Composed entirely of seasoned studio musicians, Toto seemed to come out of nowhere. They did not get known first on the club circuit as nearly all bands do prior to being signed by a label. Their reputations in the studio were enough. For example, Paich, Hungate and Jeff Porcaro wrote songs for and performed on Boz Scaggs' album Silk Degrees.
Toto released their debut album Toto in October 1978, selling two million copies based on their top ten hit Hold the Line. The next two albums Hydra and Turn Back had little success, but Toto IV (released in 1982) featured the number one hit Africa as well as the top ten single Rosanna. Toto IV went multi-platinum and earned several Grammy Awards including 1983 Album of the Year and Record of the Year (for "Rosanna").
Their only film work to date was for the 1984 David Lynch science fiction film Dune. In addition to their own score, they also recorded the Prophecy Theme, composed by Brian Eno.
After the release of Toto IV, Mike Porcaro (brother to Jeff and Steve), joined the group on bass, replacing Hungate. In 1984, Bobby Kimball left the group after being arrested for selling cocaine and was replaced by Dennis Frederiksen aka Fergie Frederiksen, who was replaced not long after by Joseph Williams.
Steve Porcaro left the band in 1988, however, he still contributes as a sideman.
In 1990, Jean-Michel Byron replaced Williams for the new recordings on Past to Present 1977-1990, then left with Lukather becoming the group's lead singer.
On August 5, 1992, Jeff Porcaro died of a heart attack, days after completing work on Kingdom of Desire. The group considered disbanding, before adding British drummer Simon Phillips for the subsequent tour. In the years since Porcaro's death, Lukather has seemingly succeeded Paich as the band's de facto leader.
In 1999, Bobby Kimball returned to the lineup after a 15-year absence.
Greg Phillinganes joined the lineup in 2004 to fill in for David Paich during a tour, then officially joined Toto in 2005.
After a period of rumours and some allusions, on June 5th, 2008 Steve Lukather made an official announcement on his website stevelukather.net, stating: "The fact is yes I have left Toto. There is no more Toto." Lukather further stated that after 31 years of recording, producing and playing with Toto without even missing one single gig, he couldn't do it anymore: "I just can't do it anymore and at 50 years old I wanted to start over and give it one last try on my own." With Lukather being the only original member left in the band (Bobby Kimball was also an original member, but was out of the band from 1984-1998) there was no other option than to call it quits. As the main motivation for his decision, Lukather said: "When Dave retired that was REAL hard for me 'cause we started the band together. Hell, it's 35 years if you count High School where the core all met. When Mike fell ill and had to leave that was it for me. If there isn't Paich or at least one Porcaro how can we even call it Toto?" Luke also stated: "Honestly, I have just had enough. This is NOT a break. It is over. I really can't go out and play Hold The Line with a straight face anymore." The break-up of Toto after 31 years received mixed reactions from the fans, but in general the decision was understood and many agreed with Lukather's reasons to quit the band.
On April 5th, 2008, Toto played what would be their last show ever, in Seoul, Korea, as a part of their Falling In Between Live tour. This left lots of fans without a real farewell tour.
On February 26th, 2010, Steve Lukather announced on his Twitter-account that Toto are reforming for a brief tour in Europe in the summer of 2010 to honor bass player Mike Porcaro, who's suffering from ALS syndrome. Line-up will include David Paich, Steve Lukather, Steve Porcaro, Simon Phillips, Joseph Williams and Nathan East.
Toto released their fourteenth studio album and their first in nine years titled Toto XIV on March 20 (Europe), March 23 (UK and Oceania), and March 24, 2015 (North America). To promote the newly finished project, the band started a world tour running with an extensive European headline arena tour including appearances at key festivals, along with a North American tour to follow in the summer of 2015 and Asia later that year.[43][44]
On March 15, 2015, former bassist Mike Porcaro died, due to complications from his battle with ALS, in his sleep at his home in Los Angeles.[45]
On 6 April 2015, Toto announced that they would embark on 7 August 2015 in Mashantucket, Connecticut with veteran progressive band Yes on a joint summer tour of North America due to end on 12 September 2015 in Coquitlam, British Columbia.[46][47][48] Shannon Forrest has continued to perform as the band's drummer.
On 29 September 2015, Toto announced the first leg of their 2016 Tour in support of Toto XIV consisting of European and Japanese dates. Leland Sklar, who joined them on their 2007 and 2008 tours, replaced founding member Hungate.[49] Sklar left Toto in early 2017 and was replaced by Shem von Schroeck.
Toto will release their anniversary album "40 Trips Around The Sun" on February 9, 2018. Then, they'll embark on their world tour promoting their album and celebrating 40 years of music.
The original lineup (1978)
* David Paich - vocals and keyboards
* Steve Lukather - guitar and vocals
* Bobby Kimball - vocals
* Steve Porcaro - keyboards
* David Hungate - bass
* Jeff Porcaro - drums
The last lineup (2017)
* David Paich - vocals and keyboards
* Steve Lukather - guitar and vocals
* Joseph Williams - vocals
* Steve Porcaro - vocals and keyboards
Blackeye
Toto Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
He's looking for me again
He's got a hard head
He's always stinkin' of gin
If he thinks he owns me
He better think again
He likes to hurt me
He don't love me at all
He's never there when I call
He's a low down dirty dog
It's time I leave him that's all
Bye bye Blackeye
He's a low down dirty dog
I don't need him at all
(Hey watch what I'm saying man!?)
Hey where you goin' Blackeye ?
When will you win?
You still got your shoulder holster
You still packin' yo' little friend
Well one thing's for certain
You're never gonna wipe that smile off my face again
Oh yeah
The lyrics to "Blackeye" by Toto tell the story of a woman who is fed up with her abusive and neglectful partner. The titular character, Blackeye, is described as being both physically and emotionally abusive towards the woman, and always smelling of alcohol. Despite his mistreatment, he believes that he owns her and she should stay with him. However, she decides that enough is enough and that it's time to leave him. The last verse is directed towards Blackeye himself, with the woman expressing her newfound confidence and happiness without him in her life.
At its core, "Blackeye" is a song about standing up for oneself and leaving an abusive relationship. The lyrics paint a vivid picture of a toxic and unhealthy situation, but also offer hope for a better future without the abuser.
Line by Line Meaning
Hey come old Blackeye
Addressing the person named Blackeye
He's looking for me again
Blackeye is searching for me
He's got a hard head
Blackeye is stubborn
He's always stinkin' of gin
Blackeye drinks a lot of gin and smells like it
If he thinks he owns me
Blackeye believes he has complete control over me
He better think again
I'm not someone who can be owned by anyone
He likes to hurt me
Blackeye enjoys causing me emotional pain
He don't love me at all
Blackeye doesn't have any love for me
He never phones me
Blackeye doesn't call me
He's never there when I call
Blackeye is not available when I need him
He's a low down dirty dog
Blackeye is untrustworthy and disloyal
It's time I leave him that's all
I need to end my relationship with Blackeye
Bye bye Blackeye
I'm saying goodbye to Blackeye
He's a low down dirty dog
Blackeye is a deceitful and unfaithful person
I don't need him at all
I don't require Blackeye's presence or companionship
(Hey watch what I'm saying man!?),
An interjection from the artist indicating a possible threat from Blackeye
Hey where you goin' Blackeye?
Asking Blackeye where he is going
When will you win?
Questioning when Blackeye will achieve his goals or succeed in his endeavors
You still got your shoulder holster
Blackeye still has his gun with him
You still packin' yo' little friend
Blackeye is still carrying his weapon
Well one thing's for certain
The artist acknowledges that something is certain
You're never gonna wipe that smile off my face again
Blackeye will not succeed in making the artist unhappy again
Oh yeah
An exclamation from the singer
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Spirit Music Group
Written by: DAVID PAICH, JENNY DOUGLAS, STEVE LUKATHER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Denis S. Pratt
on Take My Hand
Beautiful rendition of a reconciling moment that my mother and I will lay to rest.