Toto guitar wiz and session pro Steve Lukather stars in the latest episode of String Theory, and you can watch it above.
A web series created by Ernie Ball, the show explores sonic origins of influential and innovative musicians. In the episode, Lukather discusses his obsession with playing guitar, his drive as a musician, and his contributions to some of the world's most famous records.
Below, you can find five facts revealed in the episode.
1. One of his first sessions was with Diana Ross (0:25)
"Jeff Porcaro called me and goes, 'Come down to Studio 55, Richard Perry's studio, for a Diana Ross session. We need a guitar player now. Get in the car and come now.' I'm still at my parents’ house, and I go, 'Holy shit, okay, I'll be there.' I grab a little amp and a couple effects, a guitar, and ran."
2. He had the drive to become a musician at nine years old (0:58)
"I told [my dad] what I wanted to do, and he goes, ‘That's a crazy dream, what if it doesn't happen?' I go, 'There's no way it's not gonna happen.' And he patted me on the head. I had that kind of drive at nine years old."
"I started getting feedback and playing in front of an audience [when] we played at the fifth grade graduation, and the place went apeshit. They were screaming, and we were like, 'This is what it feels like.' And it was the greatest high I've ever had in my life."
4. He played guitar and bass on Michael Jackson's Beat It (3:33)
"Quincy had just come off Off The Wall, and he was getting ready to start his album The Dude. And I played all the guitars on that. He took a shine to me. He says, 'I'm doing Michael's next record, and I want you on it.'"
5. Practicing every day is part of his ritual (4:16)
"I practice every morning. I get up, take my kid to school, come back home, coffee, the place is quiet, I got my dog, and I practice. It's like meditation. I want to learn. The days of trying to be the fastest guy in the West are so far behind me, man. There are little kids that play better than me. But I'm trying to refine - find a new note, find a new thing."
Of course, these are just five facts pulled from the clip. You can watch the entire episode above.
You can watch more Ernie Ball String Theory episodes at ernieball.com/stringtheory.
