I was saddened to hear that Steve Lukather officially disbanded the group Toto last month. They were on my list of acts that I hoped to see at some point. Luke explains the reasoning behind the end of the group pretty clearly. Toto was him, the Porcaro Brothers and David Paich. Singers and other band members came and went. Steve was the last man standing, and it must have been tough going out on tour without any of the other original band members.
Toto was ripped to shreds by critics in their day for their highly polished sounds and catchy pop songs. However the group was comprised of an A-list of studio musicians. Luke should be mentioned in the same breath with Clapton, Page, Beck, Hendrix and Van Halen in the pantheon of great guitarist. He’s the guitarist’s guitarist, and fortunately the end of Toto doesn’t mean the end of his performing and recording.
I had the opportunity to meet Steve and Larry Carlton back in the early 1990s, shortly before Larry was shot in the neck during the burglary of his home. I was glad to hear about his full recovery, and he’s playing better than ever, too. There are some great performances videos of Luke and Larry on YouTube as well.
