Porcaro, Jeff (1st April 1954-5th August 1992)

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. 1by Natalie Cole, Heartbreak Radio by Rita Coolidge, Raw Silk by Randy Crawford, Daylight Againby 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 Centerby 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 Confessorby 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.

Glen Campbell Recordings
Southern Nights (Allen Toussaint)
Capitol 4376 S93475A

Johnny Mathis & Deniece Williams recordings
Emotion (Barry Gibb/Robin Gibb)
S CBS 6164B (UK 45)

Sources:

Porcaro, Jeff (1st April 1954-5th August 1992)

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