“We’d all heard the myth of Miles Davis – the scary Miles Davis. But he liked us skinny little white boys!”: How the jazz legend ended up on a Toto record

The members of Toto have played on hit records for many other artists over the years - including the biggest selling album of all time, Michael Jackson’s Thriller. But in 1985 the roles were reversed when jazz legend Miles Davis played trumpet on Toto’s song Don’t Stop Me Now.

It happened when Miles was working on his album You’re Under Arrest and planning to record a version of Human Nature, a song featured on Thriller and co-written by Toto’s keyboard player Steve Porcaro.

Human Nature (2022 Remaster) - YouTube

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Miles wanted to know how the synthesiser sounds on Human Nature had been created by Porcaro and David Paich, Toto’s other keyboard player and vocalist. So a meeting was arranged in LA, where Miles met with Porcaro, Paich and two other members of the band, guitarist Steve Lukather and drummer Jeff Porcaro, Steve’s elder brother.

In a 2018 interview with Rock Candy magazine, Lukather recalled how they managed to persuade Miles to play on their song - and how it led to an offer for the guitarist to join Miles’ band.

“Miles was making a pop record,” Lukather said. “He loved Human Nature, Steve’s song, and before he recorded his version he came up to Paich’s house to learn about those synthesiser sounds that only Paich and Steve could make.

“Of course we’d all heard the myth of Miles Davis – the scary Miles Davis. But he was the f**king coolest guy ever. He took a shine to us. He liked us skinny little white boys!

“And we had this song that Paich and I had written, Don’t Stop Me Now, which was kind of like something off Sketches Of Spain [Miles’ classic album from 1960]. So we were thinking, if we can just get him to listen to this song, maybe he will play on it.

“Paich had these two grand pianos in his house, and that’s how we played the song for Miles – Paich on one piano, me on the other. And when it was done, Miles just said, ‘I like that.’”

The deal was clinched when Miles went with them to Jeff Porcaro’s home studio.

As Lukather recalled: “He saw this weird painting that Jeff had and he said, ‘I want it.’ Jeff goes, ‘I’ll give you the painting, but you gotta play on our track.’ And Miles laughed and said okay.

“So he did it! He f**king played for us! And at the end of the tune, he just kept on playing. We said, ‘Don’t stop recording! DON’T STOP RECORDING!’ So that’s what we had in that little fade-out at the end of the record, Miles playing a little bebop.

Don't Stop Me Now - YouTube

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“It was amazing to us that Miles liked our music," Lukather said. "And then, after he heard that album, he called me and asked me to join his band. I’m thinking: my God, Miles Davis!

“I said, ‘Miles, we’re leaving on tour tomorrow. And really, why me? You could have all these other great guitar players, like John McLaughlin.’ He said, ‘Ah, those guys are great, but I like your rock’n’roll shit!’

“But I had to say no. I couldn’t let down my own band. But I told Miles: ‘I’m honoured that you called. I’ll take this to my grave.’”