Tiran Calvin Porter (born September 26, 1948) is an American bass and guitar player, vocalist and composer, best known as a member of

The Doobie Brothers The Doobie Brothers are an American rock band formed in San Jose, California in 1970. Known for their flexibility in performing across numerous genres and their vocal harmonies, the band has been active for over five decades, with their greate ...

from 1972 to 1980 and 1987 to 1992.

Biography

Early life

Born in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

, Porter graduated from Leuzinger High School in Lawndale, California, in 1966. He was playing in LA in a garage band called Six Penny Opera when he got the call to come up and play with the Doobie Bros.

The Doobie Brothers

He rose to fame as a member of the Doobie Brothers, replacing bassist Dave Shogren on their second album '' Toulouse Street'' in 1972. His vocals were mostly restricted to the background in the studio, although he wrote and sang "For Someone Special" (a tribute to ill bandleader Tom Johnston) on the album '' Takin' It To The Streets'' (1976) and the creatively syncopated "Need A Lady" on the album '' Livin' On The Fault Line'' (1977). In concert, Porter usually performed lead vocals on one or two songs. Porter left the Doobies in 1980, citing frustration with the hectic and constant touring schedule. His replacement was session man

Willie Weeks Willie Weeks (born August 5, 1947) is an American bass guitarist. He has gained fame performing with famous musicians in a wide variety of genres. He has been one of the most in-demand session musicians throughout his career. Weeks has also ga ...

, later famous for his collaboration with

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Michael Jackson, one of the most culturally significan ...

and other

Quincy Jones Quincy Delight Jones Jr. (March 14, 1933 – November 3, 2024) was an American record producer, composer, arranger, conductor, trumpeter, and bandleader. Over the course of his seven-decade career, he received List of awards and nominations re ...

protégés. After guesting onstage with his former bandmates briefly during the 1982 farewell tour, he rejoined the Doobies in 1987. Porter played on ''

Cycles Cycle, cycles, or cyclic may refer to: Anthropology and social sciences * Cyclic history, a theory of history * Cyclical theory, a theory of American political history associated with Arthur Schlesinger, Sr. * Social cycle, various cycles in ...

'' (1989), whose title was taken from an unused song he wrote, and '' Brotherhood'' (1991). Neither album featured a Porter composition or lead vocal, and his bass is often buried in the mix. After five years of touring in support of ''Cycles'' and ''Brotherhood'', Porter finally quit the Doobies for good in 1992. He was reportedly still frustrated with constant touring and the band's preference for recording familiar-sounding material instead of his own, more diverse compositions. Porter released a self-produced solo album, ''Playing to an Empty House'', in 1995. It is a mix of rock, progressive, and jazz spotlighting Porter on all of the instruments and vocals. The album features jazz solos and little or no bass guitar, focusing instead on lead guitar and sequenced keyboards. More recently, Porter played bass with singer-songwriter Keith Greeninger from Santa Cruz, California, Beatles

tribute band A tribute act, tribute band, tribute group or tribute artist is a Musical ensemble, music group, Singing, singer, or musician who specifically plays the music of a well-known music act. Tribute acts include individual performers who mimic the so ...

White Album Ensemble, Stormin' Norman and the Cyclones, and Moby Grape during its occasional reunions. In 2020, Porter was inducted into the

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (RRHOF), also simply referred to as the Rock Hall, is a museum and hall of fame located in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States, on the shore of Lake Erie. The museum documents the history of rock music and the ...

as a member of The Doobie Brothers.

Playing technique

Porter's most notable contributions to the Doobie Brothers' sound were his busy and punchy bass lines; his distinctive tone permeates all of the band's classic compositions and hits. His early technique, with rich chordal attack, was based mostly on his picking style, favoring the guitar pick over fingerstyle playing. The hit title track from '' Takin' It to the Streets'', which prominently features Porter's thundering, picked notes, is a prime example of this technique. More recently, even performing the old repertoire with the Doobies, Porter has been playing new, custom-made instruments almost exclusively finger style.Fox, Brian. ''Bass Player Magazine''; accessed December 31, 2015.

Equipment

Often pictured with

Alembic An alembic (from , originating from , 'cup, beaker') is an alchemical still consisting of two vessels connected by a tube, used for distillation of liquids. Description The complete distilling apparatus consists of three parts: * the "" ...

or Gibson basses during the seventies (usually with a Thunderbird or Ripper bass and earlier with an EB-0L), Porter played Fender instruments, most notably the

Fender Jazz Bass The Fender Jazz Bass (often shortened to "J-Bass") is the second model of Bass guitar, electric bass guitar created by Leo Fender. It is distinct from the Fender Precision Bass, Precision Bass in that its tone is brighter and richer in the midra ...

, along with BC Rich Eagles and Mockingbirds (Minute by Minute video) and Rickenbackers.

Albums

Solo

*''Playing To An Empty House'' (1995)

With the Doobie Brothers (incomplete)

*'' Toulouse Street'' (1972) (US #21) *'' The Captain and Me'' (1973) (US #7) *'' What Were Once Vices Are Now Habits'' (1974) (US #4) *''

Stampede A stampede () is a situation in which a group of large animals suddenly start running in the same direction, especially because they are excited or frightened. Although the term is most often applied to animals, there are cases of humans stamped ...

'' (1975) (US #4) *'' Takin' It to the Streets'' (1976) (US #8) *'' Livin' on the Fault Line'' (1977) (US #10) *'' Minute by Minute'' (1978) (US #1) *'' One Step Closer'' (1980) (US #3) *''

'' (1989) (US #17) *'' Brotherhood'' (1991) (US #82) *'' Live at Wolf Creek'' ive(2004) *'' Live at the Greek Theater 1982'' ive(2011) (guest appearance on one song)

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Porter, Tiran 1948 births Living people American rock bass guitarists American rock guitarists American male bass guitarists The Doobie Brothers members African-American rock musicians American rock singers American funk bass guitarists African-American male singers American baritones 20th-century American bass guitarists 20th-century American male musicians African-American guitarists People from Lawndale, California