The Doobie Brothers Reunion years and beyond
 The Doobies hibernated for the next five years, reuniting in different configurations only for annual Christmas season performances for the patients and staff at the Stanford Children's Hospital. Simmons released a fine but commercially disappointing solo album, Arcade, in 1983. Knudsen and McFee formed Southern Pacific and recorded four albums that found success in the country charts. (Former Creedence Clearwater Revival bassist Stu Cook would join the band after the first album in 1986.) Out of print for decades, Arcade was reissued on compact disc in early 2007 by specialty label Wounded Bird Records, which is also the home of Southern Pacific's catalog as well as Johnston's solo efforts. McDonald became established as a solo artist. His voice dominated adult contemporary radio throughout the eighties, though his star faded in the nineties. (He has experienced a renaissance of popularity over the last several years as an interpreter of Motown classics.)
Doobie Brothers in concert at the Chumash Casino Resort in Santa Ynez, California, on August 31, 2006.The reformation of the Doobies was scarcely premeditated. On a personal quest for a worthy cause, Knudsen had become active in Vietnam veterans' affairs. Early in 1987, he persuaded eleven of the thirteen other Doobie alumni to join him for a concert to benefit veterans' causes. Answering the call were Tom Johnston, Pat Simmons, Jeff Baxter and John McFee (vocals, guitars and strings), John Hartman, Michael Hossack and Chet McCracken (joining organizer Knudsen on drums), Michael McDonald (keyboards and vocals), Cornelius Bumpus (keyboards, vocals, saxophone and flute), Bobby LaKind (vocals and percussion), and Tiran Porter (bass and vocals). There were no surplus bass players, as Weeks had other commitments and long-absent Shogren reportedly was not invited. They soon discovered that tickets were in great demand, so the one concert quickly evolved into a brief tour. This expanded lineup was able to perform selections from every album using a smorgasbord of instrumentation that they could not have previously duplicated onstage. Baxter and McFee played pedal steel and fiddle, respectively, during Black Water and Steamer Lane Breakdown. Without You featured no fewer than four drummers and four lead guitarists. Producer Templeman, a musician in his own right, banged percussion and LaKind sometimes played Knudsen's trap set while the latter came to the front of the stage to join the chorus. The tour culminated (sans McDonald, McFee and Knudsen) at the glasnost-inspired July 4 Peace Concert in Moscow, with Raitt and Santana sharing the bill. Excerpts appearing later that year on the Showtime cable network included a performance of China Grove.
The successful reunion sparked discussions about reconstituting the band. They eventually decided to replicate the Toulouse Street/Captain and Me incarnation, settling on a line-up featuring Johnston, Simmons, Hartman, Porter and Hossack plus more recent addition LaKind and released Cycles on Capitol Records in 1989 . It featured a Top Ten single, The Doctor, which showcased Johnston's unmistakable voice and soaring lead guitar, and appeared calculated to remind listeners of the band's pre-McDonald triumphs. The song is very similar to China Grove and the connection is further enhanced by guest Bill Payne's tinkling piano. Cycles was certified gold. Bumpus participated as a sideman in the 1989 tour, adding his distinctive voice, keyboards, saxophone and flute to the proceedings. His presence bridged the gap between the current band and the McDonald era; he sang lead vocals on the song One Step Closer in performance while Simmons took McDonald's part. The success of Cycles led to the release of 1991's Brotherhood, also on Capitol. By this time, LaKind had been diagnosed with a terminal illness and retired from the band. The remaining members grew their hair back out, donned denim and leather, and attempted to revive their biker image of 1970. In spite of the makeover and strong material led by Simmons' now trademark Dangerous (featured in the Brian Bosworth film vehicle, Stone Cold), Brotherhood was unsuccessful. The accompanying tour was ranked among the ten least profitable tours of the disappointing 1991 summer season by the North American Concert Promoters Association, according to an article published in Billboard Magazine on December 14 of that year. The 1987 Doobie alumni band reunited one last time in 1992 to perform a benefit for LaKind's children shortly before his passing that year. Noticeably frail, LaKind nevertheless joined the group on percussion for a few numbers. The concert was recorded and subsequently broadcast on the Superstars in Concert radio series accompanied by a plea for contributions to the LaKind family fund.
A brief period of hiatus followed, during which Simmons collaborated with bassist and songwriter John Cowan on a project that remains unreleased. When the band emerged yet again for a 1993 co-headlining tour with the partially reunited Foreigner, Porter and Hartman had exited for good but veteran drummer Knudsen and guitarist McFee had rejoined as permanent members. As a sideman, Cowan played bass in 1993 and 1994 . (Porter still performs in and around northern California, occasionally with Moby Grape and regularly with Stormin' Norman and the Cyclones and the Beatles tribute band the Santa Cruz White Album Ensemble. His only solo album, the self-produced Playing to an Empty House, has become a collector's item.) With renewed energy, the band began to experiment with different arrangements of several tunes. They even sampled McDonald's songbook from time to time, eventually restoring Takin' it to the Streets to the set on a semi-permanent basis with Simmons and bassist Skylark subbing for McDonald. Bumpus and McCracken stepped in as sidemen on occasion, depending on the band members' schedules and their onstage needs.
The band has toured incessantly since 1993. In 1995, they reunited with McDonald for a brief co-headlining tour with the Steve Miller Band. The Dreams Come True tour featured all three primary songwriters and singers and reflected all phases of the band's career. McDonald remains an occasional special guest and has joined the group for benefits, private corporate shows and parties (such as the wedding reception of Liza Minnelli and David Gest), as well. A 1996 double live album, Rockin' Down the Highway: The Wildlife Concert, featured guest star McDonald on three of his signature tunes. Baxter has also sat in with the band during concerts, and the band have stated that they have an open door policy for guest appearances by former members.
In the late 1990s, the current band was forced to obtain an injunction preventing confusing or misleading uses of the Doobie Brothers moniker in advertisements promoting a tribute band featuring former members McCracken, Bumpus and Shogren accompanied by several lesser known musicians. Unfortunately, this unpleasant episode appeared to have burned bridges between the band and the aforementioned former members (of whom only McCracken survives today).
In 1999, Rhino Records released the group's first box set, entitled Long Train Runnin': 1970-2000. The box featured remastered tunes from the band's entire catalog, a new studio recording of the live concert staple Little Bitty Pretty One, and an entire disc of previously unreleased studio outtakes and live recordings. Rhino's 2000 release, Sibling Rivalry, offered the band's first new studio album in nine years. The material, which reflected significant contributions from both Knudsen and McFee, ranged from hard rock and hip-hop to jazz and adult contemporary. The album sold poorly, reflecting the declining sales throughout the adult-oriented rock musical scene. The band and its supporters felt it did not find the large audience it deserved.
To date, four members of the Doobies family are deceased: percussionist LaKind of cancer in 1992; original bassist Shogren of unreported causes in 1999; and Bumpus of a heart attack in 2004 while in the air on route to California for a solo tour. Drummer and activist Keith Knudsen died in 2005 following a lengthy struggle with chronic pneumonia. Former Vertical Horizon drummer Ed Toth was selected to fill Knudsen's drum seat as the band soldiered on.
Given the history of turnover, the current version of the band has proven to be remarkably stable in its core membership since 1993. It features one-half of the four original members - Johnston (1970-1977, 1987-present) and ever-present Simmons (1970-present, with only a brief hiatus in 1982) - plus veteran drummer Hossack (1971-1974, 1987-present) and longtime guitarist McFee (1979-1982, 1987, 1993-present). They are supported by Skylark on bass and vocals (joined 1995, replacing Cowan), keyboardist Guy Allison (joined 1996, replacing Dale Ockerman), and Marc Russo on saxophone (joined 1997, replacing Danny Hull). With Hossack, newest member Toth (joined 2005) keeps the trademark double-drummers driven sound going. The group continues to tour heavily and remains a popular concert draw. From 2005 through 2007 they headlined benefit concerts at manager Cohn's winery in Glen Ellen (once again sharing the stage with special guest McDonald in 2006). They have maintained a continuous and active presence on the Internet through their official website since 1996.
The Doobie Brothers have been eligible for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame since 1996 but have yet to be nominated.
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