Formed in the late 70s, Toto is comprised largely of ace studio musicians that supported Boz Scaggs among others. They've undergone numerous line-up changes over the years and prominent members have completed solo work as well as side projects (such as Far Corporation in 1986). Nonetheless, the group continues to release an occasional album, the last one being 2018's "Old Is New." The band also enjoyed a mild resurgence when they covered Weezer's hit, "Hash Pipe," that same year, in response to Weezer's cover of Toto's #1 smash, "Africa." In Toto's hey day, they enjoyed all sorts of hits that have become classics of the era, including "Hold The Line" (#5 in 1979), "Rosanna" (#2 for 5 weeks in 1982, and winner of the Grammy Record of the Year), the aforementioned "Africa" (#1 in 1983), "I Won't Hold You Back" (#10 in 1983), and "I'll Be Over You" (#11 in 1986). I almost want to highlight "Pamela," from their underrated 1988 album, "The Seventh One," but the song made it to a respectable #22. It would be the band's final chart appearance. "Only The Children" is another highlight from that record worth a spin.
Boz (William) Scaggs scored a string of notable hits through the 70s. He got his start on the charts in 1971 when "We Were Always Sweethearts" landed at #61. Never one to follow trends or get locked into one particular genre, Scaggs enjoyed the freedom of being a musical shape-shifter. Nonetheless, his most successful tunes were radio-friendly cuts like "Lowdown" (#3), "Lido Shuffle" (#11), "Breakdown Dead Ahead" (#15), "JoJo" (#17), and "Miss Sun" (#14). "Look What You've Done To Me" was another big hit that arrived in 1980 - it featured some of The Eagles on backing vocals and was featured in the hit movie Urban Cowboy. Scaggs took a break from the charts in the 80s, but had a minor comeback when "Heart Of Mine" reached #35 in 1988. It would remain his final chart appearance. Scaggs also achieved success writing songs for others, most notably his tune "We're All Alone." His version appears on his landmark 1976 album, "Silk Degrees," but Rita Coolidge took it to #7 in 1977. "Dinah Flo" takes us back to 1972. Only his third chart appearance, the song stalled at #86 and deserved much better recognition.
