Toto - Africa

Toto (stylized as TOTO) is an American rock band formed in 1977 in Los Angeles. The band's current lineup consists of Steve Lukather (guitars and vocals) and Joseph Williams (vocals), as well as touring musicians, John Pierce (bass), Robert "Sput" Searight (drums), Dominique "Xavier" Taplin (keyboards and vocals), Steve Maggiora (keyboards and vocals) and Warren Ham (horns and vocals). Toto is known for a musical style that combines elements of pop, rock, soul, funk, progressive rock, hard rock, R&B, blues and jazz. David Paich and Jeff Porcaro had played together as session musicians on several albums and decided to form a band. David Hungate, Lukather, Steve Porcaro, and Bobby Kimball were recruited before the first album release. The band enjoyed great commercial success in the late 1970s and 1980s, beginning with the band's eponymous debut released in 1978. With the release of the commercially successful Toto IV (1982), Toto became one of the best-selling music groups of their era. Widely known for the Top 5 hits "Hold the Line", "Rosanna", and "Africa", the makeup of the group continued to evolve. Hungate left in 1982; Kimball left in 1984, but rejoined the band in 1998, leaving again in 2008. Jeff Porcaro died in 1992 after inhaling pesticides while gardening. Hungate rejoined Toto as a touring musician and later a band member. In 2008, Lukather announced his departure from the band, and the remaining band members later went their separate ways. In the summer of 2010, Toto reformed and went on a short European tour, with a new lineup, to benefit Mike Porcaro, who had been diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and was no longer an active member of the band. He died in 2015. The band celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2017. Toto announced an extended hiatus following the final leg of their 40th anniversary tour in 2019. In October 2020, the band announced that guitarist and founding member Steve Lukather and longtime vocalist Joseph Williams would return to touring as Toto in the 2021 "Dogz of Oz" tour, and in a live-streamed concert on November 21, 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Toto has released 14 studio albums, and has sold over 40 million records worldwide. The group has been honored with several Grammy Awards and was inducted into the Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum in 2009.