Prior to finishing up their 50th-anniversary — good news came on the way to Doobie Brothers — the group has been nominated for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for the very first time.
Doobie Brother became eligible for more than 20 years, in 1996.
They were all pleased to hear the news, especially Guitarist and singer Patrick Simmons — the news arrived when before gearing up for a busy 2020 which includes a Las Vegas residency – playing eight shows starting February 7. The band is also preparing to release a batch of new songs produced by John Shanks.
“I know a lot of the guys in the band had set their sights on [a Rock Hall nomination] as something that they really felt passionate about,” Simmons tells in an interview. “I’m kind of like, Well, I don’t want to hope too much for something, because I might die and it might not have happened. I’m happy, I’ve achieved pretty much everything that I’m hoping for in this business. I want to write some more songs and hopefully do some more recording and do some other things in music. Awards are something that come of their own volition. You can’t force something like that.”
He’s also excited and at the same time cautious about the chances of getting inducted.
“I would expect that as a first-time nominee that we might not get past that this year,” Simmons says. “Possibly, we will, but I don’t know. I know how it works, so once again, I’m flattered that it happened and pleased that we’re finally getting recognized.”
There’s high hope for the Doobie Brothers to get inducted in the upcoming Rock N’ Roll Hall Of Fame Induction in 2020 as they are among the leading vote-getters in fan voting earning 120,000 votes of the more than a million votes in the first seven days of the poll’s opening.