Patrick Simmons
b. 23 January 1950, Aberdeen, Washington, USA. A former student at San Jose State University, Simmons was playing guitar in Scratch, a country-folk trio, when he joined the embryonic Doobie Brothers in 1970. He remained with this highly successful act throughout the ensuing decade, penning during that time much of the repertoire, including the 1975 US number 1 hit single Black Water. He secured a solo recording deal 1981 and began work on a debut album when the group was dissolved the following year. ARCADE was a competent, if unexceptional collection, although one of the tracks, So Wrong, reached number 30 in the US when released as a single. The guitarist rejoined several former colleagues for a 1987 concert in aid of Vietnam Veterans, which in turn inspired a full-scale Doobie Brothers reunion.