Brothers, released in 1991 .-Track listing:#"Something You Said" – 4:48#"Is Love Enough" Brotherhood is the eleventh studio album by American rock band The Doobie Brothers, released in 1991 (see 1991 in music).-Track...
(1991) (U.S. #82) - Rockin' Down the Highway: The Wildlife ConcertRockin' Down the Highway: The Wildlife ConcertRockin’ Down the Highway: The Wildlife Concert is the second live album by American rock band The Doobie Brothers, released in 1996. .-Track listing:Disc 1#"Dangerous" – 5:58#"Jesus Is Just Alright" Rockin’ Down the Highway: The Wildlife Concert is the second live album by American rock band The...
[Live] (1996) - Best of the Doobie Brothers LiveBest of the Doobie Brothers LiveBest of The Doobie Brothers Live is a live album released by The Doobie Brothers. It was the companion album to Rockin' down the Highway: The Wildlife Concert, only as a limited set...
[Live] (1999) (single CD of Wildlife Concert tunes) - Sibling Rivalry (2000)
- On Our Way UpOn Our Way UpOn Our Way Up is one of several unauthorized releases of an early Doobie Brothers demo recorded in 1970. Other unauthorized releases of some or all of the tracks on this recording include Introducing The Doobie Brothers and Excitement, among other titles.-Track listing:#"By Yourself" – 2:48#"Make...
(2001) - Divided HighwayDivided HighwayDivided Highway is a compilation album by American rock band The Doobie Brothers, released in 2003. . All tracks are taken from the albums Cycles and Brotherhood .-Track listing:...
(2003) (consisting of tunes from Cycles and Brotherhood) - Live at Wolf TrapLive at Wolf TrapLive at Wolf Trap is the third live album by US rock band The Doobie Brothers, released in 2004.Wolf Trap is a National Park in Virginia, where the band performed live on July 25....
[Live] (2004) - World Gone CrazyWorld Gone Crazy (The Doobie Brothers album)World Gone Crazy is the thirteenth studio album by American rock band The Doobie Brothers, released on September 28, 2010. It debuted at number 39 on the Billboard top 200 albums chart, their highest charting position since 1989. The first single is a remake of their 1971 debut single Nobody...
(2010) (U.S. #39)
Solo
- Everything You've Heard Is True (1979) - includes song "Savannah Nights"
- Still Feels Good (1981)