Bobby Kimball | |
|---|---|
 Kimball live in 2007 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Robert Troy Kimball |
| Born | March 29, 1947 Orange, Texas, U.S. |
| Genres | Rock |
| Occupation(s) |
|
| Instrument(s) | |
| Years active | 1962–present |
| Website | Official website |
Robert Troy Kimball (born March 29, 1947) is an American singer and songwriter best known as the original and longtime frontman of the rock band Toto from 1977 to 1984 and again from 1998 to 2008. Kimball has also performed as a solo artist and session singer. [1]
 | This section of a biography of a living person needs additional citations for verification .(August 2022) |
Kimball was born in Orange, Texas but raised in nearby Vinton, Louisiana. (Vinton did not have a hospital.) He started singing as a child, dabbling on vocals and playing piano and acoustic guitar in a musical household throughout his youth - mostly covering and performing 1950s and 1960s R&B hits, 1800s Traditional Olde Tyme music; as well as rare local Swamp pop and Cajun folk songs, typical of Louisiana.
His parents were extremely supportive of his hobby of performing music and his musical talents; and devoted much interest in his opportunity to become a professional musician as full-time career by adulthood. He is of English, Cajun French, Welsh and Jewish ancestry. He graduated from McNeese State University in Lake Charles, Louisiana in 1969.
Throughout the 1970s, Kimball performed as the vocalist in various New Orleans-area bands, including The Levee Band, which became Louisiana's LeRoux after Kimball left.
In 1974, Kimball moved from Louisiana to Los Angeles, California to pursue a full-time music career. In California, he joined three members of Three Dog Night, Floyd Sneed, Joe Schermie, and Michael Allsup to form a band called S.S. Fools. They released one album on CBS Records, which was considered a commercial failure, causing the band to be dropped from their label and to split up within a year and a half. In 1976, David Paich and Jeff Porcaro asked Kimball to join them with three other session musicians, who would eventually form Toto. He submitted a self-penned audition song for the band: "You Are the Flower", which he had written for his daughter [2] and was later included on Toto's debut album. Paich and Porcaro were impressed by Kimball's bluesy vocal style and offered him the job of vocalist and songwriter. The pair liked Kimball's ability to sing in an R&B style and to fuse it with hard rock and jazz, which was characteristic and attributed to his Louisiana origins.[ citation needed ]
Kimball performed on the first four studio albums by Toto. He was asked to leave the band in 1984 during the sessions for the Isolation album. In the late 1990s, on good terms with his former bandmates, Kimball was asked to rejoin Toto, which he accepted.
A longstanding urban legend holds that the band named itself 'Toto' after Kimball's "real" name, "Robert Toteaux." This story was an in-joke perpetuated by Toto's original bassist, David Hungate - due to Kimball's home-state of Louisiana and his Cajun heritage. According to Toto guitarist Steve Lukather, the real reason for this choice of band name was that Toto was "Just a really simple (unpretentious) name: easy to remember and easily identifiable, in any language."[ citation needed ]
After splitting from Toto in 1984, [3] Bobby Kimball relocated to Germany for a solo career under producer Frank Farian of the Far Corporation. [4]
Kimball also continued to work as a session artist, singing background vocals with a trio composed of Michael McDonald from The Doobie Brothers and Bill Champlin of Chicago. Kimball was nearly asked by the band to return to Toto during 1989–1990 to record songs for the band's greatest hits album, Past to Present 1977–1990 , only to be replaced by singer Jean-Michel Byron (a decision said to have derived from Sony, the band's record company at the time). [5] Byron was let go shortly thereafter, and guitarist-vocalist Steve Lukather took over Toto's primary lead vocal duties from 1991 to 1999. [5] After leaving the band, Kimball released the live album Classic Toto Hits in late 1990, in which he performed various Toto songs from over the years. [4] He recorded the album with the Frankfurt Rock Orchestra. [4] In 1994, Kimball released his first solo album Rise Up, [4] featuring the single "Woodstock". [4]
In 1998, Kimball rejoined Toto. The band then returned to the studio to record Mindfields . Toto toured in support of the album throughout 1999 and 2000. In late 1999, the band released the live album Livefields . In 1999, Kimball released his second solo album All I Ever Needed, with the single "Kristine". [4] In 2002, Toto released a covers album Through the Looking Glass .
In February 2006, Toto released Falling in Between , their first studio album of new material since 1999; however, it was announced in June 2008 that the band members had gone separate ways. When the group reformed in 2010, Kimball was not asked to return and was replaced by previous Toto vocalist Joseph Williams.
Kimball hosts his own website where he offers vocal advice to aspiring singers. [6]
Kimball was involved in the Pink Floyd tribute album, Pigs and Pyramids, An All Star Lineup Performing the Songs of Pink Floyd, released in 2002. His contribution "Have a Cigar" also appeared on another Pink Floyd tribute album that year, Pink Box: Songs of Pink Floyd.
Kimball provided additional backing vocals on the song, "Caroline," on the 2006 Chicago album, XXX .
In January 2010, he did fourteen concerts in Germany on the "Rock Meets Classic" Tour with the Bohemian Symphony Orchestra Prague, featuring Philipp Maier as Conductor and Music Arranger. The singers with Kimball on this tour were Lou Gramm, the original lead vocalist of Foreigner, and Dan McCafferty, from the band Nazareth. [7]
On May 16, 2010, at the LMHOF Louisiana Music Homecoming in Erwinville, Louisiana, Bobby Kimball was inducted into The Louisiana Music Hall of Fame.
Kimball recorded a progressive rock album in 2010 entitled Elements under the band name Yoso with former Yes members Tony Kaye and Billy Sherwood. Kimball recorded the 2011 album Kimball/Jamison with Jimi Jamison.
In July 2011, Kimball toured Ireland with an emerging Irish band, Shadowplay. [8] The tour visited Dublin, Galway, Limerick and Sligo, concluding in a headline performance at The Buncrana Music Festival, Ireland's largest not-for-profit music event.
In November 2012 and March 2013, Kimball toured extensively in South America. The tour included Argentina, Uruguay, Chile and Peru and the backing band included an A List team of musicians including Tommy Denander and Gabe Treiyer. In March 2013, Kimball was a special guest vocalist with the Raiding the Rock Vault classic rock tribute show in Las Vegas, Nevada.
In May 2014, in Genoa, at the FIM - Fiera Internazionale della Musica, Kimball obtained from the director of the event Verdiano Vera, the FIM Award 2014 - Legend of Rock - Best Voice. In February 2015, he represented the United States at the LVI International Song Festival in Viña del Mar, Chile, with the song "Living Your Life for Happiness".
In late 2016, he released a solo album, We're Not In Kansas Anymore, [9] and the same year, music website No Echo featured Kimball on their "Best Male AOR Singers" list. [10]
In November 2019, German media reported that Kimball suffers from dementia. [11] This was also confirmed by Steve Lukather in an interview with Eonmusic in 2021. [12]
A documentary about Kimball is planned to be released called, Kite on a String: The Bobby Kimball Story. [13] [14] [15] [16]
David Frank Paich is an American keyboardist, singer and songwriter, best known as the co-founder, principal songwriter, keyboardist and secondary vocalist of the rock band Toto since 1977. He wrote or co-wrote much of Toto's original material, including the band's three most popular songs: "Hold the Line", "Rosanna" and "Africa". With Toto, Paich has contributed to 17 albums and sold over 40 million records. He and guitarist and singer Steve Lukather are the only members to appear on every studio album.
Steven Lee Lukather is an American guitarist, singer, songwriter, arranger and record producer, best known as the sole continuous founding member of the rock band Toto. His reputation as a skilled guitarist led to a steady flow of session work beginning in the 1970s that has since established him as a prolific session musician, recording guitar tracks for more than 1,500 albums spanning a broad array of artists and genres. He has also contributed to albums and hit singles as a songwriter, arranger and producer. Notably, Lukather played guitar on Boz Scaggs' albums Down Two Then Left (1977) and Middle Man (1980), and was a prominent contributor to several studio albums by Michael Jackson, including Thriller (1982). Lukather has released nine solo albums, the latest of which, Bridges, was released in June 2023.
Toto is an American rock band formed in 1977 in Los Angeles, California. Toto combines elements of pop, rock, soul, funk, progressive rock, hard rock, R&B, blues, and jazz. Having released 14 studio albums and sold over 40 million records worldwide, the group has received several Grammy Awards and was inducted into the Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum in 2009.
Kingdom of Desire is the eighth studio album by Toto, released in 1992. It is the first album on which guitarist Steve Lukather assumed sole lead vocal duties and the final album to feature drummer Jeff Porcaro, who died during rehearsals for the tour promoting this album. The album was mixed by Bob Clearmountain and dedicated to Jeff in his memory.
Isolation is the Gold-certified fifth studio album by Toto, released on October 18, 1984. Isolation is the first album to feature longtime bassist Mike Porcaro and the only album with Fergie Frederiksen as the primary vocalist. Isolation failed to achieve the popularity of its predecessor, Toto IV, although it achieved gold record status and gave the band their highest charting mainstream rock single "Stranger in Town". Relatively few songs from this album were featured in live performances after 1985's Isolation World Tour.
Falling in Between is the twelfth studio album by American rock band, Toto. The album was released in February 2006 on the Italian label Frontiers Records, the band supporting the album with a world tour. It was the band's first studio release since Through the Looking Glass in 2002, the last one with lead vocalist Bobby Kimball and the only one with keyboardist/vocalist Greg Phillinganes. Phillinganes originally began playing with Toto as a touring replacement for David Paich, who had retired from the road. Another Porcaro brother, Steve, continues to work in the studio with the band, though he also retired from touring following the Fahrenheit album in 1987. Similarly, Lenny Castro has never been a member of the group, but has consistently contributed to their recordings since their first album in 1978. This is also the band's last studio album to feature bassist Mike Porcaro and drummer Simon Phillips; Porcaro retired from touring in the following year due to symptoms of ALS taking away the use of his hands and died in 2015. Phillips left the band in 2014 to focus on his solo career.
Jean-Michel Byron is a South African-born funk and rock vocalist. The singer-songwriter is best known for serving for a time as the lead vocalist for the rock band Toto for new material on their first greatest hits album, Past to Present, as well as the band's Greatest Hits Live...and More project. Byron was the fourth frontman in the band's history, replacing Joseph Williams after Williams had suffered from voice issues due to intense touring as well as drug abuse. The South African singer was pushed heavily by the group's record label. The line-up change divided Toto's band-members, yet key group member Jeff Porcaro expressed support at first. His tenure with the band ended up being both brief and highly controversial with fans. In more recent years, Byron has collaborated with the jazz fusion group Michael Sanders & the One Tribe Nation.
Turn Back is the third studio album by the American rock group Toto, released in 1981. Although it yielded the band's first top-ten hit in Japan and steady sales in that country, the album was a commercial disappointment elsewhere, failing to produce any charting singles and selling approximately 900,000 copies worldwide.
25th Anniversary: Live in Amsterdam is a live album by Toto, released in 2003, in the 25th anniversary of the band. And this was also the band's last live album to feature keyboardist/vocalist David Paich and bassist Mike Porcaro; Paich, before his semi-retirement from touring in 2005 until his return to the band in 2010 with Greg Phillinganes taking his place, and Porcaro, before his retirement from touring due to a ALS four years later and his death on March 15, 2015.
Dennis Hardy "Fergie" Frederiksen was an American rock singer best known as the former lead singer of Trillion, Angel, LeRoux and Toto, as well as providing backing vocals for Survivor. He contributed to hit singles in three consecutive years, all with different bands: Survivor's "American Heartbeat" in 1982, LeRoux's "Carrie's Gone" in 1983 and Toto's "Stranger in Town" in 1984.
The Seventh One is the seventh studio album by the American rock band Toto. It was released in 1988, and became the best-received Toto album since Toto IV. The title track, "The Seventh One", is featured only on the Japanese version of the album and on the B-side of the single "Pamela". It was also released on some compilations on a later date. It would be their second and last studio album with lead vocalist Joseph Williams until Toto XIV (2015).
"Hold the Line" is a song by American rock band Toto from their 1978 eponymous debut studio album. Written by the band's keyboardist David Paich, the lead vocals on the song were performed by Bobby Kimball.
"Rosanna" is a song written by David Paich and performed by the American rock band Toto, the opening track and the first single from their 1982 album Toto IV. This song won the Grammy Award for Record of the Year at the 1983 ceremony. "Rosanna" was also nominated for the Song of the Year award. It is regarded for the half-time shuffle which drummer Jeff Porcaro developed for the song. The groove has become an important staple of drum repertoire and is commonly known as the "Rosanna shuffle".
Toto XX: 1977–1997 is a compilation album by Toto to celebrate their 20th anniversary. The album features rare original demos, outtakes, previously unreleased recordings and live tracks from the band's 20-year career. Despite being labeled as a compilation album, Steve Lukather in 2014 defined the album as the tenth studio album overall.
"99" is a song by the American rock band Toto. The song appeared on the Hydra album in 1979. As a single, it reached number 26 on the Billboard charts. In Canada, the song peaked at number 17 on the RPM singles chart.
Livefields is a live album by the band Toto. It was recorded during the reunion tour after the release of their album Mindfields, and released in late 1999. Outside the US, the album contained a second CD with 3 extra tracks, recorded during several concerts in France, as well as two video clips for "Melanie" and "Cruel."
Falling in Between Live is the fourth live album by American band Toto, released in 2007. It was recorded live at Le Zénith, Paris, France.
"Stranger in Town" is a hit song by American rock band Toto from their 1984 album Isolation.
"Waiting for Your Love" is a song by American pop and rock band Toto from their 1982 album Toto IV. In 1983, it was released as a single, peaking at number 73 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
Bobby Kimball was born as Robert Troy Kimball on march 29th 1947 in Vinton, Louisiana.
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
