American drummer, percussionist, songwriter and record producer, widely regarded as one of the most prolific and technically-skilled session drummers in history (1 April 1954, Hartford, Connecticut  5 August 1992, West Hills, California). Jeff Porcaro is the oldest son of percussionist (19302020) and brother of bassist (19552015) and keyboardist (b. 1957), with whom he co-founded the band. Between 1971 and 1992, Porcaro recorded thousands of sessions for such critically-acclaimed albums as 's , 's and 's . Music critic wrote, "it's no exaggeration to say that the sound of mainstream pop/rock drumming in the 1980s was, to a large extent, the sound of Jeff Porcaro." He was posthumously inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1993. Jeff Porcaro grew up in California, in LA's San Fernando Valley, and began playing drums at seven, initially trained by his father, , and subsequently by and Richie Lepore. He later wrote that and were his major early influences. In 1971, at only seventeen, Jeff got his first professional gig in 's touring band. (The duo's 2xLP, released by in 1973, features one of the very few Porcaro's live drum solos.) By his early twenties, Jeff had toured with and appeared on hundreds of albums, including several sessions with . Around 1977, Porcaro organized a Toto band with his brother and childhood friends and . Jeff recorded ten albums with Toto, including the soundtrack for 's original '84 Dune and his best-known and most impactful record, LP (1982). For the opening track "Rosanna," Jeff invented a notoriously tricky "half-time shuffle groove," winning four Grammys in 1983: "Producer of the Year," "Record of the Year," "Album of the Year," and "Best Instrumental Arrangement." In 1985, Jeff Porcaro released VHS on (later re-issued on DVD), explaining his legendary groove. (It's a crossover of the iconic "Purdie shuffle" with 's groove from the "Fool in the Rain" by and "'s beat" on the kick drum.) Porcaro died in August 1992, aged only 38, hospitalized with a heart attack. In December 1992, a memorial concert took place in Los Angeles featuring , , , , , and , among others. The proceeds established an education trust fund for Jeff Porcaro's three sons, Christopher Joseph (b. 1984), (19862017) and (b. 1991). In 2020, a new biography, It's About Time: Jeff Porcaro  The Man And His Music, written by with 's foreword, was published by .

• en.wikipedia.org
• jeffporcaro.blogspot.com
• moderndrummer.com
• drummagazine.com
• toto99.com