Patrick Simmons

For other people named Patrick Simmons, see Patrick Simmons (disambiguation).

Patrick Simmons
Simmons performing with the Doobie Brothers in 2013
Background information
Born	(1948-10-19) October 19, 1948 (age 76) Aberdeen, Washington, U.S.
Origin	San Jose, California, U.S.
Genres	Rock pop
Occupation	Musician
Instruments	Vocals guitar banjo
Years active	1970–present
Labels	Warner Bros. Capitol Elektra

Patrick Simmons (born October 19, 1948) ^[1] is an American musician best known as a founding member of the rock band The Doobie Brothers, with whom he was inducted as into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2020. ^{[2] [3]} He is the only member of the band to appear on every release.

Early life

Born in Aberdeen, Washington, Simmons was raised in San Jose, California, where his father was a high school educator. He attended Leigh High School in San Jose, California., ^[4] followed by San José State University ^[5] where he was a member of the Theta Xi fraternity ^[6] and lived for many years in Santa Cruz County, California.

Career

The Doobie Brothers

Main article: The Doobie Brothers

In 1970, a California-based power trio consisting of Tom Johnston, Dave Shogren and John Hartman teamed up with Simmons to form a group together. They would call themselves "The Doobie Brothers", after their friend Keith "Dyno" Rosen, who either lived with or next to the band told them: "Why don't you call yourself the Doobie Brothers because you're always smoking pot?" ^[7]

Simmons (far left) and the Doobie Brothers performing on the television show "TopPop" in 1974.

Simmons wrote and sang many songs for the Doobie Brothers, including lead vocal on "South City Midnight Lady", as well as "Dependin' On You", "Echoes of Love", "Wheels of Fortune" and "Black Water", the group's first #1 record. ^{[1] [8]}

The group's 1978 studio album, Minute by Minute , reached number one for five weeks, and won the band a Grammy for Best Pop Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group, while the single "What A Fool Believes" from the album won three Grammys itself.

The Doobie Brothers disbanded in 1982, with Simmons' decision to leave the group, as the last original member at the time, after Dave Shogren left in 1971, Tom Johnston in 1977, and John Hartman in 1979. The Doobie Brothers reformed again in 1987, and the band are still touring, as of 2024, being led by Simmons and Johnston.

Simmons with The Doobie Brothers in 2006

The group has sold more than 40 million albums worldwide. ^{[9] [10]} The Doobie Brothers were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2004, ^[11] and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on November 7, 2020. ^{[2] [3]} Upon hearing that the band were to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Simmons recalled: ^[12]

I was really happy about it. It's something that we've been thinking about for a long time. That's kind of one of the things you always hope will happen, especially with a band like ours that has been around this long. We're celebrating 50 years. It might even be 51, but who is counting?

In June 2025, Simmons, Johnston and Michael McDonald were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame as members of The Doobie Brothers, the ceremony was hosted by Garth Brooks. ^{[13] [14] [15] [16] [8] [17]}

Solo

In 1983, Simmons released his first solo album, Arcade, on Elektra Records. It yielded his only top 40 hit, "So Wrong", ^[18] which peaked at #30 on the Billboard Hot 100. "So Wrong" was also a surprise hit on the US dance/disco chart, peaking at #8. ^[19] The album was reissued on compact disc in Japan in the early 1990s and again in 2007, by the label Wounded Bird Records.

Simmons also formed the band Skin Suit during this period. ^[20] In 1998, Simmons released a second solo album titled Take Me to the Highway.

With Tom Johnston, Simmons wrote Long Train Runnin': Our Story of The Doobie Brothers (2022). ^[21]

Personal life

He met his wife Cristine Sommer in 1989 in Sturgis, South Dakota at the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. They moved to Mendocino County, California in 1990 after the Loma Prieta earthquake of 1989 and now live in Maui, Hawaii. ^{[22] [23] [24]} They have three children and three grandchildren. ^[23] One of their children, Patrick Simmons Jr. (born 1990), is an Island musician who still lives in Hawaii and has survived cancer. ^[25]

In 1981 he opened a vintage motorcycle shop with author William J. Craddock. ^{[26] [27]}

Simmons and his wife are both avid cyclists and members of Antique Motorcycle Club of America. ^{[23] [28]} They both enjoy riding antique motorcycles, participating in the 2014 Motorcycle Cannonball Endurance Ride. ^[29] They participated in the 2016 Motorcycle Cannonball, riding from Atlantic City, New Jersey to San Diego, California. ^[30]

Simmons is a Democrat and told Hot Press in 2025 that he feels "embarrased" for the United States under the rulership of Donald Trump. ^[31]

Songs written by Simmons

Apart from "I Got You" and "So Wrong", these songs were all written for The Doobie Brothers.

• "Evil Woman" – 1973
• "South City Midnight Lady" – 1973 ^[32]
• "Black Water" – 1974 ^{[32] [33]}
• "You Just Can't Stop It" – 1974 ^[32]
• "I Cheat the Hangman" – 1975 ^[33]
• "Sweet Maxine" – 1975 ^{[32] [33]}
• "Wheels of Fortune" – 1976 ^[33]
• "Echoes of Love" – 1977 ^[33]
• "Dependin' on You" – 1979 ^{[34] [35] [33]}
• "So Wrong" – Patrick Simmons – 1983 ^[33]
• "Dangerous" – 1991 ^[33]
• "I Got You" – Train – 2009 ^[32]
• "Far From Home" – 2011 ^[33]

Discography

With The Doobie Brothers

Main article: The Doobie Brothers discography

• The Doobie Brothers (1971)
• Toulouse Street (1972)
• The Captain and Me (1973)
• What Were Once Vices Are Now Habits (1974)
• Stampede (1975)
• Takin' It to the Streets (1976)
• Livin' on the Fault Line (1977)
• Minute by Minute (1978)
• One Step Closer (1980)
• Cycles (1989)
• Brotherhood (1991)
• Sibling Rivalry (2000)
• World Gone Crazy (2010)
• Southbound (2014)
• Liberté (2021)

Solo

Albums

Year	Label	Album	US
1983	Elektra Records [32]	Arcade [36]	52
1995		Take Me to the Highway	-

Solo singles

Year	Label	A-side	B-side	US [37]	NLD [38]
1983	Elektra Records	"So Wrong" [39]	"If You Want A Little Love"	30	49
		"Don't Make Me Do It" [39]	"Sue Sad"	75	-

Other

• Another Passenger – Carly Simon – Performer – 1976 ^[40]
• Time Loves a Hero – Little Feat – Peformer – 1977 ^[40]
• Energy – The Pointer Sisters – Composer – 1978 ^[40]
• Nicolette – Nicolette Larson – Performer – 1978 ^[40]
• Waiting for Columbus – Little Feat – Performer – 1978 ^[40]
• Lauren Wood – Lauren Wood – Performer – 1979 ^[40]
• Victim of Love –Elton John – Performer – 1979 ^[40]
• Whistling in the Dark – Max Carl – Performer – 1979 ^[40]
• In Harmony – Sesame Street – Performer – 1980 ^[40]
• Radioland – Nicolette Larson – Performer – 1980 ^[40]
• Steel Feels Good – Tom Johnston – Performer – 1981 ^[40]
• Industry Standard – The Dregs – Performer – 1982 ^[40]
• One More Mile – Jim Messina – Composer – 1983 ^[40]
• The Jitters – The Jitters – Composer – 1987 ^[40]
• Lambada: Erotic Dance Explosion – Concord – Composer – 1989 ^[40]
• Live or Else – The Necros – Composer – 1989 ^[40]
• Tres Palabras – Larry Vuckovich – Composer – 1989 ^[40]
• Let's Swamp Awhile – Smokehouse – Composer – 1991 ^[40]
• Rain Tree Crow – Rain Tree Crow – Composer – 1991 ^[40]
• Peaceful Easy Feeling – Mark Burchfield – Composer – 1993 ^[40]
• Bermuda Triangle – Al Yankee – Assistant engineer – 1995 ^[40]
• Valley Style – Kaʻau Crater Boys – Composer – 1995 ^[40]
• Piano Dreams – Robert LeClair – Composer – 1998 ^[40]
• Live at the Britt Festival – Michael Nesmith – Composer – 1999 ^[40]
• From Out of the Blue – The Sky Kings – Performer/Composer – 2000 ^[40]
• Warsaw Jazz Jamboree – Stéphane Grappelli – Composer – 2000 ^[40]
• Gioia2 – Lives of a Cell – Composer – 2002 ^[40]
• Cant Stop Running – Todd Rundgren – Composer – 2002 ^[40]
• Cooling the Mark – General Rudie – Composer – 2003 ^[40]
• Live from New York to Tokyo – Ray Brown – Composer – 2003 ^[40]
• Sacred – Los Lonely Boys – Composer – 2006 ^[40]
• Baby Goes Southern Rock – Baby Goes – Composer – 2007 ^[40]
• Dregs – Dixie Dregs – Guest artist – 2007 ^[40]
• Pure Imagination – Cathy Kreger – Composer – 2007 ^[40]
• Love Games – Dynamics – Composer – 2008 ^[40]
• Save Me, San Francisco – Train – Composer – 2009 ^[40]
• Simple Truth – Gail Swanson – Guest artist – 2009 ^[40]
• Subways – The Avalanches – Composer – 2016 ^[40]
• Wildflower – The Avalanches – Composer – 2016 ^[40]
• Oh, Vita! – Jovanotti – Composer – 2017 ^[40]

References

1. "Official Site". Thedoobiebrothers.com.
2. Johnson, Kevin (March 24, 2020). "Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction for the Doobie Brothers, Whitney Houston, Nine Inch Nails moves from May to November". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Retrieved April 27, 2020.
3. "The Doobie Brothers | Rock & Roll Hall of Fame". www.rockhall.com. Retrieved 15 January 2020.
4. Leigh High School Alumni
5. "Patrick Simmons: Vocalist/Guitar". Doobiebros.com. Retrieved 15 July 2015.
6. Simmons, Pat (May 10, 2022). Long Train Runnin': Our Story of the Doobie Brothers. New York, NY, USA: St. Martin's Press. p. 40. ISBN   978-1250270054.
7. Doar, Spencer. "Q&A with a Doobie Brother". The Minnesota Daily. Retrieved 2023-02-11.
8. "The Doobie Brothers on songwriting - CBS News". www.cbsnews.com. 2025-06-08. Retrieved 2025-08-30.
9. "The Doobie Brothers To Make Grand Ole Opry Debut Saturday, February 26". Opry.com. February 18, 2011. Archived from the original on October 13, 2011. Retrieved November 5, 2011.
10. "RIAA". RIAA. Archived from the original on July 1, 2007. Retrieved July 20, 2011.
11. "The Vocal Group Hall of Fame Foundation" . Retrieved April 26, 2011.
12. Greene, Andy (2020-01-15). "Doobie Brothers Guitarist Patrick Simmons on the Hall of Fame: 'We're Not Worthy!'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2023-04-18.
13. "Patrick Simmons". Songwriters Hall of Fame. Retrieved 2025-08-30.
14. Staff, Rock Cellar Magazine (2025-06-13). "The Doobie Brothers Inducted into Songwriters Hall of Fame". Rock Cellar Magazine. Retrieved 2025-08-30.
15. "Five ASCAP Legends to Be Inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame Class of 2025". www.ascap.com. Retrieved 2025-08-30.
16. Grein, Paul (2025-06-09). "The Doobie Brothers, Queen, Bee Gees and Other Groups in the Songwriters Hall of Fame". Billboard. Retrieved 2025-08-30.
17. fcc (2025-06-13). "The Doobie Brothers Stars Inducted Into The Songwriters Hall of Fame". www.antimusic.com. Retrieved 2025-08-30.
18. "Patrick Simmons". Discogs.
19. Whitburn, Joel (2004). Hot Dance/Disco: 1974-2003. Record Research. p. 234.
20. Dan Pulcrano (May 22, 2012). "Doobie Brothers Guitarist Pat Simmons Recalls His Santa Cruz Days" . Retrieved January 19, 2014.
21. "Nonfiction Book Review: Long Train Runnin': Our Story of the Doobie Brothers by Chris Epting". www.publishersweekly.com. 2021-02-17. Retrieved 2022-06-02.
22. Dan Pulcrano (May 22, 2012). "Doobie Brothers Guitarist Pat Simmons Recalls His Santa Cruz Days". Archived from the original on January 1, 2014. Retrieved January 19, 2014.
23. "Patrick Simmons". All Kids Bike. Retrieved 2025-08-30.
24. Stephens, Stephanie (2018-05-09). "The Doobie Brothers' Patrick Simmons: 'Take Your Time: Anyone Can Be an Artist'". Parade. Retrieved 2025-08-30.
25. "Pat Simmons Jr. - Bio". patsimmonsjr.com. Retrieved 2025-08-30.
26. Dan Pulcrano (July 12, 2012). "Bill Craddock: 'Be Not Content'". Metro Silicon Valley . Retrieved November 11, 2013.
27. "The Doobie Brothers' Pat Simmons on Hawaii concerts". spectrumlocalnews.com. Retrieved 2025-08-30.
28. Epting, Chris; ContributorAuthor; Journalist, Award-Winning (2016-09-08). "Pat And Cris Simmons, Rockin' Down The Highway For A Cure". HuffPost. Retrieved 2025-08-30.{{cite web}}: |last2= has generic name (help)
29. "Doobie Brother Patrick Simmons to Participate in Motorcycle Cannonball Endurance Run 2014". May 22, 2012. Retrieved August 21, 2014.
30. ^[ dead link ]
31. Ivie, Devon (2025-06-11). "The Best and Most Revved-Up Doobie Brothers Tunes, According to Patrick Simmons". Vulture. Retrieved 2025-08-30.
32. "Artist: Patrick Simmons | SecondHandSongs". secondhandsongs.com. Retrieved 2025-08-30.
33. "Patrick Simmons – Top Songs as Writer – Music VF, US & UK hit charts". www.musicvf.com. Retrieved 2025-08-30.
34. Minute by Minute - The Doobie Brothers | Album | AllMusic , retrieved 2025-08-30
35. "The Doobie Brothers: Minute By Minute : Music Reviews : Rolling Stone". www.rollingstone.com. Archived from the original on 2007-12-01. Retrieved 2025-08-30.
36. "Patrick Simmons discography reference list of music CDs. Heavy Harmonies". heavyharmonies.com. Retrieved 2025-08-30.
37. "Patrick Simmons charted songs". Musicvf.com.
38. Hung, Steffen. "Patrick Simmons - So Wrong". Hitparade.ch. Retrieved 18 November 2023.
39. "Patrick Simmons". 45cat. Retrieved 2025-08-30.
40. "Patrick Simmons Songs, Albums, Reviews, Bio & ..." AllMusic. Retrieved 2025-08-30.

External links

• The Doobie Brothers website