Patrick “Pat” Simmons, one of the founding members of the iconic band The Doobie Brothers, loves hanging out in Market Square when he’s in Pittsburgh.
“Sitting out there in the summertime on one of the patios, having a bite to eat or some coffee, it’s just a great vibe. Pittsburgh’s a cool city, and I’ve seen it through the years, being more of an industrial kind of hub to now these days being as much of a tourist destination as anything,” Simmons, 76, tells Pittsburgh City Paper, naming the city’s great museums, restaurants, and theaters.
Pittsburgh is a long way from where The Doobie Brothers first formed 55 years ago. Simmons, along with original members Tom Johnston, Dave Shogren, and John Hartman, created the band in 1969 in San Jose, Calif., and were what Simmons called “just a bunch of hippies jamming and stuff.”
“One of the guys that Tommy was living with said, ‘You guys smoke so much weed you should call yourselves The Doobie Brothers,’” Simmons says. “We thought it was kind of a goofy name and never thought it would be it, but of course it stuck, and everybody responded to us really well, so we kept it.
About six years later, Michael McDonald joined as a keyboardist and lead vocalist to assist Johnston, who had health issues at the time. McDonald later went on to a notable solo career, producing hits like “I Keep Forgettin’ (Every Time You’re Near).”
The band, including McDonald, will appear at The Pavilion at Star Lake on Wed., Aug. 6, with special guest The Coral Reefer Band, as part of a tour to promote their new album Walk This Road.
“Just the fact that we were able to record a new album, that’s pretty satisfying after all this time to still be writing songs and making records,” Simmons says. “It’s always a dream and continues to be a dream for me.”
Over the years, The Doobie Brothers experimented with a wide array of music genres, including folk, country, R&B, soul, jazz, rock, gospel, and blues. “Part of the sustainability, or the magic of this band, I think is the fact that we have so many different genres of music that we play together,” Simmons says. “It kind of keeps things from getting stale for the audience and for ourselves, really.”
Referencing the term “yacht rock,” a subgenre characterized by its mellow, lyrical themes and elements of jazz, disco, and R&B music, Simmons notes other bands and musicians like Toto and Christopher Cross, who often experiment with sound (and, coincidentally, recently played The Pavilion at Star Lake).
“Having a lot of different kinds of music keeps you on your toes, you are less complacent and bored with one kind of approach if you’re going from one genre to another within a set,” he says.
Simmons wrote many of the hit songs The Doobie Brothers still perform today like “Black Water” and “Dependin’ on You,” which was co-written with McDonald.
“Whether it’s ‘Listen to the Music’ or ‘Black Water’ or ‘China Grove,’ they all have intricacies and levels of difficulty that once you master the challenges, it becomes enjoyable and it’s fun to play complicated arrangements,” Simmons says.
He especially enjoys watching the audience’s looks of astonishment when the band plays a difficult piece. “Those are the moments of glory,” he adds.
In addition to Pittsburgh, Simmons and his bandmates are covering over 35 cities across the United States, and have a European tour scheduled for 2026.
Simmons believes the band will also do another record soon. “That’s something I can look forward to, maybe in the fall, starting another recording session,” he says.
The Doobie Brothers with The Coral Reefer Band. 7 p.m. The Pavilion at Star Lake. 665 Route 18, Burgettstown. Tickets start at $37. pavilionstarlake.com/shows
This article appears in Jul 23-29, 2025.
