The Toto’s Drummers – Part 1

Missin’ Toto? Good news! The Dogz of Oz World Tour will begin this Feb 2022! And soon we will be having again this so-called “Last Song Syndrome (LSS)” (where people tend to sing the last song we heard lol). So, everybody sing … “I hear the drums echoing tonight…” Wait, and who plays that drums at night?!!! Hush, I guess your good neighbor is not alright with it 😉 … But seriously, have you ever wonder who played the drums with Toto especially after the passing of Jeff Porcaro? Well, let’s check them out here, from members, to fill ins, and to the session and touring drummers!
Ooops, but wait, before we continue, here’s a little fun fact with the song Africa, Jeff and Joe Porcaro have made some percussion loops on marimba and bottle caps to recreate the sounds that Jeff heard at the New York World’s Fair in 1964 by the African pavilion drummers. By the way, Joe Porcaro is a well-known American jazz drummer and percussionist, and of course, without him, there will be no Jeff the drummer, Mike the bassist, and Steve the keyboardist of the legendary band, Toto.
Now let’s meet the Toto’s drummers!

The Members

Ok, ready? Let’s start with the original, the main man, Jeff Porcaro, without him, there will be no Toto. To the one and only personal choice of the band when Jeff left for good and started to rock the heaven away, the brilliant Simon Phillips. And to another talented drummer who replaced Simon when he left the band to concentrate on his solo career, Keith Carlock.

Jeff Porcaro (The Original, 1977 – 1992)

To do the kick-start on Toto’s drummers, here’s none other than the “Man with the golden feel”, Jeff Porcaro!
Made more famous for his drumming on the Grammy Award winning song, Rosanna called the Half-Time Shuffle Groove, which was inspired from the “Purdie Shuffle” by Bernard Purdie and added with some artistic and creativity from John Bonham’s groove in the song “Fool In The Rain” by the Led Zeppelin.
Jeffrey Thomas Porcaro, the eldest son of the famous American jazz drummer and percussionist, and of an Italian descent Joe Porcaro and wife Eileen, was born on 1 April 1954. At the age of seven, Porcaro started playing drums, and his first lessons were from his father, Joe. He took further studies with Richie Lepore and Bob Zimmitti.
Porcaro became part of the touring band of the American pop and entertainment duo, Sonny & Cher (the husband and wife, Sonny Bono and Cher) at his very young age of seventeen. This was considered as his first professional gig. During those times, his drum heroes were Jim Keltner (According to Howard Sounes, Bob Dylan’s biographer, he was “the leading session drummer in America”), and Jim Gordon (the drummer of Eric Clapton’s blues rock band in the 1970s, Derek and the Dominos, and was also a famous session drummer in the late 1960’s and 1970s).
He was so talented that he already played on hundreds of albums during his twenties. Started with Steely Dan, then toured with Boz Scaggs, and then co-founded the we all know now as a very famous band, Toto.
Aside from being the drummer of the band Toto, he was also a very in-demand session musician. He collaborated with many of the prominent names in the music industry, including George Benson, Eric Clapton, Joe Cocker, Christopher Cross, Dire Straits, David Gilmour, Steely Dan, Elton John, Paul McCartney, Bee Gees, Pink Floyd, Diana Ross, Boz Scaggs, Bruce Springsteen, Don Henley, Joe Walsh, and a lot more!

Here are Jeff Porcaro’s Discography with Toto:

• Toto (1978)
• Hydra (1979)
• Turn Back (1981)
• Toto IV (1982)
• Isolation (1984)
• Dune [original soundtrack] (1984)
• Olympic Games 1984 (soundtrack) [original soundtrack] (1984)
• Fahrenheit (1986)
• The Seventh One (1988)
• Past to Present 1977 – 1990 (1990)
• Kingdom of Desire (1992, released posthumously and dedicated to Jeff’s memory)
• Toto XX (1998)
• Greatest Hits Live…and More (DVD with behind the scenes footage and interviews)
• Old Is New (2018, posthumous appearance)

And with the other artists??? Oh well, you better get some popcorn and drinks and then brace yourselves!

• Jack Daugherty – The Class Of Nineteen Hundred And Seventy One (1971)
• Seals & Crofts – Diamond Girl (1973); Unborn Child (1974); Get Closer (1976)
• Les Dudek – Les Dudek (1976)
• Three Dog Night – American Pastime (1976)
• Joe Cocker – I Can Stand a Little Rain (1974); Civilized Man (1984)
• Steely Dan – Pretzel Logic (1974) – “Night by Night”, “Parker’s Band”; Katy Lied (1975); “FM (No Static at All)” (1978, for the FM movie soundtrack album); Gaucho (1980) – “Gaucho”
• Tommy Bolin – Teaser (1975) – “The Grind”, “Homeward Strut”, “Dreamer”, “Teaser”
• Jackson Browne – The Pretender (1976)
• Leo Sayer – Endless Flight (1976) – “When I Need You”; Thunder in My Heart (1977); Leo Sayer (1978); World Radio (1982); Have You Ever Been in Love (1983)
• Boz Scaggs – Silk Degrees (1976); Down Two Then Left (1977); Middle Man (1980); “Look What You’ve Done to Me” (1980, featured in the movie Urban Cowboy); “Miss Sun” (1980, released as a single, then included on the compilation Hits!); Other Roads (1988)
• John Sebastian – Welcome Back (1976)
• Carly Simon – “Nobody Does It Better” (1977)
• Eric Carmen – Boats Against the Current (1977) – “She Did It”
• Valerie Carter – Just a Stone’s Throw Away (1977); Wild Child (1978)
• Lisa Dal Bello – Lisa Dal Bello (1977)
• Hall & Oates – Beauty on a Back Street (1977)
• Lee Ritenour – Captain Fingers (1977); Rit (1981)
• Diana Ross – Baby It’s Me (1977); Ross (1983)
• Colin Blunstone – Never Even Thought (1978)
• Larry Carlton – Larry Carlton (1978); Sleepwalk (1981); Friends (1983)
• Allen Toussaint – Motion (1978)
• Linda Evans – “You Control Me” (1979)
• Dave Mason – Mariposa De Oro (1978) – “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow”
• Warren Zevon – Excitable Boy (1978) – “Nighttime in the Switching Yard”; Mr. Bad Example (1991)
• Ruben Blades – Nothing but the Truth (1988)
• Bim – Thistles (1978)
• Jerry Williams – Gone (1978)
• Al Stewart – Time Passages (1978) – “Valentina Way”
• Marc Jordan – Mannequin (1978)
• The Pointer Sisters – Energy (1978)
• Rickie Lee Jones – Rickie Lee Jones (1979); The Magazine (1984)
• Janne Schaffer – Earmeal (1979)
• Lowell George – Thanks, I’ll Eat It Here (1979)
• Flyer – Send a Little Love My Way (1979)
• Bill Hughes – Dream Master (1979)
• Pink Floyd – The Wall (1979) – “Mother“
• Aretha Franklin – Aretha (1980); Love All the Hurt Away (1981)
• Mariya Takeuchi – Miss M (1980)
• The Brothers Johnson – Winners (1981)
• Peter Frampton – Breaking All the Rules (1981)
• Bee Gees – Living Eyes (1981)
• Char – U.S.J (1981)
• Christopher Cross – “Arthur’s Theme (Best That You Can Do)” (1981); Another Page (1983); Rendezvous (1992)
• Randy Crawford – Secret Combination (1981); Windsong (1982); Nightline (1983)
• Al Jarreau – Breakin’ Away (1981) – “Breakin’ Away”; Jarreau (1983) – “Mornin'”, “Step by Step”, “Black and Blues”
• Amii Ozaki – Hot Baby (1981)
• Greg Lake – Greg Lake (1981)
• Crosby, Stills & Nash – Daylight Again (1982); Allies (1983)
• Eye to Eye – Eye to Eye (1982)
• Michael Jackson – Thriller (1982) – “The Girl is Mine”, “Beat It”, “Human Nature”, “The Lady in My Life”, Dangerous (1991) – “Heal the World”
• Donna Summer – Donna Summer (1982) – “Protection”
• Elton John – Jump Up! (1982)
• Melissa Manchester – Hey Ricky (1982) – “You Should Hear How She Talks About You”
• Donald Fagen – The Nightfly (1982)
• Herbie Hancock – Lite Me Up (1982)
• Don Henley – I Can’t Stand Still (1982) – “Dirty Laundry”; The End of the Innocence (1989) – “New York Minute”
• Michael McDonald – If That’s What It Takes (1982) – “I Keep Forgettin'”; No Lookin’ Back (1985); Take It to Heart (1990)
• The Imperials – Stand By The Power (1982)
• George Benson – In Your Eyes (1983) – “Lady Love Me (One More Time)”
• James Newton Howard – James Newton Howard and Friends (1983)
• Lionel Richie – Can’t Slow Down (1983) – “Running with the Night”; Louder Than Words (1996) – “The Climbing”
• Paul Simon – Hearts and Bones (1983) – “Train in the Distance”
• Randy Newman – Trouble in Paradise (1983) – “I Love L.A.”
• Russ Taff – Walls of Glass (1983) – “Walls of Glass”, “Jeremiah”, “Inside Look”; Russ Taft (1987) – “I Still Believe”
• Chicago – Chicago 17 (1984) – “Stay the Night”
• David Gilmour – About Face (1984)
• The Jacksons – Victory (1984) – “Torture”, “Wait”
• Paul McCartney – Give My Regards to Broad Street (1984) – “Silly Love Songs”
• Joe Walsh – The Confessor (1985)
• Eric Clapton – Behind the Sun (1985) – “Forever Man”
• Peter Cetera – Solitude/Solitaire (1986)
• Earth, Wind & Fire – Touch the World (1987)
• Roger Hodgson – Hai Hai (1987)
• David Benoit – Freedom at Midnight (1987); Shadows (1991)
• Jon Anderson – In the City of Angels (1988)
• Luis Miguel – Busca Una Mujer (1988)
• Love and Money – Strange Kind of Love (1988)
• Patti Austin – The Real Me (1988); Love Is Gonna Getcha (1990)
• Dr. John – In a Sentimental Mood (1989)
• Nik Kershaw – The Works (1989) – “Walkabout”
• Poco – Legacy (1989)
• Clair Marlo – Let It Go (1989)
• Celine Dion – Have a Heart (1989)
• Natalie Cole – Good to Be Back (1989) – “Miss You Like Crazy”, “Starting Over Again”
• Benny Hester – Perfect (1989)
• Madonna – Like a Prayer (1989) – “Cherish”; I’m Breathless (1990) – “Hanky Panky”
• Jude Cole – A View from 3rd Street (1990) – “Time for Letting Go”, “Compared to Nothing”; Start the Car (1992) – “Open Road”, “Tell The Truth”
• Sandi Patty – “Another Time…Another Place” (1990)
• Bruce Springsteen – “Viva Las Vegas” (1990, included in the collective album The Last Temptation of Elvis and featured in the movie Honeymoon in Vegas); Human Touch (1992)
• Fahed Mitre – Toda la Verdad (1990)
• Twenty Mondays – The Twist Inside (1990)
• Bryan Duncan – Anonymous Confessions of a Lunatic Friend (1990)
• Emily Remler – This Is Me (1990)
• Michael Bolton – Time, Love & Tenderness (1991) – “When a Man Loves a Woman”
• Cher – Mermaids (1990) – “The Shoop Shoop Song (It’s in His Kiss)”; Love Hurts (1991) – “Could’ve Been You”
• Dire Straits – On Every Street (1991) – (Except “Heavy Fuel” & “Planet of New Orleans”)
• Richard Marx – Rush Street (1991); Paid Vacation (1993) – “One Man”
• Bonnie Raitt – Luck of the Draw (1991)
• Rod Stewart – Vagabond Heart (1991) – “The Motown Song”
• Curtis Stigers – Curtis Stigers (1991)
• Ricky Gianco – E’ rock & roll (1991)
• B-52s – Good Stuff (1992)
• Go West – Indian Summer (1992)
• 10cc – …Meanwhile (1992)
• Bruce Springsteen – Human Touch (1992) – “Human Touch”
• Paul Young – The Crossing (1993)
• David Crosby – Thousand Roads (1993)
• Steve Porcaro – Someday/Somehow (2016) – “Back to You”

According to Richard Marx, he was the best drummer he had ever worked with, and he even dedicated the song “One Man” to him. In the 1995 album of Michael Jackson, HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I, he made a dedication in the liner notes for Porcaro.
But all good things, comes to an end. On 5 August 1992, at the age of 38, Porcaro died after falling ill due to the insecticide he sprayed. According to a coroner, it was determined heart attack as a consequence of occlusive coronary artery disease that is caused by atherosclerosis that is associated from the use of cocaine. But according to Los Angeles County Coroner spokesman, with some doctors who treated Porcaro, the heart attack was caused by an allergic reaction due to the inhaled pesticide that he sprayed. And also, according to his bandmate Steve Lukather, Porcaro has a smoking habit and he had also been suffering with a long-standing heart condition which both contributed to his death.
“Our love doesn’t end here; it lives forever, on the Wings of Time.”, These were written on his epitaph from the lyrics of Wings of Time from their album Kingdom of Desire.

Simon Phillips (1992 – 2008, 2010-2014)

Next in line is another amazing drummer, so without further ado, ladies and gentlemen, here’s Simon Phillips!
The technically brilliant, self-taught composer, song writer, record producer, and of course jazz, pop, and rock drummer Simon Phillips was born on 6 February 1957. He was just twelve years of age when he started to play professionally with the dixieland or the traditional jazz band led by his father for 4 years. After his father died, he started to play pop and rock. He then found a work as a session musician for the cast members of the musical Jesus Christ Superstar. In the 1970s and 1980s, he worked with different rock bands. In 1981, he formed a duo called Ph.D but split up in 1983. He also recorded his debut album with the band Protocol in 1989.
Jeff Porcaro liked his drumming style, that is why he was the only choice by Toto when Porcaro passed away. He officially joined the band after the Kingdom of Desire tour. He was with Toto from 1992 – 2008, and from February 2010 – January 2014. Simon’s last show with the band was in 2013, and left the following year to concentrate on his solo career. Simon Phillips is still on fire until now, in fact, just this 4 February 2022, he released the album Protocol V.
You can check the album here: www.simon-phillips.com/music/protocol-v.
Since we all know how very in-demand he was starting from the 1970s up to now, here are only some of his Discography:

As the leader:

• Protocol (Food for Thought, 1988)
• Simon Phillips (Manhattan, 1992)
• Force Majeure with Ray Russell, Anthony Jackson, Tony Roberts (B&W, 1993)
• Symbiosis (Lipstick, 1995)
• Another Lifetime (Lipstick, 1997)
• Out of the Blue (Victor, 1999)
• Vantage Point with Jeff Babko (Jazzline, 2000)
• Protocol II with Andy Timmons, Steve Weingart, Ernest Tibbs (Phantom, 2013)
• Protocol III with Andy Timmons, Steve Weingart, Ernest Tibbs (In-akustik, 2015)
• Protocol 4 with Greg Howe, Dennis Hamm, Ernest Tibbs (Phantom, 2017)

As sideman:

With Duncan Browne

• The Wild Places (1978)
• Streets Of Fire (1979)

With Asia

• Aqua (1992)
• Aura (2001)

With DarWin

• DarWin 2: A Frozen War (2020)

With Derek Sherinian

• Inertia (Inside Out, 2001)
• Black Utopia (J.S.H.P., 2003)
• Mythology (Inside Out, 2004)
• Blood of the Snake (Inside Out, 2006)
• Oceana (Music Theories, 2011)
• The Phoenix (Inside Out, 2020)

With Gary Moore

• Back on the Streets (1978)
• After the War (1989)

With Gordon Giltrap

• Visionary (The Electric Record Company, catalogue no. TRIX 2) (1976)
• Perilous Journey (The Electric Record Company, catalogue no. TRIX 4) (1977)
• Fear of the Dark (The Electric Record Company) (1978)

With 801

• 801 Live (1976)
• Listen Now (1977)
• Live @ Hull (2009)
• Latino (2013)
• Manchester (2015)

With Hiromi

• Voice (Telarc, 2011)
• Move (Telarc, 2012)
• Alive (Telarc, 2014)
• Move: Live in Tokyo (Telarc, 2014)
• Spark (Telarc, 2016)

With Jeff Beck

• There & Back (Epic, 1980)

With Jack Bruce

• How’s Tricks (RSO, 1977)
• Cities of the Heart (CMP, 1994)
• Jet Set Jewel (Polydor, 2003)

With Joe Satriani

• Flying in a Blue Dream (Relativity, 1989)
• The Extremist (Relativity, 1992)
• Time Machine (Relativity, 1993)
• Super Colossal (Epic, 2006)

With Jon Anderson

• Song of Seven (Atlantic, 1980)
• Animation (Polydor, 1982)

With Jon Lord
• Before I Forget (Harvest, 1982)

With Judas Priest
• Sin After Sin (CBS, Inc. (UK)), (Columbia (US)) (1977)

With L. Shankar
• Touch Me There (Produced by Frank Zappa) (1979)
With Michael Schenker
• The Michael Schenker Group (Chrysalis, 1980)
• The 30th Anniversary Concert – Live in Tokyo (In-akustik, 2010)
• In the Midst of Beauty (In-akustik, 2008)
• Temple of Rock (In-akustik, 2011)

With Mike Oldfield
• Crises (Virgin, 1983)
• Discovery (Virgin, 1984)
• Islands (Virgin, 1987)
• Heaven’s Open (Virgin, 1991)

With Nik Kershaw
• Radio Musicola (MCA, 1986)
• You’ve Got to Laugh (Short House Records, 2006)

With Pete Townshend
• Empty Glass (ATCO, 1980)
• All the Best Cowboys Have Chinese Eyes (ATCO, 1982)
• White City: A Novel (ATCO, 1985)
• The Iron Man: The Musical by Pete Townshend (Virgin, 1989)

With Ph.D.
• PhD (Atlantic, 1981)
• Is It Safe? (WEA, 1983)
• Three (Voiceprint, 2009)

With Steve Hackett
• Beyond the Shrouded Horizon (WHD 2011)
• At the Edge of Light (2019)

With Mike Rutherford
• Smallcreep’s Day (Charisma Records, 1980)

With Madness (band)
• The Madness (Virgin, 1988)

With Steve Lukather
• Candyman (Columbia, 1994)
• Santamental (Favored Nations, 2005)

With Toto
• Absolutely Live (Columbia, 1993)
• Tambu (Columbia, 1995)
• Toto XX (1998)
• Mindfields (Columbia, 1999)
• Livefields (Columbia, 1999)
• Through the Looking Glass (EMI, 2002)
• Live in Amsterdam (Eagle, 2002)
• Falling in Between (Frontiers, 2006)
• Falling in Between Live (2007)
• Live in Poland (Eagle, 2014)

With Toyah
• The Changeling (1982)
• Warrior Rock: Toyah on Tour (1982)

With The Who
• Join Together (Virgin, 1990)
• Thirty Years of Maximum R&B (Polydor, 1994)
So what’s up? Hope you are still with me 😉 and that’s only his partial!
Simon Phillips last show with Toto was in 2013. If in case you want to have an update with Simon, here’s his website www.simon-phillips.com

Keith Carlock (2014, played on Toto’s latest album XIV)

When Simon Phillips left Toto to focus on his solo career, Keith Carlock replaced him. Keith is an American musician that was born on 29 November 1971.
In the late 1990s, he started playing for Steely Dan. He also played drums with James Taylor, Sting, and John Mayer. In January 2014, he joined Toto and played on every track of the album Toto XIV. He also toured with the band in April – May 2014.
In 2009, he won the Best Pop, Fusion, and All-Around drummer in the Modern Drummer’s Readers Poll. He is also a member of the Mississippi Musicians Hall of Fame. Also in 2009, he released The Big Picture: Phrasing, Improvisation, Style, and Technique, an instructional DVD.

Here are some of Keith’s Credits!
• Steely Dan – Northeast Corridor: Steely Dan Live – 2021
• Steely Dan – Donald Fagen’s the Nightfly Live – 2021
• Bootsy Collins – The Power of the One – 2020
• Bill Evans / Robben Ford – The Sun Room – 2019
• Jon Regan – Higher Ground – 2019
• GIG – Brave New World – 2018
• Michael Bublé – Nobody But Me – 2016
• Toto – Toto XIV – 2015
• Oz Noy – Twisted Blues, Vol.2 – 2014
• Christopher Cross – Secret Ladder – 2014
• Wayne Krantz – Good Piranha – Bad Piranha – 2014
• Joe Robinson – Gemini, Vol. 1 – 2014
• Wayne Krantz – Howie 61 – 2012
• Donald Fagen – Cheap Xmas: Donald Fagen Complete – 2012
• Mike Stern – All Over the Place – 2012
• Joe Robinson – Let Me Introduce You – 2011
• Oz Noy – Schizophrenic – 2009
• Rudder – Matorning – 2009
• Wayne Krantz – Krantz-Carlock-Lefebvre – 2009
• Jam on Guitars – 2009
• Clay Aiken – On My Way Here – 2008
• Faith Hill – Joy to the World – 2008
• Lynne Timmes – Human – 2008
• Rascal Flatts – Greatest Hits, Vol. 1 – 2008
• Walter Becker – Circus Money – 2008
• Jeff Oster – True – 2007
• Rudder – Rudder – 2007
• Oz Noy – Fuzzy – 2007
• Sondre Lerche – Dan in Real Life – 2007
• Steely Dan – The Definitive Collection – 2006
• Oz Noy – Oz Live – 2006
• Donald Fagen – Morph the Cat – 2006
• Leni Stern – Love Comes Quietly – 2006
• Phil Keaggy – Jammed! – 2006
• Diana Ross – I Love You – 2006
• Jane Getter – See Jane Run – 2005
• Marian McPartland / Steely Dan – Marian McPartland’s Piano Jazz with Steely Dan – 2005
• Oz Noy – Ha! – 2005
• Drum Nation, Vol. 2 – 2005
• Leni Stern – When Evening Falls – 2004
• Freddy Cole – In the Name of Love – 2003
• Steely Dan – Everything Must Go – 2003
• Wolf – Shallow Breath – 2002
• David Johanssen & the Harry Smiths – Shaker – 2002
• Secret Ellington – 2002
• Leni Stern – Finally the Rain Has Come – 2002
• The Octaves Beyond Silence Project: A Benefit Album – 2001
• Rhett Tyler – Live at Manny’s Car Wash – 2001
• Steely Dan – Two Against Nature – 2000
• Leni Stern – Kindness of Strangers – 2000
• Carman – Heart of a Champion – 2000
• Betty – Carnival – 2000
• Betty – Betty 3 – 1999
• Heads up Super Band – Live at the Berks Jazz Fest – 1998
• Michael Harris – Ego Decimation Profile – 1996
• Jack Ingram – Lonesome Question – 1995
• Paula Abdul – Head Over Heels – 1995
• Wayne Krantz – Write Out Your Head
• Donald Fagen – Walk Between Raindrops (Live)
• Marco Iacobini – The Sky There’ll Always Be
• The Gathering
• Jimmy Stinson – Stop Look & Listen
• Steely Dan – Reelin’ in the Years (Live)
• Sean Wayland – Pistachio
• Donald Fagen – New Frontier (Live)
• Donald Fagen – I.G.Y. (Live)
• Steely Dan – Hey Nineteen (Live)
• Saso Sandic – Alley Raven
• Steely Dan – Aja (Live)

You can visit his website keithcarlock.com to know him more!

Whew! That was long! Are you still with me? I guess we better take a break for now, will tell you more when I come back. Thank you and bye for now!