Bobby Kimball
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| Bobby Kimball | |
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 Kimball live in 2007 |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Robert Troy Kimball |
| Born | March 29, 1947 Orange, Texas, U.S. |
| Genres | AOR, hard rock, pop rock, adult contemporary, soft rock |
| Occupations | Singer-songwriter, musician |
| Instruments | Vocals, keyboards |
| Years active | 1973–present |
| Associated acts | Toto, Yoso, Jimi Jamison |
| Website | Official website |
Robert Troy "Bobby" Kimball (born March 29, 1947) is an American singer, best known as the longtime frontman of the rock band Toto.[1]
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[edit] Early life
Robert (Bobby) Troy Kimball was born in Orange, Texas, and was raised in nearby Vinton, Louisiana, as Vinton did not have a hospital (thus, he was born across the state line). Kimball started singing as a child, dabbling on voice and piano in a musical household throughout his youth. Throughout the 1970s, Kimball performed as a vocalist in various New Orleans area bands, including The Levee Band, which would later become Le Roux (band) after Kimball left.[citation needed] In 1976, Kimball joined S.S. Fools in which he was the lead vocalist as well as keyboard player. That same year, the band released their self-titled album. The band broke up during its first tour.[citation needed]
[edit] Tenure in Toto
In 1974, Bobby Kimball left Louisiana and moved to Los Angeles where he joined 3 members from the defunct band, Three Dog Night, to form a new band called S.S. Fools. They released one album on CBS Records, but the band split up within a year and a half. About 6 months later, Kimball was asked by David Paich and Jeff Porcaro, the two initial founding members of Toto, to join the five session musicians to form Toto. He submitted a self-penned audition song for the band, "You are the Flower",[2] which was included on their debut album.[2] Kimball performed on the first four studio albums by Toto. He was released from the band in 1984 during the sessions for Isolation[3] due to his out-of-control drug habit.[4]
[edit] After Toto
After leaving Toto, Bobby Kimball relocated to Germany for a solo career under Producer Frank Farian of the Far Corporation[5]
Kimball also continued to work as a session singer, singing background vocals with a trio composed of Michael McDonald from The Doobie Brothers, and Bill Champlin of Chicago for and others. Bobby Kimball was nearly asked by the band to return to Toto during 1989-1990 to record songs for the band's greatest hits album, Past to Present 1977-1990, only to be replaced by singer Jean-Michel Byron (a decision said to have derived from Sony, the band's record company at the time).[3] Byron was let go shortly thereafter, and guitarist/vocalist Steve Lukather took over Toto's primary lead vocal duties from 1991 to 1999.[3] After leaving the band, Kimball released a live album Classic Toto Hits in late 1990, in which he performed various Toto songs from over the years.[5] He recorded the album with the Frankfurt Rock Orchestra.[5] In 1994, Bobby Kimball released his first solo album Rise Up[5] featuring the single "Woodstock".[5]
[edit] Return to Toto
In 1998, Kimball rejoined Toto. The band then returned to the studio to record Mindfields. Toto toured in support of Mindfields throughout 1999 and 2000. In late 1999, the band released the live album Livefields. In 2000, Kimball released his second solo album All I Ever Needed, with the single "Kristine".[5] In 2002, Toto released a covers album Through the Looking Glass. In February 2006, Toto released Falling In Between, their first studio album of new material since 1999; however, it was announced in June 2008 that the band members have gone separate ways. Kimball is currently hosting his own website where he offers vocal advice to aspiring singers.[6]
[edit] Current activities
Bobby has been touring and doing concerts with many of his friends' bands around the world. In January 2010, he did 14 concerts in Germany on the "Rock Meets Classic" Tour with "The Prague Symphony Orchestra," featuring Philipp Maier as Conductor and Music Arranger. The singers with Kimball on this tour were Lou Gramm, the original lead vocalist of Foreigner, and Dan McCafferty, from the band Nazareth.
On May 16, 2010, at the LMHOF Louisiana Music Homecoming in Erwinville, LA, Bobby Kimball was inducted into The Louisiana Music Hall of Fame.[citation needed]
Kimball has just completed the vocals on a Duets CD with Jimi Jamison, who sang with the band Survivor, which will be released by Frontiers Records in the Spring of 2011.[citation needed] Bobby is now recording his new Solo CDs and working with his Solo Band.[citation needed]
For 2011, Bobby has tours booked in Germany, Holland, The Far East, Iraq, and South America. With some of the various groups he sings with, there will also be some dates around the USA. By the end of 2011, Kimball should have 4 new CDs being released.[citation needed]
In July 2011, Kimball toured Ireland with an emerging Irish band, Shadowplay.[citation needed] The tour visited Dublin, Galway, Limerick and Sligo, concluding in a headline performance at The Buncrana Music Festival, Ireland's largest not-for-profit music event.[citation needed]
[edit] References
- ^ Bobby Kimball Encyclopedia
- ^ a b Bobby Kimball Q&A
- ^ a b c Steve Lukather interview 2004
- ^ Seely, Todd (7 February 2005). The Fuze Interview with Steve Lukather, stevelukather.net. Retrieved on April 26, 2010.
- ^ a b c d e f Bobby Kimball Discography
- ^ Bobby Kimball Official Site
[edit] External links
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