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The drummer and co-founder of Doobie Brothers, John Hartman, died at the age of 72
Musician John Hartman, co-founder and original drummer for Doobie Brothers, died at the age of 72.
The band announced Hartman’s death on Thursday on its official social media pages, calling Hartman “a wild spirit, a great ghost and a showman.”
“Today we are thinking of John Hartman or Little John for us,” said the team. “John was a wild spirit, a great drummer and showman during his time at Doobies.
“He was also a close friend for many years and a complex part of the band’s personality!”
A native of Virginia, he had two appearances in a rock band from the early 1970s to the early 1990s.
Hartman formed the band after meeting frontman Tom Johnston and later fingerpicking guitarist Pat Simmons in Northern California in 1969.
Their debut album from 1971 did not make a splash in the charts, but their second studio album “Toulouse Street” became an instant fan favorite with songs like “Listen to the Music” and “Jesus is okay.” “. The album peaked at 21 on the Billboard 200 in 1972.
In 1979, after eight studio albums, Hartman left the band before the release of their ninth album, One Step Closer, following a tense Japanese tour. according to Rolling Stone.
“Everything was falling apart,” Hartman said.
(LR) Pat Simmons, John Hartman, Dave Shogren and Tom Johnston of rock and roll band “The Doobie Brothers” pose for a portrait with a car around 1970.
Although Hartman left the band twice in 1979 and 1992, he joined his bandmates when they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2020.
Left to right: John Hartman, Tom Johnston, Dave Shogren, and Pat Simmons from 1970’s The Doobie Brothers.
Ten years later, in 1989, Hartman returned with the 1991 albums “Cycles” and “Brotherhood”, before leaving the group again, this time permanently in 1992.
In 2020, Hartman and other surviving members of the band, Jeff “Skunk” Baxter, Michael Hossack, Tom Johnston, Keith Knudsen, Michael McDonald, John McFee, Tiran Porter, and Patrick Simmons were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.