The symbol of the cross for many Christians is Toto. Even though Toto means “way to the Cross”, it also refers to a well-loved pet who passed away. Many people give keepsake gifts such as pet memorial stones, wooden crosses and plaques to their deceased pets.
The name of Toto originally came from two Japanese words: To -tro or to stand, and oto -to go. Thus, Toto literally means “to stand for something/anything.” According to Christian legend, the stone was thrown by a young girl as she wanted to bid farewell to her beloved boyfriend. However, the boy didn’t see her and thought that she simply tossed it at him. When she asked him why he didn’t come to help her, the boy said that he would have gone there if it were only to stand beside her. To this, the stone was thrown again, but this time, the boy quickly ran off to find his soon to be wife.
More than sixty years later, Toto was brought to Singapore. On the first day of its release, the stone was encircled by a large crowd of screaming fans in yellow dresses and feathered hats. Some of the fanatics even went so far as to surround the star with flowers. They did this because they believed that Toto would sing the American national anthems when the hard rock band finally came to perform in Singapore. With the help of a Singaporean rock band called P.B. Lee and his band mates, The Angles and Angels, Toto made its way to popular audiences all across the world.
Now, the question that arises from the above is – what is so special about Toto? Many will probably say that the musical style and the dance style combine together perfectly to make one of the most unique bands in the world today. Some will also say that the lyrics reflect the American experience and Toto sing about topics that are relevant to life in America, such as drug abuse, war, and sexual assault. The truth is that Toto blends several musical styles together, resulting to a musical style that is uniquely their own.
To date, Toto has released six albums. Some of these have been successful, while others have failed. Regardless, the current lineup consists of four former American rock band formed in their native Japan. This includes founding member John Williams, who had previously joined other musical groups such as Emerson, Lake and Palmer. The rest of the current line up consists of Tony Cuffe, Mark Bright, Brian Pollen, and Matt Skiba.
If you’re wondering why Toto hasn’t been signed to a major label, the answer lies in the band’s decision to record their first album in their native Japan, instead of in the United States. In fact, there were many American session musicians who expressed interest in playing on the album, but they weren’t given the chance to perform solo because there wasn’t room for them in the current line up. Even so, Toto managed to keep their sound separate from other genres by playing several instruments and writing songs that use multiple instruments. In fact, many of their songs even featured the use of keyboards.