John McFee

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John McFee, (born September 9, 1950,is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist and multi-instrumentalist. One of his first exploits was playing pedal steel guitar on Van Morrison's Tupelo Honey. He played with Huey Lewis in Clover and also worked with Elvis Costello, but is probably best known for his work with the Doobie Brothers.

He joined the Doobies in 1979, replacing the departing pedal steel guitarist Jeff Baxter. McFee featured on the Doobie's ninth studio album One Step Closer. Although he was not hired to do a lead vocal, he co-wrote the title track with Doobies drummer Keith Knudsen and the legendary Carly Simon as well as the instrumental "South Bay Strut" with co-drummer Chet McCracken. The album was a sale disaster and is commonly accepted as the lowest point in the Doobie Brothers' career, leading to the band's demise, with bassist Tiran Porter leaving in the middle of the recording of the album, due to musical differences, and Michael McDonald officially cutting its ties for good with the Doobies, after the subsequent successful "Farewell tour".

After the Doobies disbanded in 1982, McFee and Knudsen formed the country-rock group Southern Pacific, which also included ex-Creedence Clearwater Revival bassist Stu Cook. The collaboration scored a few chart hits as a Country act. Though McFee and Knudsen were committed to Southern Pacific, they co-wrote the song "Time Is Here And Gone" on the Doobies' 1989 reunion album Cycles with late Doobies percussionist Bobby LaKind. The song was not issued either as a single nor as a B-side.

By 1993, both men had rejoined the Doobie Brothers. So far, barring live albums, the only fruit of this line-up has been 2000's Sibling Rivalry. McFee's lead vocals were finally heard on a tune he co-wrote called "Angels of Madness." The album was poorly received by the fans and his performance, some pointed out, justly forgotten. With the Doobie Brothers relegated to the nostalgia circuit, a follow-up to the album was expected but unlikely to happen.

John McFee's long-term partnership with Keith Knudsen was sadly terminated by Knudsen's death from chronic pneumonia in 2005.

John and his wife Marcy live near Santa Barbara, California.[1]

Discography

with The Doobie Brothers

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