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On September 22, the Doobie Brothers announced on their official Twitter and Instagram pages that John Hartman, their drummer and one of three founding members still alive (along with Tom Johnston and Patrick Simmons, both of whom still remain in the band) had died. The band did not share a cause of death.
“Today we are thinking of John Hartman, or Little John to us,” the band wrote. “John was a wild spirit, great drummer, and showman during his time in the Doobies. He was also a close friend for many years and an intricate part of the band personality! We send our condolences to all his loved ones at this difficult time. Rest In Peace John.”
Hartman formed the original Doobie Brothers with guitarists and vocalists Patrick Simmons and Tom Johnston in the early 1970s after meeting the pair while playing in Bay Area bars in Northern California, according to the band’s official website.
“It all began in 1969, when a drummer named John Hartman arrived in Northern California. He was there to meet Skip Spence from the band Moby Grape and become part of a supposed band reunion that never quite got off the ground,” an excerpt from the band’s biography on its website reads. “But it wasn’t all for naught. Spence (who had also played in the Jefferson Airplane) introduced Hartman to his friend Tom Johnston, a local singer/songwriter/guitarist -and they connected. Hartman and Johnston began playing local Bay Area bars.”
“They soon met singer/guitarist Pat Simmons, whose finger-style playing richly complimented Johnston’s R&B strumming-style, and the foundation for The Doobie Brothers was set,” the biography adds.
Hartman served as the Doobie Brothers’ drummer on each of the band’s first eight albums and performed on popular tracks including 1972’s “Listen To The Music,” 1973’s “Long Train Runnin’,” and 1978’s “What a Fool Believes.” The band also saw two songs hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 during Hartman’s tenure.
John was 72.
