David Paich

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

David Paich is an American keyboard player, singer and songwriter. He was born in 1954, the son of the jazz composer and arranger Marty Paich, and so grew up with arranging work and studio music. In 1977 he founded the band Toto, of which he became the main songwriter and one of the keyboard players.

Music and breakthrough

For Toto he wrote, with others, many of the best-known songs, such as Hold the Line from 1978, Rosanna and Africa. He also worked as a session musician, writer and producer. Together with Boz Scaggs he wrote Lowdown and Lido Shuffle for the album Silk Degrees from 1976. In 1977 he produced Aretha Franklin's song Break It to Me Gently. On Michael Jackson's album Thriller he played piano and synthesizer, and in the 1980s he often worked with the producers Quincy Jones and David Foster. In 2009 he was inducted into the Musicians Hall of Fame with the other members of Toto. In 2022 his first solo album Forgotten Toys appeared.

Influence

Paich shows how the sound of the Californian studio musicians shaped pop music around 1980. His songs remained radio hits long after the band had broken up.

Listening

Discography

Studio albums

• 2022Forgotten Toys