Biography of toto

BIO

Over the past decade, TOTO has had a major renaissance in popularity like few bands at this point in their career.  No individual statistic exhibits this more than achieving the milestone of over 3.4 billion streams at Spotify alone. The total plays of the band’s collected works across all platforms is now approaching five billion. Amongst the most listened to recordings, “Africa” accounts for over one billion streams at Spotify alone.  The song was recertified by the RIAA 8X Platinum.

Individually and collectively, the band’s family tree can be heard on an astonishing 5000 albums that together amass a sales history of a half a billion albums.  Amongst these recordings, NARAS applauded the performances with hundreds of Grammy nominations.   They are pop culture, and are one of the few 70’s bands that have endured the changing trends and styles while continuing to remain relevant.

Steve Lukather aka Luke shares, “There is a refreshing, optimistic enthusiasm to step in to the future. As long-tenured members of the band, Joe and I want to be on the road continuing to keep the original legacy of the band alive, bringing the music to our multi-generational fan base. In 2023, it was truly humbling to perform in front of close to a million fans. And for 2024, we’ll stage appearances in front of even more across the globe. I’ve spent more than four and a half decades of my life nurturing this legacy, while enabling the music to continually exist in the live concert setting.” Joseph Williams offers, “Luke and I have been through a lot with one another. He’s like a brother to me. Our creative partnership has always enriched our lives. As we look ahead, there is nothing but anticipation to bring everything in our minds to life. I can’t think of anyone else on Earth I’d rather collaborate with. He is a lifelong, loyal and gifted friend and band mate…we’ve become The Dogz of Oz!”

Austrian investor and motorsport executive (born 1972)

Torger Christian "Toto" Wolff (German pronunciation:[volf], born 12 January 1972) is an Austrian billionaire investor, motorsport executive and former racing driver. Since 2013, Wolff has served as team principal, CEO and co-owner of Mercedes in Formula One, winning eight consecutive World Constructors' Championship titles from 2014 to 2021; he also served as director and CEO of Mercedes-EQ in Formula E, winning two Formula E World Teams' Championship titles.

Wolff began his motorsport career in the Austrian Formula Ford Championship and the German Formula Ford Series. He won his category in the 1994 24 Hours Nürburgring and later competed in the FIA GT Championship and Italian GT Championship. As an investor, Wolff founded Marchfifteen in 1998 and Marchsixteen Investments in 2004, initially focusing on Internet and technology companies. He specialises in strategic investments in medium-sized industrial and listed companies, which have included Williams F1 and German HWA AG.

Early life

Torger Christian Wolff was born on 12 January 1972 in Vienna to a Polish mother and a Romanian father. His mother was a physician. He grew up in the city and was educated in the Lycée Français de Vienne, a prestigious French school. Wolff's father was diagnosed with brain cancer when he was eight years old. His parents separated following his father's diagnosis. His father died of the disease when Wolff was 15.

Business career

Wolff founded investment companies Marchfifteen (1998) and Marchsixteen (2004), which initially focused on internet and technology company investments. Since 2003, Wolff has concentrated on strategic investments in medium-sized industrial and listed companies. Investments included the German HWA AG, in which Wolff bought a 49% stake in 2006, listing the company on the stock ex

Toto is a Grammy Award winning Americanrock band that was formed in Los Angeles, California in 1977 by David Paich, Steve Lukather, Bobby Kimball, brothers Jeff Porcaro and Steve Porcaro, and David Hungate. The band members had met in high school and at studio sessions in the 1970s, when they became some of the busiest session musicians in the music business.

Composed entirely of seasoned studio musicians, Toto seemed to come out of nowhere. They did not get known first on the club circuit as nearly all bands do prior to being signed by a label. Their reputations in the studio were enough. For example, Paich, Hungate and Jeff Porcaro wrote songs for and performed on Boz Scaggs' album Silk Degrees.

Toto released their debut album Toto in October 1978, selling two million copies based on their top ten hit Hold the Line. The next two albums Hydra and Turn Back had little success, but Toto IV (released in 1982) featured the number one hit Africa as well as the top ten single Rosanna. Toto IV went multi-platinum and earned several Grammy Awards including 1983 Album of the Year and Record of the Year (for "Rosanna").

Their only film work to date was for the 1984 David Lynch science fiction film Dune. In addition to their own score, they also recorded the Prophecy Theme, composed by Brian Eno.

After the release of Toto IV, Mike Porcaro (brother to Jeff and Steve), joined the group on bass, replacing Hungate. In 1984, Bobby Kimball left the group after being arrested for selling cocaine and was replaced by Dennis Frederiksen aka Fergie Frederiksen, who was replaced not long after by Joseph Williams.

Steve Porcaro left the band in 1988, however, he still contributes as a sideman.

In 1990, Jean-Michel Byron replaced Williams for the new recordings on Past to Present 1977-1990, then left with Lukather becoming the group's lead singer.

On August 5, 1992, Jeff Porcaro died of a heart attack, days after completing work on Kingdom of Desire. The group

American rock band

Toto, stylized as TOTO, is an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1977. Toto combines elements of pop, rock, soul, funk, hard rock, R&B, blues, and jazz. Having released 14 studio albums and sold over 50 million records worldwide, the group has received several Grammy Awards and was inducted into the Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum in 2009.

David Paich (keyboards, vocals) and Jeff Porcaro (drums) had played together as session musicians on several albums and formed the band; David Hungate (bass), Steve Lukather (guitar, vocals), Steve Porcaro (keyboards, vocals), and Bobby Kimball (vocals) were recruited before the release of the band's eponymous debut album in 1978. Led by the Top 5 single "Hold the Line", the album brought the band to mainstream attention, though it was their fourth album Toto IV (1982) which brought them global attention. "Africa" topped the Billboard Hot 100, while "Rosanna" reached number 2, helping Toto become one of the best-selling music groups of their era.

Following Toto IV, two of the original members, Hungate and Kimball, departed the band. Hungate was replaced on bass by Mike Porcaro, while Kimball was replaced by a number of different short-term vocalists, the longest serving of which was Joseph Williams. After Jeff Porcaro's death in 1992, he was replaced by Simon Phillips. While the band has not repeated the U.S. radio successes of their heyday in the late 1970s and early 1980s, they have continued to produce albums and tour more-or-less continuously