Toto

Toto (IPA pronunciation: [toto]) is an American rock/pop/prog band which had their greatest commercial success in the 1980s. They are known for covering several music styles, such as pop, rock, funk, prog, jazz, and others. BiographyIn 1976, drummer Jeff Porcaro and keyboardist David Paich, two seasoned L.A. session musicians renowned for their work with Steely Dan and Boz Scaggs, decided to trim back their session work and form a band of their own. Jeff and David brought in guitarist Steve Lukather and keyboardist Steve Porcaro, both of whom had played with Jeff and David in high school. David Hungate, another acclaimed studio musician, shared many of the same sessions with Jeff and David, and they felt that Hungate was a perfect fit on bass. In order to produce the depth of vocal harmonies and breadth of musicianship the live performance of their material would require, Bobby Kimball, a singer from Louisiana, was brought in on lead vocals.

After the band’s formation, David Paich set about writing what became the eponymous debut album. Once written, the new band came together in the studio to cut its first demos. Having just recently watched The Wizard of Oz, Jeff Porcaro began to write the word "toto" on the demo tapes so that they would be easily identifiable. When the time came to choose a name for the band, the band explored the roots of the word "toto" more thoroughly. David Hungate explained to them that, in Latin, the word "toto" means "total" or "all-encompassing," and given this group's long list of studio accolades and their collective ability to play in any given situation, the name TOTO was chosen as the official title of the new record and the band name. "It's representative of our music," said Jeff Porcaro. "Mishmash. A goulash." Ads by GoogleMan Man Indieoma Feature



Toto (IPA pronunciation: [toto]) is an American rock/pop/prog band which had their greatest commercial success in the 1980s. They are known for covering several music styles, such as pop, rock, funk, prog, jazz, and others. BiographyIn 1976, drummer Jeff Porcaro and keyboardist David Paich, two seasoned L.A. session musicians renowned for their work with Steely Dan and Boz Scaggs, decided to trim back their session work and form a band of their own. Jeff and David brought in guitarist Steve Lukather and keyboardist Steve Porcaro, both of whom had played with Jeff and David in high school. David Hungate, another acclaimed studio musician, shared many of the same sessions with Jeff and David, and they felt that Hungate was a perfect fit on bass. In order to produce the depth of vocal harmonies and breadth of musicianship the live performance of their material would require, Bobby Kimball, a singer from Louisiana, was brought in on lead vocals.

After the band’s formation, David Paich set about writing what became the eponymous debut album. Once written, the new band came together in the studio to cut its first demos. Having just recently watched The Wizard of Oz, Jeff Porcaro began to write the word "toto" on the demo tapes so that they would be easily identifiable. When the time came to choose a name for the band, the band explored the roots of the word "toto" more thoroughly. David Hungate explained to them that, in Latin, the word "toto" means "total" or "all-encompassing," and given this group's long list of studio accolades and their collective ability to play in any given situation, the name TOTO was chosen as the official title of the new record and the band name. "It's representative of our music," said Jeff Porcaro. "Mishmash. A goulash."

Upon its release in September, 1977, TOTO spawned the single hit, “Hold the Line,” which rapidly climbed the charts. Followed by two more hit singles, “I’ll Supply the Love” and “Georgy Porgy,” the record set new standards in pop and rock music at the time and earned them a Grammy nomination in 1978 for Best New Artist.

Lukather and Kimball recall that TOTO’s opening year passed like a whirlwind, but they still remember the first time they heard themselves on the radio. “I was asleep,” says Kimball. “I had set my alarm for early because we were going to do some promo in the studio that day, and when it came on, there was ‘Hold the Line.’ I phoned Paich and screamed into the phone, and he was screaming and stumbling around in the dark trying to turn his radio on.” Lukather recalls, “I remember one of the guys called me. I actually sat there in my first house by myself, a little tear in my eye. I mean, wow. We were on the radio in L.A. It was a great feeling.”

In 1979, TOTO released their second record, Hydra. A bit of a harder edge than TOTO’s first record, Hydra features one of TOTO’s biggest hits, “99”, a song inspired by the George Lucas movie THX-1138 about a society where people were given numbers instead of names. In point of fact, music video of “99” features the band in an all-white room dressed in white, a set piece designed around Lucas’ visionary film.

Following the release of Hydra, TOTO turned their musical talents in a new direction, and in 1981 their third record, Turn Back, was released. The band had recorded a much harder-edged album than either of the previous two releases, but unfortunately it did not achieve the radio-play the band wanted.

The beginning of 1982 marked the start of the most successful era of TOTO’s career. After an extensive schedule in the studio, TOTO released the iconic TOTO IV. The record immediately exploded onto the charts, producing the smash hits “Africa” and “Rosanna” and rocketing the band to instant international stardom. TOTO IV hit platinum and yielded 5 singles.

In 1983, while TOTO IV continued to sell millions of copies worldwide, TOTO reaped the benefits of their hard work and commercial success at the Grammy Awards, winning six different categories, including the coveted Album of the Year for TOTO IV and Record of the Year for “Rosanna.” The record also won awards for Producer of the Year and Best Engineered Recording, while “Rosanna” also earned Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocals and Best Vocal Arrangement. In addition, Steve Lukather won for Best Rhythm & Blues Song – “Turn Your Love Around” – which he co-wrote with Jay Graydon and Bill Champlin.

Just prior to the TOTO IV world tour, Mike Porcaro, replaced David Hungate, who had just become a father and felt his responsibilities to his family prevented him from participating in the immense world tour that followed IV’s release. Like his brothers, Mike was an accomplished session musician, and, having played with the band members in high school, Mike was a perfect replacement for Hungate. Thus the band’s first-class playing and fun-loving dynamic continued despite the personnel change.

Despite the world-wide commercial success of TOTO IV, the members of the band continued their session work, collaborating with Quincy Jones and Michael Jackson on the international hit Thriller and other artists such as Don Henley, Van Halen, Steely Dan, Boz Scaggs, Paul McCartney, Chicago, and Eric Clapton. During the time immediately following the TOTO IV Tour, David Paich brought in the entire band to work together on a movie score for David Lynch’s Dune, based on the best-selling science fiction novel that has since become a cult phenomenon.

During pre-production of Toto’s fifth record, Bobby Kimball left the band and was replaced by Le Roux’s Fergie Frederiksen. In the summer of ’84, TOTO recorded the boxing theme for the 1984 Olympic Games, entitled “Moodido – The Match.” Then in late 1984, TOTO released Isolation, cleverly titled to explain the band’s 2 and a half year absence since the release of TOTO IV. Isolation featured two hit singles, “Stranger In Town” and “Holyanna,” and the record’s harder rock edge, immediately appealing to the fans, became a fast favorite.

Following the Isolation Tour, Fergie Frederiksen was replaced by Joseph Williams, son of famous film composer John Williams. In 1985, the band played on the charity record USA for Africa, and Steve Porcaro and David Paich are featured on the song “We Are the World.?

In 1986, the band released their sixth record, Fahrenheit, along with the hit single “I’ll Be Over You.” Prior to the Fahrenheit World Tour, Steve Lukather traveled to Japan, where he played with legendary guitarists Jeff Beck and Carlos Santana. While in Japan, Lukather met Simon Phillips, a seasoned drummer from the UK who had played with such artists as The Who, Mike Oldfield, and Mick Jagger.