Michael Brewer, of 'One Toke Over the Line' Fame, Dies at 80: 'See You on the Other Side'

• Michael Brewer, one half of Brewer & Shipley, has died.
• He was 80 years old
• On Tuesday, December 17, his music partner Tom Shipley confirmed the news of his death on Facebook

Michael Brewer, one half of the folk-rock duo Brewer & Shipley, has died. He was 80 years old.

On Tuesday, December 17, Brewer’s musical partner, Tom Shipley, confirmed the news of his death in a Facebook post. A post on the band’s Facebook page said Brewer had “battled multiple illnesses for the past 3 years.” Although the official cause of death has not been revealed.

“My 65-year-old friend and musical partner of over 60 years had to go,” he wrote alongside a photo of Brewer. “I saw him Saturday at Cox Hospital in Branson and he told me he wanted to go home. He was weak and very tired.”

Shipley, 83, added: “They took him home on Sunday and his wife Scarlett called me this morning to say he’s gone. So tonight I’m going to raise a glass to Michael and drink to all those years, all those miles, all those songs. and all the heavenly audience we played for Go with God, see you on the other side.

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News of Brewer’s death was also announced on the band’s Facebook page.

“It is with great sadness that we have to share that Michael Brewer passed away earlier today (12/17) after battling multiple illnesses for the past 3 years,” the post read.

Born in April 1944 in Oklahoma City, Charles “Michael” Brewer was the oldest of four children. In high school he played drums and sang in a rock band before playing guitar. After graduating in 1962, he began performing his own music in coffeehouses across the US and met Shipley at an event in Kent, Ohio.

Brewer formed the duo Mastin & Brewer in 1965 with singer-songwriter Tom Mastin, whose song “How Do You Feel” was eventually recorded by Jefferson Airplane. The pair moved to Los Angeles and signed to Columbia Records, forming a group that opened for artists such as the Byrds and Buffalo Springfield.

However, Mastin left the band before they recorded the album. Brewer then teamed up with Shipley, who lived nearby in Los Angeles, and they became songwriters for A&M Records.

Brewer & Shipley circa 1970.

Michael Ochs/Getty Archive

Brewer & Shipley achieved success in the late 1960s and early 1970s for their socially conscious lyrics and commentary on the Vietnam War. They scored a Top 10 hit in 1971 with “One Toke Over the Line,” which paid tribute to marijuana and the free-love spirit of the time.

“We literally wrote it to have fun and make our friends laugh,” Brewer said of the single in a 2022 interview with NPR. A breath of fresh air.

He added: “We were getting ready to go on stage for our fourth set and a friend came over with some really good Lebanese hash. We went out the back, took a few tokes and came back to tune for our last set, and Tom said, ‘Man, I’m one toke over the line.’ And I just burst.”

During their career, they also recorded two more songs on Billboard Hot 100: “Tarkio Road,” which peaked at No. 55 in 1970, and “Shake Off the Demon,” which peaked at No. 98 in 1972.

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Michael Brewer in February 1973.

ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty

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In 1980, Brewer & Shipley parted ways amicably, but reunited for a special performance in Kansas City, along with more reunion concerts in 1987. They eventually formed their own company, One Toke Productions, and wrote songs and recorded two CDs .

The pair also continued to perform together.

Brewer also released several solo LPs including 1983’s Lies about beautyproduced by Dan Fogelberg; in 2004 Michael Brewer/ The Retro Manin 2010 It is what it is; and in 2012 Dance with my shadow.

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Source: HIS Education