This is a reshare of an interview conducted in July 2025 with Patrick Simmons...enjoy!

Patrick Simmons of The Doobie Brothers joins Shayne Brian on Long Way to the Top for a conversation spanning more than five decades of music, from the band’s earliest days to their latest studio album, Walk This Road.

As a founding member of The Doobie Brothers, Patrick Simmons has been there for one of rock music’s great journeys. The band has sold more than 48 million albums, won four GRAMMY Awards and created an extraordinary catalogue of songs including Listen to the Music, China Grove, Long Train Runnin’, Takin’ It to the Streets, What a Fool Believes, Jesus Is Just All Right and Simmons’ own chart-topping classic, Black Water.

In this episode, Patrick takes us back to the rise of The Doobie Brothers and the chemistry that created their unmistakable blend of rock, blues, soul, country and American roots music.

We explore the story behind Black Water, the evolution of the band through the 1970s, the arrival of Michael McDonald and how The Doobie Brothers managed to evolve musically without losing the identity that first connected them with audiences.

Patrick also talks about the latest chapter in that story, Walk This Road, the new Doobie Brothers studio album featuring Patrick Simmons, Tom Johnston, Michael McDonald and John McFee.

More than 50 years after their journey began, The Doobie Brothers are still recording new music and taking it around the world. Patrick reflects on what it means to still share a stage with his longtime bandmates, how those relationships have changed over the decades and what keeps him wanting to climb aboard that long train one more time.

We also go deeper into the journey behind the hits. What happens when a band survives long enough to become part of music history? How does Patrick define success today compared with the young musician who started The Doobie Brothers? Are there songs buried in the catalogue that he wishes people would rediscover? And after thousands of performances, can music still surprise him?

From Toulouse Street and The Captain and Me to Minute by Minute, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and Walk This Road, this is Patrick Simmons and the remarkable story of The Doobie Brothers.

It’s a conversation about songwriting, longevity, friendship, change, survival and the road that never really ends.

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