“I Really Want To Make a Big Point of This”: Steve Lukather Sets the Record Straight About Toto’s Lineup and Fan Criticism

No matter if it was pop, funk, R&B, jazz, blues, rock, or even soul, Toto embraced all genres of music. The band behind hits like “Africa”, “Stop Loving You”, and “Rosanna”, Toto not only won several Grammy Awards but also landed in the Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum. With a history dating back to the late 1970s, Toto went through some major lineup changes throughout the years. And according to guitarist Steve Lukather, he is tired of hearing about it. 

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With Toto spending nearly 50 years in the music industry, Lukather is the last remaining original member. For Joseph Williams, he didn’t join the group until the late 1980s. And David Paich decided to retire from touring. And sadly, Jeff Porcaro passed away in 1992. Passing away at just 38, Toto struggled to bounce back after the tragedy.

Appearing on the Rockonteurs podcast, Lukather fired back at fans who constantly criticized the lineup for not being authentic. “I really want to make a big point of this, because I take a lot of s**t for it from certain people. I know what we’re doing now is not the original band. Lord knows I wish it could be. It could be intact and everybody healthy, and we could still be doing it. But as the years went, we went through some tragic losses. And after that, we persevered.”

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Steve Lukather Claims Toto Almost Ended After Jeff Porcaro Passed Away

Recalling the death of Porcaro, Lukather admitted Toto nearly disbanded at the time. “When Jeff passed, we all thought, ‘Well, how are we going to carry on?’ Had we not made that album, (1992’s) King Desire, and had tickets on sale that were sold out all over Europe, and a crew and everybody, we would have probably packed it in then. I mean, the thought of carrying on without Jeff was unthinkable. But we did. We carried on, because even if we didn’t, it wouldn’t bring [him] back.”

Insisting it wasn’t his “choice” to be the “last man standing” from the original lineup, Lukather cared little about the critics or opinions. He only wanted to keep the “old music alive.”

With the losses, the changes, and the years behind him, Lukather keeps pushing forward, determined that Toto’s story doesn’t end with the lineup—it ends with the music.

(Photo by Brittany Long/WireImage)