Michael Hossack never planned on being a famous musician. He joined the US Navy after high school and served honorably for four years in Vietnam. Afterwards, he was set to become a police officer in New Jersey when a friend impulsively convinced him to audition for a local band. He won the job and headed to California to turn Mourning Reign into a success. The accolades never came, but in the wake of the group’s break-up, he started jamming with an up and coming band called The Dobbie Brothers. They already had a drummer, John Hartman, but the guys loved the added texture they got by incorporating more percussion. Hossack was officially recruited in 1971 and for the next two years, he helped propel the band to stardom. His drumming was featured on “Blackwater”, “Listen To The Music”, “China Grove” and a slew of other awesome tracks still played on the radio today.
In 1973, Hossack parted with the band amicably and bought a stake in Chateau Recorders. He also founded a few bands of his own, jammed with some of the best musicians in the world and eventually, found his way back to the Doobies in the late ‘80s. He toured and made albums with his old buddies until he was forced to take a leave of absence to battle cancer. Unfortunately, Hossack lost that battle earlier this week at the age of sixty-five.
According to Lake County News, some of his friends and closest family members were at his Dubois, Wyoming home on Monday when he passed. A lifelong fan of hunting, fishing and the outdoors, he’d long used the property as his escape. It’s only fitting that’s where he departed.
Hossack may have been absent the Doobie Brothers for much of the 1970s and 1980s, but he was a very important member during the group’s rise. The majority of drummers never would have been able to blend so well with another man operating his own set of sticks, but Hossack had the rare ability to both mimic and subtly stand out. He was the missing ingredient, and his contribution was immeasurable.
In honor of the fallen Doobie, take a listen to my favorite of the group’s many wonderful songs. Here’s “Blackwater”…
