Smooth Jazz Now

Doobie Brothers Drummer Keith Knudsen Dies


1978	1997

February 9, 2005 - The band known for consistently having two drummers has just lost one of their favourites. Keith Knudsen died of pneumonia on Tuesday. He was 56. Knudsen who joined the Doobie Brothers in 1974 had been hospitalized for more than a month, according to the band's longtime manager Bruce Cohn. "I just saw him Sunday, just before the Super Bowl," Cohn said. "He was in good spirits. He was weak, but he was OK." He was also with the band during their biggest period when Michael McDonald was lead singer. In 1978 the group recorded their biggest seller "Minute By Minute" The drummer played with the Doobie's until their farewell tour in 1982. He then formed the country rock outfit Southern Pacific with fellow Doobie John McFee. They recorded four albums together. Knudsen then reformed the Doobie Brothers with original lead singer Tom Johnston in 1987 and was a full time member until 1993. "He's going to be missed," said Tom Johnston, the band's founder. "We're going to miss him on drums. I'm going to miss him as a buddy." He said, Keith Knudsen had cancer in 1995. "It left him weak and I don't think he ever fully regained all his strength." Tom Johnston adds the band is scheduled to release a new album this summer. Keith Knudsen is survived by his wife of 16 years, Kate, and their daughter, Dayna Keyes.

Former Doobie Brother Cornelius Bumpus Dead

February 5, 2004 - Cornelius Bumpus who spent time in both the Doobie Brothers and Steely Dan has died. The saxophonist suffered a heart attack Tuesday (February 3) on a commercial flight from New York City to California. He was 58. His wife Linda said on his official website www.corneliusbumpus.com "Cornelius was a man of great modesty and simplicity. His life was music, family and church. He never liked giving talks or speeches." As for her husband's heart attack on the plane she said, "Not one to want to call attention to himself, he would probably be appalled to know that the plane made an unscheduled stop in Sioux City to try and get help for him." Bumpus joined the Doobie Brothers in the early eighties but joined Steely Dan in 1993. Bumpus was also a member of Moby Grape in the seventies and had recorded two solo albums.

Michael McDonald Excited About Grammy Nominations

December 10, 2003 - Former Doobie Brother Michael McDonald felt like a little kid on Christmas eve just before the Grammy nominations were announced. McDonald says he tried very hard not to think about it but the singer heard a rumor last Wednesday that his "Motown" album might be nominated. McDonald watched the nominations on television on Thursday and hear him name twice - nominations for male pop vocal performance and pop vocal album. Mcdonald says if he doesn't win he'll do what everyone does put on his "best face for the cameras." McDonald already has five Grammys with the Doobie Brothers and as a solo act. The singer says he keeps his trophies in his office in Tennessee and strokes them when no one is looking. The Grammys will be handed out February 8th in Los Angeles.

Michael McDonald - Artist Of The Month For September - 2003

Sept 1, 2003 - Former Doobie Brother Michael McDonald is back on the charts with the hit solo album "Motown," featuring updated interpretations of some of the motor cities most memorable tunes. His current charting single "Heard It Through the Grapevine" is a hit on both A.C. and Smooth Jazz radio. McDonald, an honorary member of the Doobies says he has an open invitation to come back to the band at any time. Whether as a songwriter, keyboardist or vocalist your CD collection is bound to include at least a few contributions from Michael McDonald. He has worked in the studio with Steely Dan, Carly Simon, Kenny Loggins, Christopher Cross, Patti Labelle, Joni Mitchell and countless others. Mcdonald is Smooth Jazz Now's "Artist of the Month" for September. Breeze 103.1 morning man Cliff Dumas spoke to McDonald via phone in August 2003. Read

Review - Michael McDonald - MOTOWN

August 8, 2003 - What happens when you combine fourteen of the finest R&B songs every written with one the best voices to ever bless a song? You get Motown, the latest album from Michael McDonald. What a superb collection this is! From his gravely groove on Marvin Gaye's Heard It Through The Grapevine to his melancholy take of You Are Everything, McDonald puts his unique stamp on every track. He positively wails on Signed, Sealed, Delivered sounds all smoky on Stevie Wonder's All Is Fair In Love and totally breaks my heart with his raspy whisper on Since I lost My Baby. If you're a fan of Motown classics and great singers, I can't recommend this album enough! Read more reviews by Vickie Van Dyke

Michael McDonald Improving With Age

July 29, 2003 - Michael McDonald believes practice makes perfect. The former member of the Doobie Brothers feels musicians who tour a lot are bound to get better from the endless playing. The singer says in the seventies though he wasn't so sure that it would be appropriate for him to be playing rock and roll in his fifties (he's 51). McDonald now looks around and see's he's in good company with so many older bands like the Eagles, Fleetwood Mac and his buddies the Doobie Brothers on the road. McDonald is still a huge fan of the Doobie's and he occasionally plays with them. He says they're a perfect example of technically superb musicians from so many years of playing. Expect to see Doobie Brother's current members Tom Johnston and Patrick Simmons joining McDonald on his T.V. special now running on P-B-S stations.

Michael McDonald Travels to Motown

May 16, 2003 - Former Doobie Brothers vocalist Michael McDonald says it was a question of being in the right place at the right time concerning his new album "Motown." The CD which features McDonald covering some classic Motown hits was a pet project for Universal records and he was lucky enough to be the singer asked to do it. Though the album is available in Europe on Universal (it debuted at # 29 In the UK last week) it will only be released in North America on June 24 on Motown records. "Motown" produced by Simon Climie who has also worked with Eric Clapton is a dream come true for McDonald. He recently told Billboard Magazine "For so many years, I'd had people encourage me to do something like this, an old R&B kind of thing," McDonalds North American tour will kick off June 28th in Hampton Virginia.