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John Hartman, the founding drummer of the American rock band, The Doobie Brothers, has died at the age of 72. Although the band released a statement about Hartman's passing, they didn't mention the cause or the date of his death.
The statement said that John Hartman was a "wild spirit, great drummer and showman" during his time with the brand. Sending condolences to his family, the band noted that Hartman was an "intricate part" of the personality of the band.
In early 1970s, John Hartman formed the original Doobie Brothers with guitarists and vocalists Patrick Simmons and Tom Johnston. Hartman was the Doobie Brothers' drummer for all of their first eight albums, starting with their 1971 debut album. The self-titled album was produced by Ted Templeman.
He also performed on popular tracks including 1972's Listen To The Music, 1973's Long Train Runnin, and 1978's What a Fool Believes. The third track became the band’s No.1 LP on the Billboard 200. John Hartman was also inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the Doobie Brothers in 2020.
Tributes pour in for late Doobie Brothers drummer John Hartman
Fans of rock and roll and the Doobie Brothers were left heart-broken following the news of Hartman's death and took to social media to express their sadness. While some said that he would be "remembered with love and admiration," others said that they wouldn't forget him and his music.
John Hartman early career days
Moby Grape's Skip Spence introduced Hartman to Tom Johnston and Hartman was impressed by Johnston and his power.
In an interview with Rolling Stone in 2020, Hartman spoke about Johnston, with whom he also shared a house:
“When Johnston turned on, it was loud. Pretty soon the cops came and said, ‘You gotta stop.’ So we toned it down.”
Guitarist Patrick Simmons and bassist Dave Shogren were later added to the band’s lineup. Hartman met the pair while playing in Bay Area bars in Northern California.
Hartman was born on March 18, 1950, in Falls Church, Virginia. In 1970, Hartman relocated to San Jose where he formed The Doobie Brothers. He performed with the band until 1979 and the group disbanded in 1982. However, after a five-year hiatus, the Doobie Brothers reunited in 1987 to perform at a benefit concert for the Vietnam Veterans Aid Foundation.
That same year, the band reunited and Hartman joined as the drummer once again. He performed on two subsequent reunion albums, including 1989’s Cycles and 1991’s Brotherhood. In 1992, Hartman left the band for good.
Hartman played with the band from 1970 to 1979 and later from 1987 to 1992.
