He is a drummer, percussionist and songwriter born
Jeffrey Thomas Porcaro in Hartford, Connecticut, into a musical family where
his father, Joe, was a session percussionist and his brothers, Steve and
Mike, are also session musicians. He began performing on drums when he was
seven, getting his tuition from his father and then further studies from
other respected musicians and was performing in a rock band when he was
thirteen.His musical career
saw him leaving school to perform with the touring band for Sonny &
Cher when he was still only seventeen.By the time he was in his early twenties he had become a
much sought after session musician and was soon performing with acts such
as Boz Scaggs and Steely Dan.In the mid 1970s he got together with his friends David Paich and
Steve Lukather and formed the band Toto, which would become an extremely
successful chart-topping and Grammy Award winning group with hits such as
"Africa", "Hold the Line" and "Rosanna".At the same time he was still working as a very highly
regarded and active session musician with many of the top names in the
business.Throughout the
course of his tragically short career he worked with singers, musicians and
groups such as Herb Alpert, Paul Anka, Chet Atkins, Patti Austin, Hoyt
Axton, Randy Bachman, The B-52s, Colin Blunstone, Michael Boddicker,
Michael Bolton, Laura Branigan, Jackson Browne, Peter Cetera, Stanley
Clarke, Rosemary Clooney, Joe Cocker, Miles Davis, Kiki Dee, Willie
DeVille, Celine Dion, Dr. John, Randy Edelman, Yvonne Elliman, Donald
Fagen, David Foster, The Four Tops, Aretha Franklin, Lowell George, Leslie
Gore, Jay Graydon, Adrian Gurvitz, Don Henley, Roger Hodgson, James Newton
Howard, Janis Ian, Julio Iglesias, La Toya Jackson, Henry Kapono, Jim
Keltner, Mark Knopfler, Patti LaBelle, Greg Lake, David Lasley, Peggy Lee,
Nils Lofgren, Melissa Manchester, Gap Mangione, The Manhattan Transfer,
Richard Marx (who dedicated his "One Man" to him), Country Joe McDonald,
Glenn Medeiros, Jim Messina, Bette Midler, Mink DeVille, Randy Newman,
Juice Newton, Roy Orbison, John Parr, Dolly Parton, The Pointer Sisters,
Billy Preston, Bonnie Raitt, Brenda Russell, Carole Bayer Sager, Timothy B.
Schmit, Tom Scott, John Sebastian, Carly Simon, Lee Sklar, Bernie Taupin,
Tommy Tedesco, Three Dog Night, Mel Torme, Stanley Turrentine, Roger
Waters, Ernie Watts and Warren Zevon amongst hundreds of others.Albums he appeared on number well
into the hundreds, if not thousands, and just a few of them include Keep
Your Eye on Me by Herb Alpert, View from the Ground by America, In
the City of Angels by Jon Anderson, Living Eyes by The Bee Gees,
In Your Eyes by George Benson, Southern Nights by Glen
Campbell, Boats Against the Current by Eric Carmen, My World
by Ray Charles, Bittersweet White Light by Cher, Behind the Sun
by Eric Clapton, Greatest Hits, Vol. 1 by Natalie Cole, Heartbreak
Radio by Rita Coolidge, Raw Silk by Randy Crawford, Daylight
Again by Crosby, Stills & Nash, Another Page by Christopher
Cross, On Every Street by Dire Straits, Touch the World by
Earth, Wind & Fire, I Hear Music by England Dan & John Ford
Coley, Windows and Walls by Dan Fogelberg, Breaking All the Rules
by Peter Frampton, In the Center by Rodney Franklin, Children of
the World by Stan Getz, About Face by David Gilmour, Indian Summer
by Go West, All This & Heaven Too by Andrew Gold, Beauty on a
Back Street by Hall & Oates, Lite Me Up by Herbie Hancock, Don't
You Love Me Anymore by Engelbert Humperdinck, Thriller by
Michael Jackson, Victory by The Jacksons, Deep in the Night
by Etta James, Breakin' Away by Al Jarreau, Jump Up! by Elton
John, From Q With Love by Quincy Jones, Works by Nik Kershaw,
Like a Prayer by Madonna, Showstoppers by Barry Manilow, That's
What Friends Are For by Johnny Mathis & Deniece Williams, Give
My Regards to Broad Street by Paul McCartney, If That's What It
Takes by Michael McDonald, Making a Good Thing Better by Olivia Newton
John, Anywhere You Go by David Pack, Some People Can Do What They
Like by Robert Palmer, The Wall by Pink Floyd, Can't Slow
Down by Lionel Richie, Baby, It's Me by Diana Ross, Endless
Flight by Leo Sayer, Silk Degrees by Boz Scaggs, Diamond Girl
by Seals & Crofts, Hearts and Bones by Paul Simon, Human
Touch by Bruce Springsteen, Pretzel Logic by Steely Dan, Time
Passages by Al Stewart, Vagabond Heart by Rod Stewart, Curtis
Stigers by Curtis Stigers, Songbird by Barbra Streisand, Donna
Summer by Donna Summer, ... Meanwhile by 10CC, Fahrenheit,Hydra,Isolation,Seventh One,Turn Back and Toto IV
by Toto, Motion by Allen Toussaint, Songs of The Beatles by
Sarah Vaughan, Swordfishtrombones by Tom Waits Confessor by
Joe Walsh and Crossing by Paul Young.In the movies he has appeared on many soundtracks such
as California Dreaming, The Color Purple, Dune, Dying Young, Grand
Canyon, Hudson Hawk and Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
and made an un-credited appearance in the movie Give My Regards to Broad
Street.In 1992, when he
was just 38 years old, he suffered a fatal heart attack said to have been
from an undiagnosed heart condition.His wife and three young sons survived him, and a memorial concert
was held in his honour and to assist in setting up a trust fund for his
children.The Jeff Porcaro
Memorial Fund was set up at the Grant High School departments of music and
arts, where he had previously been a student.
