Toto

Session players

David Paich and Jeff Porcaro met at Grant High School and became session musicians before forming Toto in 1977 with David Hungate on bass, Steve Lukather on guitar, Steve Porcaro on keyboards and Bobby Kimball on vocals. The name's origin is disputed: Porcaro's demo-tape labelling, the dog in The Wizard of Oz, or Hungate's Latin in toto. The members played on records by Boz Scaggs, Steely Dan and Michael Jackson's Thriller. They signed to Columbia in 1977, and Toto (October 10, 1978) reached 9 in the US, with "Hold the Line" at number 5. Hydra (1979) and Turn Back (1981) sold less, and Columbia pressed for a hit; Lukather recalled the label asking whether they would give a hit record or be dropped.

Toto IV came out in the spring of 1982 and brought six Grammys by Wikipedia's count, though the count differs by source. Kimball was out in 1984 and Fergie Frederiksen sang on Isolation; Joseph Williams was the singer from 1986 to 1988. Mike Porcaro replaced Hungate in 1982 and died on March 15, 2015. Jeff Porcaro died on August 5, 1992, aged 38, and a memorial concert on December 14, 1992 at the Universal Amphitheatre drew George Harrison, Boz Scaggs, Donald Fagen, Don Henley and Eddie Van Halen. Simon Phillips took over on drums from 1992 until January 2014, and Keith Carlock was named in 2026.

Lukather announced the band was over on June 5, 2008, and they reformed in 2010 for benefit shows. The 40th Anniversary Tour ended in Philadelphia on October 20, 2019, a new line-up toured as Dogz of Oz from October 2020, and they toured with Journey in 2022 to 2024 and played the Hollywood Bowl on September 1, 2024. The official site announces a 50th anniversary European tour for summer 2027. The band has sold over 50 million records across 14 studio albums, and Live at Montreux 1991 was released in 2016.