Doobie Brothers to Release New Album with Michael McDonald

The Doobie Brothers Perform At Toyota Pavilion At Concord

Source: Michael McDonald of The Doobie Brothers performs at Toyota Pavilion at Concord on September 08, 2024 in Concord, California. (Steve Jennings/Getty Images)

The Doobie Brothers were back in the studio in 2024, as Tom Johnston, Michael McDonald and Pat Simmons all collaborated on the writing of 10 new songs, according to a statement by Simmons on the band’s Facebook account. The upcoming album, Walk This Road, is the first new original album with McDonald in over 40 years.

“The three of us wrote songs and collaborated together,” Simmons said in the statement. “We had a lot of fun recording it and we feel very proud of the results.”

The album celebrates 56 years of the Doobie Brothers, 55 years after the release of their self-titled debut album, The Doobie Brothers. The record will feature vocals from Johnston, McDonald and Simmons, along with musical contributions from longtime member John McFee and producer John Shanks. Shanks also played on the album beyond his capacity as a producer.

Simmons claims the band will release the album’s debut single early this year, with the album’s release to follow later in the spring or summer.

“Fortunately we’re back working with our friends at Warner Brothers/Rhino Records on this release,” Simmons said in the statement. “We’ll probably debut a song soon after the first of the year and the full album will follow sometime in the Spring/Summer.”

McDonald last appeared on 2010’s World Gone Crazy, featuring on the song Don’t Say Goodbye, and the 2014 collaborative covers album Southbound. At the time, McDonald hadn’t been with the band at an official capacity since 1996. He rejoined the Doobie Brothers as a full-time member in 2019.