Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Toto to be inducted into Musicians' Hall of Fame

Fresh off his stint as conductor and bandleader for the critically praised 61st Primetime Emmys live primetime telecast on CBS, Toto founding member David Paich, along with bandmates Steve Lukather and Steve Porcaro, will be inducted into the Musicians’ Hall of Fame in Nashville on Oct. 12.

The group is being honored by fellow Nashville musicians for the session work they did in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s, including appearances on albums by Steely Dan, Boz Scaggs and Seals & Crofts, to name just a few.

Said Paich: “This is an incredible honor for us as musicians, mainly because there are a lot of legendary players already represented in there. This is an award from musicians and producers to musicians and producers, and that means a great deal to us.”

The group will be inducted by Rascal Flatts, who are huge fans of the band. Steve Lukather became friends with the members of the group when they invited him on-stage to play “Rosanna” with them at one of their concerts.

“That gave us the idea to ask Rascal Flatts to induct us,” says David.

Toto members Paich, Lukather and Porcaro will join Rascal Flatts on-stage with original bassist David Hungate for a four-song set that is currently being decided, but could include such chestnuts as “Hold the Line,” “I’ll Be Over You,” “Africa” and “Rosanna.”

“They represent the new Nashville,” says Paich. “We’re big fans of theirs, too. When they asked us to perform a couple of numbers down there, we decided to invite Rascal Flatts to join us in celebrating the honor.”

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