Hold the Line! Steve will be here on time

The founding member of classic rockers Toto is widely respected on the music scene, and is in high demand for session work.

After leaving Toto in 2008 he has concentrated his efforts on his solo career, which had previously been more of a side project, and is now set to play at the Leamington Assembly on March 17.

Speaking to the Courier two weeks ago, he said: “We’re about two weeks into the tour and the crowds are going crazy. “It’s really odd having young people coming to my shows, but there’s a real mix. I always seem to fall between the cracks - I’m too jazz for rock, too rock for blues and so on.

“I could listen to Miles Davis and Slipknot in one afternoon, I love it all.

“I’m just stretching out into the UK now. I’ve played in London and Manchester a lot, but now am seeing other places like Leamington.”

In the 70s and 80s Lukather achieved notability for being one of the most sought-after session guitarists in the US, and among the records he played on was Olivia Newton-John’s single, Physical, Stevie Nicks, Stand Back, Beat It and Human Nature for Michael Jackson, as well as for artists such as Lionel Richie, Van Halen and Richard Marx, but says he was never phased by being in the company of some of the greats.

“I never really think about it, like wow I’m in the room with these people, until I get asked about it,” he said.

“Aretha Franklin is such a wonderful woman. Being in a room with her and playing guitar was very special. You have to keep it together, I’m there to be a musician and you have to get on with it.

“I do still get excited about it all, I’m always reinventing. I’m not a money motivated guy, although divorce number two is very expensive! But I’m a music motivated man.

“It helps when you’re playing with Stevie Wonder or Miles Davis, jamming with Jeff Beck and Elton John, or putting things together with Quincy Jones.

“I find myself in a room with these people who are geniuses and want it to rub off on me!

“How they get an end result is different, but to be in a room and talk to them and realise that what they were thinking when they wrote a song was totally different to what I thought it was about is pretty awesome.

“We all want to get to the same destination but we all have different ways of getting there.”

The tour is promoting his recent album, All’s Well That Ends Well, a throaty, bluesy rock record that maintains some of the powerful melodies for which Toto became famous with songs like Hold the Line and Africa. Although he is keen to distance himself from his Toto days, he will be doing a reunion show to raise money for bassist Mike Porcaro.

“I’m not going to play Hold the Line, Roseanne or Africa, I didn’t sing those anyway,” he explained.

“It wasn’t fun anymore, I was just worn out. I hit the ground running when I was 18, and all of a sudden I was 53.”