Best Yacht Rock Bands

Yacht Rock, the lovely, melodic sounds of the ‘70s and ‘80s. For a cool lime refresher on Yacht Rock go here: What is Yacht Rock?

Here are who I think are the best Yacht Rock musicians. Not the best musicians total, but who most encompass the Yacht Rock vibe to me. And unlike some jerky sites that make you sift through a long list to get to the top, I’m starting off right at number one.

Number 1 - Michael McDonald

I’ve been bit hard by the McDonald bug. It’s new. So new I haven’t even Googled him to see why he left the Doobie Brothers or if he is a cool guy in person (do you do that? Google to make sure they didn’t abandon their kids or open a school for satan?). Maybe I’m in denial. Like why I haven’t dug into the owner of Trader Joes: I don’t want to know, they bring me joy and CAN’T I HAVE SOMETHING LOVELY IN THIS MISERABLE WORLD?!

Michael McDonald was thoroughly mocked in 40-Year Old Virgin when the manager of an electronics store played his concert DVD on loop and Paul Rudd’s character had a breakdown. And that was probably the last time I thought about Michael McDonald. Then the pandemic happened.

We’re cooped up inside and I’m a can’t stand the silence type of person. Need background noise. That brought me to playing SirusXM on the TV, and the channel that went great with working from home: Yacht Rock. As soon as I heard the sweet, soulful baritone voice of McDonald I was hooked (boating pun!). Husky. Not really swoon-inducing, more like comforting.

I am now so in sync with MM that I can spot his background vocals when they surface (like on the surprisingly inspiring “This Is It” with Kenny Loggins).

He won’t replace my beloved Rick or DD as my favorite nostalgic musician, but if we were allowed to go to concerts and Michael McDonald was playing somewhere, like Yah Mo, I would be there.

Number 2 - Doobie Brothers

Ok, this is cheating, this might be more like 1A, because the Doobie Brothers work so great in this genre due to Michael McDonald. I told you I got the bug.

Until I started listening to Yacht Rock, my only real thought about the Doobie Brothers was when they were on What’s Happening!! Rerun was talked into recording the Doobie Brothers concert, bootlegging (!), which was a big deal back then. The DBs found out and they all worked together to catch the criminal.

I think an overlooked song by the Brothers is “It Keeps You Runnin’” enjoy:

Number 3 - Christopher Cross

The goosebumps I instantly got when playing “Sailing” speaks to why CC is #3. There is an unspeakable, almost in your Gen-X DNA reason why Christopher Cross music will stop you in your tracks, fill your eyes with tears before you close them and remember the past. CC’s big hits were during a time of childlike innocence for many of us, older people might be like “F this song, I was going thru a divorce.” But Gen-Xers were young, hope was within reach.

Unlike some other Yacht Rockers who found some footing in the ‘80s pop scene, Cross didn’t, ironically, cross-over and sailed away to more obscurity. His music didn’t quite fit in with the MTV crowd. (Just ask Billy Squier how a music video can affect your career)

He had huge hits with “Arthur’s Theme,” “Sailing,” and “Ride Like The WInd” (featuring guess who? That’s right, Michael McD!) Interesting fact that I just found out: he didn’t write “Think of Laura” for Laura on General Hospital. He wrote it for a Laura he knew who died and he wanted to comfort her friend.

Number 4 - Steely Dan

Eating crow here. A few years ago a friend told me their favorite band was Steely Dan and I internally scoffed. I was so snobby about it I told my housemate who said “Didn’t you just go to a Rick Springfield concert?” and I didn’t get her point at first.

Anyways, the jokes on me because they’re cool. They transcend generations with their soothing tunes. And it’s totally fine that my parents and I like the same music.

Number 5 - Hall and Oates

Surprised? I am too. While H&O don’t have what I would consider a huge Yacht Rock sound (more on the Best Yacht Rock Songs here) they are considered YR and they did have a bunch of hits. I can probably be talked out of this ranking.