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Yacht Rock: How the Smooth Sounds of the ’70s and ’80s Became a Genuine Genre

July 9, 2019

When the weather’s warm, the weekends long, and the cocktails crafted using blue curaçao, there’s no better music than yacht rock —the soft, smooth sounds released between roughly 1976 and 1984 that typically feature vocals and keyboards with guitars barely audible in the background. Yet, this genre of music didn’t even have a name until a few years ago.  

Artists like the Eagles , Fleetwood Mac , and Chicago were once viewed as belonging to an adult-contemporary, soft-rock bridge between ’70s disco and ’80s arena rock. But in 2005, a few friends noticed that several artists’ albums of the era had boats on their covers. They jokingly called these albums “marina rock” and created a 12-episode comedy video series that went viral. Yacht rock was born, and today the video series’ creators even have a podcast, Beyond Yacht Rock .

On Spotify, yacht rock is most popular among those aged 45-54 and 18-24, indicating that listeners who came of age during the music’s heyday and their children love those smooth grooves. While yacht rock is most streamed in the U.S., U.K., and Canada, when measured as a percentage of total streams yacht rock is far and away the most popular in New Zealand. In fact, seven of the top 10 cities that keep yacht rock on repeat are in New Zealand (which also just so happens to be the current holder of the America’s Cup —coincidence?). 

But what are the defining characteristics of yacht rock? Let our yacht-or-knot list below be your celestial guide.

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Top 50 Yacht Rock Songs

Yacht rock was one of the most commercially successful genres to emerge from the '70s and yet has managed to evade concise definition since its inception. For many listeners, it boils down to a feeling or mood that cannot be found in other kinds of music: Simply put, you know it when you hear it.

Some agreed-upon elements are crucial to yacht rock. One is its fluidity, with more emphasis on a catchy, easy-feeling melody than on beat or rhythm. Another is a generally lighthearted attitude in the lyrics. Think Seals & Crofts ' "Summer Breeze," Christopher Cross ' "Ride Like the Wind" or Bill Withers ' "Just the Two of Us." Yes, as its label suggests, music that would fit perfectly being played from the deck of a luxurious boat on the high seas.

But even these roughly outlined "rules" can be flouted and still considered yacht rock. Plenty of bands that are typically deemed "nyacht" rock have made their attempts at the genre: Crosby, Stills & Nash got a bit nautical with "Southern Cross," leading with their famed tightly knit harmonies, and Fleetwood Mac also entered yacht rock territory with "Dreams" – which, although lyrically dour, offers a sense of melody in line with yacht rock.

Given its undefined parameters, the genre has become one of music's most expansive corners. From No. 1 hits to deeper-cut gems, we've compiled a list of 50 Top Yacht Rock Songs to set sail to below.

50. "Thunder Island," Jay Ferguson (1978)

Younger generations might be more apt to recognize Jay Ferguson from his score for NBC's The Office , where he also portrayed the guitarist in Kevin Malone's band Scrantonicity. But Ferguson's musical roots go back to the '60s band Spirit; he was also in a group with one of the future members of Firefall, signaling a '70s-era shift toward yacht rock and "Thunder Island." The once-ubiquitous single began its steady ascent in October 1977 before reaching the Top 10 in April of the following year. Producer Bill Szymczyk helped it get there by bringing in his buddy Joe Walsh for a soaring turn on the slide. The best showing Ferguson had after this, however, was the quickly forgotten 1979 Top 40 hit "Shakedown Cruise." (Nick DeRiso)

49. "Southern Cross," Crosby, Stills & Nash (1982)

CSN's "Southern Cross" was an example of a more literal interpretation of yacht rock, one in which leftover material was revitalized by Stephen Stills . He sped up the tempo of a song titled " Seven League Boots " originally penned by brothers Rick and Michael Curtis, then laid in new lyrics about, yes, an actual boat ride. "I rewrote a new set of words and added a different chorus, a story about a long boat trip I took after my divorce," Stills said in the liner notes  to 1991's CSN box. "It's about using the power of the universe to heal your wounds." The music video for the song, which went into heavy rotation on MTV, also prominently displayed the band members aboard a large vessel. (Allison Rapp)

48. "Jackie Blue," the Ozark Mountain Daredevils (1974)

Drummer Larry Lee only had a rough idea of what he wanted to do with "Jackie Blue," originally naming it after a bartending dope pusher. For a long time, the Ozark Mountain Daredevils' best-known single remained an instrumental with the place-keeper lyric, " Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh Jackie Blue. He was dada, and dada doo. He did this, he did that ... ." Producer Glyn Johns, who loved the track, made a key suggestion – and everything finally snapped into place: "No, no, no, mate," Johns told them. "Jackie Blue has to be a girl." They "knocked some new lyrics out in about 30 minutes," Lee said in It Shined: The Saga of the Ozark Mountain Daredevils . "[From] some drugged-out guy, we changed Jackie into a reclusive girl." She'd go all the way to No. 3. (DeRiso)

47. "Sailing," Christopher Cross (1979)

You’d be hard-pressed to find a more quintessential yacht rock song than “Sailing.” The second single (and first chart-topper) off Christopher Cross’ 1979 self-titled debut offers an intoxicating combination of dreamy strings, singsong vocals and shimmering, open-tuned guitar arpeggios that pay deference to Cross’ songwriting idol, Joni Mitchell . “These tunings, like Joni used to say, they get you in this sort of trance,” Cross told Songfacts in 2013. “The chorus just sort of came out. … So I got up and wandered around the apartment just thinking, ‘Wow, that's pretty fuckin' great.’” Grammy voters agreed: “Sailing” won Record of the Year, Song of the Year and Best Arrangement at the 1981 awards. (Bryan Rolli)

46. "Just the Two of Us," Bill Withers and Grover Washington Jr. (1980)

A collaboration between singer Bill Withers and saxophonist Grover Washington Jr. resulted in the sleek "Just the Two of Us." When first approached with the song, Withers insisted on reworking the lyrics. "I'm a little snobbish about words," he said in 2004 . "I said, 'Yeah, if you'll let me go in and try to dress these words up a little bit.' Everybody that knows me is kind of used to me that way. I probably threw in the stuff like the crystal raindrops. The 'Just the Two of Us' thing was already written. It was trying to put a tuxedo on it." The track was completed with some peppy backing vocals and a subtle slap bass part. (Rapp)

45. "Sara Smile," Daryl Hall & John Oates (1975)

It doesn't get much smoother than "Sara Smile," Daryl Hall & John Oates ' first Top 10 hit in the U.S. The song was written for Sara Allen, Hall's longtime girlfriend, whom he had met when she was working as a flight attendant. His lead vocal, which was recorded live, is clear as a bell on top of a velvety bass line and polished backing vocals that nodded to the group's R&B influences. “It was a song that came completely out of my heart," Hall said in 2018 . "It was a postcard. It’s short and sweet and to the point." Hall and Allen stayed together for almost 30 years before breaking up in 2001. (Rapp)

44. "Rosanna," Toto (1982)

One of the most identifiable hits of 1982 was written by Toto co-founder David Paich – but wasn't about Rosanna Arquette, as some people have claimed, even though keyboardist Steve Porcaro was dating the actress at the time. The backbeat laid down by drummer Jeff Porcaro – a "half-time shuffle" similar to what John Bonham played on " Fool in the Rain " – propels the track, while vocal harmonies and emphatic brass sections add further layers. The result is an infectious and uplifting groove – yacht rock at its finest. (Corey Irwin)

43. "Diamond Girl," Seals & Crofts (1973)

Seals & Crofts were soft-rock stylists with imagination, dolling up their saccharine melodies with enough musical intrigue to survive beyond the seemingly obvious shelf life. Granted, the lyrics to “Diamond Girl,” one of the duo’s three No. 6 hits, are as sterile as a surgery-operating room, built on pseudo-romantic nothing-isms ( “Now that I’ve found you, it’s around you that I am” — what a perfectly natural phrase!). But boy, oh boy does that groove sound luxurious beaming out of a hi-fi system, with every nuance — those stacked backing vocals, that snapping piano — presented in full analog glory. (Ryan Reed)

42. "What You Won't Do for Love," Bobby Caldwell (1978)

Smooth. From the opening horn riffs and the soulful keyboard to the funk bass and the velvety vocals of Bobby Caldwell, everything about “What You Won’t Do for Love” is smooth. Released in September 1978, the track peaked at No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100 and went on to become the biggest hit of Caldwell’s career. It was later given a second life after being sampled for rapper 2Pac's posthumously released 1998 hit single “Do for Love.” (Irwin)

41. "We Just Disagree," Dave Mason (1977)

Dave Mason's ace in the hole on the No. 12 smash "We Just Disagree" was Jim Krueger, who composed the track, shared the harmony vocal and played that lovely guitar figure. "It was a song that when he sang it to me, it was like, 'Yeah, that's the song,'" Mason told Greg Prato in 2014. "Just him and a guitar, which is usually how I judge whether I'm going to do something. If it holds up like that, I'll put the rest of the icing on it." Unfortunately, the multitalented Krueger died of pancreatic cancer at age 43. By then, Mason had disappeared from the top of the charts, never getting higher than No. 39 again. (DeRiso)

40. "Crazy Love," Poco (1978)

Rusty Young was paneling a wall when inspiration struck. He'd long toiled in the shadow of Stephen Stills , Richie Furay and Neil Young , serving in an instrumentalist role with Buffalo Springfield and then Poco . "Crazy Love" was his breakout moment, and he knew it. Rusty Young presented the song before he'd even finished the lyric, but his Poco bandmates loved the way the stopgap words harmonized. "I told the others, 'Don't worry about the ' ooh, ooh, ahhhh haaa ' part. I can find words for that," Young told the St. Louis Dispatch in 2013. "And they said, 'Don't do that. That's the way it's supposed to be.'" It was: Young's first big vocal became his group's only Top 20 hit. (DeRiso)

39. "Suspicions," Eddie Rabbitt (1979)

Eddie Rabbitt 's move from country to crossover stardom was hurtled along by "Suspicions," as a song about a cuckold's worry rose to the Top 20 on both the pop and adult-contemporary charts. Behind the scenes, there was an even clearer connection to yacht rock: Co-writer Even Stevens said Toto's David Hungate played bass on the date. As important as it was for his career, Rabbitt later admitted that he scratched out "Suspicions" in a matter of minutes, while on a lunch break in the studio on the last day of recording his fifth album at Wally Heider's Los Angeles studio. "Sometimes," Rabbitt told the Associated Press in 1985, "the words just fall out of my mouth." (DeRiso)

38. "Moonlight Feels Right," Starbuck (1976)

No sound in rock history is more yacht friendly than Bruce Blackman’s laugh: hilarious, arbitrary, smug, speckled with vocal fry, arriving just before each chorus of Starbuck’s signature tune. Why is this human being laughing? Shrug. Guess the glow of night will do that to you. Then again, this is one of the more strange hits of the '70s — soft-pop hooks frolicking among waves of marimba and synthesizers that could have been plucked from a classic prog epic. “ The eastern moon looks ready for a wet kiss ,” Blackman croons, “ to make the tide rise again .” It’s a lunar make-out session, baby. (Reed)

37. "Same Old Lang Syne," Dan Fogelberg (1981)

“Same Old Lang Syne” is a masterclass in economic storytelling, and its tragedy is in the things both protagonists leave unsaid. Dan Fogelberg weaves a devastating tale of two former lovers who run into each other at a grocery store on Christmas Eve and spend the rest of the night catching up and reminiscing. Their circumstances have changed — he’s a disillusioned professional musician, she’s stuck in an unhappy marriage — but their love for each other is still palpable if only they could overcome their fears and say it out loud. They don’t, of course, and when Fogelberg bids his high-school flame adieu, he’s left with only his bittersweet memories and gnawing sense of unfulfillment to keep him warm on that snowy (and later rainy) December night. (Rolli)

36. "Eye in the Sky," the Alan Parsons Project (1982)

Few songs strike a chord with both prog nerds and soft-rock enthusiasts, but the Alan Parsons Project's “Eye in the Sky” belongs to that exclusive club. The arrangement is all smooth contours and pillowy textures: By the time Eric Woolfson reaches the chorus, shyly emoting about romantic deception over a bed of Wurlitzer keys and palm-muted riffs, the effect is like falling slow motion down a waterfall onto a memory foam mattress. But there’s artfulness here, too, from Ian Bairnson’s seductive guitar solo to the titular phrase conjuring some kind of god-like omniscience. (Reed)

35. "Somebody's Baby," Jackson Browne (1982)

Jackson Browne 's highest-charting single, and his last Top 10 hit, was originally tucked away on the soundtrack for the 1982 teen comedy Fast Times at Ridgemont High . That placed Browne, one of the most earnest of singer-songwriters, firmly out of his element. "It was not typical of what Jackson writes at all, that song," co-composer Danny Kortchmar told Songfacts in 2013. "But because it was for this movie, he changed his general approach and came up with this fantastic song." Still unsure of how it would fit in, Browne refused to place "Somebody's Baby" on his next proper album – something he'd later come to regret . Lawyers in Love broke a string of consecutive multiplatinum releases dating back to 1976. (DeRiso)

34. "Still the One," Orleans (1976)

Part of yacht rock’s charm is being many things but only to a small degree. Songs can be jazzy, but not experimental. Brass sections are great but don’t get too funky. And the songs should rock, but not rock . In that mold comes Orleans’ 1976 hit “Still the One.” On top of a chugging groove, frontman John Hall sings about a romance that continues to stand the test of time. This love isn’t the white-hot flame that leaves passionate lovers burned – more like a soft, medium-level heat that keeps things comfortably warm. The tune is inoffensive, catchy and fun, aka yacht-rock gold. (Irwin)

33. "New Frontier," Donald Fagen (1982)

In which an awkward young man attempts to spark a Cold War-era fling — then, hopefully, a longer, post-apocalyptic relationship — via bomb shelter bunker, chatting up a “big blond” with starlet looks and a soft spot for Dave Brubeck. Few songwriters could pull off a lyrical concept so specific, and almost no one but Donald Fagen could render it catchy. “New Frontier,” a signature solo cut from the Steely Dan maestro, builds the sleek jazz-funk of Gaucho into a more digital-sounding landscape, with Fagen stacking precise vocal harmonies over synth buzz and bent-note guitar leads. (Reed)

32. "Sail On, Sailor," the Beach Boys (1973)

The Beach Boys were reworking a new album when Van Dyke Parks handed them this updated version of an unfinished Brian Wilson song. All that was left was to hand the mic over to Blondie Chaplin for his greatest-ever Beach Boys moment. They released "Sail On, Sailor" twice, however, and this yearning groover somehow barely cracked the Top 50. Chaplin was soon out of the band, too. It's a shame. "Sail On, Sailor" remains the best example of how the Beach Boys' elemental style might have kept growing. Instead, Chaplin went on to collaborate with the Band , Gene Clark of the  Byrds  and the Rolling Stones – while the Beach Boys settled into a lengthy tenure as a jukebox band. (DeRiso)

31. "Time Passages," Al Stewart (1978)

Al Stewart followed up the first hit single of his decade-long career – 1976's "Year of the Cat" – with a more streamlined take two years later. "Time Passages" bears a similar structure to the earlier track, including a Phil Kenzie sax solo and production by Alan Parsons. While both songs' respective album and single versions coincidentally run the same time, the 1978 hit's narrative wasn't as convoluted and fit more squarely into pop radio playlists. "Time Passages" became Stewart's highest-charting single, reaching No. 7 – while "Year of the Cat" had stalled at No. 8. (Michael Gallucci)

30. "I Go Crazy," Paul Davis (1977)

Paul Davis looked like he belonged in the Allman Brothers Band , but his soft, soulful voice took him in a different direction. The slow-burning nature of his breakthrough single "I Go Crazy" was reflected in its chart performance: For years the song held the record for the most weeks spent on the chart, peaking at No. 7 during its 40-week run. Davis, who died in 2008, took five more songs into the Top 40 after 1977, but "I Go Crazy" is his masterpiece – a wistful and melancholic look back at lost love backed by spare, brokenhearted verses. (Gallucci)

29. "Biggest Part of Me," Ambrosia (1980)

Songwriter David Pack taped the original demo of this song on a reel-to-reel when everyone else was running late, finishing just in time: "I was waiting for my family to get in the car so I could go to a Fourth of July celebration in Malibu," he told the Tennessean in 2014. "I turned off my machine [and] heard the car horn honking for me." Still, Pack was worried that the hastily written first verse – which rhymed " arisin ,'" " horizon " and " realizin '" – might come off a little corny. So he followed the time-honored yacht-rock tradition of calling in Michael McDonald to sing heartfelt background vocals. Result: a Top 5 hit on both the pop and adult-contemporary charts. (DeRiso)

28. "Africa," Toto (1982)

Remove the cover versions, the nostalgia sheen and its overuse in TV and films, and you’re left with what makes “Africa” great: one of the best earworm choruses in music history. Never mind that the band is made up of white guys from Los Angeles who'd never visited the titular continent. Verses about Mt. Kilimanjaro and the Serengeti paint a picture so vivid that listeners are swept away. From the soaring vocals to the stirring synth line, every element of the song works perfectly. There’s a reason generations of music fans continue to proudly bless the rains. (Irwin)

27. "Hello It's Me," Todd Rundgren (1972)

“Hello It’s Me” is the first song Todd Rundgren ever wrote, recorded by his band Nazz and released in 1968. He quickened the tempo, spruced up the instrumentation and delivered a more urgent vocal for this 1972 solo rendition (which became a Top 5 U.S. hit), but the bones of the tune remain the same. “Hello It’s Me” is a wistful, bittersweet song about the dissolution of a relationship between two people who still very much love and respect each other a clear-eyed breakup ballad lacking the guile, cynicism and zaniness of Rundgren’s later work. “The reason those [early] songs succeeded was because of their derivative nature,” Rundgren told Guitar World in 2021. “They plugged so easily into audience expectations. They’re easily absorbed.” That may be so, but there’s still no denying the airtight hooks and melancholy beauty of “Hello It’s Me.” (Rolli)

26. "Smoke From a Distant Fire," the Sanford/Townsend Band (1977)

There are other artists who better define yacht rock - Michael McDonald, Steely Dan, Christopher Cross - but few songs rival the Sanford/Townsend Band's "Smoke From a Distant Fire" as a more representative genre track. (It was a Top 10 hit in the summer of 1977. The duo never had another charting single.) From the vaguely swinging rhythm and roaring saxophone riff to the light percussion rolls and risk-free vocals (that nod heavily to Daryl Hall and John Oates' blue-eyed soul), "Smoke" may be the most definitive yacht rock song ever recorded. We may even go as far as to say it's ground zero. (Gallucci)

25. "Dream Weaver," Gary Wright (1975)

Unlike many other songs on our list, “Dream Weaver” lacks lush instrumentation. Aside from Gary Wright’s vocals and keyboard parts, the only added layer is the drumming of Jim Keltner. But while the track may not have guitars, bass or horns, it certainly has plenty of vibes. Inspired by the writings of Paramahansa Yogananda – which Wright was turned on to by George Harrison – “Dream Weaver” boasts a celestial aura that helped the song peak at No. 2 in 1976. (Irwin)

24. "Reminiscing," Little River Band (1978)

The third time was the charm with Little River Band 's highest-charting single in the U.S. Guitarist Graeham Goble wrote "Reminiscing" for singer Glenn Shorrock with a certain keyboardist in mind. Unfortunately, they weren't able to schedule a session with Peter Jones, who'd played an important role in Little River Band's first-ever charting U.S. single, 1976's "It's a Long Way There ." They tried it anyway but didn't care for the track. They tried again, with the same results. "The band was losing interest in the song," Goble later told Chuck Miller . "Just before the album was finished, Peter Jones came back into town, [and] the band and I had an argument because I wanted to give 'Reminiscing' a third chance." This time they nailed it. (DeRiso)

23. "Heart Hotels," Dan Fogelberg (1979)

Ironically enough, this song about debilitating loneliness arrived on an album in which Dan Fogelberg played almost all of the instruments himself. A key concession to the outside world became the most distinctive musical element on "Heart Hotels," as well-known saxophonist Tom Scott took a turn on the Lyricon – a pre-MIDI electronic wind instrument invented just a few years earlier. As for the meaning of sad songs like these, the late Fogelberg once said : "I feel experiences deeply, and I have an outlet, a place where I can translate those feelings. A lot of people go to psychoanalysts. I write songs." (DeRiso)

22. "Year of the Cat," Al Stewart (1976)

Just about every instrument imaginable can be heard in Al Stewart's "Year of the Cat." What begins with an elegant piano intro winds its way through a string section and a sultry sax solo, then to a passionate few moments with a Spanish acoustic guitar. The sax solo, often a hallmark of yacht-rock songs, was not Stewart's idea. Producer Alan Parsons suggested it at the last minute, and Stewart thought it was the "worst idea I'd ever heard. I said, 'Alan, there aren’t any saxophones in folk-rock. Folk-rock is about guitars. Sax is a jazz instrument,'" Stewart said in 2021 . Multiple lengthy instrumental segments bring the song to nearly seven minutes, yet each seems to blend into the next like a carefully arranged orchestra. (Rapp)

21. "How Long," Ace (1974)

How long does it take to top the charts? For the Paul Carrack-fronted Ace: 45 years . "I wrote the lyric on the bus going to my future mother-in-law's," he later told Gary James . "I wrote it on the back of that bus ticket. That's my excuse for there only being one verse." Ace released "How Long" in 1975, reaching No. 3, then Carrack moved on to stints with Squeeze and Mike and the Mechanics . Finally, in 2020, "How Long" rose two spots higher, hitting No. 1 on Billboard's rock digital song sales chart after being featured in an Amazon Prime advertisement titled "Binge Cheat." (DeRiso)

20. "Brandy (You're a Fine Girl)," Looking Glass (1972)

Like "Summer Breeze" (found later in our list of Top 50 Yacht Rock Songs), Looking Glass' tale of an alluring barmaid in a busy harbor town pre-dates the classic yacht-rock era. Consider acts like Seals & Crofts and these one-hit wonders pioneers of the genre. Ironically, the effortless-sounding "Brandy (You're a Fine Girl)" was quite difficult to complete. "We recorded 'Brandy' two or three different times with various producers before we got it right," Looking Glass' principal songwriter Elliot Lurie told the Tennessean in 2016. The chart-topping results became so popular so fast, however, that Barry Manilow had to change the title of a new song he was working on to " Mandy ." (DeRiso)

19. "I Can't Tell You Why," Eagles (1979)

Timothy B. Schmit joined just in time to watch the  Eagles disintegrate. But things couldn't have started in a better place for the former Poco member. He arrived with the makings of his first showcase moment with the group, an unfinished scrap that would become the No. 8 hit "I Can't Tell You Why." For a moment, often-contentious band members rallied around the outsider. Don Henley and Glenn Frey both made key contributions, as Eagles completed the initial song on what would become 1979's The Long Run . Schmit felt like he had a reason to be optimistic. Instead, Eagles released the LP and then promptly split up. (DeRiso)

18. "Sentimental Lady," Bob Welch (1977)

Bob Welch  first recorded "Sentimental Lady" in 1972 as a member of Fleetwood Mac . Five years later, after separating from a band that had gone on to way bigger things , Welch revisited one of his best songs and got two former bandmates who appeared on the original version – Mick Fleetwood and Christine McVie – to help out (new Mac member Lindsey Buckingham also makes an appearance). This is the better version, warmer and more inviting, and it reached the Top 10. (Gallucci)

17. "So Into You," Atlanta Rhythm Section (1976)

Atlanta Rhythm Section is often wrongly categorized as a Southern rock band, simply because of their roots in Doraville, Ga. Songs like the seductively layered "So Into You" illustrate how little they had in common with the likes of Lynyrd Skynyrd . As renowned Muscle Shoals sessions ace David Hood once said, they're more like the " Steely Dan of the South ." Unfortunately, time hasn't been kind to the group. Two of this best-charting single's writers have since died , while keyboardist Dean Daughtry retired in 2019 as Atlanta Rhythm Section's last constant member. (DeRiso)

16. "Dreams," Fleetwood Mac (1977)

Stevie Nicks was trying to channel the heartbreak she endured after separating from Lindsey Buckingham into a song, but couldn't concentrate among the bustle of Fleetwood Mac's sessions for Rumours . "I was kind of wandering around the studio," she later told Yahoo! , "looking for somewhere I could curl up with my Fender Rhodes and my lyrics and a little cassette tape recorder." That's when she ran into a studio assistant who led her to a quieter, previously unseen area at Sausalito's Record Plant. The circular space was surrounded by keyboards and recording equipment, with a half-moon bed in black-and-red velvet to one side. She settled in, completing "Dreams" in less than half an hour, but not before asking the helpful aide one pressing question: "I said, 'What is this?' And he said, 'This is Sly Stone 's studio.'" (DeRiso)

15. "Minute by Minute," the Doobie Brothers (1978)

Michael McDonald was so unsure of this album that he nervously previewed it for a friend. "I mean, all the tunes have merit, but I don't know if they hang together as a record," McDonald later told UCR. "He looked at me and he said, 'This is a piece of shit.'" Record buyers disagreed, making Minute by Minute the Doobie Brothers' first chart-topping multiplatinum release. Such was the mania surrounding this satiny-smooth LP that the No. 14 hit title track lost out on song-of-the-year honors at the Grammys to "What a Fool Believes" (found later in our list of Top 50 Yacht Rock Songs) by the Doobie Brothers. (DeRiso)

14. "Lonely Boy," Andrew Gold (1976)

Andrew Gold’s only Top 10 U.S. hit is a story of parental neglect and simmering resentment, but those pitch-black details are easy to miss when couched inside such a deliciously upbeat melody. Gold chronicles the childhood of the titular lonely boy over a propulsive, syncopated piano figure, detailing the betrayal he felt when his parents presented him with a sister two years his junior. When he turns 18, the lonely boy ships off to college and leaves his family behind, while his sister gets married and has a son of her own — oblivious to the fact that she’s repeating the mistakes of her parents. Gold insisted “Lonely Boy” wasn’t autobiographical, despite the details in the song matching up with his own life. In any case, you can’t help but wonder what kind of imagination produces such dark, compelling fiction. (Rolli)

13. "Baby Come Back," Player (1977)

Liverpool native Peter Beckett moved to the States, originally to join a forgotten act called Skyband. By the time he regrouped to found Player with American J.C. Crowley, Beckett's wife had returned to England. Turns out Crowley was going through a breakup, too, and the Beckett-sung "Baby Come Back" was born. "So it was a genuine song, a genuine lyric – and I think that comes across in the song," Beckett said in The Yacht Rock Book . "That's why it was so popular." The demo earned Player a hastily signed record deal, meaning Beckett and Crowley had to assemble a band even as "Baby Come Back" rose to No. 1. Their debut album was released before Player had ever appeared in concert. (DeRiso)

12. "I'd Really Love to See You Tonight," England Dan & John Ford Coley (1976)

There aren't too many songs with choruses as big as the one England Dan & John Ford Coley pump into the key lines of their first Top 40 single. Getting there is half the fun: The conversational verses – " Hello, yeah, it's been a while / Not much, how 'bout you? / I'm not sure why I called / I guess I really just wanted to talk to you " – build into the superpowered come-on line " I'm not talking 'bout moving in ...  ." Their yacht-rock pedigree is strong: Dan Seals' older brother is Seals & Croft's Jim Seals. (Gallucci)

11. "Hey Nineteen," Steely Dan (1980)

At least on the surface, “Hey Nineteen” is one of Steely Dan’s least ambiguous songs: An over-the-hill guy makes one of history’s most cringe-worthy, creepiest pick-up attempts, reminiscing about his glory days in a fraternity and lamenting that his would-be companion doesn’t know who Aretha Franklin is. (The bridge is a bit tougher to crack. Is anyone sharing that “fine Colombian”?) But the words didn’t propel this Gaucho classic into Billboard's Top 10. Instead, that credit goes to the groove, anchored by Walter Becker ’s gently gliding bass guitar, Donald Fagen’s velvety electric piano and a chorus smoother than top-shelf Cuervo Gold. (Reed)

10. "Rich Girl," Daryl Hall & John Oates (1976)

It’s one of the most economical pop songs ever written: two A sections, two B sections (the second one extended), a fade-out vocal vamp. In and out. Wham, bam, boom. Perhaps that's why it’s easy to savor “Rich Girl” 12 times in a row during your morning commute, why hearing it just once on the radio is almost maddening. This blue-eyed-soul single, the duo’s first No. 1 hit, lashes out at a supposedly entitled heir to a fast-food chain. (The original lyric was the less-catchy “rich guy ”; that one change may have earned them millions.) But there’s nothing bitter about that groove, built on Hall’s electric piano stabs and staccato vocal hook. (Reed)

9. "Fooled Around and Fell in Love," Elvin Bishop (1975)

Elvin Bishop made his biggest pop-chart splash with "Fooled Around and Fell In Love," permanently changing the first line of his bio from a  former member of the Paul Butterfield Blues Band to a solo star in his own right. There was only one problem: "The natural assumption was that it was Elvin Bishop who was singing,” singer  Mickey Thomas told the Tahoe Daily Tribune in 2007. Thomas later found even greater chart success with Starship alongside Donny Baldwin, who also played drums on Bishop's breakthrough single. "A lot of peers found out about me through that, and ultimately I did get credit for it," Thomas added. "It opened a lot of doors for me." (DeRiso)

8. "Baker Street," Gerry Rafferty (1978)

Gerry Rafferty already had a taste of success when his band Stealers Wheel hit the Top 10 with the Dylanesque "Stuck in the Middle With You" in 1973. His first solo album after the group's split, City to City , made it to No. 1 in 1978, thanks in great part to its hit single "Baker Street" (which spent six frustrating weeks at No. 2). The iconic saxophone riff by Raphael Ravenscroft gets much of the attention, but this single triumphs on many other levels. For six, mood-setting minutes Rafferty winds his way down "Baker Street" with a hopefulness rooted in eternal restlessness. (Gallucci)

7. "Dirty Work," Steely Dan (1972)

In just about three minutes, Steely Dan tells a soap-opera tale of an affair between a married woman and a man who is well aware he's being played but is too hopelessly hooked to end things. " When you need a bit of lovin' 'cause your man is out of town / That's the time you get me runnin' and you know I'll be around ," singer David Palmer sings in a surprisingly delicate tenor. A saxophone and flugelhorn part weeps underneath his lines. By the time the song is over, we can't help but feel sorry for the narrator who is, ostensibly, just as much part of the problem as he could be the solution. Not all yacht rock songs have happy endings. (Rapp)

6. "Ride Like the Wind," Christopher Cross (1979)

“Ride Like the Wind” is ostensibly a song about a tough-as-nails outlaw racing for the border of Mexico under cover of night, but there’s nothing remotely dangerous about Christopher Cross’ lithe tenor or the peppy piano riffs and horns propelling the tune. Those contradictions aren’t a detriment. This is cinematic, high-gloss pop-rock at its finest, bursting at the seams with hooks and elevated by Michael McDonald’s silky backing vocals. Cross nods to his Texas roots with a fiery guitar solo, blending hard rock and pop in a way that countless artists would replicate in the next decade. (Rolli)

5. "Summer Breeze," Seals & Crofts (1972)

Jim Seals and Dash Crofts were childhood friends in Texas, but the mellow grandeur of "Summer Breeze" makes it clear that they always belonged in '70s-era Southern California. "We operate on a different level," Seals once said , sounding like nothing if not a Laurel Canyon native. "We try to create images, impressions and trains of thought in the minds of our listeners." This song's fluttering curtains, welcoming domesticity and sweet jasmine certainly meet that standard. For some reason, however, they released this gem in August 1972 – as the season faded into fall. Perhaps that's why "Summer Breeze" somehow never got past No. 6 on the pop chart. (DeRiso)

4. "Lowdown," Boz Scaggs (1976)

As you throw on your shades and rev the motor, the only thing hotter than the afternoon sun is David Hungate’s sweet slap-bass blasting from the tape deck. “This is the good life,” you say to no one in particular, casually tipping your baseball cap to the bikini-clad crew on the boat zooming by. Then you press “play” again. What else but Boz Scaggs ’ silky “Lowdown” could soundtrack such a moment in paradise? Everything about this tune, which cruised to No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100, is equally idyllic: Jeff Porcaro’s metronomic hi-hat pattern, David Paich’s jazzy keyboard vamp, the cool-guy croon of Scaggs — flexing about gossip and “schoolboy game.” You crack open another cold one — why not? And, well, you press play once more. (Reed)

3. "Lido Shuffle," Boz Scaggs (1976)

Scaggs' storied career began as a sideman with Steve Miller  and already included a scorching duet with Duane Allman . Co-writer David Paich would earn Grammy-winning stardom with songs like "Africa." Yet they resorted to theft when it came to this No. 11 smash. Well, in a manner of speaking: "'Lido' was a song that I'd been banging around, and I kind of stole – well, I didn't steal anything. I just took the idea of the shuffle," Scaggs told Songfacts in 2013. "There was a song that Fats Domino did called 'The Fat Man ' that had a kind of driving shuffle beat that I used to play on the piano, and I just started kind of singing along with it. Then I showed it to Paich, and he helped me fill it out." Then Paich took this track's bassist and drummer with him to form Toto. (DeRiso)

2. "Peg," Steely Dan (1977)

"Peg" is blessed with several yacht-rock hallmarks: a spot on Steely Dan's most Steely Dan-like album, Aja , an impeccable airtightness that falls somewhere between soft-pop and jazz and yacht rock's stalwart captain, Michael McDonald, at the helm. (He may be a mere backing singer here, but his one-note chorus chirps take the song to another level.) Like most Steely Dan tracks, this track's meaning is both cynical and impenetrable, and its legacy has only grown over the years – from hip-hop samples to faithful cover versions. (Gallucci)

1. "What a Fool Believes," the Doobie Brothers (1978)

Michael McDonald not only steered the Doobie Brothers in a new direction when he joined in 1975, but he also made them a commercial powerhouse with the 1978 album Minute by Minute . McDonald co-wrote "What a Fool Believes" – a No. 1 single; the album topped the chart, too – with Kenny Loggins and sang lead, effectively launching a genre in the process. The song's style was copied for the next couple of years (most shamelessly in Robbie Dupree's 1980 Top 10 "Steal Away"), and McDonald became the bearded face of yacht rock. (Gallucci)

Top 100 Classic Rock Artists

Gallery Credit: UCR Staff

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The idea of yacht rock conjures up a particular lifestyle, but beneath the surface lies a treasure trove of sophisticated hits that continue to resonate.

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Even some of those who signed up to the subgenre subtleties of what became known as yacht rock may consider it to be a time-locked phenomenon. Certainly, its chief protagonists first cast their subtle soft-rock sophistication in the 70s and 80s, but its melodic echoes can still be heard all these decades later.

Perhaps unusually, the phrase itself was coined as a kind of lighthearted castigation of the adult-oriented rock that seemed to exude privileged opulence: of days in expensive recording studios followed by hedonistic trips on private yachts, typically around southern California. The web TV series of the mid-00s that parodied the lifestyle was even named Yacht Rock ; one of the biggest hits of a chief exponent of the sound, Christopher Cross, was, of course, “Sailing.”

The recent resurgence in the long career of another staple, Michael McDonald, is testament to the durability of a style that was, after all, grounded in musicianship and melodicism of the highest order. Nearly 40 years after he and fellow yacht rock principle Kenny Loggins co-wrote and performed the Grammy-winning “This Is It,” the pair were afforded the high praise of a collaboration with acclaimed modern-day jazz-funk bassist Thundercat, on his track “Show You The Way.” Ahead of that, McDonald’s guest appearance with Thundercat at the 2017 Coachella Festival was a viral sensation.

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Setting sail

Like other subgenres that grew from an existing style, just as Americana did from country, the starting point of yacht rock is a matter of endless debate. Some hear it in the early 70s soft rock of Bread and hits such as “Guitar Man,” or in Seals & Crofts, the duo of the same period whose 1973 US Top 10 hit “Diamond Girl” and its follow-up, “We May Never Pass This Way (Again)” are pure, classy, elegantly played and harmonised yacht rock.

As the 70s progressed and album rock radio became an ever more powerful medium in the US music business, studio production grew along with the budgets to fund it. High-fidelity citadels such as Sunset Sound and Ocean Way were the industry epitome of the Los Angeles hedonism of the day, and played host to many of the artists we celebrate here. Perhaps it was the combination of financial independence and the sun-kissed surroundings that gave rise to the phenomenon, but this was music that not only sounded opulent – it made you feel somehow more urbane just by listening to it.

California singer-songwriter Stephen Bishop was another of the artists who would retrospectively become part of what we might call the yachting club. Indeed, it’s important to point out that “yacht rock” was not a term that existed at the time the music was being made. Bishop’s acclaimed 1976 debut album, Careless , was a masterclass in well-crafted pop music for those no longer hanging on the words of every chart pin-up. Its tender opening ballad, “On And On,” which peaked just outside the mainstream US Top 10 and reached No.2 on the Easy Listening chart, is a prime example.

Making waves

McDonald, for his part, might be afforded the questionable honor of the Yacht Rock theme tune with his solo hit “Sweet Freedom,” but had earlier been a key part of the unconscious movement as a member of the Doobie Brothers. The double Grammy-winning landmark “What A Fool Believes,” again written by McDonald with Loggins, stands tall in this hall of fame. Similarly, Toto, another band of master studio craftsmen whose critical and commercial stock has risen again in recent times, stood for all the principles of yacht rock with tracks such as “99” and the undying “Africa.”

That 1982 soft-rock calling card came from the Toto IV album, which was, indeed, recorded in part at Sunset Sound and Ocean Way. But Steely Dan , one of the bands to prove that yacht rock could come from other parts of the US where the attendant lifestyle was less practical, made perhaps their biggest contribution to the subgenre after Walter Becker and Donald Fagen moved back to their native East Coast.

After their initial incarnation as a live band, Steely Dan were well established in their peerless cocoon of pristine studio production when they moved back east. That was after recording 1977’s superb Aja , the album that announced their ever-greater exploration of jazz influences. Fans and critics of the band both used the same word about them, perfectionism: some as a compliment, others as an accusation. But 1980’s equally impressive Gaucho was their yacht rock masterpiece.

Ripple effect

In such a subjective phrase, other artists seen by some as yacht rock representatives, such as Daryl Hall & John Oates, Journey, the Eagles, or even Canada’s Gordon Lightfoot, are thought by others to be creatively or geographically inappropriate, or just too mainstream to break out of the overreaching AOR terminology.

But a significant number of other artists, whose names are less quoted today, had their finest hours during the pop landscape of the late 70s and early 80s that we’ve been visiting here. Amy Holland won a Best New Artist Grammy nomination in 1981 helped by “How Do I Survive,” written by McDonald, whose wife she became soon afterwards. Robbie Dupree, a Brooklyn boy by birth, also epitomized the style with his 1980 US hit “Steal Away.” Then, in 1982, America, the band known for their definitive harmonic rock of a decade earlier, mounted a chart return with the suitably melodic “You Can Do Magic.”

The final word goes to Michael McDonald, the unwitting co-founder of the yacht rock sound. When the aforementioned mockumentary series was at the height of its popularity, he was asked if he had ever owned a yacht, and replied (perhaps disappointingly) in the negative. But, he added, “I thought Yacht Rock was hilarious. And uncannily, you know, those things always have a little bit of truth to them.

“It’s kind of like when you get a letter from a stalker who’s never met you. They somehow hit on something, and you have to admit they’re pretty intuitive.”

Listen to the Soft Rock Forever playlist for more yacht rock classics .

October 28, 2019 at 8:42 pm

if you dig this sound, you gotta check out Yachty by Nature the best yacht rock band on the West Coast. They play it all live without the backing tracks (yuck) that some bands do. They just got voted #1 Best Live Cover Band in Orange County and spreading yacht rock all over the country. Dive in!!! #yachtrock https://yachtybynature.com

October 28, 2019 at 8:44 pm

BTW, great article!!!!! Well written and thoughtfully addressed the idea of Nyacht Rock artists to the purists following the genre!

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The Evolution of Yacht Rock: From the 70s to Today

Table of Contents

The Origins of Yacht Rock in the 70s

The inception of Yacht Rock in the 70s was characterized by smooth music, influenced by soft rock, jazz, and R&B genres. Yacht Rock was a term coined in the 2000s for the music that encapsulated the feel of the refined and luxurious lifestyle of yachts. The music was not tied to a particular artist or band, but instead, it was a culmination of numerous artists who shared common themes and sounds, such as Michael McDonald, Kenny Loggins, and Toto . The music genre gained popularity in America during the mid-70s and peaked in the early 80s.

The Yacht Rock culture made its way into the mainstream through movies, TV shows, and commercials such as in the movie Stepbrothers and the TV series The Office . The laid-back nature of Yacht Rock embodies a feeling of relaxation and enjoyment that can be enjoyed both on and off yachts. The genre’s popularity has seen various tribute bands and has been the inspiration for modern bands like The 1975 . Yacht Rock’s influence can be felt in pop music, and it has endured through the decades, with 2019’s Yacht Rock Revival Tour being a significant highlight.

Notably, the birth of Yacht Rock had significant roots in Southern California, which was the epicenter for all things cool and relaxed in music during the 1970s. Michael McDonald was a member of the iconic Doobie Brothers , who crafted some classic Yacht Rock hits such as “What a Fool Believes” and “Minute by Minute.”

According to The New York Times , Yacht Rock has a cult following, and it has become a sensation on social media, with Youtube videos and playlists dedicated to the genre. Soft rock may be the musical equivalent of a warm hug, but don’t underestimate its power to sway your soul and make you want to own a yacht.

The Influential Sound of Soft Rock

The 70s saw the emergence of Soft Rock, or Yacht Rock – a soothing response to the heavy and aggressive nature of rock music at the time. Its easy-going style featured smooth vocals and polished production.

The Eagles, Fleetwood Mac, and Toto were the founding fathers of this sound, with hits like “Take it Easy,” “Dreams,” and “Africa” dominating the radio. Even today, their influence can be heard in modern music.

Yacht Rock has become a cultural phenomenon , thanks to artists like Michael McDonald and Christopher Cross . By the early 1980s, it had become the epitome of coolness and sophistication.

If you’re looking for mellow tunes to transport you to a sun-kissed boat day, Soft Rock and Yacht Rock won’t disappoint!

The Rise of West Coast-based Musicians

The ’70s saw a spike in West Coast-based musicians. Steely Dan, The Doobie Brothers, and Michael McDonald created an influential sound that captured the essence of Southern California living.

Their music featured smooth harmonies, laid back grooves and introspective lyrics . It was dubbed “ Yacht Rock ” – associated with white wines and luxury yachts. However, many of these artists rejected this term.

These musicians used a variety of instruments to create complex yet listenable sounds. Guitars, pianos, saxophones – they redefined pop music.

Tip: Listen to classic yacht rock tracks while lounging on your own deck chair. Enjoy the smooth melodies and lyrics like you’re sailing on calm waters – but with more polyester!

The Emphasis on Smooth Melodies and Lyrics

Yacht Rock – a musical style from the ’70s – featured smooth melodies and lyrics, combining soft rock, jazz, funk, and R&B elements. Its popularity was boosted by MTV-era TV shows . Romantic and boastful lyrics catered to a nautical lifestyle. Lyrics often romanticized luxury and wealth, or intimate themes like love.

Yacht Rock has a transformative power to take listeners to luxury yachts on sunny beach days. To appreciate it, listen to classic musicians like Toto or Christopher Cross . Their unique sound brings together different genres.

Vinyl records make it easier to revisit nostalgic tracks. Boat parties are the perfect opportunity to experience Yacht Rock. Playlists at home or speakers on a boat – transport back in time with throwback tunes and breathtaking views of the ocean! Get ready to rock the boat and explore the decadent era of yacht rock in the 80s.

The Heyday of Yacht Rock in the 80s

The prime era of Yacht Rock in the 80s had a significant impact on the music industry. The smooth and polished sound of Yacht Rock, characterized by its fusion of soft rock and jazz elements, was widely popular among the masses. Yacht Rock artists like Michael McDonald, Hall & Oates, and Toto paved the way for a new music genre that appealed to a vast audience. The 80s marked the pinnacle of Yacht Rock’s popularity, which continued to be a significant force in the music world until the late 90s.

The smooth voicings of singers and the catchy rhythms of the songs made Yacht Rock an instant hit. The era of Yacht Rock was marked by iconic hits like “ Africa ” by Toto, “ I Can’t Go for That (No Can Do) ” by Hall & Oates, and “ What a Fool Believes ” by The Doobie Brothers.

During the heyday of Yacht Rock, many artists emerged on the scene with their unique sound, which combined elements of rock, jazz, funk, and pop. One of the notable characteristics of Yacht Rock was the smooth and polished production style, which was made possible by the use of synthesizers and electronic instruments. This sound gave Yacht Rock its distinct flavor that was unlike any other genre. The distinct sound and vibe of Yacht Rock resonated with a growing audience, from young teens to working-class adults, making it a classic genre enjoyed by all.

The success of Yacht Rock in the 80s was due to its laid-back and accessible nature. The music was perfect for setting a casual or intimate atmosphere, which made it ideal for parties and social gatherings. The popularity of Yacht Rock started to decline in the late 90s as new genres emerged, but its legacy continued to live on through the decades. Nevertheless, the contribution and impact that Yacht Rock had on the music industry will always be cherished. For the fans of Yacht Rock, the genre still brings back nostalgic memories and continues to hold a special place in their hearts. For the new generation, Yacht Rock has become an immortal genre that symbolizes the 80s sound.

From soft rock to smooth sailing, Yacht Rock emerged as the ultimate soundtrack for high seas debauchery and questionable fashion choices.

The Emergence of Yacht Rock as a Genre

Yacht rock’s sound was smooth and sophisticated. Drawing from soft rock, jazz, and R&B , it was mellow and polished. This genre was linked to a lavish lifestyle, making it the perfect escape.

Michael McDonald, Christopher Cross, Toto, and Kenny Loggins were the icons of yacht rock. Their songs featured lush harmonies, easygoing melodies, and intricate guitar riffs.

The name ‘yacht rock’ was coined much later by an online video series titled ‘Yacht Rock.’ It was a parody of the artists’ lives and careers. But, the sublime sound of yacht rock still prevails.

The Popularity of Yacht Rock Bands and Artists

Yacht Rock was a popular music genre in the 80s known for its calm and smooth style.

Artists like Kenny Loggins, Christopher Cross, Michael McDonald, and Toto shot to fame during this time. Their lyrics expressed love and longing, with soft jazz, R&B, and pop elements.

The music videos featuring ocean waves, sandy beaches, and yachts captivated their audiences. Toto’s ‘Africa’ was played in Antarctica for 24 hours straight. They also made an appearance on Family Guy, parodying ‘Rosanna’.

These timeless songs still have an impact today. New generations continue to discover them. For example, Michael McDonald’s ‘What A Fool Believes’ was sampled by Kanye West for ‘The One’. Yacht Rock may have gone away, but its influence still lingers in mainstream music.

The Impact of Yacht Rock on Mainstream Music

Yacht rock shook up mainstream music in the 1980s. It blended soft rock and smooth jazz, with romantic and leisurely lyrics. Michael McDonald, Christopher Cross, Kenny Loggins, and Toto were among the stars of this era.

Yacht rock was easy-listening and had infectious tunes. Electric pianos, synthesizers, and soaring harmonies were often part of its sound. Plus, it focused on luxurious activities like sailing and yachting.

However, yacht rock slowly faded with the rise of alternative rock in the 90s. But now, its smooth sounds are back in style!

It’s funny that yacht rock was not called that at first. J.D. Ryznar made some videos with friends and gave it the name. After millions watched, it became popular and is now a recognized subgenre.

Who knew sailing in khakis and loafers would be popular again? Welcome to the yacht rock revival .

The Revival of Yacht Rock in the 2010s

The resurgence of Yacht Rock in recent times has been a remarkable phenomenon. This genre, popular in the 70s and 80s, has been given a new lease of life in the 2010s. Numerous artists have rediscovered the smooth and relaxed vibe of Yacht Rock, and with the help of modern production techniques, have infused it with a contemporary twist.

With the current generation of music lovers seeking a break from the chaos of modern life, the revival of Yacht Rock has brought a sense of calmness and nostalgia. Many young listeners have been introduced to this genre for the first time, and it has proved to be a refreshing sonic landscape. The resurgence of Yacht Rock has also been fueled by the rise of retro culture, with fashion and décor trends of bygone eras making a comeback.

The new wave of Yacht Rock artists has not only embraced its smooth sound but also incorporated elements of funk, indie, and electronic music to bring it up to date. They have given the music a modern edge while retaining the characteristic traits of the genre.

According to Billboard , the Yacht Rock genre has seen over 100% increase in streams between 2015 and 2017. This is a testament to the genre’s popularity and the impact of its modern reintroduction.

Looks like the yacht has docked at the port of millennials, who are discovering the smooth sounds of Yacht Rock while sipping on their avocado smoothies.

The Introduction of a New Generation of Yacht Rock Listeners

Yacht Rock is sailing back into the 2010s with a fresh wave of fans. Smooth tunes and chill vibes make it unique. Plus, soft rock, jazz, R&B, and soul give it a special flavor. Michael McDonald , Christopher Cross , and Toto still rock with classic hits like “ What A Fool Believes ” and “ Ride Like The Wind “. Even modern artists like Portugal. The Man are getting in on the action.

Thanks to streaming services, it’s never been easier to enjoy Yacht Rock . People can easily find it, and it’s taking them back to happy days on yachts in the sun. Plus, old-timers get to relive their youth. One fan shared that she feels transported back to her summertime days when she hears Yacht Rock. So, pull out those bell-bottoms, mix up a piña colada, and enjoy the smooth sounds of Yacht Rock!

The Nostalgia Factor: Rediscovering Yacht Rock Classics

Yacht Rock’s resurgence is taking over the 2010s! Hall & Oates, Michael McDonald, and other iconic artists of this groovy sound are now being rediscovered. With streaming services like Spotify adding dedicated yacht rock playlists, millennials are finding a newfound appreciation for these timeless tracks.

New collaborations between classic and contemporary musicians are bringing this style back to the spotlight. Yacht Rock has always been about escapism and self-care – perfect for relaxing sunny days or cruising down the coast. It resonates well with today’s listeners who value luxury, nostalgia, and more .

But it’s not all about nostalgia. Yacht Rock has shown its appeal can last through generations . To keep the revival going strong, we suggest listening to live performances from original yacht rockers or new acts. Examining lesser-known songs can reveal hidden gems that capture the essence of what made yacht rock so captivating.

In summary, yacht rock is alive and thriving with fans young and old . It’s the perfect balance between nostalgia and modernity – all while staying true to its laidback style. Open your mind and explore all facets of this sound – and yacht rock will continue to sail for years to come.

The Relevance of Yacht Rock in Contemporary Music

Yacht Rock , a sub-genre of soft rock, made a comeback in the 2010s. It’s known for its maritime theme and smooth, easy-listening tunes. Christopher Cross, Toto, and Michael McDonald are some of the artists leading the way.

Nostalgia is one reason for its revival. People remember simpler times spent on boats. Younger listeners are discovering Yacht Rock through platforms like YouTube and Spotify. Plus, its music is easy to listen to, so you don’t have to pay close attention.

West Coast musicians collaborated with Yacht Rock. They had a mellow sound that fit the songs. Steven McVicker coined the term ‘yacht rock’ in 2005, according to Rolling Stone Magazine.

Yacht Rock is still sailing with a new generation of fans. Even Michael McDonald is still touring!

The Future of Yacht Rock

In the realm of yacht rock , the progression of the genre over the years has been quite evident. Looking into the future, the genre may continue to evolve, embracing new sounds while maintaining its core elements.

As artists experiment with new ways of infusing classic yacht rock tones with modern sensibilities, the future of yacht rock may see an expansion of its audience. Additionally, there may be a shift towards a greater focus on diverse representation within the genre. By incorporating different voices and perspectives, the future of yacht rock could be more inclusive and inviting to a wider range of listeners.

Yacht rock may have started in the 70s, but it’s here to stay like that one drunk friend at the party who insists on playing their favorite soft rock playlist.

The Continuation of Yacht Rock as a Genre

Yacht rock burst onto the scene in the 70s and 80s, blending soft rock and jazz. Many thought it’d be a flash in the pan, yet it’s still alive and kickin’! Music icons like Daryl Hall and John Oates even have new yacht rock tunes.

Its charm lies in its ability to take listeners back to summers spent at the beach or rolling down highways with windows down. Plus, modern artists have their own spin on yacht rock, blending funk and R&B with classic yacht rock elements.

Yacht rock is popular with mature audiences, but younger folks should take the chance to explore too! Dabble in something new by discovering up-and-coming yacht rock artists on streaming platforms.

This smooth genre has changed over time, but yacht rock remains timeless !

The Evolution of Yacht Rock Sound and Style

Yacht rock has been around since the late ’70s. It is characterized by mellow melodies, smooth harmonies, and a laid-back vibe. A key element is nostalgia for the past . Over time, the yacht rock sound and style has evolved.

Contemporary artists like Dev Hynes, Ty Dolla $ign, and Robbie Dupree have found inspiration in yacht rock for their distinctive R&B infused sounds. Streaming platforms like Spotify have also helped to revive the genre by creating playlists for fanatics.

Jack Antonoff’s exploration into this sound with Bleachers is a tribute to the era, whilst pushing it forward. More and more artists are incorporating yacht rock elements into their music.

Experience the latest iteration of this legendary soft-rock subgenre – dive into the ocean of Yacht Rock now!

The Significance of Yacht Rock in Music History.

Yacht Rock – an iconic soft rock genre from the ’70s and ’80s. Its smooth melodies and pristine production created a luxurious escape from the hard rock and metal of the time. It symbolized a cultural shift to a more relaxed lifestyle. Its influence is still felt today, with songs like “ Rosanna ” by Toto and Air Supply’s “ Making Love Out Of Nothing At All ” standing the test of time.

Even modern musicians like Bruno Mars are incorporating Yacht Rock elements into their music, evidencing the genre’s continued impact. Yacht Rock was more than just a musical style – it embodied a lifestyle of luxury, leisure, and sophistication .

Take it easy: The Eagles announce farewell tour and Indianapolis is on the list

Yacht rock will reign in Indy when the Eagles bring their farewell tour downtown.

The band will perform at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Oct. 9. 

Steely Dan is opening.

“The Long Goodbye” tour features Don Henley, Joe Walsh, Timothy B. Schmit, with Vince Gill and Deacon Frey — son of the late founding member Glenn Frey —  performing "Hotel California,"  "I Can't Tell You Why," "Take It Easy" and other hits from the more than 150 million albums the group has sold worldwide.

Both the Eagles and Steely Dan (“Hey Nineteen,” “Do It Again,” “Black Cow”) are Rock & Roll Hall of Fame members and have been in action for more than five decades, albeit with significant hiatuses due to splits.

The Eagles endured one of rock’s most bitter band breakups, with members Glenn Frey, Don Felder and Don Henley going at it and calling it quits in 1980 before hell froze over and they reunited in 1994.  Frey died in 2016 . 

Steely Dan was founded in 1971 by Walter Becker and Donald Fagen and disbanded in 1981. They reunited in 1993. Becker died in 2017.

Still in its planning stages, the farewell tour currently has 13 dates, but more are expected.

The Eagles’ tours have consistently ranked in the Top 10 of both concert industry publications, Billboard and Pollstar.

The Live Nation tour begins on Sept. 7 in New York City and is expected to continue into 2025. 

Presale tickets and VIP packages will be available starting Wednesday, July 12, for all announced shows. The general on-sale will begin at 10 a.m. Friday, July 14.  For additional information, visit livenation.com.

Contact the reporter at 317-444-6264.

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With a career spanning more than five decades, they have sold over 150 million records worldwide and won six Grammy Awards.

Their songs combine elements of country, folk, and rock, creating a distinctive sound that appeals to millions of fans.

• Eagles facts: Members, band name, break-up and reunion of the 'Hotel California' superstars

But what are the best Eagles songs? How do they rank among the band’s extensive catalog? And what are the stories behind them?

Best of My Love

Best of My Love (2018 Remaster)

This song was written by Don Henley, Glenn Frey, and JD Souther, and was recorded in London with producer Glyn Johns, who gave it a smooth and polished sound.

The song was released as the third single from the Eagles’ third album, On the Border , in November 1974.

It became the band’s first number one hit on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

The song was inspired by the personal experiences of the songwriters, who were all going through romantic troubles at the time. Henley said that he wrote most of the lyrics while sitting in a booth at Dan Tana’s Restaurant near the Troubadour club in Los Angeles.

He said that he was feeling “a lot of guilt and remorse” over his breakup with his girlfriend Suzannah Martin. Frey said that he came up with the tune while trying to figure out a guitar tuning that Joni Mitchell had shown him.

Witchy Woman

Eagles Witchy Woman Live in Houston 1976

This classic rock song is about the mysterious and seductive allure of a woman who practices the occult.

The song was written by Don Henley and Bernie Leadon, who were inspired by different sources, such as a biography of Zelda Fitzgerald, the wife of the famous novelist F Scott Fitzgerald, books by Carlos Castaneda on shamanism, and a girl they knew who was into witchcraft.

The song was released as the second single from the Eagles’ debut album in 1972, and it reached No. 9 on the Billboard pop singles chart.

It was also the first commercially successful song that Henley wrote, and it showcased his distinctive vocals and drumming skills. The song also has a distinctive guitar solo by Leadon, who used a banjo with a phase shifter effect to create a psychedelic sound.

Peaceful Easy Feeling

Peaceful Easy Feeling (2013 Remaster)

This is a classic soft rock and country rock tune that expresses the singer's contentment and love for a woman. The song was written by Jack Tempchin, a friend of the band’s members, who was inspired by his experiences as a folk singer in San Diego.

The song was released as the third single from the Eagles’ debut album in 1972, and reached No. 22 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

The song features Glenn Frey on lead vocals and acoustic guitar, Bernie Leadon on electric guitar and harmony vocals, Randy Meisner on bass and backing vocals, and Don Henley on drums and backing vocals.

Heartache Tonight

Eagles - Heartache Tonight

This classic rock anthem captures the mood of a night of passion, excitement, and inevitable pain. The song was written by Don Henley, Glenn Frey, Bob Seger, and JD Souther, who collaborated in a spontaneous jam session at Frey’s house.

The song also showcases the guitar skills of Joe Walsh, who came up with the bridge section.

It reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, becoming the Eagles’ fifth and final number-one hit. The song also won a Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal in 1980.

The song is about the anticipation of heartbreak that comes with a one-night stand or a casual fling. They are aware that there will be consequences and regrets, but they are willing to take the risk anyway.

The song has been covered by several artists, such as Jon Anderson, Michael Bublé, and Tom Jones .

New Kid in Town

New Kid in Town (2013 Remaster)

This is a classic rock ballad that explores the themes of fame, love, and change. It was released in 1976 as the first single from their album Hotel California , and it reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the US and number 20 in the UK.

The song was written by Don Henley, Glenn Frey, and JD Souther, who were inspired by their own experiences of being popular musicians and facing competition from younger artists.

The song tells the story of a new singer who arrives in town and attracts the attention of everyone, including his girlfriend. He feels insecure and jealous, knowing that his fame and romance are fading away. He tries to warn the new kid that his success will not last, and that he will soon be replaced by someone else.

Seven Bridges Road

Seven Bridges Road (Live) (2013 Remaster)

'Seven Bridges Road' is a cover of a song written by Steve Young, an American musician who was inspired by a scenic road in Alabama that had seven bridges along its path.

The song was first recorded by Young in 1969, and has since been covered by many artists, but the most famous version is the one by the Eagles, who recorded it live in 1980 for their album Eagles Live .

The song is a blend of country rock and folk music, featuring a five-part harmony arrangement by Iain Matthews, an English musician who had previously recorded the song in 1973.

The lyrics describe the beauty and mystery of the road, as well as feelings of nostalgia and longing for a former lover who lives there.

The song has been praised for its vocal harmonies and acoustic guitar work, as well as its poetic imagery and emotional depth. It is considered one of the Eagles’ signature songs and a classic of country rock music.

Life in the Fast Lane

Life In The Fast Lane (Live On MTV, 1994)

'Life in the Fast Lane' is a rock anthem that captures the thrill and danger of living a hedonistic lifestyle. It was inspired by a real-life encounter that Glenn Frey had with a drug dealer who drove recklessly on the freeway and said, "What do you mean? It’s life in the fast lane!"

Frey then collaborated with Joe Walsh and Don Henley to write the lyrics and the music for the song, which features a distinctive guitar riff by Walsh that he played during a rehearsal.

Tequila Sunrise

Eagles - Tequila Sunrise (Live From Melbourne) (Official Video) [4K]

This song was written by Don Henley and Glenn Frey, who were inspired by a cocktail of the same name that was popular in the 1970s.

The song tells the story of a man who is in love with a woman who is only using him as a “hired hand”. He knows that he has to let her go, but he can’t help feeling lonely and hopeless as he watches the sun rise every morning. He tries to cope with his pain by drinking tequila, which he calls “a shot of courage”.

The song was released as the first single from the band’s second album, Desperado , in 1973.

Glenn Frey said that he was initially unsure about the title, but Henley convinced him that it was a good metaphor for their situation as struggling musicians in Los Angeles.

I Can't Tell You Why

Eagles - I Can't Tell You Why (Official Video) [HD]

This yacht rock-style ballad showcases the soulful vocals of Timothy B Schmit, who joined the band in 1977 as a replacement for Randy Meisner.

The song was co-written by Schmit, Glenn Frey and Don Henley, and it was the first song completed for the band’s sixth studio album, The Long Run , released in 1979.

The song is about a troubled relationship, where the singer is unable to explain why he or she stays with a partner who causes so much pain and frustration. The lyrics express a mix of regret, longing, and resignation, as the singer admits that he or she is “afraid to let you go”.

Take it to the Limit

The Eagles - Take It To The Limit - (Live at the capital center 1977)

This classic soft rock ballad showcases the vocal talents of Randy Meisner, who co-wrote the song with Don Henley and Glenn Frey.

It reached No. 4 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and No. 12 in the UK, becoming the Eagles’ most successful single in the UK at that time.

It is about living life to the fullest and not giving up on one’s dreams, even when faced with challenges and difficulties. The chorus repeats the phrase “take it to the limit one more time”, which Meisner said was inspired by his feeling of getting older and wanting to keep trying new things.

It was a staple of the Eagles’ live performances, and Meisner usually received a standing ovation for his rendition. However, the song also contributed to Meisner’s departure from the band in 1977, as he felt pressured by Frey and Henley to sing it every night, even when he was not feeling well or confident.

Meisner said that he felt like a “jukebox” and that he wanted more creative input in the band. After Meisner left, the song was rarely performed by the Eagles until their reunion in 1994, when it was sung by Timothy B Schmit, who replaced Meisner as the bassist and harmony vocalist.

Eagles - Desperado (Live from Melbourne) (Official Video) [4K]

The Eagles song 'Desperado' is a classic ballad that explores the theme of loneliness and the search for love.

The song was written by Glenn Frey and Don Henley, who were inspired by the Western genre and the idea of a solitary outlaw. The song was part of the concept album Desperado , which told the story of a fictional band of outlaws called the Doolin-Dalton gang.

The song has a simple structure, consisting of four verses and a chorus, with a piano and string accompaniment. The lyrics use the metaphor of a desperado, a reckless and adventurous person who lives outside the law, to describe someone who is afraid of commitment and intimacy.

The narrator urges the desperado to give up his wandering ways and find someone who can heal his heart. The song also references some elements of the Western culture, such as poker, horses, fences, and prisons.

The song was never released as a single, but it became one of the Eagles’ most popular and enduring songs. It has been covered by many artists, such as Linda Ronstadt, Johnny Cash, Diana Krall, and Clint Black.

Take it Easy

Eagles - Take It Easy (Live on MTV 1994) (Official Video) [HD]

'Take it Easy' is a classic example of country rock, and was written by Jackson Browne and Glenn Frey, who were both singer-songwriters in the early 1970s.

Browne had started the song but could not finish it, so he asked Frey for help. Frey added the famous line “It’s a girl, my lord, in a flatbed Ford, slowin’ down to take a look at me” after seeing a woman driving a truck in Winslow, Arizona.

The song was released as the first single from the Eagles’ debut album in 1972 and became a hit, reaching No. 12 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

The song also established the Eagles as a new force in the music scene, with their distinctive vocal harmonies and guitar work. The song has a relaxed and optimistic tone, reflecting the laid-back lifestyle of Southern California, where the band was based.

Lyin' Eyes

The Eagles - Lyin' Eyes - (Live at the capital center 1977)

This song tells the story of a young woman who is unhappy in her marriage to a wealthy older man, and who cheats on him with a younger lover. The song explores the themes of deception, betrayal, guilt, and regret, as well as the contrast between the glamorous and the mundane aspects of life.

It was written by Don Henley and Glenn Frey, who were inspired by observing a beautiful woman with a rich but unattractive man at a Los Angeles restaurant. They wondered what her life was like, and what secrets she was hiding behind her “lyin’ eyes”.

The song was released as the second single from their album One of These Nights in 1975, and reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

One of These Nights

Eagles - One of these nights (Live).....

This track song was written by Don Henley and Glenn Frey, who wanted to create something different from their usual country-rock and ballad style.

They were inspired by R&B music and disco, and they incorporated a catchy bass-drum pattern and a smooth guitar solo by Don Felder. The song is about the desire to find love and adventure, and the anticipation of what might happen on one of these nights.

It was released as the lead single from the band’s fourth studio album of the same name, and became their second number one hit in the US.

Frey said that it was his favorite Eagles record, and that it was a breakthrough song for them. He said: “We made a quantum leap with ‘One Of These Nights.’ It was a breakthrough song. It is my favorite Eagles record. If I ever had to pick one, it wouldn’t be ‘Hotel California’; it wouldn’t be ‘Take It Easy.’ For me, it would be ‘One Of These Nights.’”

Hotel California

Eagles - Hotel California (Live 1977) (Official Video) [HD]

'Hotel California' is one of the most famous and popular songs in rock history. It was released as the title track of their fifth studio album in 1977, and became a number one hit on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

The song was written by Don Felder, Don Henley, and Glenn Frey, and features a memorable guitar solo by Felder and Joe Walsh at the end.

The song has been interpreted in various ways by fans and critics, but the Eagles have said that it is mainly about their own experiences in the music industry and the Los Angeles lifestyle.

The song uses the metaphor of a hotel as a place of temptation, excess, and corruption, where “you can check out any time you like, but you can never leave”. The song also reflects the disillusionment and loss of innocence that the band felt as they became more successful and famous.

The song has been praised for its lyrics, melody, and production, and has received many awards and accolades. It won the Grammy Award for Record of the Year in 1978.

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The 10 greatest Eagles songs, ranked

24 August 2023, 11:28 | Updated: 24 August 2023, 16:03

By Tom Eames

The Eagles were one of the biggest bands of the 1970s, thanks to their sweet sound that mixed soft rock, country and folk.

In a relatively short space of time, they became one of the world's most popular groups, and they have two of the three biggest-selling albums in US history.

Despite a severe breakup in the 1980s, they later reunited and continue to perform to sold out crowds across the world.

Here are our top 10 picks for the perfect Eagles soundtrack:

Life in the Fast Lane

Life in the Fast Lane (2013 Remaster)

Recorded for the Hotel California album, this song tells the story of a couple that takes their excessive lifestyle to the very edge.

Glenn Frey later revealed that the title came to him when he was riding on the freeway with a drug dealer known as 'The Count'. He asked the dealer to slow down and his reply was: "What do you mean? It's life in the fast lane!".

Take it To the Limit

Eagles - Take It To The Limit (Live)....

Randy Meisner, who sings lead vocals on this song, began writing it as his solo composition. As it remained unfinished when the time came for the One of These Nights album to be recorded, Don Henley and Glenn Frey helped Meisner in finishing it.

However, disputes over his reluctance to perform the song live would later directly lead to Meisner's departure from the band.

Peaceful Easy Feeling

Peaceful Easy Feeling (2013 Remaster)

One of the Eagles' first hits, songwriter Jack Tempchin penned the song when he was performing at folk coffee shops around his hometown of San Diego. A friend had created a poster to advertise his gigs, which included fake quotes from famous stars.

He wrote an early version of 'Peaceful Easy Feeling' on the back of a poster, and some time later was attempting to break into the music industry when Glenn Frey heard the song, and asked if he could use it for his new band, which had only just formed eight days before.

He gave Tempchin a cassette demo on the track the next day, who later said: "It was so good I couldn’t believe it."

Seven Bridges Road

Seven Bridges Road (Live) (2013 Remaster)

Steve Young first recorded this song on his 1969 album Rock Salt & Nails , but its best-known version is a five-part harmony cover by English musician Iain Matthews, later recorded by Eagles in 1980. Matthews recorded it in 1973, and Eagles later borrowed the arrangement.

When the band began playing stadiums, the group would warm up by singing the song in a locker room shower area . After, each concert would then open with the group’s five members singing it a capella into a single microphone.

Amazing harmonies on Eagles - 'Seven' Bridges Road'

Don Felder said it “blew the audience away. It was always a vocally unifying moment, all five voices coming together in harmony”.This version was recorded at their concert at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium.

Young later said: “I didn’t like the Eagles’ version at first. But the more I hear it, the better it sounds.”

Tequila Sunrise

Eagles - Tequila Sunrise (Live From Melbourne) (Official Video) [4K]

Glenn Frey and Don Henley didn't write songs together for their debut album, and they decided they should work together for the follow-up, Desperado .

According to Frey, he was lying on a sofa playing the guitar, and came up with a guitar riff he described as "kinda Roy Orbison, kinda Mexican". He showed Henley the riff and said: "Maybe we should write something to this."

The song's title refers to a popular cocktail named Tequila Sunrise.

Take it Easy

Eagles - Take It Easy (Live on MTV 1994) (Official Video) [HD]

This was the Eagles' first ever single, and began life as a song by singer-songwriter Jackson Browne, before Glenn Frey offered to finish the song for him.

Browne later said: "After a couple of times when I declined to have him finish my song, I said, 'all right.' I finally thought, 'This is ridiculous. Go ahead and finish it. Do it.' And he finished it in spectacular fashion. And, what's more, arranged it in a way that was far superior to what I had written."

Desperado Eagles New Zealand Live

Written by Don Henley and Glenn Frey, this featured on the Eagles' second album of the same name.

According to Henley, it was based on a song he started in 1968. The song was originally about a friend named Leo and began with "Leo, my God, why don’t you come to your senses...".

One of These Nights

Eagles - One of these nights (Live).....

This song was the Eagles' second US number one single, taken from their fourth album of the same name.

The song was an attempt by the band to write something different from the country-rock and ballad songs they had hits with before.

Don Henley said: "We like to be a nice little country-rock band from Los Angeles ... about half the time."

Glenn Frey also said that the song is about putting things off: "We've all said, 'One of these nights I'm gonna do something -- get that girl, make that money, find that house.' We all have our dreams – a vision we hope will come true someday. When that 'someday' will come is up to each of us."

Lyin' Eyes

The Eagles - Lyin' Eyes - (Live at the capital center 1977)

The title and idea for this song came about when Glenn Frey and Don Henley were in their favourite Los Angeles restaurant Dan Tana's, and they started talking about beautiful women who were cheating on their husbands at the venue.

They apparently saw a young woman with a fat and much older wealthy man, and Frey said: "She can't even hide those lyin' eyes."

Hotel California

Eagles - Hotel California (Live 1977) (Official Video) [HD]

• Read more: The Story of... 'Hotel California'

Don Henley gave several explanations about this song, ranging from “a journey from innocence to experience” to “a socio-political statement.

The melody of the song was composed by Don Felder while he stayed at a rented house on Malibu Beach. The metaphorical character of the story has inspired a number of interpretations by listeners.

In the 1980s, Christian evangelists alleged that it referred to a San Francisco hotel that was converted into a Church of Satan, while others thought it was the Camarillo State Mental Hospital.

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Yacht Rock Babylon

By David Browne

David Browne

I n a spacious suite high above the Las Vegas Strip, Michael McDonald extends his left arm, wiggles his fingers, and glides his arm to his right side. If you didn’t know any better, you’d think he was getting ready for some air piano. But no — he’s actually recalling the day of the floating vomit.

The Seventies were winding down, but no one had told the Doobie Brothers . By 1978, they’d had enough big songs to fill one greatest-hits album already, from choogling rockers like “Long Train Runnin’” and “China Grove” to soul-rooted, McDonald-sung hits like “Takin’ It to the Streets.” Along with gold and platinum records, keys to a city, and the usual on-the-road indulgences, they were also rewarded with their own private plane.

The DoobieLiner wasn’t quite the type of luxurious jet used to fly around Led Zeppelin and Elton John to their shows, but the Martin 404, once used by Eastern Airlines, had coffee tables, reclining chairs, and random copies of Newsweek and Sixteen magazines strewn about; the Doobie logo was painted on its tail. (The Doobie stagehands flew on their own, separate plane, dubbed the CrewbieLiner.) Even better, no one bothered the band members when they were boarding or on board. “You could smoke weed on the plane,” says singer, guitarist, and co-founder Patrick Simmons. “Nobody cared. We had a full bar and drinks and chicks. It was a party in the air, pretty much continuously.” One day, one of the band members even got to fly the DoobieLiner while the pilot watched, and somehow everyone survived.

For their eighth studio album, Minute by Minute , someone had the idea of shooting the band aboard the DoobieLiner — in simulated zero-gravity conditions. Their regular pilot, Sam Stewart, took the plane to 12,000 feet, then nosedived straight down and pulled up again. Even though they’d practiced the process a bunch of times, the Doobies started getting nauseous as they began floating, and McDonald found himself staring at someone’s puke as it wafted by. “There’s nothing worse than someone hurling while there’s zero gravity,” he says. “You’re watching the vomit quiver in midair. Then the gravity goes back into play and it lands on someone.”

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Dressed in blue jeans and a flannel shirt, his trademark beard white and his mane white and swept-back, McDonald recounts this tale with a bemused smile. The photo did wind up on the back of the album, but what about the upchuck? “That’s not in the picture,” he adds.

Roughly half a century after they began, the Doobie Brothers are the embodiment of classic-rock respectability. At the time of this conversation with McDonald — the pre-pandemic America of early 2020 — they are in the midst of their first-ever Vegas residency, at the glitzy Venetian Resort. Although McDonald has not been in the band since the early Eighties, he has flown into town to help them prepare for a planned 50th anniversary tour in which he’ll participate. The group is also enjoying the fact that they’ve been voted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame , with a ceremony set to take place in Cleveland just before that summer tour.

The Doobies and McDonald were once something of a punchline in rock: Remember the classic SCTV skit in which “McDonald” races in and out of a studio while singing his part on Christopher Cross’ “Ride Like the Wind”? Now, though, the Doobies are having the final chuckle. They have been the subject of a tribute album featuring marquee country artists like Brad Paisley and Blake Shelton; hip-hop acts from the late J Dilla to Meek Mill and Drake have sampled them. Earlier this year, Bernie Sanders rallies would sometimes end with “Takin’ It to the Streets” roaring from speakers. For a band that feels it didn’t even get respect from its record company in the old days (“the rest of us were playing second fiddle to Captain Beefheart,” says founding drummer John Hartman), the recognition is long overdue. To paraphrase one of their album titles: What were once vices are now honors.

But the saga of the Doobies isn’t merely about fame and hit records. Over the course of the Seventies, the Doobies transformed from long-haired biker rockers to shag-cut pop stars — a makeover that doubles as a metaphor for the ways rock was tamed by the end of that decade. After McDonald took over as their most prominent voice, their new style — lightly syncopated rhythms and smooth, high-thread-count production and harmonies — became the definitive example of what’s now known as yacht rock , encompassing everyone from the Doobies and Steely Dan to suave crooners like Boz Scaggs and Kenny Loggins. Given the robust, guitar-driven hits that established them, the Doobies were never 100 percent yacht. But like it or not, they’re now semi-ironically appreciated as pioneers in a cottage industry that spans a YouTube parody series and a satellite-radio channel.

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The mellow rock scene of the Seventies was rarely as tranquil as the tunes: James Taylor and Walter Becker grappled with heroin addiction, Loggins lost himself in a tequila bottle, and Dan Peek of America — those “Ventura Highway” and “Sister Golden Hair” guys — partied so hard that he was thrown out of the band.

But in the air or on the ground, little in the world of yacht-rock matches the turbulence of the Doobie Brothers’ story. As unlikely as it may seem for a band that’s given us the smooth white-guy R&B of “What a Fool Believes” and the lazy-day folk-blues singalong “Black Water,” their saga encompasses Hells Angels, explosive devices, and a degree of debauchery more often associated with louder and heavier bands of the time. Their emphasis on note-perfect record-making, a yacht-rock prerequisite, drove each other to the edge of madness. “It’s so funny to get super-high on cocaine and make music like the Doobie Brothers,” says Nicholas Niespodziani, lead singer of the Yacht Rock Revue, a touring genre tribute band that includes more than a few Doobie songs in their repertoire. “It doesn’t quite compute for me. It’s the chillest music to the least chill drug. They were innocuous on the surface, but pretty rock & roll in real life.”

Anyone who comes upon a vinyl copy of the Doobies’ 1972 album Toulouse Street , home to their breakthrough hit “Listen to the Music,” may be surprised to see what’s on the inside spread: a group photo recreating a New Orleans bordello, complete with naked band members (one covering up his own personal doobie with a hat) and at least one topless woman. “I think the photographer lit up a couple of joints and we had some booze,” Simmons says with a fond and only slightly embarrassed smile when he’s shown the photo. “I couldn’t see that the girl had her top off. By then we were so stoned and at half-mast that we thought the photo was funny or whatever.”

Told that the photo is still somewhat shocking all these decades later, co-founder and guitarist Tom Johnston is surprised. “Really?” he says with a chuckle. “Of all the other stuff we were doing, that was tame.”

In his own hotel suite in Vegas, Simmons is thinking back to his pre-Doobies band. “We were actually called the Pigfuckers,” he says. “But we couldn’t say that, so we were called Scratch.”

At 71, Simmons looks like a well-preserved version of his younger self: Long, stringy hair still glides down past his shoulders, and three silver earrings dangle off each ear. He’s always had the reputation as the most laid-back, easy-going Doobie, but his colorful history is never far away. Simmons remains a motorcycle fanatic — his laptop contains photos of the restored models at his home in Hawaii, which he happily shows off — and draped over a chair in his suite is a Harley Davidson jacket.

Since at least the time the Doobies formed in San Jose circa 1970, the city has been home to a chapter of the Hells Angels. Simmons, who did and still does exude a hippie-troubadour vibe, had enrolled in San Jose State to escape the draft. There, he met Johnston, a self-described “redneck from Central Valley” in California. Simmons and future Doobies bassist Tiran Porter played in a folkish trio in the San Jose area; Johnston was sharing a house in town with Hartman, who had moved there from the East Coast. Everyone remembers the volume on Johnston’s guitar. “When Johnston turned on, it was loud,” Hartman says . “Pretty soon the cops came and said, ‘You gotta stop.’ So we toned it down.” At least until the second jam: “Still too loud. The cops were called. They came back a second time: ‘Oh, crap.’”

In search of players who could fulfill their version of a band honoring their heroes Moby Grape — known for both bristling guitars and vocal harmonies — Johnston and Hartman, who looked a bit like hardened bikers themselves, began cajoling Simmons. Hartman recalls Simmons as being unsure of joining their tough-looking band. “Simmons was like, ‘Yeah, I don’t think so,’” he recalls. But after jamming with them at their house, Simmons realized that Johnston wanted more than just a typical heavy rock band, and he was in.

Johnston and Hartman had called their band Pud (“a lot of people think it has the other [sexual] connotation, but it was after a cartoon character,” clarifies Johnston), but they needed a new name for an upcoming gig with Simmons in tow. As they were tossing around other options, one of their housemates wandered in, saw them toking up, and suggested that they should call themselves the Doobie Brothers, since they smoked so much pot. “We said, ‘That’s a stupid name, but we’ll use it because we don’t have one,’” recalls Johnston. “It was probably the only time we were gonna use it.” Adds Simmons: “It was dumb, but it was cool in a way. We did smoke a lot of pot.”

The name stuck, and the unseasoned but hungry band took whatever gigs they could find, including pizza parlors. Little, however, matched the Chateau Liberté, a former stagecoach stop in the Santa Cruz mountains that was home to a raucous bar that attracted hippies and bikers alike. As the early version of the Doobies worked out their songs and sound, Angels prowled and the customers partied and hooked up. “It was a meat market for sure,” says Simmons. “There was no attempt to disguise love connections, if you know what I mean. There was a lot of hugging and grabbing and making out. A lot of screwing too, but out in the parking lot in the cars.” Recalls Hartman, “It was one of those places where you over-drink and step outside and throw up. It was beautiful, man!”

Before long, the Angels became part of the Doobies’ world. Johnston remembers the day a couple of them drove through the front door of his rented house with Hartman, parked in the living room, and asked the sleeping Doobies if they wanted to go play baseball — right then and there. “I don’t know how I talked my way out of that,” Johnston says.

Image aside, the Doobies had a surprisingly accessible sound. The combination of Johnston’s power chords and Simmons’ fingerpicking made for an unusual blend, as did their sandpaper-and-honey vocal amalgam. On the basis of a demo tape and aided by a friendship with Jefferson Airplane and Moby Grape member Skip Spence, Warner Brothers signed them. “Tommy had a song called ‘Nobody,’ and I kept listening to it,” says producer Ted Templeman. “I thought, “Damn, I like this.’ And they had the most beautiful background vocals in the world.”

While working on the first Doobies album, Templeman, then a new producer working alongside the more experienced Lenny Waronker, was introduced to the other, rowdier side of the band. He recalls Johnston showing up with a biker chain hanging off his pants, and Hells Angels swigging Jack Daniels in the control room. One day, Hartman pulled out a gun, unnerving the producers. “It was a gag — a starter pistol,” says Hartman, who claims he was put up to the joke by their manager. “It scared the shit out of them so bad. I had no idea they were so sensitive or fragile. I can’t tell you how many times I apologized.” Templeman laughs it off now, but adds, “It didn’t make it any easier. There were lots of guns on that scene.”

The Doobie Brothers , their 1971 debut, was not a success; Hartman feels the label practically sabotaged its chances by choosing a cover photo that placed the drummer, who looked the most like an Angel at the time, front and center. Yet the record laid the foundation for their sound, which they cemented on the following year’s Toulouse Street . Johnston had written “Listen to the Music,” his response to the turmoil of the time. “It was influenced by the idea that music could be a language unto itself and for the leaders of the world, if you will,” he says. “From the Vietnam War to the Soviet Union to girlfriends or people in the hills, I thought if they used music instead of talking, they’d be a hell of a lot better off.”

With its mountain-stream-clear sound, the song cracked the Top 20, and with it, the Doobies suddenly roared out of the gate. With Johnston’s burly, Hungry-Man meal voice and songwriting very much at the helm, their streak continued with “Long Train Runnin’” and “China Grove” — indefatigable arena-rock singles that prompted the generally critical Pete Townshend to remark, “Their songs seem to just pop out of the radio speakers and grab at you.” The Doobies also began expanding their sonic palette, using synths on the joyful “Natural Thing” and bringing in a horn section and Arlo Guthrie for 1974’s expansive  What Were Once Vices Are Now Habits. Simmons, who played James Taylor songs during his pre-Doobies club days, explored his own balladeer side on tracks like “I Cheat the Hangman.”

In 1974, they were almost derailed when DJs reportedly turned a cold shoulder to one line (“and the radio just seems to bring me down”) in their single “Another Park, Another Sunday,” which stalled on the charts. Johnston is still irked: “I thought that was really lame. I thought, ‘You’re gonna jerk it for that?’ It was about a guy who heard a song that was bringing him down when he lost the love of his life.” Luckily for the band, a DJ in Virginia, home to the Blackwater tributary , liked the flip side — Simmons’ New Orleans-inspired acoustic stomper, “Black Water” — and the song became their first Number One. Along with the Eagles, the Doobies were arguably the biggest rock band in America by then; their Best of the Doobies album would go on to sell 10 million copies.

To maintain that momentum, the band was kept on the road ceaselessly, and they let off steam in every Seventies rock & roll way imaginable. Johnston recalls driving a go-kart into a pool. A crew member who handled their pyro would construct home-made hand grenades out of flash powder and toss them out the windows of rental cars, blowing hubcaps off any vehicle near them. Templeman recalls watching as band members would crush up and snort what he calls “diet pills.”

In their hotel rooms, they’d remove the stuffing from mattresses, or cut lamps in half and put them back together. “I remember putting a TV on the longest extension cord and watching Johnny Carson’s face as it plunged down toward the swimming pool,” says Porter, who was out of work after Simmons joined the band but finally became a Doobie before Toulouse Street .

Taking advantage of their clout, they issued one backstage rider that demanded “six kinds of cheese, six kind of nuts, a carved turkey, German beer [and] German pastries.” One promoter noted that the Doobies were “the only group to take food and booze back to their hotel.” When the first DoobieLiner caught fire during a fuel pit stop in 1974, their fellow yacht rockers Seals & Crofts lent them their plane before the second DoobieLiner — the one that wound up as the setting for the Minute by Minute cover —was leased.

Yet starting about a year after “Listen to the Music” made them rock stars, the Doobies were in peril of unraveling. Johnston says he had ulcer issues since he was a teenager, and never-ending touring, crappy road food, and what he calls “a bad combination of no sleep and crazy, wild times” began to hobble him. His stomach a wreck, Johnston began to force himself to get through shows: At one gig in Arizona, he recalls, “You’d be playing and turn around and puke into a bucket and then turn around and keep playing.” Johnston’s condition forced the band to bail on a bunch of shows, with the band attributing the cancelations to “ill health” or, in one case, a pancreas infection.

Rumors began circulating that drugs played a major role in Johnston’s issues, which were only exacerbated when he and a friend were busted for heroin and weed near his hometown of Visalia, California, in late 1973. Asked if hard drugs were an issue, Johnston pauses. “A lot of drugs were a problem,” he says. “Booze too. All of it … Everybody partied to an extent. So whatever your weapon of choice was, it almost didn’t matter.” Templeman recalls visiting a very sick Johnston at home, but insists the frontman was never strung out. Whatever the issue was — and Hartman, for one, says he never received a straight answer — Johnston’s deteriorating condition was rattling. “There’s your career and life going down the drain,” says Hartman. “You got a front guy who’s faltering.”

In Shreveport, Louisiana, in the spring of 1975 — five shows into a tour to promote their fifth album, Stampede — the tumult caught up with them. Before their gig, Johnston again fell ill and was rushed to a hospital, leaving the band in the lurch. “He was in no shape to play… Ulcer is the main excuse,” says Porter. “I’m sure it had something to do with some of it.”

Johnston ended up in a hospital in Los Angeles, where he nearly died — his heart stopped temporarily — and was then forced to sit out the entire tour. “It was getting bad out there, but I didn’t know how bad,” Johnston says. “I didn’t have any control over it. I was major-league bummed that I had to come off the tour. I felt like I was screwing the band over.” Meanwhile, Simmons, now the de facto band leader, freaked. “When he didn’t come back, it was like, ‘Oh, shit, now what?’” Simmons says, still sounding dazed and confused 45 years later. “I was panicked.”

Fearing lawsuits over a cancelled tour, the Doobies scrambled. By then, they had expanded to include several new members, including drummer Keith Knudsen and guitarist Jeff “Skunk” Baxter, the walrus-mustached player who had logged time with Steely Dan. Baxter had an idea: A singer and keyboard player he knew from those days was out of work now that Steely Dan had abruptly ceased touring, and he could probably fill in, at least temporarily.

All these years later , McDonald still looks like the last thing from a Doobie Brother. Simmons and the swarthy, mustached Johnston still exude an aura of reformed sinners, but in his hotel room, McDonald looks more like a distinguished professor on vacation.

Even in 1975, he stood apart from them: a kid from Missouri who had played in bands there before moving to L.A. in 1970, where his keyboard chops quickly made him part of the studio musician scene. One of his clients was David Cassidy, then the TV heartthrob of The Partridge Family, and pretty much the Doobies’ polar opposite.

In at least one way, McDonald was a born Doobie. In the druggy L.A. studios of the time, he realized, “If you were the guy who had a gram in your pocket, you were golden.” Using leftover per-diem money from road work, he’d buy coke and sell it to his friends. “Pretty penny-ante stuff,” he recalls. “Anything to pay the bills. That never worked out. I only wound up snorting it all.” In 1971, when he was 19, he was busted for dealing and, miraculously, says he had his sentence reduced to a misdemeanor. As he says now, “I wasn’t making the best choices in my life at that time.”

When Baxter left a message for him, McDonald was singing Top 40 covers (including Doobies songs) at the Trojan Room lounge in Glendale, California, living in in a garage apartment with a hot plate. With zero hesitation, McDonald flew to Louisiana, where he met the other Doobies for the first time and rehearsed with them for all of two days. He was so new to the big-time rock world that when he and his father drove together to the arena for that first show, McDonald didn’t realize there was special backstage access. They tried to enter by way of the main entrance, and it took them 20 minutes to find the right VIP door.

Singing a few of Johnston’s songs onstage — and adding the first-ever piano parts to the band’s live sound — McDonald helped the band get through the remainder of their tour. (Simmons taped a pick to his thumb so he could slam chords as hard as Johnston had.) He assumed the gig was temporary, but with Johnston not fully recovered, the Doobies were desperate for songs when they began making their next album. McDonald had already written a few, including “Takin’ It to the Streets,” inspired by his sister’s high-school thesis on inner-city social strata in America. “I was talking to her about it,” he recalls, “and remember saying at one point, people are going to take to the streets, and that’s how change will come about.”

Simmons had considered folding the band when Johnston was sidelined. The other members insisted on keeping going, and Simmons suggested that Templeman listen to a few songs by their keyboard player. The producer was worried about injecting a new voice into their established sound. But then Simmons told McDonald to play some of his songs for Templeman. “I was standing behind Mike, and Pat remembers me mouthing, ‘Oh my God,’” Templeman recalls.

Johnston did end up contributing a bit to the finished album, but starting with its title cut, 1976’s Takin’ It to the Streets was a showcase for McDonald, his husky voice, and the keyboard-based R&B melodies he was writing. No one knew if it would work, but as with Fleetwood Mac around the same time, the infusion of a brand-new lead singer into an established band clicked: “Takin’ It to the Streets” was a hit, and the Doobies’ unlikely second coming began.

Despite their smoother sound, more rooted in R&B and pop than Johnston’s blues and boogie, the Doobies’ road life hardly calmed down. As part of an onstage stunt, they invited along a gaggle of little people, who turned out to be even bigger partiers than the band. “We thought we were party fools,” says McDonald. “Those guys, we couldn’t hardly keep up with them. They were trouble.”

One night, McDonald, Porter, Knudsen, and writer Cameron Crowe accepted an invite to party at a fan’s house after a show. “I don’t remember the end of that evening,” McDonald confesses. “I remember we drank quite a bit.” If that scene sounds like something out of Almost Famous , it is: Crowe admits it was the inspiration behind a similar sequence in the movie. (The “I am a golden god” segment is pure Led Zep, though.) When they would invariably stumble back aboard the DoobleLiner, Donna, their regular flight attendant and wife of pilot Sam, would hand out packets of vitamins to bolster their energy. Sighs McDonald, “It was probably the one healthy thing I was doing out there on the road.”

During this time, Johnston was a fleeting presence in the band, and when it came time to making their next album, 1977’s Livin’ on the Fault Line , his disillusionment with their artistic makeover was emerging. “I decided I didn’t fit with what was going on,” says Johnston, who pulled a few songs he had submitted for the album and quit the band. “Tom didn’t feel like it was something he wanted to be part of,” says Simmons. “It could have been if he had given it an opportunity. But he was feeling outside of it. I don’t know if he was resentful. I can only imagine there was some kind of rub there.” Johnston retreated to northern California, where he laid low and regained his health (“I just went home and started playing softball and gaining weight”) until a few years later, when he returned with a solo album tellingly titled Everything You’ve Heard Is True .

In search of new songwriting partners, McDonald hooked up with Kenny Loggins. While Loggins didn’t know Johnston well, he sensed the feeling around the band at the time: “Tommy felt the Doobies was his band,” he says. “It was his sound, which was different from Michael’s. It would be Lennon resenting McCartney or vice versa — two radically different personalities.”

One day at McDonald’s house, McDonald and Loggins wrote “What a Fool Believes.” With its boppy keyboard and lyrics from two different viewpoints — a man who wants to believe in the future of a relationship and a woman who doesn’t — it was the pop crossover smash that had eluded the band. The song hit Number One, and the accompanying album, Minute by Minute went on to move 3 million copies (despite McDonald himself, in a sign of his shaky confidence at the time, agreeing with a friend back then that the LP was “the biggest piece of shit I ever heard”). Aretha Franklin covered “What a Fool Believes.” The song and album solidified their retooled sound and McDonald’s role as their new frontman and unexpected sex symbol. “I’ve always thought you were the cutest, foxiest and the most iresistable [sic] one!,” read one fan letter of the time. “If you get a haircut, could you give me a lock of it?” (“That was all publicist-managed stuff,” McDonald says now when told that their publicist shared those letters with Rolling Stone back in 1979.)

To Porter’s relief, the Doobies’ new sound led to something he’d never seen at Doobies shows before: more black fans in the seats. “They were going, ‘Hey, who’s this white guy who sounds black?’” he says. “A lot more of my people started showing up. I was like, ‘Yeah!”” Rod Stewart, who had barely socialized with the band when they opened for him and the Faces a few years before, was now spotted by the side of the stage, attentively watching McDonald sing.

Around this time, their new publicist — David Gest, later known as Liza Minnelli’s husband and manager — landed them speaking roles in an episode of What’s Happening!!, a hot sitcom centered around black teens living in Watts. In the episode, Rerun (played by Fred Berry) is coerced into bootlegging a Doobies show, and the band finds out and confronts him. Simmons and McDonald liked the idea; Porter, who is black, hated it. “I went on strike,” he says. “I didn’t want to go on a show about black people written by white people.” But the band wound up taping the show anyway, and to this day, people come up to them and ask, “Which Doobie you be?,” a line from the show. “David brought a lot of attention to the band from the strangest angles,” says McDonald. “And so much of the time, we’d sit and go, ‘You’re crazy — no one wants to do that.’”

Paradoxically, the Doobies saga grew more dramatic even as their music became silkier. McDonald was riddled with insecurities about his new role in the band and whether he could deliver. He drove the band crazy, making them cut “What a Fool Believes” in the studio more than 30 times before a final version was pieced together. “I was like, ‘I hate this fucking song,’” he recalls. “The band was completely disgusted by that point.” (Hartman agrees: “After 10 takes, you’re pretty much wiped out. There was an expectation that I don’t think was humanly possible.”) McDonald doesn’t deny his studio fastidiousness. “At times I became an asshole, because my basic fear was that I didn’t have what it took to do what people expected I could do for the band,” he says. “That was always my biggest fear, that what we were doing was not befitting a band like the Doobies.”

Meanwhile, McDonald and Baxter were proving to be combustible — in part because the guitarist tended toward flashier, more intricate solos and more conservative political views than the other band members — and after a tense Japanese tour, both Baxter and Hartman quit. “Everything was falling apart,” says Hartman. “I remember sitting in a rehearsal in California and hearing Michael say he didn’t want to get out his car because of some anxiety.”

To deal with a troubled marriage, Porter plunged into heavy cocaine use, which also helped him cope with what he felt was the band’s increasingly uninspiring music. “Simmons always used to accuse me of overplaying,” he says. “I’m playing like that because I’m bored!” Porter recalls the time when AC/DC opened for the Doobies in Florida. “Pat said, ‘They’re too loud,’” Porter recalls. “And I said, ‘I can remember when we were that loud, dude!’”

One can only imagine what was going through Johnston’s head at the time, especially when his solo career didn’t make the same impact as his work with the Doobies. In an interview in 1979, he said, “When I hear the name the Doobie Brothers and the music they’re playing, I shudder.” Asked about that quote now, Johnston demurs. “I don’t remember saying that,” he says. “I’m sure part of me was envious that they were having so much success.”

By the time the band made 1980’s One Step Closer , the Doobie personnel had reshuffled yet again. Three new members were aboard, including guitarist John McFee, who’d played on Elvis Costello’s My Aim Is True . Decades later, the Yacht Rock Revue’s Niespodziani watched a performance from around this time and marveled at the changes. “I haven’t seen a band with so many people in and out so fast,” he says. “They’re slaying it. The band sounds incredible. But I’m looking around like, ‘How long has this guy or that guy been in the band?’”

Thrust into a wobbly but hugely popular band (“What a Fool Believes” won the Record of the Year Grammy), McFee found himself almost being choked onstage when an overzealous female fan grabbed his tie. Drummer Knudsen rushed over to untangle it and save him, but things weren’t any calmer in the studio. Drinking and partying had left McDonald a mess. “That was the album with ‘Real Love’?” he asks, sounding as if One Step Closer and its lone hit were indeed a blur. “I was not in very good shape during that whole album.”

McFee still sighs about that era when it comes up backstage at the Doobies’ Vegas show. “We just did the best we could,” says the guitarist, who says he refrained from illicit substances during the making of One Step Closer . “In retrospect, knowing what some of the guys were up to in terms of drug intake and stuff like that, there were things that probably hampered the process somewhat.”

Suddenly, the Doobie yacht was rudderless. Simmons, the lone original member left, lopped off his hair for a new-wavy look after his long hair kept getting tangled up in his motorcycle spokes, and he easily made the shift to more R&B-oriented material on later-period tracks like “Dependin’ on You” and “Echoes of Love.” But now that the band had relocated to Los Angeles, Simmons felt more distanced than ever from the other Doobies. “It was starting to feel like I’m not as much a part of this thing anymore,” he recalls, “and it’s turning into another kind of entity.” McDonald says Simmons called him to say he was leaving; Simmons feels it was McDonald who rang him . Whatever the case, the decision was made — to the shock of some of the other members — to fold the Doobies, not long after their long-sought Grammy moment. McDonald had already begun plotting a solo career. Plans for a new album, possibly with Robert John “Mutt” Lange producing, were tossed overboard.

The Doobies embarked on a farewell tour in the summer of 1982, but before it took place, the band went along with another of David Gest’s schemes. “Night of 100 Stars,” a $1000-a-seat benefit at New York’s Radio City Music Hall, found them on the same stage as actors and entertainers of the previous generation: George Burns, Bette Davis, William Shatner, Ginger Rogers, Gregory Peck, Gene Kelly. Again, the band gamely went along with the idea, but Simmons didn’t participate, and McDonald sensed an era had ended. “I knew this was no longer the Doobie Brothers,” McDonald recalls. “And I said, ‘Guys, we all kind of know what I’m about to say — we’re not the Doobies anymore. We’re the guys who are left.’”

Backstage, someone told McDonald that Elizabeth Taylor and Lauren Bacall would like to speak with him. McDonald was thrilled: Could these legendary actress know who the Doobies were? When McDonald was brought over to them, Taylor motioned to him. “They both giggled and Elizabeth Taylor said, ‘Do you know where we could get some alcohol?’” McDonald recalls. “They weren’t allowing any alcohol backstage. I said, ‘Gosh, I don’t have any but I’ll ask around.’ They figured we must have something in our dressing room.”

The bashed-up rental cars and motel pools of their Seventies heyday are gone, along with the DoobieLiner, which was long ago sold for parts. The Venetian Resort, which looms like a fluorescent monolith over part of the Vegas strip, features a gold-plated entrance with cathedral-high ceilings and a man-made canal with gondola rides. It’s a long way from the funky wood cabins of the Chateau Liberté, and McDonald, for one, is fine with that. “ Thank God for casinos,” he says, settling into a plush chair in his room. “Our demographic started going to casinos. Back then it was, ‘No way — I’m not gonna play on some fucking cruise ship!’ But here we are.”

In the late Eighties, after some of their solo careers petered out, the pre-McDonald lineup reunited and returned to their louder, amps-cranked roots. Simmons even grew out his hair again. “It’s a pain in the ass when you have short hair, because I pretty much have to cut it every couple of weeks in order to look halfway decent,” he says. “You gotta comb it and stuff. This is so much easier, not having to think about it.” They’ve since made a few new albums: The most recent LP of originals, 2010’s World Gone Crazy , tried to update their sound with drum loops and other effects. They’ve also toured pretty much nonstop, despite both Hartman and Porter once again bailing after a few years. (“Same shit, different decade,” Porter says of the road grind.) Along the way, a number of founding or later members — bassist David Shogren, drummers Knudsen and Michael Hossack, keyboardist Cornelius Bumpus, and percussionist Bobby LaKind — have died; in the Nineties, Bumpus, Shogren, and drummer Chet McCracken went on the road as “the Original Doobie Brothers” (and other variations) before the actual band shut them down.

Once the current Doobies wrapped up their Vegas residency this year, plans called for them and McDonald to begin rehearsals for the reunion tour, and in February, McDonald has made a quick pit stop into Vegas, on his way to a gig in Florida. He wants to meet up with the Doobies’ touring keyboardist, Bill Payne, to figure out which parts each man will play onstage. The thought of McDonald and Johnston sharing the stage for the first tour since 1976 has created some industry buzz, and fans like Niespodziani are psyched: “This incarnation will be the closest thing to a full-career show.” The tour also has the potential to be unusually profitable: With McDonald in tow, the group can look forward to commanding $300,000 a night, up from $100,000, according to one promoter working with them.

But no sooner has McDonald landed in Vegas than some of the old Doobie chaos returns. The current touring lineup of Johnston, Simmons, and McFee, backed by their latest supporting players, is one week into its Venetian residency when Johnston is suddenly taken ill. This time, instead of puking, he’s dogged by a dry cough, fatigue, and shortness of breath. Rolling Stone is the first to break the news to McDonald. “No, what happened?” he says, taken aback. “I didn’t know. I hope he’s okay.”

The illness is so serious that the band winds up canceling the rest of its Vegas run (and all of Johnston’s interview time), and returning to their homes in California and Hawaii. Johnston’s symptoms sounded similar to those for the coronavirus, and Johnston now says he may well have had Covid-19, although he wasn’t tested at the time. “Nobody was even talking out testing at that point in February,” he says, months later. “So it could have been [Covid]. We’ll never know.” He says a few Doobie crew members may have also contracted the virus in Vegas.

By the time we speak again, the Doobies’ 50th anniversary schedule has been shut down, along with nearly all other live music in 2020. Plans for their Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction had called for some of the band’s past members, including Porter, Hartman, and Baxter, to attend, and an onstage reunion performance wasn’t out of the question; now those plans are off, too, with the ceremony replaced by a virtual event in the fall (it ended up airing on HBO on November 7th). Even an EP of new songs the band had worked on with producer John Shanks — which included Johnston’s big-rock “American Dream” and Simmons’ folksier “Cyclone” — has been delayed from its planned release in time with the tour. On top of it all, the band filed what seemed like a partly humorous lawsuit against Bill Murray for allegedly not getting their okay to use “Listen to the Music” in ads for his golf apparel company.

As the lockdown dragged on, the band opted for filmed online performances from their separate homes, and in fact, they’ve just made the first one of those with McDonald, playing “Takin’ It to the Streets” and the Staple Singers’ “Freedom Highway,” whose message (“March each and every day/Made up my mind and I won’t turn around”) could easily apply to the protests of today.

McDonald acknowledges that some older Doobie fans are probably much more conservative-leaning than the members of the band. “We’ve talked about that,” he says in October. “A lot of our fans are the older biker crowd, and some of them may be Trumpsters — even though it seems to be not be in their best interest whatsoever, in terms of the potential impact on their life. But the whole point of musicians using their platform is to tell the truth. If art isn’t about the truth, what good is it?”

One issue on which the Doobies themselves are more divided: the yacht rock question. Porter feels the term is “pretty dismissive.” Simmons, who rarely flashes even a semblance of annoyance, is noticeably irked when it comes up. “It’s a little bit of a lightweight perception,” he scoffs. “I don’t know anyone who has yachts. Mike doesn’t. I don’t think Donald Fagen has a yacht . It’s kind of embarrassing even to be included in that. It’s a demeaning concept.”

Informed of the term for the first time, Hartman — who has largely been out of the business since the Nineties — erupts with laughter when it’s explained to him. “Oh my God, that’s perfect!” he roars. “I’ll be laughing for the next three weeks!”

In his room, McDonald grins when the phrase is brought up and says he’s even seen the “Yacht Rock” YouTube parody series that helped launch the revival of interest in the genre. “It’s funny as hell,” he says. “It’s fun to make fun of yourself. My kids couldn’t wait to show me that Internet episodic thing, and we all got a chuckle out of it. It was very funny. But the fact that it became a genre of music was a surprise, even to me.”

Realizing it’s time to meet with Payne, McDonald jams a Billabong cap on his head, heads out, and weaves his way through the Venetian Resort. In the crowded pre-virus casino, no one — especially those plopped down groggily in front of the slot machines — recognizes him. During his entire walk, and even outside the hotel, he’s stalked by yacht rock on the PA: songs like Firefall’s “You Are the Woman” and Steve Winwood’s “Back in the High Life.”

McDonald flashes one of his what-can-you-do? grins. “There you go,” he says.

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Watch Sebastian Bach sing Mötley Crüe and The Eagles with Yächtly Crëw

Sebastian Bach joins soft rock titans Yächtly Crëw onstage before posting an apparent dig at Vince Neil on YouTube

Sebastian Bach has appeared onstage with novelty yacht rock covers band Yächtly Crëw, performing a snippet of Mötley Crüe 's Shout At The Devil before fronting a fully-realised version of the Eagles classic Hotel California . 

The former Skid Row man appeared with the nautically-attired outfit during a show at KAOS at The Palms in Las Vegas last week, and kicked off his cameo by professing his love those smooth sounds. "I love this music," he proclaimed, "because this is the music my mum and dad played in my car when I was a little kid."

Bach then broke with the script, leading the audience in a chant of "Crüe! Crüe!" (or "Crëw! Crëw!") before launching into an a capella version of Shout At The Devil. He nails it, conjuring up a convincing replica of Vince Neil's original vocal, before the band launch into Hotel California . 

Bach went on to thank the band in a post on YouTube , saying, "We had an amazing time with Yächtly Crëw. I apologise I didn't get the words perfectly correct but I had no idea I was going to be singing with these guys they just asked me out of the crowd and we did our best! Everyone present had a lot of fun and that is what counts thanks to Yächtley Crëw for the hospitality give me a heads up next time I love this music!" 

The singer finished with a series of hashtags, in an apparent dig at Mötley Crüe man Vince Neil, currently at the centre of a controversy surrounding his alleged use of backing tapes .

"#NoTapes," wrote Bach, before adding "#NoFakes #AllReal #AlltheTime."

Yächty Crëw, who describe themselves as the "titans of soft rock", signed a deal with Jimmy Buffet's Mailboat Records late last year, and hope to release an album in the near future.

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"While other companies expressed great interest, we knew Mailboat would be our new home!," said the band. "We couldn't be more excited to join forces with Jimmy Buffett's Mailboat Records and the entire family of Mailboat artists!" 

Online Editor at Louder/Classic Rock magazine since 2014. 38 years in music industry, online for 25. Also bylines for: Metal Hammer, Prog Magazine, The Word Magazine, The Guardian, The New Statesman, Saga, Music365. Former Head of Music at Xfm Radio, A&R at Fiction Records, early blogger, ex-roadie, published author. Once appeared in a Cure video dressed as a cowboy, and thinks any situation can be improved by the introduction of cats. Favourite Serbian trumpeter: Dejan Petrović.  

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