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| Not flattering, but definitely rock 'n' roll. |
The Hit
“Savannah Nights” open with bare-naked percussion - bongos (I think), definitely a snare, some quick taps on a hi-hat (toms?) - until a percussive rhythm guitar comes in, then horns, then a full standard rock ensemble takes over and it’s off to the races. When the vocals start, you’re pretty sure you know that voice…
…and, if you’re a fan of 1970s Bay Area rock, you do. Shit, how do I approach this one?
The Rest of the Story
“It’s not what I grew up doing and where I came from. So I just said, ‘You know, go ahead and do your thing. That’s cool. I’m gonna go do mine.’ That’s kind of where I left it until such time.”
That’s Tom Johnston, founder, vocalist, guitarist and songwriter for the Doobie Brothers talking about his bad luck, yet brief departure from the band that made him pretty damn famous. And that’s the rub with this chapter of the One Hit No More series: whenever someone talks to Johnston, pretty much all they talk about is the Doobie Brothers. Johnston more or less backed into his solo career and it didn’t last that long, at least not on the studio side. He recorded just two albums - 1979’s Everything You’ve Heard Is True and 1981’s Still Feels Good - and I’ve already covered half the story of his solo career with that one quote.
Talking about the rest of it requires talking about the Doobie Brothers, but I can only do that for so long without going against the animating presence of this series - i.e., learning and writing about one-hit wonders. “Savannah Nights” was Johnston’s one hit as a solo artist - and that only reached No. 34 on the Billboard (in 1980, for the record). That’s not to say the Doobies charted high or often - they didn’t, not for all the materail they put out - but they have legacy (e.g., “China Grove,” “Listen to the Music,” and “Long Train Running”) that stretches toward iconic, if mostly for their era (I know; the Doobies 2.0 had some hits of their own). They also have the kind of longevity that most bands can only dream of. As such, this post covers only how he got started and how his solo career came about, because it’s pretty much all Doobies on either side of that.
“Savannah Nights” open with bare-naked percussion - bongos (I think), definitely a snare, some quick taps on a hi-hat (toms?) - until a percussive rhythm guitar comes in, then horns, then a full standard rock ensemble takes over and it’s off to the races. When the vocals start, you’re pretty sure you know that voice…
…and, if you’re a fan of 1970s Bay Area rock, you do. Shit, how do I approach this one?
The Rest of the Story
“It’s not what I grew up doing and where I came from. So I just said, ‘You know, go ahead and do your thing. That’s cool. I’m gonna go do mine.’ That’s kind of where I left it until such time.”
That’s Tom Johnston, founder, vocalist, guitarist and songwriter for the Doobie Brothers talking about his bad luck, yet brief departure from the band that made him pretty damn famous. And that’s the rub with this chapter of the One Hit No More series: whenever someone talks to Johnston, pretty much all they talk about is the Doobie Brothers. Johnston more or less backed into his solo career and it didn’t last that long, at least not on the studio side. He recorded just two albums - 1979’s Everything You’ve Heard Is True and 1981’s Still Feels Good - and I’ve already covered half the story of his solo career with that one quote.
Talking about the rest of it requires talking about the Doobie Brothers, but I can only do that for so long without going against the animating presence of this series - i.e., learning and writing about one-hit wonders. “Savannah Nights” was Johnston’s one hit as a solo artist - and that only reached No. 34 on the Billboard (in 1980, for the record). That’s not to say the Doobies charted high or often - they didn’t, not for all the materail they put out - but they have legacy (e.g., “China Grove,” “Listen to the Music,” and “Long Train Running”) that stretches toward iconic, if mostly for their era (I know; the Doobies 2.0 had some hits of their own). They also have the kind of longevity that most bands can only dream of. As such, this post covers only how he got started and how his solo career came about, because it’s pretty much all Doobies on either side of that.
