![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/The-Doobie-Brothers-1974-Far-Out-Magazine-1140x855.jpg\")
<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
Credit: Far Out \/ IFA<\/p>\n
Tue 4 August 2026 0:00, UK <\/p>\n
Jazz<\/a> is far too often the butt of the joke within rock-centric discussions; viewed as little more than a few self-aggrandising musicians playing bum notes for an audience of pretentious hipsters and beatniks. In reality, though, jazz underpins the very bedrock of rock and roll. <\/p>\n From the very beginning of rock expression, during the days of greased hair and shaking hips, the genre borrowed a great deal from the rebellious, experimental, youth-focused sound of jazz, so it is only fitting that the rock realm has regularly called upon jazz for some sense of sonic inspiration, even if it isn\u2019t always admitted. Harbingers of Californian soft-rock classics, The Doobie Brothers, for instance, called upon jazz for their defining track back in 1976.<\/p>\n Going right back to their initial formation in 1970, the Doobie Brothers were always a little more eclectic in their tastes<\/a> than their unshakably mainstream rock sound perhaps gave them credit for. From country to old-school R&B, and the folk sounds that had typified the previous decade, the group explored a multitude of avenues of inspiration, so it was only a matter of time before they plundered the endless inspiration of the jazz realm for \u2018Wheels of Fortune\u2019. <\/p>\n Taken from their Takin\u2019 It to the Streets album, \u2018Wheels of Fortune\u2019 was a bit of a disappointment for the group upon its initial release as a single in 1976. As opposed to the title track of that aforementioned album, which peaked at an impressive number 13 in the US singles chart, \u2018Wheels of Fortune\u2019 floundered around at the other end of the charts, eventually peaking at a lacklustre 87. <\/p>\n Nevertheless, the song quickly became one of The Doobie Brothers\u2019 ultimate defining anthems, praised for its expansive sound and diversion from their typical output up to that point. Although the song itself is the same kind of pop rock styling that audiences had come to expect from the group, its behind-the-scenes inspiration owed a great deal to the inspiration of jazz, and particularly the jazz fusion of Steely Dan. <\/p>\n A constant cult favourite, Steely Dan were in a league of their own during the early part of the 1970s, almost single-handedly establishing the sound of jazz-pop-fusion, and earning themselves equal numbers of die-hard devotees and relentless detractors in the process. The Doobie Brothers were seemingly on the former side of the argument, finding themselves so inspired by the innovative writing of Walter Becker and Donald Fagen that they weaved that influence through their own work. <\/p>\n While the more ardent of Steely Dan aficionados might resent, downplay, or even refuse the influence that they had on this period of the Doobie Brothers, \u2018Wheels of Fortune\u2019 inarguably bears resemblance to their jazz-fusion sound. It was helped along, after all, by the influence of Steely Dan\u2019s guitarist Jeff \u201cSkunk\u201d Baxter<\/a>, who joined the ranks of the Brothers in 1974, and performed lead guitar on the single. <\/p>\n Further reading: From The Vault<\/strong><\/p>\n It speaks both to the power of Steely Dan and the commendable expansion of the Doobie Brothers\u2019 influences that \u2018Wheels of Fortune\u2019 became such a beloved track, even if it didn\u2019t quite experience the commercial appeal it might have hoped upon its initial release. <\/p>\n So, while the Doobie Brothers might be best remembered for their soft and pop-rock leanings, they weren\u2019t without debt to jazz, either.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/faroutmagazine.co.uk\/wp-content\/themes\/far-out-magazine\/img\/google-discover.svg\")
<\/a> The Far Out Classic Rock Newsletter<\/p>\n