Jeff Porcaro

American drummer, percussionist, songwriter and record producer, widely regarded as one of the most prolific and technically skilled session drummers in history. Born 1 April 1954, Hartford, Connecticut — died 5 August 1992, West Hills, California. He is the oldest son of percussionist Joe Porcaro (1930—2020) and brother of bassist Mike Porcaro (1955—2015) and keyboardist Steve Porcaro (b. 1957), with whom he co-founded the Toto band. Between 1971 and 1992, Porcaro recorded thousands of sessions for such critically-acclaimed albums as Steely Dan's Katy Lied, Pink Floyd's The Wall and Michael Jackson's Thriller. Music critic William Ruhlmann wrote, "it's no exaggeration to say that the sound of mainstream pop/rock drumming in the 1980s was, to a large extent, the sound of Jeff Porcaro." He was posthumously inducted into the Modern Drummer Hall of Fame in 1993. Jeff Porcaro grew up in California, in LA's San Fernando Valley, and began playing drums at seven, initially trained by his father, Joe Porcaro, and subsequently by Bob Zimmitti and Richie Lepore. He later wrote that Jim Keltner and Jim Gordon were his major early influences. In 1971, at only seventeen, Jeff got his first professional gig in Sonny & Cher's touring band. (The duo's Live In Las Vegas Vol.2 2xLP, released by MCA Records in 1973, features one of the very few Porcaro's live drum solos.) By his early twenties, Jeff had toured with Boz Scaggs and appeared on hundreds of albums, including several sessions with Steely Dan. Around 1977, Porcaro organized a Toto band with his brother Steve Porcaro and childhood friends Steve Lukather and David Paich. Jeff recorded ten albums with Toto, including the soundtrack for David Lynch's original 1984 Dune and his best-known and most impactful record, Toto IV LP (1982). For the opening track "Rosanna," Jeff invented a notoriously tricky "half-time shuffle groove," winning four Grammys in 1983: "Producer of the Year," "Record of the Year," "Album of the Year," and "Best Instrumental Arrangement." In 1985, Jeff Porcaro released Instructional Drum Video VHS on Star Licks (later re-issued on DVD), explaining his legendary groove. (It's a crossover of the iconic "Purdie shuffle" with John Bonham's groove from the "Fool in the Rain" by Led Zeppelin and "Bo Diddley's beat" on the kick drum.) Porcaro died in August 1992, aged only 38, hospitalized with a heart attack. In December 1992, a memorial concert took place in Los Angeles featuring George Harrison, Boz Scaggs, Donald Fagen, Don Henley, Michael McDonald, David Crosby and Eddie Van Halen, among others. The proceeds established an education trust fund for Jeff Porcaro's three sons, Christopher Joseph (b. 1984), Miles Porcaro (1986—2017) and Nico Porcaro (b. 1991). In 2020, a new biography, It's About Time: Jeff Porcaro – The Man And His Music, written by Robyn Flans with Jim Keltner's foreword, was published by Hudson Music.