Description: Toto (stylized as TOTO) is an American rock band formed in 1977 in Los Angeles. The band's current lineup consists of Steve Lukather (guitars and vocals), David Paich (keyboards and vocals), and Joseph Williams (vocals), as well as touring musicians, John Pierce (bass), Robert "Sput" Searight (drums), Dominique "Xavier" Taplin (keyboards and vocals), Steve Maggiora (keyboards and vocals) and Warren Ham (horns and vocals). Toto is known for a musical style that combines elements of pop, rock, soul, funk, progressive rock, hard rock, R&B, blues and jazz. Having released 14 studio albums and sold over 40 mil Toto (stylized as TOTO) is an American rock band formed in 1977 in Los Angeles. The band's current lineup consists of Steve Lukather (guitars and vocals), David Paich (keyboards and vocals), and Joseph Williams (vocals), as well as touring musicians, John Pierce (bass), Robert "Sput" Searight (drums), Dominique "Xavier" Taplin (keyboards and vocals), Steve Maggiora (keyboards and vocals) and Warren Ham (horns and vocals). Toto is known for a musical style that combines elements of pop, rock, soul, funk, progressive rock, hard rock, R&B, blues and jazz. Having released 14 studio albums and sold over 40 million records worldwide, the group has received several Grammy Awards and was inducted into the Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum in 2009.

David Paich and Jeff Porcaro had played together as session musicians on several albums and decided to form a band; David Hungate, Steve Lukather, Steve Porcaro, and Bobby Kimball were recruited before the release of the band's eponymous debut album in 1978. Led by the Top 5 single "Hold the Line", the album brought the band to mainstream attention, but it was their fourth album Toto IV (1982) which brought them global attention. "Africa" topped the Billboard Hot 100, while "Rosanna" reached number 2, helping Toto become one of the best-selling music groups of their era. The makeup of the group continued to evolve: Kimball left in 1984 and rejoined in 1998, leaving again a decade later; Jeff Porcaro died in 1992; Hungate, having left in 1982, rejoined Toto as a touring musician and later a band member. In 2008, Lukather announced his departure from the band, and the remaining band members later went their separate ways.

In the summer of 2010, Toto reformed and went on a short European tour, with a new lineup, to benefit Mike Porcaro, who had been diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and was no longer an active member of the band. He died in 2015. The band celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2017 with a supporting tour before going inactive once again in 2019. In October 2020, the band announced that guitarist and founding member Steve Lukather and longtime vocalist Joseph Williams would return to touring as Toto (with a mostly new lineup) in the 2021 "Dogz of Oz" tour, and in a live-streamed concert on November 21, 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. ... (more)

Tags: Rock (1), Music (1), Pop (1), Los Angeles (1), Session Musician (1)