WCSX Classic Cuts : Black Water
WCSX Classic Cuts
The Doobie Brothers: “Black Water”
The Hook: Their late drummer Mike Hossack told us he helped get the song’s writer, Pat Simmons, through a case of writer’s block.
Album: What Were Once Vices Are Now Habits
Year: 1974
Writer: Pat Simmons
Stats: Topped the Billboard Hot 100.
Background: We’re not sure how serious he was, since he wasn’t in the band at the time, but Doobie Brothers drummer Mike Hossack told us back in the 1990s that he had a small but significant role in the creation of the band’s first number-one record, “Black Water,” which was written by guitarist and singer Pat Simmons.
The late Doobie Brothers drummer Mike Hossack on his role in helping guitarist Pat Simmons finish “Black Water.” OC:…was right [Laughs] :23
“In the process of writing that song, Pat experienced a very severe case of writer’s block. [He] took the changes that were on a piece of paper and said, ‘I’ve had it with this. I don’t want to do this anymore.’ I said, ‘Pat, you write that song. Pat, you finish that song. ‘Cause you know, Pat, that’s going to be a number-one hit.’ God bless you, Pat, I was right.”