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
Little Wing
Toto Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
With a circus mind that's running round
Butterflies and zebras
And moonbeams and fairy tales
That's all she ever thinks about
Riding with the wind
When I'm sad, she comes to me
It's alright she says it's alright
Take anything you want from me, anything
Anything
Fly on little wing,
Yeah yeah, yeah, little wing
In the song Little Wing by Toto, the lyrics describe a girl who is able to escape from reality and go on her own adventures. She's walking through the clouds with a circus mind that's always racing, as she imagines butterflies, zebras, moonbeams, and fairy tales. She's constantly riding with the wind, and her head is in the clouds. When the singer is feeling sad, she comes to him with a thousand smiles and gives him everything he needs. She tells him that everything is going to be alright, and she offers him everything he wants from her.
The girl in the song represents a sense of freedom and escape. She's able to dream and imagine new worlds, which is something that the singer doesn't have the ability to do. She offers him comfort and support, and a sense that everything will be alright in the end. The singer is drawn to her sense of adventure and her willingness to take risks, as she flies on her little wing and takes off into the unknown.
In conclusion, the song Little Wing by Toto is a tribute to a girl who represents hope and escape. She offers the singer comfort and reassurance, and she encourages him to dream big and take chances. Her spirit of adventure is contagious, and she inspires him to keep moving forward even when things are tough.
Line by Line Meaning
Well she's walking through the clouds
She is wandering in a world of her own imagination.
With a circus mind that's running round
Her thoughts are chaotic and wild, like the inside of a circus tent.
Butterflies and zebras
Her thoughts are filled with fanciful and whimsical things like butterflies and zebras.
And moonbeams and fairy tales
Her imagination is full of magical and mythical things like moonbeams and fairy tales.
That's all she ever thinks about
Her thoughts are consumed by her inner fantasy world.
Riding with the wind
She feels free and unbounded by the limitations of reality.
When I'm sad, she comes to me
She is a source of comfort during difficult times.
With a thousand smiles, she gives to me free
She has an abundance of positivity to share, and always lifts one's spirits.
It's alright she says it's alright
She reassures that everything will be okay and eases any worries or fears.
Take anything you want from me, anything
She offers endless support and is willing to sacrifice anything to make those she loves happy.
Fly on little wing
Go forth and pursue your dreams, just like the little wing metaphor.
Yeah yeah, yeah, little wing
Reinforcing the message to fly on and be free.
Contributed by Noah W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
farmlilydale
This version by Steve is unmatched. Even other versions he did don't compare. This is pure magic 👌
Mesut Doyurucu
Lukather in God Mode
Martijn
Yes
Alessandro Bernazzoli
Undoubtedly one of the best versions of this absolutely groundbreaking song...Stevie's heart, hands and sound make Jimi feel still alive and closer to all of us...thanks Steve, rising from history to legend
Angélica Martínez R.
The best guitarist for me.
His soul is so sensitive that it's reflected in the way he plays. No one like him to give his own voice to the guitar. 😘
Maye McDonald
Alice in normal land I like your description. It is his soul that makes the music so beautiful.
vanishPK
Gary Moore B-)
Aymen AG
for me this is the best performance ever made by steve lukather
boni hthaean
i first heard the srv version and it gave me wow, and then i heard this lukather version gave me goosebumps..
new born
He's right up top with any guitarist I've ever seen and heard. Very under rated