<P> Their new sound was further refined and McDonald's dominant role cemented with 1977's Livin' on the Fault Line . It featured a cover of the Motown classic "Little Darling (I Need You)" and "Echoes Of Love", which had been written by James Mitchell for, but not recorded by, Al Green . Mitchell (then of the Memphis Horns) and Earl Randle had both worked with Green a good bit . Simmons added some music and lyrics, co-writing the finished version with Mitchell and Randle; the song was later covered not just by the Pointer Sisters but by Lyn Paul, the ex-New Seekers vocalist . The album also featured the song "You Belong To Me" (co-written by McDonald and Carly Simon, who had a hit with her own version of the tune). To help promote Fault Line, the band performed live on the PBS show Soundstage . Jeff Baxter used an early type of guitar synthesizer (made by Roland) on many of the tracks (it is heavily featured in his solo on the title track, as well as on "Chinatown"). The combination of McDonald's cerebral approach to harmony, funkier beats and R&B vocal flavor, along with Baxter's guitar pyrotechnics, pushed the band away from the more proletarian biker - bong - boogie style that made them popular originally . The use of complex jazz chords, built on McDonald's thoroughly composed keyboard parts, tempered by strong pop hooks, resulted in an album that, though not really jazz, had a distinctly urban contemporary finish, adding the flavor of the "cool jazz" era to a pop setting . </P> <P> Both Streets and Fault Line reflected Johnston's diminished role in the group following his illness . Restored to fitness and briefly back in the fold, he contributed one original song to Streets, ("Turn It Loose"), and also added a vocal cameo to Simmons' tune "Wheels of Fortune ." He also made live appearances with the band in 1976 (documented in a concert filmed that year at the Winterland in San Francisco, excerpts from which appear occasionally on VH1 Classic), but was sidelined once again in the fall due to exhaustion . None of Johnston's songs appeared on Fault Line, though he had written and the band had recorded five of his compositions for the album . Finally, before Fault Line was released, Johnston had his songs removed and he left the band that he co-founded (though he received credit for guitars and vocals and was pictured on the album's inner sleeve band photo). He embarked on a solo career that eventually yielded one modestly successful 1979 Warner Brothers album Everything You've Heard is True, which featured the single "Savannah Nights", and the less successful album Still Feels Good in 1981 . </P> <P> During the period of transition, the band also elevated former roadie Bobby LaKind to onstage backup vocalist and percussionist . In the studio, LaKind first contributed percussion to Streets but had been a member of the band's lighting crew since 1974 . Additionally, in early 1978, the band appeared as themselves in two episodes of the ABC sitcom What's Happening!! The group performed the songs "Little Darlin' (I Need You)", "Black Water", "Takin' It to the Streets", and "Take Me in Your Arms". </P> <P> After almost a decade on the road, and with seven albums under their belts, the Doobies' career unexpectedly soared with the success of their next album, 1978's Minute by Minute . It spent five weeks at the top of the music charts and dominated several radio formats for the better part of two years . McDonald's song "What a Fool Believes", written with Kenny Loggins, was the band's second No. 1 single and earned the songwriting duo a Grammy Award for Record of the Year . The album won a Grammy Award for Pop Vocal Performance by a Group and was nominated for Album of the Year . Both "What a Fool Believes" and the title track were nominated for Grammys for Song of the Year, with "What a Fool Believes" winning the award . Among the other memorable songs on the album are "Here to Love You," "Dependin' On You" (co-written by McDonald and Simmons), "Steamer Lane Breakdown" (a Simmons bluegrass instrumental) and McDonald's "How Do the Fools Survive?" (co-written by Carole Bayer Sager). Nicolette Larson and departed former bandleader Johnston contributed guest vocals on the album . </P>

Where did the doobie brothers name come from