The Doobie Brothers’ Patrick Simmons recently spoke to Ultimate Classic Rock for an interview and remembered when he met Keith Richards at a time he was more of an introvert.
In 1975, the Doobie Brothers got on the road for the Warner Bros. Music Show. Along with the Doobies, the show also featured Tower of Power, Little Feat, and Montrose. Moreover, what those bands shared in common was their contract with Warner Bros. at that time.
After the Warner Bros. Music Show, the Doobie Brothers, Tower of Power, Little Feat, and Montrose continued to rise in prominence. Apart from getting noticed by a wider audience, they also caught the attention of two Rolling Stones icons during the shows, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards.
In a recent interview with Ultimate Classic Rock, the Doobies’ Patrick Simmons recalled meeting Keith Richards during the Warner Bros. Music Show. According to the musician, meeting Richards was excellent, and he and Jagger were nice guys. However, Richards struggled with substance abuse, so he was more introverted then.
Simmons then argued Richards’ being introverted probably resulted from his drinking and getting loaded. Moreover, the musician said Jagger was more outgoing and talkative than Richards. Simmons added that Richards and Jagger were probably there to see Little Feat, but they were also aware of the Doobies’ music.
About meeting the Rolling Stones, Patrick Simmons told Ultimate Classic Rock the following:
“It was pretty awesome, and I’m starstruck. But they were very nice guys. I think Keith was having issues with substance abuse back then and stuff, so in some ways, I think he was a little bit more introverted. I look back on it now and recognize that probably some of that was influenced by his drinking and getting loaded at the time, but he was very nice.
Mick Jagger, being much more outgoing and talkative, was a little more centered, if you will. But they were nice people and very nice to us. To be honest with you, I think they were there to see Little Feat more than anything. That band was one of the more interesting and eclectic New Orleans-style blues-based bands of the time.
The Stones were very into that and the more ethnic forms of music. I think they knew they were playing on the bill with us, but they came in and hung out with us. So I think they probably knew of our music or a little bit of it at the time, and again, we are a blues-based band, so they got that right away, of course.”
As of now, the Doobie Brothers are getting ready to hit the road to continue their 50th-anniversary tour. The shows will start on May 13 in Las Vegas and will have stops in cities including Sacramento, Chicago, Phoenix, Dallas, and Nashville.
