Bobby Kimball
Bobby Kimball was born in Orange, Texas, United States on March 29th, 1947 and is the Rock Singer. At the age of 77, Bobby Kimball biography, profession, age, height, weight, eye color, hair color, build, measurements, education, career, dating/affair, family, news updates, songs, and networth are available.
At 77 years old, Bobby Kimball has this physical status:
Robert Troy Kimball (born March 29, 1947) is an American singer and songwriter best known for his role as the original and long-time frontman of the rock band Toto from 1977 to 1984 and then again from 2008 to 2008.
Kimball has also performed as a solo artist and session singer.
Early life
Kimball was born in Orange, Texas, but he was raised in nearby Vinton, Louisiana. (Vinton did not have a hospital.) He began singing as an infant, dabbling on vocals, playing piano, and acoustic guitar in a musical household throughout his youth, 1800s Traditional Olde Tyme music, as well as rare local Swamp pop and Cajun folk songs, typical of Louisiana.
His parents were extremely supportive of his passion for performing music and his musical abilities, as well as expressing a keen interest in the possibility of becoming a professional musician by adulthood. He is of English, Cajun French, Welsh, and Jewish origins. In 1969, McNeese State University in Lake Charles, Louisiana, graduated him.
Kimball appeared in many New Orleans bands, including The Levee Band, which became Louisiana's LeRoux after Kimball left.
Kimball went from Louisiana to Los Angeles, California, in 1974 to pursue a full-time music career. He formed the S.S. Fools band in California with three members of Three Dog Night. They released one album on CBS Records, which was deemed a commercial failure, causing the band to be stripped from their brand and to split up within a year and a half. In 1976, David Paich and Jeff Porcaro begged Kimball to accompany them with three other session musicians, who would eventually form Toto. "You Are the Flower" was his dad's written audition song for the band and was later added on Toto's debut album. Kimball's bluesy vocal style impressed Paich and Porcharro and offered him the position of singer and songwriter. Both Kimball and the others adored his ability to perform in an R&B style and fused it with hard rock and jazz, which was characteristic and attributed to his Louisiana roots.
Kimball appeared on Toto's first four studio albums. During the sessions for the Isolation album, he was asked to leave the band in 1984. Kimball was asked to rejoin Toto in the late 1990s, on good terms with his ex bandmates.
According to a long-standing urban legend, the band named itself "Toto" after Kimball's "real" name, "Robert Toteaux," after the band's name, "Robert Toteaux." Due to Kimball's home-state of Louisiana and his Cajun roots, this tale was an in-joke perpetuated by Toto's original bassist, David Hungate. Toto's name, according to Toto guitarist Steve Lukather, was "just a really simple (unprevious) name, which made it much more clear and easily identifiable in any language."
Bobby Kimball left Toto in 1984 and moved to Germany for a solo career under Far Corporation producer Frank Farian.
Kimball continued to perform as a session singer, performing background vocals with a group made up of Michael McDonald of The Doobie Brothers and Bill Champlin of Chicago. Kimball was nearly asked by the band to record songs from his band's greatest hits album, Past to Present 1977-1990, but only to be replaced by singer Jean-Michel Byron (a decision that appeared to have arisen from Sony, the band's record company at the time). Byron was released shortly after, and guitarist-vocalist Steve Lukather took over Toto's primary lead vocal duties from 1991 to 1999. Kimball left the band in late 1990 and performed various Toto hits from the years. He performed the album with the Frankfurt Rock Orchestra. Kimball's first solo album Rise Up in 1994 featured the single "Woodstock."
Kimball returned to Toto in 1998. The band then returned to the studio to record Mindfields. Between 1999 and 2000, Toto toured in favor of the album. The band's Livefields album was released in late 1999. Kimball's second solo album All I Ever Wanted debuted in 1999 with the single "Kristine." Through the Looking Glass, Toto released a covers album in 2002.
Toto's first studio album of new music since 1999, to be precise, in June 2008. Kimball was not asked to return and was replaced by former Toto singer Joseph Williams when the organization reformed in 2010.
Kimball has established his own website, where he gives aspiring singers vocal guidance.
Kimball appeared on Pigs and Pyramids, a Pink Floyd tribute album that was released in 2002. His contribution "Have a Cigar" appeared on another Pink Floyd tribute album this year, Pink Box: Songs of Pink Floyd.
"Caroline," Kimball's sixth Chicago album, XXX, received additional backing vocals.
On the "Rock Meets Classic" Tour with the Bohemian Symphony Orchestra Prague, featuring Philipp Maier as Conductor and Music Arranger, he appeared in fourteen concerts in Germany in January 2010. Lou Gramm, the original lead vocalist of Foreigner, and Dan McCafferty of the band Nazareth were among the singers on this tour.
Bobby Kimball was inducted into The Louisiana Music Hall of Fame in Erwinville, Louisiana, on May 16, 2010.
Kimball released Elements, a progressive rock album released in 2010 under the band name Yoso, alongside former Yes members Tony Kaye and Billy Sherwood. Kimball and Jimi Jamison appeared on Kimball's 2011 album Kimball/Jamison.
Kimball toured Ireland in July 2011 with Shadowplay, an Irish band that was still in existence. The tour concluded in a headline performance at The Buncrana Music Festival, Ireland's biggest non-profit music festival, with Dublin, Galway, Limerick, and Sligo.
Kimball toured South America in November 2012. Argentina, Uruguay, Chile, and Peru were among the tour's participants. Kimball appeared in Las Vegas, Nevada, as a special guest vocalist with the Raiding the Rock Vault classic rock tribute performance.
In May 2014, in Genoa, FIM – Fiera Internazionale della Musica, Kimball received the FIM Award 2014 – Legend of Rock - Best Voice from the event's producer, Vera. With the song "Life Your Life for Happiness," he represented the United States at the LVI International Song Festival in Visco del Mar, Chile, in February 2015.
Bobby released We're Not In Kansas Anymore, a solo album from 2016, and No Echo, a music publication, featured Kimball on their "Best Male AOR Singers" list in late 2016.
Kimball is a victim of dementia, according to German media in November 2019. Steve Lukather confirmed this during an interview with Eonmusic in 2021.
Career success
In 1974, Kimball moved from Louisiana to Los Angeles, California to pursue a full-time music career. In California, he joined three members of Three Dog Night to form a band called S.S. Fools. They released one album on CBS Records, which was considered a commercial failure, causing the band to be dropped from their label and to split up within a year and a half. In 1976, David Paich and Jeff Porcaro asked Kimball to join them with three other session musicians, who would eventually form Toto. He submitted a self-penned audition song for the band: "You Are the Flower", which he had written for his daughter and was later included on Toto's debut album. Paich and Porcaro were impressed by Kimball's bluesy vocal style and offered him the job of vocalist and songwriter. The pair liked Kimball's ability to sing in an R&B style and to fuse it with hard rock and jazz, which was characteristic and attributed to his Louisiana origins.
Kimball performed on the first four studio albums by Toto. He was asked to leave the band in 1984 during the sessions for the Isolation album. In the late 1990s, on good terms with his former bandmates, Kimball was asked to rejoin Toto, which he accepted.
A longstanding urban legend holds that the band named itself 'Toto' after Kimball's "real" name, "Robert Toteaux." This story was an in-joke perpetuated by Toto's original bassist, David Hungate - due to Kimball's home-state of Louisiana and his Cajun heritage. According to Toto guitarist Steve Lukather, the real reason for this choice of band name was that Toto was "Just a really simple (unpretentious) name: easy to remember and easily identifiable, in any language."
After splitting from Toto in 1984, Bobby Kimball relocated to Germany for a solo career under producer Frank Farian of the Far Corporation.
Kimball also continued to work as a session artist, singing background vocals with a trio composed of Michael McDonald from The Doobie Brothers and Bill Champlin of Chicago. 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). Byron was let go shortly thereafter, and guitarist-vocalist Steve Lukather took over Toto's primary lead vocal duties from 1991 to 1999. After leaving the band, Kimball released the live album Classic Toto Hits in late 1990, in which he performed various Toto songs from over the years. He recorded the album with the Frankfurt Rock Orchestra. In 1994, Kimball released his first solo album Rise Up, featuring the single "Woodstock".
In 1998, Kimball rejoined Toto. The band then returned to the studio to record Mindfields. Toto toured in support of the album throughout 1999 and 2000. In late 1999, the band released the live album Livefields. In 1999, Kimball released his second solo album All I Ever Needed, with the single "Kristine". 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 had gone separate ways. When the group reformed in 2010, Kimball was not asked to return and was replaced by previous Toto vocalist Joseph Williams.
Kimball hosts his own website where he offers vocal advice to aspiring singers.
Kimball was involved in the Pink Floyd tribute album, Pigs and Pyramids, An All Star Lineup Performing the Songs of Pink Floyd, released in 2002. His contribution "Have a Cigar" also appeared on another Pink Floyd tribute album that year, Pink Box: Songs of Pink Floyd.
Kimball provided additional backing vocals on the song, "Caroline," on the 2006 Chicago album, XXX.
In January 2010, he did fourteen concerts in Germany on the "Rock Meets Classic" Tour with the Bohemian Symphony Orchestra Prague, 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, Louisiana, Bobby Kimball was inducted into The Louisiana Music Hall of Fame.
Kimball recorded a progressive rock album in 2010 entitled Elements under the band name Yoso with former Yes members Tony Kaye and Billy Sherwood. Kimball recorded the 2011 album Kimball/Jamison with Jimi Jamison.
In July 2011, Kimball toured Ireland with an emerging Irish band, Shadowplay. 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.
In November 2012, Kimball toured South America. The tour included Argentina, Uruguay, Chile and Peru. In March 2013, Kimball was a special guest vocalist with the Raiding the Rock Vault classic rock tribute show in Las Vegas, Nevada.
In May 2014, in Genoa, at the FIM - Fiera Internazionale della Musica, Kimball obtained from the director of the event Verdiano Vera, the FIM Award 2014 - Legend of Rock - Best Voice. In February 2015, he represented the United States at the LVI International Song Festival in Viña del Mar, Chile, with the song "Living Your Life for Happiness".
In late 2016, Bobby released a solo album, We're Not In Kansas Anymore, and the same year, music website No Echo featured Kimball on their "Best Male AOR Singers" list.
In November 2019, German media reported that Kimball suffers from dementia. This was also confirmed by Steve Lukather in an interview with Eonmusic in 2021.