One Step Closer (The Doobie Brothers album)

One Step Closer is the ninth studio album by American rock band The Doobie Brothers. The album was released on September 17, 1980, by Warner Bros. Records. The album included the hit "Real Love", which reached #5 on the Billboard Hot 100; this also marks the last studio album with Michael McDonald in the lineup.

Personnel
The Doobie Brothers
 * Patrick Simmons – guitars, vocals
 * John McFee – guitars, vocals
 * Michael McDonald – keyboards, organ, synthesizers, vocals
 * Cornelius Bumpus – tenor saxophone, flute, vocals
 * Tiran Porter – bass, vocals
 * Keith Knudsen – drums, backing vocals
 * Chester McCracken – drums, vibraphone, marimbas

Additional personnel
 * Bobby LaKind – congas, bongos, background vocals
 * Nicolette Larson – background vocals on "Real Love", "Dedicate This Heart", and "Just In Time"
 * Patrick Henderson - keyboards on "Real Love", "One By One", and "Keep This Train A-Rollin'"
 * Lee Thornburg – trumpet on "South Bay Strut" and flugelhorn for "Dedicate This Heart"
 * Chris Thompson – background vocals on "No Stoppin' Us Now"
 * Ted Templeman – tambourine, cowbell, maracas
 * Jerome Jumonville – tenor saxophone, horn arrangements on "Keep This Train A-Rollin'"
 * Joel Peskin – baritone saxophone
 * Bill Armstrong – trumpet
 * Jimmie Haskell – string arrangements on "Real Love" and "South Bay Strut"

Production

 * Producer – Ted Templeman
 * Production Assistant – Joan Parker
 * Production Coordination – Susyn Schope
 * Engineer – James Isaacson
 * Second Engineer – Gene Meros
 * Mastering – Kent Duncan and Tim Dennan at Kendun Recorders (Burbank, CA).
 * Photography – Norman Seeff
 * Art Direction and Design – Jim Welch
 * Management – Bruce Cohn

Charts
Album

Singles