With an upcoming tour stop Friday at Grand Rapids’ Acrisure Amphitheater, Local Spins interviews Toto’s lead singer about the band’s enduring music and life on the road.
Crossing Genres and Loving the Stage: Toto returns to Grand Rapids this week. (Courtesy Photo/Kristian ‘Heat’ Reuter)
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The band is now on its 49th trip around the sun, but the remaining members of Toto show no sign of slowing down.
When guitarist/vocalist Steve Lukather, lead vocalist Joseph Williams and their top-notch band perform at Grand Rapids’ Acrisure Amphitheater on Friday (Aug. 28), the audience can expect to hear hits like “Hold The Line,” “99,” “Georgy Porgy,” and of course, “Africa,” all performed with love and plenty of musical muscle.
The band formed a half-century ago, when studio musicians David Paich and Jeff Porcaro recruited friends, fellow studio vets and family, including Porcaro’s brother Steve, guitarist Steve Lukather, bassist David Hungate and singer Bobby Kimball. They came by their trade easily enough: Marty Paich, David’s father was a well-known studio musician, as was Joe Porcaro, father of Jeff, Steve and future bassist Mike Porcaro. The group’s first album included “Hold The Line” and “99,” but it wasn’t until the “Toto IV” with “Rosanna” and the smash “Africa” that the band exploded into worldwide consciousness.
Over the years players came and went. Joseph Williams, son of film composer and longtime Boston Pops conductor John Williams, was the band’s third lead vocalist. Today he, Lukather and Paich remain official members, though Paich no longer tours.
While Lukather has been a member of Toto for as long as it has been active, Williams left the band for several years in the 90s and early 2000s. “I spent 15 years doing TV and film, and I enjoyed it. It was a success, but I always missed being on the road. I love to travel and perform,” Williams says.
He did some guest spots with the band beginning in 2006, and came back onboard permanently in 2010. He says he makes sure to take care of himself on the road as he gets older – he is 65, while Lukather is three years older. “The wear and tear is tough, especially for a singer. You have to take good care of yourself. I like to hang with my grandkids and my 94-year-old father,” he says.
Joseph Williams: ‘You have to take good care of yourself.’ (Photo/Simen Roberg)
One advantage Williams would seem to have is good genes. His celebrated film composer father is revered for his movie soundtracks, such as Star Wars, Superman, Schindler’s List and more than 100 other films. Today he remains active as he approaches his centennial.
Since its start all those years ago, Toto has released 14 studio albums and sold over 50 million records worldwide while nabbing several Grammy Awards. Its total sales have topped 40 million records. Yet Williams says describing its sound is a challenge. “It’s kind of orchestral pop,” he says, before launching into a list of its antecedents. “It’s always crossed genres: pop, r&b, rock, progressive rock, yacht rock – so many different things.”
He says some questioned whether the band was the product of record labels putting it together. “That couldn’t be farther from the truth,” he says. Indeed, Paich and Jeff Porcaro were in a band together in high school, and when they graduated the band was kept together by Steve Porcaro and Lukather.
He says the fact the band’s records typically contained songs in different styles sometimes precipitated criticism and outright derision, like one critic who said the band lacked “one clear voice.” Williams says those criticisms have largely been dismissed by the band’s success and continued appeal. “As time went on, people appreciated the aspects that were derided. The original guys were all top-call studio musicians.”
Williams says he got the call to join the band after Williams and his replacement, Fergie Ferguson, had left. “They called me as a friend. I knew them before Toto. Paich’s dad worked for my dad, Joe (Porcaro) played percussion in the orchestra on a couple films. They knew I had a couple solo albums and was a singer in the studio.”
Fast forward a few decades, and Toto remains active on the concert circuit. Steve Porcaro retired from the band following the 2018 tour that saw the band perform at Meijer Gardens, and while Paich remains a member he only performs a handful of shows.
Today, Lukather and Williams are joined by a cadre of touring members, many of whom have been with the band for years. “David is semi-retired from touring and Steve left. We said let’s concentrate on touring and do our solo stuff,” Williams says.
Tickets for the 6:45 p.m. Friday show – $35.10-$123.45 — are available online here. Christopher Cross and The Romantics will open the show.
With Toto’s 50th coming up, Williams isn’t sure how the group will celebrate. Jeff Porcaro died in 1992 and his brother Mike passed away in 2015 from ALS. Neither of Williams’s predecessors are available. “Bobby’s got dementia and Fergie died. That leaves me,” he says.
While those plans can wait, the band continues living life on the road. Reviews for the shows with the Romantics and Christopher Cross have been uniformly positive, with Williams spotlighted for reaching and effortlessly hitting the high notes on “Hold The Line,” while Lukather’s amazing guitar chops only get better.
VIDEO: Toto (Live)
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