The Rock Pack is back for another night of classic-rock tunes.
The locally organized concert series visits Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts Hall on Saturday, May 26, with former singers from the bands Toto, Kansas, Journey and Chicago.
Just don't expect the voices from those bands' biggest hits. Most of these singers were replacements for better-known frontmen.
John Elefante replaced Kansas singer Steve Walsh. Kevin Chalfant became Journey’s lead singer in 1994 after Steve Perry left the band. Singer/guitarist Bill Champlin joined Chicago in 1981 and did actually perform on a few of the band’s hits, including lead vocals on “Look Away” and “I Don’t Want to Live Without Your Love.”
The Rock Pack’s best-known singer, however, is undoubtedly Bobby Kimball, who sang on Toto's biggest hits, including “Rosanna,” “Africa” and “Hold the Line.”
The News-Press talked with Kimball in 2016 about Toto and the band’s music. Here’s what he had to say about:
— Why he loves singing Toto hits like “Rosanna” and “Africa.”
“I just love the look on people’s faces when I sing them,” he says. “It’s fun for them, and it’s fun for me.”
— How he always ends his shows with the rocker “Hold the Line.”
“It’s the first song Toto released,” he says. “It’s the first one we recorded as a band.”
— Actress Rosanna Arquette's claim that "Rosanna" was written about her.
Arquette was dating keyboard player Steve Porcano at the time, Kimball says. But keyboardist David Paich actually wrote the song based on various women he knew — none of them actually named Rosanna.
“It was just a name that fit the song,” Kimball says.
After the song was written, however, Arquette moved in with Porcano and claimed the song was about her.
“She was starting her acting career,” Kimball says. “And she went on Johnny Carson one night and said the song was written about her.
“I didn’t really care if she said that, though, because I thought she was such a great actor.”
Toto’s eight Grammy Award nominations for "Rosanna" and the 1982 album "Toto IV." They won seven that year.
“No one had ever been nominated for eight Grammys before that," Kimball says. "We did something that had never been done.”
Connect with this reporter: Charles Runnells (Facebook), @charlesrunnells (Twitter), @crunnells1 (Instagram)
If you go
What: The Rock Pack
When: 8:30 p.m. Saturday, May 26
Where: Barbara B Mann Performing Arts Hall, 13350 FSW Parkway, south Fort Myers
Tickets: $66-$129 (plus applicable taxes and fees, prices subject to change)
Info: 481-4849 or visit bbmannpah.com