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The Doobie Brothers' Patrick Simmons had to fight to get 'What a Fool Believes' released: 'They went, Nah, that’s not the one. We think it’s another song'

“I kept saying, ‘What a Fool Believes.’ And they went, ‘Nah, that’s not the one.’”

“The fact that we were this greasy rock band — hill guys — we could bring the word to them and they had the possibility of that redemption.” Photo-Illustration: Vulture; Photo: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images And what a great highway the Doobies have found themselves riding this month: The band’s newest album, the appropriately titled Walk This Road, has been released — serving as the first time Simmons, Michael McDonald, and Tom Johnson have collaborated in the studio together. It takes the song to this other level that you were talking about.” So the solo ended up on the record, and that was the moment I finally said, Wow, there’s a place for me here as lead guitar player that I’ll be able to express myself within the band structure.

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