Top 10 Michael McDonald Doobie Brothers Songs

Feature Photo: dbking, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Michael McDonald’s arrival in The Doobie Brothers in April 1975 became the turning point that put his voice, keyboards, and songwriting at the center of some of the band’s best-known records. Recruited during a national tour as a temporary replacement after Tom Johnston became ill, McDonald stayed on as a full-time member when the change worked onstage and in the studio. His principal Doobie Brothers stints are listed as 1975 to 1982, a brief return in 1987, then a later stretch beginning in 2019.

Before that national spotlight, McDonald’s early path began in Ferguson, Missouri, near St. Louis, and was shaped by constant local band work. He attended McCluer High School and played in groups that included Mike and the Majestics, Jerry Jay and the Sheratons, the Reeb Toors, also referred to as the Younger Brothers, and the Guild. In 1970, while performing with a band called Blue, he was discovered at an Illinois nightclub by RCA staff producer Rick Jarrard, who offered him a record contract and brought him to Los Angeles. His years active are listed as 1973 to present, and his core instruments are vocals and keyboards.

His professional breakthrough before the Doobies also included Steely Dan, where he joined the touring band in 1973 and remained a frequent studio collaborator through 1980. He contributed backing vocals to tracks on Katy Lied and appeared on later Steely Dan albums, including The Royal Scam and Aja, also providing keyboards on some tracks. His backing vocal work continued through Gaucho, and he later rejoined the band for a 2006 summer tour, opening and performing with them. That period established him as a sought-after high-harmony singer and a reliable studio keyboard player, setting the stage for the moment when the Doobies needed a frontman.

With the Doobie Brothers, McDonald became a lead vocalist and writer on a run of singles that defined the band’s late 1970s direction. The songs specifically credited to him as key Doobie Brothers hits include “Takin’ It to the Streets,” “It Keeps You Runnin’,” “Minute by Minute,” “Real Love,” “Little Darling (I Need You),” and “What a Fool Believes.” “What a Fool Believes” was also a No. 1 single in the United States and earned the 1980 Grammy Award for Song of the Year for McDonald and co-writer Kenny Loggins. During the same era he was also active as a session vocalist and keyboardist for artists named on the page, including Christopher Cross, Stephen Bishop, Jack Jones, Bonnie Raitt, Toto, and Kenny Loggins.

After the Doobie Brothers’ first farewell tour, McDonald shifted into a solo career that, on the page’s album list, spans twelve studio releases. His solo studio albums are If That’s What It Takes (1982), No Lookin’ Back (1985), Take It to Heart (1990), Blink of an Eye (1993), Blue Obsession (2000), In the Spirit A Christmas Album (2001), Motown (2003), Motown Two (2004), Through the Many Winters A Christmas Album (2005), Soul Speak (2008), This Christmas (2009), and Wide Open (2017). His early solo era also produced major singles, including “I Keep Forgettin’ (Every Time You’re Near)” and “I Gotta Try.” He continued high-profile writing collaborations as well, including co-writing I’ll Wait for Van Halen, which is identified as a top twenty hit from the album 1984.

His awards profile is anchored by five Grammy wins, including the Song of the Year Grammy connected to “What a Fool Believes.” He also won a Grammy for “Yah Mo B There,” a duet with James Ingram, in the category Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals. In later years, his Motown-era projects are also linked on the page to Grammy attention, with Motown earning two Grammy nominations. Beyond award voting, he was inducted into the St. Louis Walk of Fame on May 11, 2003, and his recording work includes a duet with Ray Charles on the album Genius Loves Company.

# 10 – Walk This Road

We start our Michael McDonald Doobie Brothers songs list with an album and a song I never thought we would actually be talking about. I don’t think many people expected Michael McDonald to rejoin the Doobie Brothers after being away from the band for so long, though he has toured with them on and off. Getting a new Doobie Brothers album featuring Michael McDonald just did not seem possible. So I’m glad that it happened, and it’s fantastic. What better song to add to this list than the album’s title track, “Walk This Road,” which also features the incredible, legendary vocals of Mavis Staples.

# 9 – Losin’ End

“Losin’ End” was written by Michael McDonald and closes side one of ” Takin’ It to the Streets. This is probably my favorite Doobie Brothers album. It’s the first Doobie Brothers album that Michael McDonald appears on, and it really changes the direction of the band.

# 8 – Here To Love You

The Michael McDonald song “Here to Love You ” appears on the band’s third album with Michael McDonald called, Minute by Minute. Even though the song opens the album, it’s one of the lesser-known tracks, as it was never released as a single, and pretty much only those of us who bought the record are aware of it. I had to make sure that I put this one on the list.

# 7 – Little Darling (I Need You)

Michael McDonald recorded four albums with the Doobie Brothers in the late seventies. Out of the four , Livin’ on the Fault Line was probably the weakest of the bunch. Still a great record, just not as strong as the other three. There were no really big hit singles from this album. Nonetheless, this is a pretty grooving track.

# 6 – Real Love

One Step Closer would be the final album on which Michael McDonald would appear as a Doobie Brother, until the recent release of Walk This Road. The opening guitar lick sets up the Fender Rhodes jazz chord that warps around McDonald’s silky vocals. Just wonderful 70s rock meets jazz meets soul, all fueled by a band that may not have even realized the gems they were releasing.

# 5 – Minute by Minute

I get chills when I hear the beginning of this song and those keys. It brings me right back to high school in the 70s. “Minute by Minute” was nominated for the Grammy Award for Record of the Year, but it did not win. The award went instead to another Doobie Brothers song, “What a Fool Believes,” which won Record of the Year at the 1980 Grammy Awards. That result meant the band competed against itself in the category, with Michael McDonald involved in both songs as a lead vocalist and songwriter. I’m not sure if that’s ever happened in Grammy Award history: an artist losing an award to himself.

# 4 – You Belong to Me

It was really interesting when this song was released that both the Doobie Brothers and Carly Simon released their own versions. Most people love the Carly Simon version, which was fantastic. Yet I’ve always loved Michael McDonald’s lead vocal on this song, too.

# 3 – It Keeps You Runnin’

I remember that after I first bought the album, one thing that blew me away was the sound quality. This was definitely one of the best-sounding records of the ’70s. Just listen to how good this is.

# 2 – What A Fool Believes

There’s nothing like winning a Grammy award, and that’s what the Doobie Brothers did with this sensational song.“What a Fool Believes” was written by Michael McDonald and Kenny Loggins. Released as a single in January 1979, the song reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming the band’s biggest chart success.

# 1 – Takin’ It To The Streets

The Doobie Brothers were always a band about groove. Long before Michael McDonald joined the band, The Doobie Brothers released so many great grooving singles. For me, Taking It To The Streets will always be the album that defined this band at their most grooving peak. And this is the song that does it the most.

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