Brewer & Shipley

Biography

Brewer & Shipley were an American folk rock duo who enjoyed their peak success in the late 1960s through the 1970s. The duo consisted of singer-songwriters Mike Brewer and Tom Shipley. They were known for their intricate guitar work, vocal harmonies, and socially conscious lyrics which reflected the concerns of their generation – especially the Vietnam War, and the struggles for personal and political freedom.
Their greatest commercial success was the song "One Toke Over the Line×One Toke Over the Line2001 · Album · CompilationSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 14 tracks1People Love Each Other2:542One Toke Over the Line3:223Tarkio Road4:354Fifty States of Freedom6:535Shake Off the Demon3:156Have a Good Life2:297Witchi-Tai-To6:598Yankee Lady3:409All Along the Watchtower3:1910Oh Mommy3:0611Rise Up (Easy Rider)3:1812Ruby on the Morning2:2013The Light3:1214Lady Like You2:07" from their 1970 album Tarkio×TarkioNovember 1970 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracksA1One Toke Over the Line3:21A2Song From Platte River3:20A3The Light3:12A4Ruby on the Morning2:19A5Oh Mommy3:05B1Don’t Want to Die in Georgia3:49B2Can’t Go Home2:33B3Tarkio Road4:34B4Seems Like a Long Time4:17B5Fifty States of Freedom6:54. Their recording on this album of Ted Anderson's "Seems Like A Long Time" led to Rod Stewart's cover on his album Every Picture Tells A Story. They had two other singles on the Billboard charts: "Tarkio Road" (1970) and "Shake Off the Demon×Shake Off the DemonNovember 1971 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracksA1Shake Off the Demon3:08A2Merciful Love1:58A3Message From the Mission (Hold On)3:09A4One by One2:58A5When Everybody Comes Home1:58B1Working on the Well3:17B2Rock Me on the Water4:00B3Natural Child3:46B4Back to the Farm3:18B5Sweet Love3:56" (1971).

Early history

After graduating with a degree in geology from Baldwin Wallace College in 1963, Tom Shipley started playing the coffeehouse circuit. In Kent, Ohio, he met the Oklahoman Michael Brewer. They formed a duo and moved to Los Angeles in 1968, where they were quite unhappy. The title of their first album, Down in L.A.×Down in L.A.October 1968 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracksA1Truly Right2:46A2She Thinks She’s a Woman3:26A3Time and Changes2:05A4Small Town Girl2:10A5I Can’t See Her2:50A6Green Bamboo3:10B1An Incredible State of Affairs3:10B2Keeper of the Keys3:24B3Love, Love3:12B4Dreamin’ in the Shade (Down in L.A.)2:10B5Mass for M’Lady3:17, reflected their disaffection. It featured their demos and was released without their consent. Their next album was titled Weeds×Weeds1969 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracksA1Lady Like You2:09A2Rise Up (Easy Rider)3:18A3Boomerang2:22A4Indian Summer2:57A5All Along the Watchtower3:18B1People Love Each Other2:53B2Pig’s Head2:10B3Oh, Sweet Lady1:53B4Too Soon Tomorrow2:48B5Whitchi‐Tai‐To6:55. Even though mutual friends in bands such as The Association and Buffalo Springfield lived in Los Angeles, they left California during 1969, returning to Kansas City, Missouri, where they made a meager living playing college towns. They derived the name of their next album, Tarkio×TarkioNovember 1970 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracksA1One Toke Over the Line3:21A2Song From Platte River3:20A3The Light3:12A4Ruby on the Morning2:19A5Oh Mommy3:05B1Don’t Want to Die in Georgia3:49B2Can’t Go Home2:33B3Tarkio Road4:34B4Seems Like a Long Time4:17B5Fifty States of Freedom6:54, from a regular gig they played in Tarkio, Missouri. This album was their most successful commercially, featuring the song "One Toke Over the Line×One Toke Over the Line2001 · Album · CompilationSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 14 tracks1People Love Each Other2:542One Toke Over the Line3:223Tarkio Road4:354Fifty States of Freedom6:535Shake Off the Demon3:156Have a Good Life2:297Witchi-Tai-To6:598Yankee Lady3:409All Along the Watchtower3:1910Oh Mommy3:0611Rise Up (Easy Rider)3:1812Ruby on the Morning2:2013The Light3:1214Lady Like You2:07", which they wrote as a joke while preparing backstage for a performance.
"One Toke Over The Line" was performed on The Lawrence Welk Show, a television program known for its conservative, family-oriented format, by Gail Farrell and Dick Dale. At the conclusion of the performance of the song, Welk remarked, without any hint of irony, "There you've heard a modern spiritual by Gail and Dale." This caused Brewer to comment:

The Vice President of the United States, Spiro Agnew, named us personally as a subversive to American youth, but at exactly the same time Lawrence Welk performed the crazy thing and introduced it as a gospel song. That shows how absurd it really is. Of course, we got more publicity than we could have paid for.

Brewer & Shipley performed with many notable acts, including Stephen Stills, Bruce Springsteen, Black Sabbath, and Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead, who played pedal steel guitar for "Oh, Mommy".

Regrouping and later touring

During 1989 they performed a gig together, and a brief time later began composing together again, producing two albums, SHANGHAI×Shanghai1993 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracks1Heart Of Steel3:412Make My Bed3:563Take More Money2:364Blue Island Moon4:435Night People2:596Dance With A Lady3:007Streets Of America3:418Angel & Juanita3:489I Will Testify3:3510A Million Broken Hearts4:0411A Real Good Thing3:2912Hang High2:56 (1993) and Heartland×Heartland1997 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracks1Cimmaron River4:082Scarlett's Mountain3:033Ralph's Ride0:574Treehouse Brown1:565I Think I Saw An Angel4:116Dark Side Of The Moon3:357Is Anybody Home3:148Out Of Love3:369When Tomorrow Comes3:0210Don't It Feel Like Home2:4411Watching The Stars Go By3:23 (1997). In 2011, the acoustic duo performed on Main Street in Tarkio, Missouri, to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Tarkio album. One Toke Over the Line ... and Still Smokin', a documentary on Brewer and Shipley, was released on Vimeo on Demand on April 20, 2021. They continued to perform live until the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
Michael Brewer lived outside of Branson, Missouri, until his death on December 17, 2024, at the age of 80.
Tom Shipley lived in Rolla, Missouri, where he was part of the staff of Missouri University of Science & Technology (formerly the University of Missouri – Rolla). He was also a manager of video productions for the university. He was a member of Engineers Without Borders and traveled twice to the Amazon and Andes of Bolivia to produce videos for the organization. Shipley died on August 24, 2025, at the age of 84.

Albums

Down in L.A. (1968) on A&M Records
Weeds (1969) on Kama Sutra Records
Tarkio (1970) on Kama Sutra Records, US Billboard # 30, #35 CAN
Shake Off the Demon (1971) on Kama Sutra Records, US Billboard # 164
Rural Space (1972) on Kama Sutra Records, US Billboard # 174
ST11261 (1974) on Capitol Records, US Billboard # 185
Welcome To Riddle Bridge (1975) on Capitol Records, US Billboard # 202
Brewer and Shipley Greatest Hits (1989) on Pair Records
SHANGHAI (1993) on One Toke Productions
Archive Alive! (1997) on Archive Recordings
Heartland (1997) on One Toke Productions
One Toke Over the Line: The Best of Brewer & Shipley (2001) on Buddah Records

Singles

"Keeper of the Keys" / "I Can't See Her" (A&M 905, 1968)
"Truly Right" / "Green Bamboo" (A&M 938, 1968)
"Time and Changes" / "Dreamin' in the Shade" (A&M 996, 1968)
"Rise Up Easy Rider" / "Boomerang" (Buddah 154, 1969)
"People Love Each Other" / "Witchi-Tai-To" (Kama Sutra 512, 1970)
"One Toke Over the Line×One Toke Over the Line2001 · Album · CompilationSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 14 tracks1People Love Each Other2:542One Toke Over the Line3:223Tarkio Road4:354Fifty States of Freedom6:535Shake Off the Demon3:156Have a Good Life2:297Witchi-Tai-To6:598Yankee Lady3:409All Along the Watchtower3:1910Oh Mommy3:0611Rise Up (Easy Rider)3:1812Ruby on the Morning2:2013The Light3:1214Lady Like You2:07" / "Oh Mommy" (Kama Sutra 516, 1971), US Billboard # 10, US Cash Box # 8, Canada # 5
"Tarkio Road" / "Seems Like A Long Time" (Kama Sutra 524, 1971), US Billboard # 55, US Cash Box # 39, Canada # 41
"Shake Off the Demon×Shake Off the DemonNovember 1971 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracksA1Shake Off the Demon3:08A2Merciful Love1:58A3Message From the Mission (Hold On)3:09A4One by One2:58A5When Everybody Comes Home1:58B1Working on the Well3:17B2Rock Me on the Water4:00B3Natural Child3:46B4Back to the Farm3:18B5Sweet Love3:56" / "Indian Summer" (Kama Sutra 539, 1972), US Billboard # 98
"Yankee Lady" / "Natural Child" (Kama Sutra 547, 1972), US Cash Box # 90
"Black Sky" (mono) / "Black Sky" (stereo) (Kama Sutra 567 promo, 1973)
"Fair Play" (mono) / "Fair Play" (stereo) (Capitol 3933 promo, 1974)
"Brain Damage" (mono) / "Brain Damage" (stereo) (Capitol 4105 promo, 1975)
"Stop the Merrimack Dam" / "Carry Me Down" (Rose Bridge Records RB-01, c.1976)
Reissue singles
"One Toke Over the Line" / "Oh Mommy" (Flashback BF10)
"One Toke Over the Line" / "Tarkio Road" (Collectables 3515)
"People Love Each Other" / "Witchi-Tai-To" (Radio Active Gold RD-74, 1978)
"One Toke Over the Line" / "Oh Mommy" (Radio Active Gold RD-75 1978)
"Indian Summer" / "Song from Platte River" (Radio Active Gold RD-77, 1978)

In popular culture

In the first chapter of Hunter S. Thompson's novel Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Raoul Duke's attorney, Dr. Gonzo, sings the line "One toke over the line, sweet Jesus, one toke over the line" while the two of them drive from Barstow to Las Vegas.
One Toke Over the Line is an addiction status in the video game Grand Theft Auto IV.
Shipley, a cat featured in Tom Cox's memoir Under the Paw: Confessions of a Cat Man, is named after Tom Shipley.
In the movie St. Vincent (2014) the song "One Toke Over the Line×One Toke Over the Line2001 · Album · CompilationSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 14 tracks1People Love Each Other2:542One Toke Over the Line3:223Tarkio Road4:354Fifty States of Freedom6:535Shake Off the Demon3:156Have a Good Life2:297Witchi-Tai-To6:598Yankee Lady3:409All Along the Watchtower3:1910Oh Mommy3:0611Rise Up (Easy Rider)3:1812Ruby on the Morning2:2013The Light3:1214Lady Like You2:07" is heard playing on Bill Murray's headphones and is listed on the soundtrack credits.