Patrick Simmons

Biography

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

Early life

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

The Doobie Brothers

In 1970, a California-based power trio consisting of Tom Johnston, Dave Shogren and John Hartman teamed up with Simmons to form a group together. They would call themselves "The Doobie Brothers", after their friend Keith "Dyno" Rosen, who either lived with or next to the band, told them: "Why don't you call yourself the Doobie Brothers because you're always smoking pot?"Simmons wrote and sang many songs for the Doobie Brothers, including lead vocal on "South City Midnight Lady", as well as "Dependin' On You", "Echoes of Love", "Wheels of Fortune" and "Black Water", the group's first #1 record.
The group's 1978 studio album, Minute by Minute, reached number one for five weeks, and won the band a Grammy for Best Pop Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group, while the single "What A Fool Believes" from the album won three Grammys itself.

The Doobie Brothers disbanded in 1982, with Simmons' decision to leave the group, as the last original member at the time, after Dave Shogren left in 1971, Tom Johnston in 1977, and John Hartman in 1979. The Doobie Brothers reformed again in 1987, and the band are still touring, as of 2024, being led by Simmons and Johnston.The group has sold more than 40 million albums worldwide. The Doobie Brothers were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2004, and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on November 7, 2020. Upon hearing that the band were to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Simmons recalled:
I was really happy about it. It's something that we've been thinking about for a long time. That's kind of one of the things you always hope will happen, especially with a band like ours that has been around this long. We're celebrating 50 years. It might even be 51, but who is counting?In June 2025, Simmons, Johnston and Michael McDonald were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame as members of The Doobie Brothers, the ceremony was hosted by Garth Brooks.

Solo

In 1983, Simmons released his debut solo album, Arcade×Arcade1983 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracks1Out on the Streets4:002So Wrong3:233Don't Make Me Do It2:554Why You Givin' Up4:015Too Long4:066Knocking at Your Door3:437If You Want a Little Love3:298Have You Seen Her4:089Sue Sad3:2010Dream About Me3:04, on Elektra Records. It yielded his only top 40 hit, "So Wrong×So Wrong1983 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracks1So Wrong (long dance mix)5:222So Wrong (instrumental)3:47", which peaked at #30 on the Billboard Hot 100. "So Wrong" was also a surprise hit on the US dance/disco chart, peaking at #8. The album was reissued on compact disc in Japan in the early 1990s and again in 2007, by the label Wounded Bird Records.
Simmons also formed the band Skin Suit during this period. In 1998, Simmons released a second solo album titled Take Me to the Highway×Take Me to the Highway30 March 1996 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracks1Wild Ride4:132Black Water4:173Take Me to the Highway4:014Summer Rain5:015The River Keeps on Risin'3:536Long Train Runnin'3:427Oh How Happy3:598Blues to the Highway3:419This Train I'm On3:3910Listen to the Music3:4911Summer Rain (instrumental)5:05.
With Tom Johnston, Simmons wrote Long Train Runnin': Our Story of The Doobie Brothers (2022).

Personal life

He met his wife Cristine Sommer in 1989 in Sturgis, South Dakota at the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. They moved to Mendocino County, California in 1990 after the Loma Prieta earthquake of 1989 and now live in Maui, Hawaii. They have three children and three grandchildren. One of their children, Patrick Simmons Jr. (born 1990), is an Island musician who still lives in Hawaii and has survived cancer. Simmons has stated previously that he is a Democrat.
In 1981 he opened a vintage motorcycle shop with author William J. Craddock.
Simmons and his wife are both avid cyclists and members of Antique Motorcycle Club of America. They both enjoy riding antique motorcycles, participating in the 2014 Motorcycle Cannonball Endurance Ride. They participated in the 2016 Motorcycle Cannonball, riding from Atlantic City, New Jersey to San Diego, California.

Songs written by Simmons

Apart from "I Got You" and "So Wrong×So Wrong1983 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracks1So Wrong (long dance mix)5:222So Wrong (instrumental)3:47", these songs were all written for The Doobie Brothers.

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

With The Doobie Brothers

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

Other

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