The Genius Of Jeff Porcaro

Jeff Porcaro is a vital part of drumming history, shaping how drummers play today. 🙏🏼 You can play along these songs inside Drumeo - Click on the link to get started: www.drumeo.com/trial

Stoked how this one turned out! Thanks for watching!❤

Joe Porcaro was a teacher of mine at PIT in 1991. He was an amazing drummer and human. He would tell us Jeff's latest session or touring stories all the time(like Bruce Springsteen offering Jeff a million dollars to go on tour). We had a Steely Dan class, and one day, while I was onstage playing caves of altimira, Jeff walked in. I was about to freak out. He walked right up to me and put his hand on my shoulder and said quietly..."relax"...we both laughed out loud. He was such a humble person. Watching him play up close was truly extraordinary.

I was with the Toto Touring crew in the early 80s , I will never forget Jeff, the craft,skill, power and as a drummer he would always stop and talk and show his trade .A true gentleman and pure musician 🎶🎵🥁🥁

As an adolescent, I was all about technical drummers like Peart, Portnoy, Weckl, Donati, etc. Now, as a 40 year-old professional player myself, the drumming of cats like Jeff Porcaro, Ed Greene, Steve Gadd, Bernard Purdie and J.R. Robinson are where my priorities and heart are. Grooving, making your bandmates comfortable and your audience tap their feet...that's the biggest lesson I've learned from Jeff Porcaro! A true musician par excellence, there will never be another like him. Thanks for this important tribute to a groove titan.

Jeff's work on 99 made me realize how crucial it is to FEEL THE GROOVE. Those hihat lifts are PERFECT too.

I STILL find songs I grew up listening to (I'm 54) that when I look at the credits, there's Jeff Porcaro. That dude played on damn near everything. I think the one thing that set him apart (other than that cats inhuman playing ability) is how generous he was with his time. There's a very old VHS interview on YT of him doing a clinic at the Musicians Institute. In this clinic he states how he would help other upcoming musicians and not charge them a cent for his playing. This guy is one of the most recorded and in demand session drummers of our time. And he gave of his time and talents. Jeff is the role model our world needs!!! RIP Jeff... you're influence is still felt and heard today as it was when you were in the studio.

I was Joe's student when Jeff walked in and said can I borrow the black drum set dad? A-l-o-h-a

I am 57. In 1978 when I first really listened to drums on a record, it was Jeff Porcaro. 46 years later and my favorite drummer is still Jeff Porcaro. Side note, my drum teacher here in the Lehigh Valley, PA area studied with Joe Porcaro for about 6 years in Los Angeles in the late 1980s. So I have a direct connection to Jeff Porcaro. RIP Jeff, Mike and Joe ❤

Jeff Porcaro is on my Mount Rushmore of rock drummers with Pratt, Copeland, and Bonzo. He had a pocket that will never be equaled.

The thing with Jeff that always gobsmacked me is that you can solo out his track and still hear the song always. Amazing musician and my favorite drummer of all time

"Silk Degrees" alone captures every aspect of pinnacle drumming.

This man was a true genius. The rosanna intro is still one of my favourite shuffles

It was back in the late 80s (1988). I joined the army (in Finland)…a depressing time ahead. My band had recently broke up,and it seemed like I was going nowhere . Then the album “the seventh one “ came out. And as soon as I heard his drumming on Home of the Brave, I decided to continue playing, no matter how bad I felt inside. He was and still is, a special inspiration , an uplift every time I get the same feeling and mental breakdown that I had back in those days. R.I.P Jeff.

Jeff's 16th notes on the hi-hat are out of this world chef's kiss

His legacy is that feel & groove is everything. Something that desperately needs to be rekindled in today’s musical climate!

Absolutely unreal! I had no idea he did some of those songs like "I Keep Forgettin'", "Dirty Laundry", "Human Nature", and "Beat It". Drumeo, your work and research is literally second to none. Everything you put out is incredible, but I truly love 'The Genius of' series. The in-depth research, interviews, down to the sheet music at the bottom is absolute perfection. Going into this, I mostly just knew "Rosanna", "Africa", and "Hold The Line" but now I'm truly gonna check out every Steely Dan record he cut and other session albums by the likes of Michael McDonald, Don Henley, and Michael Jackson. Thanks for opening my eyes and ears to songs I knew kicked ass but had no idea they were all from this one amazing drummer!

My No1 drummer since I was a kid & still (56yrs old) a massive influence on my musical taste and drumming. Was lucky enough to meet him 3 times & see him play with Toto before he was taken from us way too early. His other trait that struck me personally when I first met him in 88 was how humble he was, a quality he taught me when I was 21 & is still with me today!

Toto is iconic and the Porcaro family is a treasure to us all.

This was the best all-encompassing video on Jeff's life and career I've ever seen! You did a phenomenal job providing great insight into his life! I'd like to share a story I have of Jeff. I met him at an autograph session when they toured for Toto IV. I told him how much I admired their session work as well as being an avid fan and he was so gracious and humble in his response. To show my dedication to the band, I actually brought my "Turn Back" album for them to sign! Luke said to the guys... "Hey we did sell one of them!" But the best part was they were drinking beers from the signing table and my brother and I were the last in line to get their autographs. It was a hot day and I said to Jeff "that beer looked good" and he replie, "You want one?" and gave me a beer!!! (That would never happen in the PC world today.) This is what makes him special. We all know the incredible talent and God given gift he had as a drummer, but you also hear all the time how he gave back and helped others... and I got to experience that for myself! RIP, Jeff. Gone but never forgotten!