Chicago, Doobie Brothers will be rocking down the highway together on summer tour

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Chicago and the Doobie Brothers are teaming up for a massive summer tour, set to kick off July 11 in Tuscon, Arizona. The classic rock legends have already announced 21 confirmed dates through August.

Chicago has sold more than 38 million albums in the U.S., including 18 platinum and 8 multi-platinum releases. That run includes 21 To 10 hits. The Doobie Brothers, meanwhile, have sold more than 40 million worldwide, on their way to induction in the the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2004.

[ORIGINAL DOOBIES DRUMMER DIES: Michael Hossack, drummer with the Doobie Brothers from 1971-73 and 1987-2010, has died after a battle with cancer. He was 65.]

Each group will perform seperately, then Chicago and the Doobie Brothers will combine for a final encore — in much the same way that Chicago did with Earth Wind and Fire during earlier combo tours. The complete list of announced dates is below.

Here’s a look back at our recent thoughts on Chicago and the Doobie Brothers. Click through the titles for complete reviews …

SOMETHING ELSE! INTERVIEW: DRUMMER DANNY SERAPHINE, FORMERLY OF CHICAGO: A group co-founder, Seraphine had been in two prior groups with eventual Chicago saxophonist Walt Parazaider and guitarist Terry Kath. Together with trombonist James Pankow, trumpet player Lee Loughnane, keyboardist Robert Lamm and bassist Peter Cetera, they helped establish a muscular improvisational amalgam in the early 1970s. After the untimely death of Kath, inarguably the very soul of Chicago, it was Seraphine who brought in producer David Foster, a new management team and R&B-soaked singer Bill Champlin – moves that hurtled the band to superstardom in the 1980s, even as it fundamentally shifted the group’s sound towards a more commercial bent.

ONE TRACK MIND: THE DOOBIE BROTHERS, “NOBODY” (2010): “Nobody” is a direct link to their past on 2010’s World Gone Crazy, because it was the very first cut from their first album 39 years ago. Producer Ted Templeman wasn’t happy with the way the recording came out the first time around (actually, the whole record suffered from subpar production), so he persuaded the group to take another crack at Tom Johnston’s song. A great suggestion, as this time Templeman got the mixing right. The rich blend of acoustic and electric guitars, the strutting rhythm and those sumptuous backing vocals are there just like the hitmaking days. Johnston, as before, takes the lead vocal and all the years and health issues hadn’t worn down his R&B pipes one iota.

SOMETHING ELSE! FEATURED ARTIST: CHICAGO: ans of their initial music could be forgiven for barely recognizing Chicago by the 1980s, as fussy power ballads eventually flushed out the band’s signature horn sound. A group that had built its reputation on organic experimentation, a kind of prog-fusion that earned heavy rotation on a then-new FM radio format, never returned to the album-length suites that once defined it. Well, we have. Often. Travel back now, to those thrilling days of roman numerals and Terry Kath. Here are five hand-picked sides, from their pre-guilty pleasure era.

ONE TRACK MIND: THE DOOBIE BROTHERS, “MINUTE BY MINUTE (1978): The intro of departed Doobie Michael McDonald playing chords up and down and up again on a Rhodes at the offbeat intervals is sweet soulful stuff. Then the song settles into a mid-tempo shuffle and McDonald’s brawny baritone kicks in. There’s a little synth interlude that sounds a little cheesy today, but that’s not enough to disturb this groove; right after that the bridge takes the song to a higher key and McDonald’s voice just soars in response.

FORMER CHICAGO MEMBER BILL CHAMPLIN ON “HARD HABIT TO BREAK,” “AFTER THE LOVE IS GONE,” OTHER SONGS: On this special edition of Something Else! Reviews’ One Track Mind, we hand the reins over former Chicago singer and keyboardist Bill Champlin. He talks about Grammy-winning tracks “Turn Your Love Around” and “After the Love Has Gone,” his contributions to Chicago, working with Toto, and how lounge-singer Robert Goulet almost got one of his gigs.

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Here are the announced dates for Chicago and the Doobie Brothers:

July 11: Tucson, AZ, Anselmo Valencia Amphitheatre
July 13: Lake Tahoe, CA, Harvey’s Lake Tahoe
July 14: Concord, CA, Sleep Train Pavilion at Concord
July 15: Los Angeles, CA, Gibson Amphitheatre
July 17: Denver, CO, Red Rocks Amphitheatre
July 20: Kansas City, MO, Starlight Theatre
July 21: Dallas, TX, Gexa Energy Pavilion
July 22: Houston, TX, Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
July 24: Atlanta, GA, Chastain Park Amphitheatre
July 26: Raleigh, NC, Time Warner Cable Music Pavilion at Walnut Creek
July 29: Cincinnati, OH, Riverbend Music Center
August 1: Detroit, MI, DTE Energy Music Theatre
August 2: Pittsburgh, PA, First Niagara Pavilion
August 4: Atlantic City, NJ, Borgata Resort Spa & Casino
August 16: Boston, MA, Comcast Center
August 18: Wantagh, NY, Nikon at Jones Beach Theater
August 19: Holmdel, NJ, P.N.C. Bank Arts Center
August 21: Saratoga Springs, NY, Saratoga Performing Arts Center
August 23: Virginia Beach, VA, Farm Bureau Live at Virginia Beach
August 24: Scranton, PA, Toyota Pavilion

Something Else!