The Doobie Brothers Go Country

Later this year, some of the hottest names in country music will team up with the legendary Doobie Brothers to record a new album covering the Grammy winning band's classic hits. Thus far, Brad Paisley, Chris Young, Jerrod Nieman, Love and Theft, Sara Evans, Toby Keith and Zac Brown Band have all been confirmed as some of the country talent that will be found on the project.

In addition to the Doobie's founding members Tom Johnston and Patrick Simmons, who continue to front the band, the album will feature John McFee, whose history with the Doobies dates back to 1978, and Michael McDonald, who left the band in 1982 but is returning for this project.

Last month, country radio programmers, media and industry VIPs got their first taste of the project as guests on Sony Music Nashville's annual Boat Show on the General Jackson showboat. They were delighted when Paisley, Evans and Young were joined by three of the Doobie's own - Johnston, Simmons and McFee - for a surprise performance. Sony Music Nashville chairman/CEO Gary Overton announced the album would be released later this year after the guests were treated to a four-song set that featured "Long Train Runnin,'" "China Grove," "Black Water" and "Listen to the Music."

Overton, the driving force behind the project, has been a fan of the Doobie Brothers since seeing them in concert in Phoenix in 1972. In an interview, he told Billboard, "We're very proud to share in a chapter of the Doobie legacy by bringing them together with some of country's top artists for an album that honors both the band and their music."

Johnston shared that they've been recording at Starstruck Studios and Blackbird. When asked how close they were to finishing the recording process, he said, "There are a couple of nuts and bolts that still need to be tightened, but it's pretty close."

This isn't the first time that the classic rock legends have teamed up with a country artist. In 2011, they were on CMT Crossroads: The Doobie Brothers and Luke Bryan. Tom Johnston shared how much of a blast it was when he said, "The was one of the most fun things we've ever done. That and the thing we did the other night (the Sony boat) are two of our highlights."

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Brad Paisley, Chris Young, Jerrod Niemann