# Doobie Brothers and Black Teens **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 26, 2003, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doobie-brothers-and-black-teens/221080 "2003-12-26T03:16:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2003, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doobie-brothers-and-black-teens/221080/1 "2003-12-26T03:16:15Z")
On one of my favourite websites (other than this of course 🙂 ) – Jump The Shark under the show “What’s Happenin’” most of the comments say something along the lines like "No black teen ager would be into the Doobie Brothers. It was about the episode where Rerun was "coerced(Sp?) into bootlegging a Doobie Brothers concert. I asked some black people I know and to my suprise they really don’t know who the Doobies are (or were) (they barely know who Diana Ross or Donna Summer is – A sign that I need to get to know some older black people) So to those Black folk that were around in the late 70s is this a fair assesment. Black teens would not have been into the Doobies. So this is just another case of writers writing something about which they do not know? ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2003, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doobie-brothers-and-black-teens/221080/2 "2003-12-26T03:58:05Z")
Which Doobie you be? God, I should just melt in shame at knowing that line… ---
**Author:** ![eli\_the\_fanatic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ccd318/32.png) [@eli\_the\_fanatic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eli_the_fanatic)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2003, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doobie-brothers-and-black-teens/221080/3 "2003-12-26T04:00:26Z")
Ha. I saw that episode about 15 years ago (in reruns) and had the same thought. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2003, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doobie-brothers-and-black-teens/221080/4 "2003-12-26T04:01:47Z")
_WITH_ Rerun, no less… ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2003, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doobie-brothers-and-black-teens/221080/5 "2003-12-26T05:41:25Z")
Well, it depends which Doobie Brothers we’re talking about. Really, they were two different bands. The band led by Patrick Simmons and Tom Johnston, the band that played songs like “China Grove” and “Black Water” had almost no black fans. The Doobie Brothers led by Michael McDonald, who did soulful songs like “What a Fool Believes” and “Minute by Minute” had quite a lot of black fans. The Doobies were sort of in between those phases at the time they appeared on “What’s Happening.” Michael McDonald was in the group, but wasn’t the dominant member yet. So, at THAT point, they probably had very, very few black fans. ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2003, 6:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doobie-brothers-and-black-teens/221080/6 "2003-12-26T06:09:59Z")
Well I guess the episode was from around 1979. ---
**Author:** ![doctordoowop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecc23a/32.png) [@doctordoowop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doctordoowop)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2003, 7:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doobie-brothers-and-black-teens/221080/7 "2003-12-26T07:19:00Z")
How many blacks do you think I saw at a Doors, Dylan, Simon & Garfunkle, or Beach Boys concert? I am white, and have had many black girlfriends. Looking through their record & later, CD collections, I can’t recall ever seeing a white singer,band or group. That’s just the way it is. I am well aware this is anecdotal & does not statistically prove anything. Preferences are color,not age, related IMO. ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2003, 7:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doobie-brothers-and-black-teens/221080/8 "2003-12-26T07:32:07Z")
I was a big Micheal McDonald era Doobie fan. Just a data point. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2003, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doobie-brothers-and-black-teens/221080/9 "2003-12-26T14:41:40Z")
_Then I was down south and I heard some funk with some main ingredients Like Doobie Brothers, Blue Magic, David Bowie. It was cool, But can you imagine Doobiein’ your funk? Ho!_ From P.Funk ( I Want to Get Funked Up ), by Parliament - released on the album **The Mothership Connection** in 1975. - Tamerlane ---
**Author:** ![Homebrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@Homebrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Homebrew)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2003, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doobie-brothers-and-black-teens/221080/10 "2003-12-26T14:48:14Z")
Damn you **Tamerlane**! Beat me by minutes! ---
**Author:** ![Nobody](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/94ad74/32.png) [@Nobody](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nobody)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2003, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doobie-brothers-and-black-teens/221080/11 "2003-12-26T21:38:40Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by jayjay \* > \*\*Which Doobie you be? > > God, I should just melt in shame at knowing that line… \*\* You’re close, but actually it’s, Which Doobie do you be? ---
**Author:** ![Jeff\_Lodoen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b3f665/32.png) [@Jeff\_Lodoen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeff_Lodoen)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2003, 6:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doobie-brothers-and-black-teens/221080/12 "2003-12-27T06:00:41Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by astorian \* > \*\*The Doobies were sort of in between those phases at the time they appeared on “What’s Happening.” Michael McDonald was in the group, but wasn’t the dominant member yet. So, at THAT point, they probably had very, very few black fans. \*\* McDonald had good luck right out of the gate with “Takin’ It To The Streets” (#13) and “It Keeps You Runnin’” . 1977’s “Livin’ on the Fault Line” fared much less well… Perhaps explaining the PR move of appearing on two very-special-eisodes of “What’s Happening” on January 28 & February 4 1978 (thanks IMDB!). By 1979, Tom Johnston had left so Michael McDonald was definitely the creative force on “Minute By Minute”… Triple Platinum, Quadruple Grammy winner. ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2003, 7:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doobie-brothers-and-black-teens/221080/13 "2003-12-27T07:54:42Z")
And let’s not forget [Tiran Porter and Willie Weeks](http://www.doobiebros.com/Band_Page/Alumni.html), who put the “brother” in Doobie Brothers. Aretha Franklin did a cover version of the Doobies’ _What a Fool Believes_, and Manchild (with Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds) covered _Takin’ It to the Streets_.