Taj Mahal Music Legend

Toto is an American band made up of vocalist/guitarist/ keyboards player David Paich along with guitarists/performers Robert “Cobie” backward and forward, and John Pierce. Toto is known for several songs that include, but are not limited to, “I Remember You”, “Haitian Divorce”, “I’m Still Alive”, “Haitian Divorce II”, “I’m Still Afraid”, and “I’m Only Sleeping”. The band has had several hit singles including “I Remember You” (LP), “Cocaine” ( EP), and “I’m Only Sleeping” (single). The group is made up of numerous members from all over the United States and other countries.

Celine Dion’s husband Tony Bennett, along with several other prominent figures in Hollywood, were listed as the original members of this band. Toto became famous throughout the world shortly after they were signed to a record label by Geffen Records, headed by Sam Phillips. Numerous hit singles followed, many of which achieved high sales within their first week of release. Many subsequent books have been written regarding Toto, most notably Hollywood Forever: The Making of Toto by Chris Bisson.

In the book, Hollywood Forever: The Making of Toto, Dorothy says she made her first visit to Japan when she was sixteen years old. She met Japanese teenagers who told her she should study Japanese because her singing was too “dreadful”. It was not until she moved to Los Angeles that she realized she had a talent for the guitar and wanted to perform. When Toto performed at a television station in New York, it was immediately clear that she had a talent for the voice as well as the musical style.

The first single from Tin Woman was “Haitian Diva”, which reached No. 1 in the United States. It was later included on many more albums, including Billie Jean and finally Into the West. The track later included on the album cover, “Eruption” became an instant hit in the United States and has gone on to become the second leading track on the chart, currently sitting at No. 6. “Eruption” was also certified Gold.

There are many other songs from Tin Woman that have gone on to sell millions of copies. “I’m a lonely virgin woman” is one, “Dirty Laundry” another and the list goes on. The album cover image from the movie depicts a toto with long hair holding a bouquet of flowers in her arms. This imagery has remained consistent on numerous other albums cover images, including a cover for the soundtrack to the film, Imelda Shue’s The Witch.

A career in the music industry is popular among young women today, but many others have also had great success in the music industry as well. Taj verbally contributed to the writing process on some of her songs. Some of her songs were later recorded by artists such as J.J. Johnson. Taj Mahal, one of the most recognizable voices in pop music history, once said of her former band mate, Larry Norman, ” Larry was a better guitar player than I was… and a better singer.”

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