In addition to learning the piano at an early age, thanks to the encouragement of his musician father, Eddie Van Halen began playing the drums and his older brother Alex, the guitar. However, the two soon concluded that if they switched instruments, they would sound much better. Since Eddie altered the direction of the guitar playing, the remainder of the tale is widely known. He demonstrated to the world that the instrument was capable of much more.
Eddie was always observing and hanging around with other groups, even though during his career he didn’t perform with many other musicians or bands due to the group’s tight policy of concentrating exclusively on their stuff most of the time. He even once said who, in his opinion, was one of the world’s finest drummers.
The drummer that Eddie Van Halen said was one of the best
Eddie Van Halen is renowned for his incredible songwriting and guitar prowess, but he’s also remembered as a kind person who was constantly grinning. Despite being labeled as shy, he had the opportunity to form numerous close friendships during his professional life. Steve Lukather, the guitarist for Toto, was one of them, and their relationship helped him get along with the other members of the band. He met Jeff Porcaro, the drummer, and referred to him as the “groove master” while describing him as one of the greatest drummers in the world.
Porcaro, a 38-year-old sufferer of a cardiac ailment, went dead in 1992. However, the fact that he became sick after using pesticides in his home’s yard is also blamed for his demise. His comrades organized a memorial concert for the same year. Being a skilled session drummer, Porcaro had performed with many of the musicians on it over his career.
Eddie Van Halen was among the invited performers, and he paid tribute to the late drummer during the press conference held to promote the performance.
Eddie said, “Well, to me he was definitely one of the best drummers in the world. (He was) definitely the groove master and come on, you gotta do a tribute to a cat like that. He was just too heavy, you know. That’s why I’m here and he was a buddy.”
Eddie Van Halen made an appearance during that performance and joined the band for three songs. They were “Fire” by Jimi Hendrix, “Ain’t Talkin’ ‘Bout Love” by Van Halen, and “Hold The Line” by Toto.
Van Halen said Toto was “probably the best musicians collectively in any band”
The incredible work as a session drummer
Born in 1954 in Hartford, Connecticut, Jeff Porcaro came from a musical family. As a session musician, he began his musical career in 1971. Incredibly talented musicians like Steely Dan, Hall & Oates, Pink Floyd, Peter Frampton, Bee Gees, and many more were on his recordings.
Porcaro, for instance, rose to prominence as a session musician before becoming well-known as a band member, much like Jimmy Page. Throughout his career, he contributed to hundreds of albums and thousands of sessions.
Naturally, he had a major role in Toto’s success as well, and this is evident when songs like the group’s biggest hit, “Africa,” are performed. Before his death, he was a founding member of the band and appeared on every record. His last album with them, “Kingdom of Desire,” was released in 1992, the same year he went away. It’s interesting to note that Toto had a lot of other Jeff relatives, including Mike Porcaro (bass), Joe Porcaro (percussion), and Steve Porcaro (keyboards and synths).
Having sold an estimated 100 million records globally, Toto is among the most successful American bands of all time. Their song “Africa” has been streamed over a billion times on Spotify.