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It’s a Sad Day – Toto Calls it Quits
June 12, 2008 – Of all the bands that got a bad shake by the music industry and radio Toto has to be one of the tops. More below.
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Aguilera Defends her right to Party
 June 11, 2008 – Are mothers not allowed to have fun? That’s the way Christina Aguilera feels these days. The singer says she feels like she’s in jail. More.
George Benson Gets Highest Jazz Honor
 June 11, 2008 – Congrats to George Benson for the honor of Jazz Master by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). It’s considered to be the highest Jazz honor on the planet. More. |
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Here was a band formed by some of the best musicians in the world including legendary drummer Jeff Porcaro and powerhouse vocalists like Joseph Williams and Bobby Kimball and of course leader and guitar crazy-man Steve Lukather.
It was Lukather who this week posted on his website that the band was no more. After 31 years the guitarist said the band had lost its form with so many personnel changes. He even blamed record exec Donnie Ienner for hurting the band.
On a personnel note I was 18 when I bought that famous self titled debut album featuring ‘Hold the Line,’ it changed the way I looked at music. It created a need to search our musicians with true studio and live chops. By the time the group won that pile of Grammys for ‘Toto 4’ they were my favourite band. As much as I loved Bobby Kimball’s belting voice I quickly became a convert of Joseph Williams on ‘Fahrenheit’ and possibly their best album ‘The Seventh One.’ Lukather pointed out that the band lost its soul when Porcaro died in 1992. |
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Chieli Minucci is Just Showing Off!
 June 11, 2008 – I have problems brushing my teeth and standing up at the same time but some guys like to cure cancer with five minutes spare time. More.
Smooth Jazz Returns to Denver
 June 11, 2008 – Sometimes, what goes down must come up. Denver is welcoming a new Smooth Jazz station to the airwaves. Read the whole story - click here. |
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Here is what he posted this week. – by John Beaudin
"I would like to make a formal announcement as I have been barraged by e-mails and speculations on various websites.
The fact is yes I have left Toto. There is no more Toto. I told the guys before the last leg of our tour.
We had some differences in how business was being done. The other fact is that I have been the only guy who was at the first rehearsal till the last gig a month or so ago. When Jeff died part of us all died with him. We pursued it and had some great times. Simon was a champ replacing Jeff at a most difficult time. Bobby was out of the band for 16 years and then came back and you know the other singer stories. Other than Bobby, Joe was the only guy that really fit with us cause he was a high school buddy as well. No offence to Bobby at all. |
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Janet Jackson in Love with Barry Manilow
 June 11, 2008 – Janet Jackson has a confession to make – she’s in love with Barry Manilow. Uh, Janet? Maybe you haven’t heard, but there is a certain something about Mr. Manilow. More.
George Michael Secrets on Film
 June 8, 2008 – Wham’s former manager, Simon Napier-Bell, wants you to see what really happened behind closed doors of the bands heyday. He plans on making a tell-all movie on the band. More
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When Dave retired that was REAL hard for me cause we started the band together. Hell its 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 a Paich or at least one Porcaro how can we even call it Toto? It was bittersweet cause I finally got to tour with my dear friend and musical legend Leland Sklar whom I have known since I was 19 years old. We had some laughs and great times
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. I was 19 when we cut the record. I am 50 now.
I have only the deepest respect for the guys that have been in and out of this band over the years. We had a great run and I owe an awful lot to the experience and the success we had. We hung in there hard despite being the most hated band in the world by most so called "rock critics". We took the punches and kept going. Our old label President Donnie Ienner ruined us in the USA by not releasing our records and not letting us out of our contract for over 10 YEARS! And that really set us back. Why? You have to ask the man himself cause we never knew why. He just didn't like our music or us personally I guess. We will never know.
The USA turned their backs on us and it was very hard for me to keep smiling thru it all. It just sort of festered inside me and I was hurting myself in the process and eventually I had to be honest with myself and I was not happy at all. The guys in the current line-up could not be more different individuals and the only real thing we had in common was music. This was NOT the high school band of brothers that we started in the 70's. We had a magic thing and the same sense of humor and the same views on life. Somehow that was lost. It's not the new guys fault. It is what it is.
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. As the only original member that had NEVER ever left or missed even ONE gig or recording I figured I might as well do it myself now while I can still get out and do it and have a new record that just came out and a new band that is unreal and a tour booked that will take me thru the end of summer 2009 and beyond. The title of my record says it all. Ever-Changing Times.
Today I conferred with my soul brother and founding member David Paich on this matter. He wrote me back and he said, "We are FREE"! I laughed out loud. I don't think he thought this was Toto anymore either.
There are no bad feelings from me to the other guys at all. I wish them only the very very best and all the good things in life and I am sure we will run into each other here or there and it will be hugs and all, hope so anyway.
So, there you have it. I hope you will come out to one of my shows and thank you for 31 years of friendship." - Steve Lukather, 2008
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Toto's
David Paich Mastermind Behind TV's "Movies
Rock"
 November
27, 2007 - David Paich was a driving force behind
the Toto sound and
now he's guiding the sound of a new TV project
- "Movies Rock." CBS will air the special
on December 7th featuring some of the biggest
hits in movie history. Paich, whose official title
is Musical Coordinator will have some heavy hitters
sings on the special including Elton John, Carrie
Underwood, Beyonce and John Legend. Paich is enjoying
the experience but says the biggest challenge
was giving each song a different spin. Paich is
still a member of Toto but does not tour with
the band. The keyboardist was recently in China
preparing to write a theme for the 2008 Olympic
Games. - by John
Beaudin
Peter
Friestedt Debuts With Help From Toto &
Chicago Alumni
March
22, 2004 - You may not know the name Peter
Friestedt (pictured middle) now but the
Swedish guitarist is hoping that could change
thanks to the help of a few popular music
names. Friestedt has enlisted Chicago keyboardist/vocalist Bill
Champlin (pictured right)and former Toto vocalist Joseph
Williams (left) to add some vocals on
his debut album which pays homage to the L.A./west
coast sound. Read
more.
No
Sex Change For Toto's David Paich
June
22, 2003 - The official headline on Much More
Music's website last week read "Toto
Member Loses Member" and many other media
outlets also went with the story about Toto
keyboardist David Paich (left) having a sex
change operation. Turns out guitarist Steve
Lukather just posted the story on their official
website as a joke (www.toto99.com).
The posting reported that Paich who wrote
many of Toto's biggest hits and even sang
a few was taking the summer off from touring
to have the operation. Paich is taking the
summer off but it's because of the serious
illness of a family member. Lukather says
he's very sorry for the confusion but goes
on to say that he was very surprised so many
media outlets took the story seriously, adding
"one look at Dave and you would see it's
an impossible story." Here's the original
posting place on Toto's website by Lukather,
"David will be missing the summer tour
due to a sex change operation. His dreams
of becoming, who he REALLY is, a woman, need
to be realized. The lie he has been living
has been difficult for his family and for
us as a band. It will be our pleasure to introduce
"Davida" in the fall. This has been
a long time coming and we wish him a quick
healthy recovery."
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