Born 69 Years Ago Today in the Golden State, the Founding Member of a Grammy-Winning 80s Rock Band Who Played Guitar on Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller’

On this day (October 21) in 1957, Steven Lee Lukather was born in the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles, California. Inspired to play guitar as a young child by the Beatles’ George Harrison, Steve Lukather is most recognizable as the only continuous founding member of 1980s rock staple Toto, best known for hits like “Hold the Line” (1978) and the 1982 Billboard Hot 100 chart-topper “Africa”.

However, Lukather’s resume extends far beyond his work with Toto. Among the most prolific session guitarists of all time, he has lent his skills to more than 1,500 albums across a broad spectrum of genres. Notably, he played guitar on “Beat It”, “The Girl is Mine”, and ““Human Nature” – all tracks from Michael Jackson’s landmark 1982 album Thriller.

Steve Lukather has also released nine studio albums of his own – most recently Bridges in 2023. Today we’re revisiting his remarkable career in honor of his 69th birthday.

Steve Lukather Had Some Solid Mentors

Steve Lukather grew up in proximity to the entertainment industry. His father worked on TV shows like The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet and I Dream of Jeannie as an assistant director and production manager at Paramount Studios.

When he was seven years old, Lukather’s father brought home a cheap Kay acoustic guitar and a copy of Meet the Beatles – thereby changing the entire trajectory of his young son’s life.

“Just the sound of it overcame my whole soul, if you want to call it that,” he recalled in 1993. “I knew that’s what I wanted to do. I remember George Harrison played a solo in ‘I Saw Her Standing There’, and just the sound of the guitar bending and the reverb struck a nerve inside of me.”

Teaching himself to play guitar, keyboards, and drums, Lukather sought out older friends who could show him new tricks on his guitar. At 14, he started studying with Jimmy Wyble, a classical and jazz guitarist who taught him to read music, orchestration, and theory. 

While a student at Grant High School in Los Angeles, Lukather crossed paths with David Paich and the Porcaro brothers – Jeff, Mike, and Steve – all of whom would later become members of Toto.

Jeff Porcaro, who had been playing drums with Steely Dan since 1973, mentored the younger man and planted the initial seed for his future session career.

Founding Toto

Steve Lukather’s first session work was with Boz Scaggs. He played on the blues, jazz and R&B legend’s albums Down Two Then Left (1977) and Middle Man (1980).

In 1976, David Paich and Jeff Porcaro — now prolific session musicians in their own right — invited Lukather to join them in forming Toto in 1976 alongside singer Bobby Kimball, bassist David Hungate, and keyboardist/vocalist Steve Porcaro.

Just 19 years old at the time, he later described the invitation as “my personal dream come true.”

“You gotta dig, these guys were and still are my heroes,” Lukather said in 2005. “I still can’t believe they chose me!!!”

Since Toto’s inception, Lukather has filled the roles of lead guitarist, composer, and lead and backing vocalist. The band’s eponymous 1978 debut was an instant success, spawning the top 10 single “Hold the Line”.

Four years later, Toto released the triple-Platinum album Toto IV, which yielded three top 10 entries on the Billboard Hot 100 — “Rosanna”, “Africa”, and “I Won’t Hold You Back”.

Toto IV nabbed six Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year and Record of the Year for “Rosanna”.

The Session Work Never Stopped

Even as Toto’s star rose throughout the 1980s, Steve Lukathar refused to choose between the band and session work.

At his peak, he was recording 29 sessions a week with artists like Aretha Franklin, Diana Ross, Joni Mitchell, Don Henley, and Donna Summer.

In 1982, Lukather famously played guitar and bass on multiple tracks for Michael Jackson’s Thriller album, as well as contributing to the arrangement of “Human Nature”.

His Career Evolution

By the late 1980s, Steve Lukather was co-writing nearly song Toto released. He released his debut solo album, Lukather, in 1989.

Since then, he has continued carrying the Toto torch; by 2008, he was the only founding member still in the band.

[RELATED: 5 Songs You Didn’t Know Toto’s Steve Lukather Wrote for Other Artists]

In recent years, he has toured with Ringo Starr and Peter Frampton, all while releasing new Toto albums and solo projects.

Featured image by Rob Verhorst/Redferns