A little bit of light has seeped into these dark days with a new collaboration by '70s heavyweights Peter Frampton and the Doobie Brothers. The team-up resulted in a surprisingly fresh and riveting take on Eric Clapton's Let It Rain" from his classic 1970 self-titled debut.
Doobies guitarist Tom Johnston told Rolling Stone how the former-touring mates decided to join forces for the new digital track: "A couple of months ago, Peter and I were going over various tunes after deciding to do a song or video together. I tossed out 'Let It Rain' by Eric Clapton and he loved the idea. He’s a phenomenal guitarist and a fan of Clapton’s as am I, so it seemed a great idea to take to the rest of the guys."
Johnston added, "Peter, Pat (Simmons), and I took verses and solos and John (McFee) played some cool pedal steel and helped us put that together with Bill Payne on piano, John Cowan on bass, and Ed Toth on drums. Also (Frampton keyboardist) Rob Arthur, who did all the video work, played B3. It was a team effort! We really enjoyed working together on this with Peter."
Peter Frampton went on to say, "It was so much fun playing with my friends the Doobie Brothers even virtually! I look forward to a time when we can, hopefully, play together in person."
The Doobie Brothers will finally be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on November 7th. Pat Simmons, the sole member to have survived the numerous lineup changes, admits life as a Doobie Brother has pretty much been a dream come true. We asked him if he ever expected the Doobies to still be played constantly on the radio and out gigging at sold out shows to a die-hard legion of fans 50 years after forming: ["Not in a million years (laughs). Y'know, most bands, y'know, last a year or two and — if they're lucky. For me to have been able to record and make music with all these great, great players — and still be doing it — it's just ridiculous (laughs) — I'm not worthy, y'know? For me, y'know, being a part of a band like this is has always been sort of; I felt, a gift (laughs). Not just musically, but the whole opportunity to kind of like the dream, in terms of being able to pursue something that you love to do and make a living out of it."] SOUNDCUE (:36 OC: . . . out of it)
Pat Simmons On Life As A Doobie Brother :
