If you’re a fan of the Doobie Brothers, then you already know Michael McDonald’s history with the band is complicated, at best. Not because there’s any bad blood, but because the timeline is a bit all over the place.
So, let’s break it down: McDonald, 73, joined the band in 1975 as a temporary replacement for Tom Johnston, who was struggling with health issues. He quickly became a key member, shaping their sound with his soulful vocals.
McDonald stayed through their peak years before leaving in 1982 when the band initially disbanded. Over the years, he’s rejoined for reunions and tours, including the recent 50th anniversary celebrations, maintaining a lasting connection with the group.
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When McDonald originally joined the band, the lineup was Johnston, Patrick Simmons, John Hartman, and Tiran Porter, among others. As of July 2025, the lineup is Simmons, 76, Johnston, 76, McDonald, and John McFee.
Currently, the Doobie Brothers are touring across the U.S. and Europe on their Walk This Road tour. Earlier this summer, they also released their new album, Walk This Road.
McDonald, of course, couldn’t be happier to be back in the fold. “I always missed being a Doobie Brother in all the years [I was gone]. I was fortunate as a solo artist to have some songs get on the radio and be able to tour with my own band for many years. We played all over the world. It’s not that I didn’t enjoy every minute of that, and playing with those guys. Because I was lucky to have some wonderful musicians in my solo band, but it’s not that I didn’t miss being a Doobie Brother, because I always did,” McDonald told Ultimate Classic Rock in a recent interview.
As for his future with the Doobie Brothers, that’s still unwritten! But he’s 100 percent along for the ride.
“I knew it would be hard for me to resist whatever was next. They’re even talking about tour dates in 2026 and my only question with that is, ‘Will I still be alive?’ You know, I hope so. Because for us, what they pay us to do is get on the bus and sleep on a bus, bounce down the road and eat the terrible breakfast at the Hampton Inn, you know. But what we do on stage, we would do for free, you know?” he explained.
“And that’s what we live for out here, and that’s why we live this lifestyle, is to get that hour and a half on stage with an audience that at this point in our career, some of those people have been coming to see us for 50 years, and there’s nothing better than that. Every time we play these songs that we would have been sick of 30 years ago, at least, when we’re up there in front of the audience in that moment, with that audience on that night [and] in that moment, it’s almost like the first time we ever did the song. It never gets old, so we’re grateful for that,” McDonald concluded.