The #46 Guitarist of the Rock Era: Steve Lukather
What can you say about #46? There isn't a musician worth their salt that
doesn't know about him. Thousands have
solicited his help on their albums. And
yet he has still found time to be an integral part of one of The Top Artists of
the Rock Era*: #46:
Steve Lukather, Toto 38 years as an active guitarist
Steve Lukather was born October 21, 1957 in
San Fernando Valley, California. In
addition to his award-winning work with Toto, Lukather is one of the most
highly-desired musicians in music history, having worked as a composer,
arranger and session guitarist on more than 1,500 albums. Lukather's work spans many genres, including
rock, progressive rock, jazz and funk.
Lukather was friends with keyboardist David
Paich and drummer Jeff Porcaro in high school and in 1976, Steve became a
member of Toto when he was nineteen. Lukather remained with the group until the
split up in 2008. Lukather quickly built up a reputation for his guitar playing
and the albums he has played on is a virtual Who's Who of the Rock Era. Steve
wrote or co-wrote many songs for Toto as well as for other artists. Unlike some
of the guitarists in our feature, Lukather's talent is well-known; he has been
nominated for 12 Grammy awards, winning five.
Lukather began playing keyboards and drums,
then taught himself to play guitar at age seven, when his father bought him a
Kay acoustic guitar and a copy of the album Meet the Beatles. Lukather, like so
many others, says that the music of the Beatles "changed his life"
and he was greatly influenced by George Harrison in particular. Other influences were Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy
Page, jazz guitarists Larry Carlton and Al Di Meola and session musicians such
as Jay Graydon, Dean Parks and Lee Ritenour.
The musicians sounded so well on that album
that Paich and Porcaro asked Lukather to form Toto along with Bobby Kimball,
David Hungate and Steve Porcaro.
Lukather became the group's lead guitarist, as well as the lead and
backing vocalist. After Jeff Porcaro
died, Lukather stepped up to contribute as a songwriter. Though he was credited for writing just a
handful of songs on early Toto albums, he wrote nearly every track from the
late 1980's.
Lukather played guitar for a wide range of
artists, from Aretha Franklin to Warren Zevon, and everyone in between. He played guitar on Olivia Newton-John's
"Physical" in 1981. Lukather
played on "Beat It" (not the solo, which was played by Eddie Van
Halen) and Human Nature" for Michael Jackson, "Stand Back" by
Stevie Nicks, several songs on the Don Henley album I Can't Stand Still,
several tracks on the Jackson Browne album Lives in the Balance, two songs on
Lionel Richie's albumCan't Slow Down, and on the Richard Marx album Repeat
Offender.
Steve has also released six solo albums over
23 years, Lukather,Candyman, Luke, Santamental, Ever Changing Times and All's
Well That Ends Well.
In addition, Lukather has participated in
several side projects such as playing in Toxic Monkey and touring with Edgar
Winter, Larry Carlton and others. In
1985, Lukather released the Star Licks instructional guitar video.
Steve has also been a long-time member of Los
Lobotomys, a collaboration of session musicians. They recorded a self-titled album in 1989 and
the members of the group were a big part of Lukather'sCandyman album. In 2001, Lukather collaborated with Steve
Carlton for a Japanese tour and live album, No Substitutions: Live in Osaka, which won a Grammy for Best
Pop Instrumental Album.
Lukather has also been featured in the
Fermatta Master Class Series, which helps with music education around the
world. Steve will go out on the G3 Tour
this year with Joe Satriani and Steve Vai.
He is also slated to tour with Rongo Starr and His All Starr Band this
summer.
Lukather has the speed, but he also has the
melodic sense and knowledge of all types of music, due to his varied influences
growing up and his incredible experience over the years. His vibrato is very pronounced and he plays
exaggerated wide bends. Lukather is well
versed in music theory, something many of the newer guitar players are
not. Thus, he can follow chord charts
and changes. In the studio, he can often
do his part in one take and doesn't use overdubbing but wants the genuine tone
to show forth. Other than some delays,
Steve hasn't used many effects recently, believing they are overdone.
Lukather endorses Music Man guitars, with a
signature model named "Luke".
Music Man also produces a Ball Family Reserve Steve Lukather Model with
upgraded hardware and materials.
Lukather has also played Ibanez, Tyler and Valley Arts guitars as well
as his vintage Gibson Les Paul. He also
plays Yamaha and Ovation acoustic guitars.
Steve endorses EMG pickups, having
collaborated on the Lukather signature SL20 pickup system (a single unit
featuring two different types of pickups (including a humbucker), a single
volume and tone knobs and a pickguard.
Lukather's Grammy wins are for co-writing
"Turn Your Love Around" for George Benson (1982 Best R&B
Song), Record of the Year ("Rosanna"), Album of the Year (Toto IV and
Producer of the Year, all in 1982 for Toto, and the aforementioned award with
Larry Carlton. Lukather also won the
Edison Lifetime Achievement Award with Toto in Holland and was inducted into the
Musicians Hall of Fame in Nashville, Tennessee in 2009. In 2010, Lukather received a Lifetime
Achievement Guitar Award in Holland and entered the Guitar Player Magazine
Gallery of the Greats for winning the Best Studio Player in the world poll five
years in a row. In Gibson Guitars' poll,
Lukather was voted one of the Top 10 session guitar players of all-time.
With Toto, Lukather has sold 32 million
albums. He has also branched out to
record several different styles on his solo albums and has been an incredible
session player over his career. Add up
all the quality, the experience, the knowledge of the guitar and of music
theory, the technique, the speed, the melody and you get The #46 Guitarist of
the Rock Era--Steve Lukather*.
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