Died On This Date (March 15, 2015) Mike Porcaro / Bassist For Toto; Session Great
themusicsover Mike Porcaro
May 29, 1955 – March 15, 2015
Mike Porcaro is perhaps best remembered as the longtime bassist for Toto, however, he didn’t become an official member until he replaced original bassist, David Hungate, in 1982. He went on to tour and record with the band until his retirement in 2007. He can be heard on such Toto albums as Isolation, Fahrenheit, The Seventh One, and their popular soundtrack to the motion picture Dune. As an in-demand session player, Porcaro’s list of credits reads like a who’s who of popular music of the past five decades. That list includes albums by Aretha Franklin, Cher, Country Joe McDonald, Dan Fogelberg, Donna Summer, Jefferson Airplane, Santana, Sparks, Steve Perry, Stevie Nicks, and Wanda Jackson. In 2007, Porcaro retired from playing due to a numbness he was feeling in his fingers, and three years later, it was announced that he was suffering from Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), or as it is more commonly known, “Lou Gehrig’s Disease.” On March 15, 2015, Mike Porcaro finally lost his brave battle with the disease. He was 59.
What You Should Own
Born into a musical family, Jeff Porcaro began playing the drums at an early age. His father was well-known session drummer, Joe Porcaro, and his brothers, Steve and Mike Porcaro are active studio musicians as well. Drum lessons began for Jeff at age seven, leading to a career as one of the most respected drummers of his time. At seventeen, Porcaro landed his first job, playing in Sonny & Cher’s touring band. By his twenties, he was playing with the likes of Steely Dan and Boz Scaggs. In 1977, Porcaro, Steve Lukather, and David Paich co-founded Grammy-winning rock band, Toto. Having sold some 30 million albums to date, they are considered to be one of the most successful mainstream rock bands of all time. Even with all that success, Porcaro had time to play on recordings by a who’s who of popular music, including Bruce Springsteen, Dire Straits, Paul McCartney, 
Geoff Workman was a record producer and engineer who was partly responsible for some of rock’s greatest albums during the ’70s and ’80s. He began his career working with King Crimson in 1970. Over the course of his career he either engineered or produced some of rock’s most celebrated releases. That list includes Motley Crue’s Shout at the Devil, Journey’s Infinity and Departure, the Cars’ self-titled debut and Candy-O, Queen’s Jazz, Foreigner’s Head Games, and Twisted Sister’s Stay Hungry. His credits also include recordings by, to name a few, Toto, Jason & the Scorchers, Sammy Hagar, Dwight Twilley, and Tommy Tutone. Geoff Workman passed away peacefully in his home on January 28, 2010. Cause of death was not immediately released.
Greg Ladanyi was an engineer and producer who worked with some of the biggest acts of the ’70s and ’80s. His talents can be heard on landmark albums by the likes of Fleetwood Mac, Don Henley, Jackson Browne, the Church, the Cruzados, David Lindley, and Toto. In 1983, he won a Grammy for Best Engineered Album for Toto IV. In recent years he was working with Greek singer and actress, Anna Vissi. On Friday, September 25, 2009, Ladanyi was injured in an accident while on stage with Vissi. He suffered head injuries that lead to his death on September 29, 2009. He was 57 years old.