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 [a=Joe Porcaro] (1930—2020) and brother of bassist [a=Mike Porcaro] (1955—2015) and keyboardist [a=Steve Porcaro] (b. 1957), with whom he co-founded the [b][a=Toto][/b] band. Between 1971 and 1992, Porcaro recorded thousands of sessions for such critically-acclaimed albums as [a=Steely Dan]'s [i][m=16954][/i], [a=Pink Floyd]'s [i][m=11329][/i] and [a=Michael Jackson]'s [i][m=8883][/i]. Music critic [a=William Ruhlmann] wrote, "[i]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[/i]." He was posthumously inducted into the [l=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, [a=Joe Porcaro], and subsequently by [a=Bob Zimmitti] and [url=https://discogs.com/artist/655908]Richie Lepore[/url]. He later wrote that [a=Jim Keltner] and [a=Jim Gordon] were his major early influences. In 1971, at only seventeen, Jeff got his first professional gig in [a=Sonny & Cher]'s touring band. (The duo's [i][m=365769][/i] 2xLP, released by [l=MCA Records] in 1973, features one of the very few Porcaro's live drum solos.) By his early twenties, Jeff had toured with [a=Boz Scaggs] and appeared on hundreds of albums, including several sessions with [a=Steely Dan]. Around 1977, Porcaro organized a [b]Toto[/b] band with his brother [a=Steve Porcaro] and childhood friends [a=Steve Lukather] and [a=David Paich]. Jeff recorded ten albums with Toto, including the soundtrack for [a=David Lynch]'s original 1984 [i][url=https://discogs.com/master/87752]Dune[/url][/i] and his best-known and most impactful record, [i][m=30712][/i] LP (1982). For the opening track "Rosanna," Jeff invented a notoriously tricky "[i]half-time shuffle groove[/i]," 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 [i][r=25458346][/i] VHS on [l=Star Licks] (later re-issued on [url=https://discogs.com/release/7646139] DVD[/url]), explaining his legendary groove. (It's a crossover of the iconic "[i][url=https://discogs.com/artist/44138]Purdie[/url] shuffle[/i]" with [a=John Bonham]'s groove from the "Fool in the Rain" by [a=Led Zeppelin] and "[a=Bo Diddley]'s beat" on the kick drum.)

Porcaro died in August 1992. He was 38 years old, and died after being hospitalized with a heart attack. In December 1992, a memorial concert took place in Los Angeles featuring [a=George Harrison], [a=Boz Scaggs], [a=Donald Fagen], [a=Don Henley], [a=Michael McDonald], [a=David Crosby] and [a=Eddie Van Halen], among others. The proceeds established an education trust fund for Jeff Porcaro's three sons, [url=https://discogs.com/artist/2230136]Christopher Joseph[/url] (b. 1984), [a=Miles Porcaro] (1986—2017) and [a=Nico Porcaro] (b. 1991). In 2020, a new biography, [i]It's About Time: Jeff Porcaro – The Man And His Music[/i], written by [a=Robyn Flans] with [a=Jim Keltner]'s foreword, was published by [l=Hudson Music].