Late Toto drummer Jeff Porcaro would’ve celebrated his 70th birthday on April 1, 2024. A co-founding member of the veteran rock band, Porcaro also was considered one of the finest session drummers in the music business.
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Sadly, Porcaro was just 38 years when he died of a heart attack on August 5, 1992.
Porcaro was 17 when he got his first major music gig, playing drums in Sonny & Cher’s touring band. Among his early recording credits were Steely Dan’s 1975 album Katy Lied and Boz Scaggs’ smash 1976 record Silk Degrees.
Porcaro co-founded Toto in 1977 with keyboardist/singer David Paich, as well as with guitarist Steve Lukather, singer Bobby Kimball, bassist David Hungate, and his own brother, keyboardist Steve Porcaro.
Besides playing on all of Toto’s recordings up until his passing, Porcaro contributed his talents to songs and albums by a jaw-dropping list of other artists.
Here is a list of just five of the many well-known tunes that feature Porcaro’s drumming skills:
Boz Scaggs – “Lowdown” (1976)
Porcaro is featured throughout Scaggs’ 1976 breakthrough album Silk Degrees, as are his future Toto bandmates Paich and Hungate. “Lowdown” was the biggest hit from the record, peaking at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Porcaro lays down a deft shuffling groove and the soulful, R&B-flavored tune. “Lowdown” went on to sell more than 1 million copies and took home a Grammy Award in the Best R&B Song category.
Pink Floyd – “Mother” (1979)
Pink Floyd’s drummer from the band’s inception was Nick Mason, but during the making of the band’s classic 1979 concept album The Wall, Porcaro was brought in to play on the track “Mother.”
Mason was having difficulty mastering the track’s difficult time signatures, and since Pink Floyd was on a tight recording schedule, Porcaro was hired to do the job.
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Mason apparently had no bad feelings about Porcaro replacing him on the song, and in a 2020 radio interview (transcribed by Rock and Roll Garage website), he revealed that he was a fan of both Toto and Porcaro.
“I’ve always liked Toto; liked those songs, liked what they do,” Mason said. “But also, Jeff Porcaro, who’s the drummer, is a drummer’s drummer.”
Michael Jackson – “Beat It” (1982)
Michael Jackson’s 1982 album Thriller is one of the best-selling albums of all time. Porcaro and his Toto bandmates Paich, Lukather, and Steve Porcaro all play on several of the record’s tracks.
Among the songs on which Porcaro is featured is “Beat It,” one of Jackson’s most enduring hits. The rocking tune, which famously features a guitar solo by Eddie Van Halen, spent three weeks at No. 1 on the Hot 100 in April-May of 1983.
In 1984, “Beat It” won Grammy Awards for Record of the Year and Best Rock Vocal Performance, Male. The track has sold more than 8 million copies in the U.S.
Don Henley – “Dirty Laundry” (1982)
After the Eagles’ initial breakup in 1980, Don Henley launched a successful solo career, starting with his debut album, I Can’t Stand Still, in 1982. The album included the hit “Dirty Laundry,” which featured Porcaro providing a rock steady beat. Two of his Toto bandmates, Lukather and brother Steve Porcaro, also contributed to the tune.
“Dirty Laundry,” which turns a critical eye on tabloid media, reached No. 3 on the Hot 100.
Bruce Springsteen – “Human Touch” (1992)
In 1992, Bruce Springsteen released two albums simultaneously, Human Touch and Lucky Town. Porcaro played drums on all of the songs on Human Touch. The album’s title track was the only hit from the record, peaking at No. 16 on the Billboard Hot 100. It also spent three weeks at No. 1 on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock Tracks tally.
Porcaro provided the muscular, metronomic beat for the tune, which was nominated for a Grammy in Best Rock Song category, but did not win.
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