Toto’s Final Top 40 Hit Was Delivered by a Lead Singer Not Long for the Band

Toto’s recording career is notable for how their biggest successes, their first and fourth albums, dwarf all others in their catalog in terms of commercial success. Many of their other LPs suffered amidst daring stylistic shifts and band turmoil.

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Their 1988 album The Seventh One had the goods to match those other two behemoths if it weren’t for timing and lack of promotion. But at least the album included the band’s final Top 40 hit.

Studio Aces Unite

Toto’s members had often delivered on the West Coast music scene in the 70s, even before they officially formed. They were expert session players on records by artists like Steely Dan and Boz Scaggs. After crossing paths so often in various studios, they decided to form a group of their own.

The enterprise was a smashing success right off the bat. Debut single “Hold The Line” shot to No. 5 in 1978, paving the way for their self-titled debut album to hit the Top 10. But their next two albums failed to make it anywhere close to that level of success, leaving the band worried about their ability to continue recording.

With their backs against the wall, the band delivered, and then some. Toto IV, released in 1982, went platinum, spun off two massive hits in “Rosanna” and “Africa”, and made them big winners on Grammy night. Unfortunately, that pinnacle proved daunting to reach with subsequent releases, especially as personal problems increased.

Lead Singers Everywhere

By the time Toto came back with their 1984 album Isolation, they were sporting a new lead singer. Bobby Kimball couldn’t rise to the occasion in the studio with his vocals for the songs. As a result, the band enlisted Fergie Frederiksen to replace him. But Frederiksen lasted just a single album with the band.

Meanwhile, sales for Isolation came nowhere near Toto IV. The subsequent tour found the band playing to sparse crowds. Their next lead singer hire was Joseph Williams, son of the famed film composer John Williams. He sang lead on much of Fahrenheit in 1986, although longtime guitarist Steve Lukather did the honors on the LP’s two Top 40 hits.

The good news was that Williams stuck around for The Seventh One in 1987. Toto, feeling somewhat stable (even though keyboardist Steve Porcaro bolted during the making of the album), delivered an album that they thought was on par with Toto and Toto IV. And that started with a potent lead single.

The Last Hit

Joseph Williams co-wrote “Pamela” with Toto keyboardist David Paich. As it turned out, both Williams and Paich were working on separate songs with the same title, only to combine the ideas. The end result is a horn-filled track with a funk feel in the verses that opens up into a thrilling chorus.

“Pamela” did its job, landing at No. 22. But a leadership change at the band’s label during the album cycle hurt the promotional push for it. On top of that, Toto found themselves in the same boat as many of their arena rock brethren in struggling to make something happen in the late 80s.

In a wild coincidence, Joseph Williams began having his own vocal problems during the tour supporting the record. That precipitated yet another change in lead singers for Toto. But at least Williams was on his game for “Pamela”, a thrilling track capturing this band at its best.

Photo by Rob Verhorst/Redferns