Interview: Joe Williams of Toto

Joseph Williams is the lead vocalist for the mega-platinum rock band Toto, which he joined in 1986. In late January, I chatted to him about their impending tour which stops off in Albany in March, and his own multifaceted career in music.

Mark Hudson: Thanks for taking the time. You must be very excited with the tour about to start this Saturday.

Joe Williams: Right, yeah, it’s just a few days of preparing and we’re on our way.

MH: That’s cool. Now, this is kind of a two-in-one tour isn’t it in a way: with some dates you’re playing with Journey and doing an hour-long set, and others you’re headlining with a more intimate two-hour “An Evening With” production. Is that what you did last year on the Dogs of Oz tour? 

JW: No, last year with Journey we just stuck to the Journey schedule. But there were a lot of days off in a row. Those guys work like stadium band style, they do a show or two and then next day off, and then two shows two days off, so on and so forth. For us, that was just a lot of downtime. We decided this year to try and book some headline dates on some of those days off  – that’s how that came about.

MH:  I’m so glad you did because I’m looking forward to seeing you here in Albany. The first time I saw Toto was in 1982 at Hammersmith Odeon (I’m from London myself) on the Toto 4 tour. But I saw you front the band in 1988 at the same venue.

JW: Ah, I remember.

MH: I’ve been to countless gigs but one that stands out in my mind was you heroically wielding that sword from the album cover! I love “The Seventh One”, it’s still my favorite Toto album. I mean, what a fantastic album – there’s not a bad track on it.

JW: Thank you.

MH: And not to give away any setlist spoilers, but do you play anything off that record this time around?

JW: Are we playing anything off The Seventh One? Yes, “Pamela” and “Stop Loving You”.

MH: No “Home of the Brave”? 

JW: Oh and “Home of the Brave”!

MH: Excellent. Now, when you did that record back then, how was it singing with legends like Jon Anderson of Yes, and Linda Ronstadt?

JW:  Well, it was great. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to attend those sessions – actually the Jon Anderson I was there. But Linda Ronstadt, Dave (Paich) brought her in and I think nobody came except Dave and Linda. 

MH: Because I know you repaid the compliment with Anderson when you were on his album, “In the City of Angels”.

JW: Yeah, love him. One of my favorite singers growing up, obviously. It was a treat hanging in the studio. I remember him hanging out in Dave’s studio and he was working on some music with Dave and Steve Porcaro. He’s a great, mellow guy. He opens his mouth and even when he talks it still has that sound of him singing.

MH:  I’m the same as you, he’s a favorite of mine going way back. That record he made had a kind of Yes meets Toto vibe to it. It was a cool album. 

JW: Yeah.

MH: So, growing up in a musical family – obviously with a very famous dad – (Williams’ father is the legendary movie score composer John Williams) what kind of impact did that have on you as far as your influences and inspirations when you were starting out?

JW: I’m heavily influenced by film music as you might imagine. That was what was going on at our house. When I was very small, my dad worked at home until we moved to England when I was eight.

MH: Oh cool, whereabouts?

JW: We lived in London, near the Royal Albert Hall.

MH:  I’m from North London, just a little ways away from there.

JW: We were there in the late sixties, seventies. Up until that that time or until we returned to LA, my influence was my dad’s work. Aside from that, it was it was the records that my older sister brought home: the Beatles, Led Zeppelin. And then later on for me when I started discovering other things, like Stevie Wonder who is one of my songwriting heroes. Mostly rock’n’roll bands, but so many artists influenced me, like Jim Croce. The list goes on. 

MH: I’m around the same age as you, we were lucky growing up then in the 70s. That music was just incredible, it had such an impact on me as a teenager.

JW: Exactly.

MH: Now of course, you’ve done some soundtrack work yourself. For TV, “Roswell,” “Miracles,” and “The Lyon’s Den.” Have you got any soundtrack work coming up in the future?

 JW: Nothing planned. Right now, I’m just looking at a long schedule for the year for touring. And same goes for 2024. Diving back into that world, you have to be available. It’s difficult to work on a show and then tour. I did it for a while and it was tough.

MH: So you’ve got Toto live planned out for next year, as well as this year?

JW: Right.

MH: That’s great, it’s great to see the band back on the road. And of course, last year, you did a pretty big tour of Europe and the USA with Journey again. 

JW: Right, Journey the beginning of the year, and then we did Europe headline.

MH: Now one thing I was amazed to learn when I was researching: I didn’t know that you were on The Lion King soundtrack. That was a surprise to me.

JW: Yeah, that was from back in the days when I was just doing vocal sessions and commercial sessions, background vocalist stuff. There were a few guys over at Disney I had known from high school. They were working in the music department at Disney. I was invited by the producers of the movie Aladdin to go into the studio and replace all of Aladdin’s singing parts. So I learned all the tunes, sang about a half a dozen of them in the studio, and the producers and everybody were very happy. Except for the composer. He wanted the kid who played the speaking part to also do the singing, because he was a Broadway trained singer and actor. The composer was looking for a less pop/rock sound, and more theatrical. So, I missed that job. And then months later, the same guys called me and said, “sorry we didn’t get you Aladdin, but will you come into the studio? We’re doing something called The Lion King with Elton John and Tim Rice, we need to do a bunch of demos.” I went in and did the demos. A year later, they narrowed it down and they called me up again to replace the main character, saying they wanted more of a pop thing.  And I thought “OK, here we go again”. But this time, my recordings ended up in the movie.

MH: I was working in Boston at the time with a company called Lechmere as a buyer. I got a Screener for The Lion King right before it came out and took my kids, they were very young at the time. I remember I went back to my boss and I said, “It was pretty good”. I said, “the songs by Elton John and Tim Rice are nice, I think the soundtrack will do OK.” Boy that soundtrack, it went absolutely crazy. Once that movie came out, we sold a ton of it. A fantastic success.

JW:  We were very lucky.

MH: That’s a great story, that you missed out on Aladdin, but you got Lion King. I think you did alright.

JW: Right, I think so too! (laughs).

MH: Congratulations to the band for the incredible streaming numbers. Over 3 billion cumulative streams of the Toto repertoire, with over a billion for the song “Africa”. Those are just mind-boggling numbers. How do you account for the ongoing popularity and longevity of this band?

JW: Well, I think it’s “Africa.” I think it’s the song. “Africa” has had so many different lives over the years, different artists doing it, with people rediscovering it. It’s one of those songs that holds up over time. It doesn’t pigeonhole to a particular time. New generations are hearing it thinking that it’s something new, only to discover that it came from this band from the 70s and 80s. People are learning, and wanting to come out and see the band live.

MH: I mean, I think you’re being a little modest. I think it’s down to more than just that one song. I think it’s also the canon of work that you and the guys have put together. A lot of amazing songs and a lot of incredible playing and singing.

JW: Oh, I would say that that’s absolutely true for a lot of diehard Toto fans. But people who don’t know the band, never really bothered to buy any album or anything like that – those folks still know “Africa”. 

MH: It’s timeless, that’s for sure. There’s a fairly new and somewhat tongue-in-cheek category that has surfaced, called “Yacht Rock”. How do you feel about Toto’s inclusion in that genre? Do you own a yacht yourself?

JW: (chuckles) I do not. That doesn’t bother me at all. 

MH: No, I think it’s just a bit of fun. I saw a Yacht Rock covers band here in Albany about a year ago, and they played “Africa” and they played “Rosanna”. All I can say is I’m, looking forward to hearing them played properly in March.

JW: (chuckles) Right, yeah. You’ll definitely hear it by a few of the original guys. This band is incredible.

MH: Yeah, tell me about the new members.

JW: They’re just great. We’re going into our third year working with them. It’s just another virtuoso band, which is what Toto’s always been about. The incredible musicianship and musicians, so no change there. 

MH: Talking of the gig in Albany, have you ever played the venue – The Egg?

JW: I have, but I can’t remember when.

MH: It’s a very unique venue. It looks like a huge kind of concrete saucer.

JW: Yes, sounds very familiar.

MH: It’s a beautiful room, it’s got great acoustics. The Hart Theatre where you’re playing, it seats just a little under 1000. It’s going to be a really intimate show, and I can’t wait to experience it. Well once again Joe, thanks for taking the time. 

JW: I really appreciate it. We’ll see you in March.

MH: Alright thanks, and good luck with the tour.

JW: Take care, bye.

Toto play the Hart Theatre at The Egg on Wednesday March 15^th at 8.00 pm. Visit theegg.org for more information or to purchase tickets,