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''"Niacin" redirects here. For the neo-fusion band, see Niacin (band).''

Niacin (also known as vitamin B₃, nicotinic acid and vitamin PP) is an organic compound with the formula C₆H₅NO₂ and, depending on the definition used, one of the forty to eighty essential human nutrients. This colorless, water-soluble solid is a derivative of pyridine, with a carboxyl group (COOH) at the 3-position. Other forms of vitamin B₃ include the corresponding amide, nicotinamide ("niacinamide"), where the carboxyl group has been replaced by a carboxamide group (CONH₂), as well as more complex amides and a variety of esters. The terms niacin, nicotinamide, and vitamin B₃ are often used interchangeably to refer to any member of this family of compounds, since they have similar biochemical activity. Niacin is commercialised by Sepracor under the name Niaspan and by OdanLaboratories under the name Ni-odan.

Niacin cannot be directly converted to nicotinamide, but both compounds could be converted to NAD and NADP ''in vivo''. Although the two are identical in their vitamin activity, nicotinamide does not have the same pharmacological effects (lipid modifying effects) as niacin; these effects occur as side effects of niacin's conversion. Nicotinamide does not reduce cholesterol or cause flushing. Nicotinamide may be toxic to the liver at doses exceeding 3 g/day for adults. Niacin is a precursor to NAD+/NADH and NADP+/NADPH, which play essential metabolic roles in living cells. Niacin is involved in both DNA repair, and the production of steroid hormones in the adrenal gland.

Niacin is one of five vitamins associated with a pandemic deficiency disease: niacin deficiency (pellagra), vitamin C deficiency (scurvy), thiamin deficiency (beriberi), vitamin D deficiency (rickets), vitamin A deficiency (night blindness and other symptoms).

Niacin has been used to increase levels of HDL cholesterol in the blood and has been found to modestly decrease the risk of cardiovascular events in a number of controlled human trials. However, in a recent trial AIM-HIGH, a slow-release form of niacin was found to have no effect on cardiovascular event and stroke risk in a group of patients with LDL levels already well-controlled by a statin drug, and the trial was halted prematurely on evidence that niacin addition actually increased stroke risk in this group. The role of niacin in treating cardiovascular risk remains under debate.

Dietary needs

One recommended daily allowance of niacin is 2–12 mg/day for children, 14 mg/day for women, 16 mg/day for men, and 18 mg/day for pregnant or breast-feeding women. The upper limit for adult men and women is 35 mg/day, which is based on flushing as the critical adverse effect. In general, niacin status is tested through urinary biomarkers, which are believed to be more reliable than plasma levels.

Deficiency

At present, niacin deficiency is sometimes seen in developed countries, and it is usually apparent in conditions of poverty, malnutrition, and chronic alcoholism. It also tends to occur in areas where people eat maize (corn, the only grain low in niacin) as a staple food. A special cooking technique called nixtamalization is needed to increase the bioavailability of niacin during maize meal/flour production.

Mild niacin deficiency has been shown to slow metabolism, causing decreased tolerance to cold.

Severe deficiency of niacin in the diet causes the disease pellagra, which is characterized by diarrhea, dermatitis, and dementia, as well as “necklace” lesions on the lower neck, hyperpigmentation, thickening of the skin, inflammation of the mouth and tongue, digestive disturbances, amnesia, delirium, and eventually death, if left untreated. Common psychiatric symptoms of niacin deficiency include irritability, poor concentration, anxiety, fatigue, restlessness, apathy, and depression.

By lowering VLDL levels, niacin also increases the level of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) or "good" cholesterol in blood, and therefore it is sometimes prescribed for people with low HDL, who are also at high risk of a heart attack.

The ARBITER 6-HALTS study, reported at the 2009 annual meeting of the American Heart Association and in the New England Journal of Medicine concluded that, when added to statins, 2000 mg/day of slow-release niacin was more effective than ezetimibe (Zetia) in reducing carotid intima-media thickness, a marker of atherosclerosis. Additionally, a recent meta-analysis covering 11 randomized controlled clinical trials found positive effects of niacin alone or in combination on all cardiovascular events and on atherosclerosis evolution.

However, a 2011 study (AIM-HIGH) was halted early because patients showed no decrease in cardiovascular events, but did experience an increase in the risk of stroke. These patients already had LDL levels well-controlled by a statin drug, and the aim of the study was to evaluate slow-release niacin (2000 mg per day) to see if raising HDL levels had an additional positive effect on risk. In this study, it did not have such an effect, and appeared to increase stroke risk. The role of niacin in patients whose LDL is not well-controlled (as in the majority of previous studies with niacin) is still under study and debate. However, it does not seem to offer benefits via raising HDL, in patients already lowering LDL by taking a statin.

Toxicity

Pharmacological doses of niacin (1.5 - 6 g per day) occasionally lead to side effects that can include dermatological conditions such as skin flushing and itching, dry skin, and skin rashes including eczema exacerbation and acanthosis nigricans. These symptoms are generally related to niacin's role as the rate limiting cofactor in the histidine decarboxylase enzyme which converts l-histidine into histamine. H1 and H2 receptor mediated histamine is metabolized via a sequence of mono (or di-) amine oxidase and COMT into methylhistamine which is then conjugated through the liver's CYP450 pathways. Persistent flushing and other symptoms may indicate deficiencies in one or more of the cofactors responsible for this enzymatic cascade. Gastrointestinal complaints, such as dyspepsia (indigestion), nausea and liver toxicity fulminant hepatic failure, have also been reported. Side effects of hyperglycemia, cardiac arrhythmias and "birth defects in experimental animals" have also been reported. The flush lasts for about 15 to 30 minutes, and is sometimes accompanied by a prickly or itching sensation, in particular, in areas covered by clothing. This effect is mediated by prostaglandin and can be blocked by taking 300 mg of aspirin half an hour before taking niacin, or by taking one tablet of ibuprofen per day. Taking the niacin with meals also helps reduce this side effect. After several weeks of a consistent dose, most patients no longer flush. Slow- or "sustained"-release forms of niacin have been developed to lessen these side effects. One study showed the incidence of flushing was significantly lower with a sustained release formulation though doses above 2 g per day have been associated with liver damage, in particular, with slow-release formulations. Prostaglandin (PGD₂) is the primary cause of the flushing reaction, with serotonin appearing to have a secondary role in this reaction.

Although high doses of niacin may elevate blood sugar, thereby worsening diabetes mellitus,

Niacin in doses used to lower cholesterol levels has been associated with birth defects in laboratory animals, with possible consequences for infant development in pregnant women. Extremely high doses of niacin can also cause niacin maculopathy, a thickening of the macula and retina, which leads to blurred vision and blindness. This maculopathy is reversible after niacin intake ceases.

Inositol hexanicotinate

One form of dietary supplement is inositol hexanicotinate (IHN), which is inositol that has been esterified with niacin on all six of inositol's alcohol groups. IHN is usually sold as "flush-free" or "no-flush" niacin in units of 250, 500, or 1000 mg/tablets or capsules. It is sold as an over-the-counter formulation, and often is marketed and labeled as niacin, thus misleading consumers into thinking they are getting the active form of the medication. While this form of niacin does not cause the flushing associated with the immediate-release products, the evidence that it has lipid-modifying functions is contradictory, at best. As the clinical trials date from the early 1960s (Dorner, Welsh) or the late 1970s (Ziliotto, Kruse, Agusti), it is difficult to assess them by today's standards. One of the last of those studies affirmed the superiority of inositol and xantinol esters of nicotinic acid for reducing serum free fatty acid, but other studies conducted during the same period found no benefit. Studies explain that this is primarily because "flush-free" preparations do not contain any free nicotinic acid. A more recent placebo-controlled trial was small (n=11/group), but results after three months at 1500 mg/day showed no trend for improvements in total cholesterol, LDL-C, HDL-C or triglycerides. Thus, so far there is not enough evidence to recommend IHN to treat dyslipidemia. Furthermore, the American Heart Association and the National Cholesterol Education Program both take the position that only prescription niacin should be used to treat dyslipidemias, and only under the management of a physician. The reason given is that niacin at effective intakes of 1500–3000 mg/day can also potentially have severe adverse effects. Thus liver function tests to monitor liver enzymes are necessary when taking therapeutic doses of niacin, including alkaline phosphatase (ALP), aspartate transaminase (AST), and alanine transaminase (ALT).

Biosynthesis and chemical synthesis

The liver can synthesize niacin from the essential amino acid tryptophan, requiring 60 mg of tryptophan to make one mg of niacin. The 5-membered aromatic heterocycle of tryptophan is cleaved and rearranged with the alpha amino group of tryptophan into the 6-membered aromatic heterocycle of niacin. Riboflavin, Vitamin B6 and iron are required in some of the reactions involved in the conversion of tryptophan to NAD.

Several million kilograms of niacin are manufactured each year, starting from 3-methylpyridine.

Receptor

In addition to its effects as NAD and NADP, niacin may have additional effects by receptor activation. The receptor for niacin is a G protein-coupled receptor called HM74A. It couples to the Gi alpha subunit.

Food sources

Niacin is found in variety of foods, including liver, chicken, beef, fish, cereal, peanuts and legumes, and is also synthesized from tryptophan, which is found in meat, dairy and eggs.

Animal products:

liver, heart and kidney

chicken

beef

fish: tuna, salmon

milk

eggs

Fruits and vegetables:

avocados

dates

tomatoes

leaf vegetables

broccoli

carrots

sweet potatoes

asparagus

Seeds:

nuts

whole grain products

legumes

saltbush seeds

Fungi:

mushrooms

brewer's yeast

Other:

Vegemite (from spent brewer's yeast)

History

Niacin was first described by Hugo Weidel in 1873 in his studies of nicotine. The original preparation remains useful: The oxidation of nicotine using nitric acid. Niacin was extracted from livers by Conrad Elvehjem, who later identified the active ingredient, then referred to as the "pellagra-preventing factor" and the "anti-blacktongue factor." When the biological significance of nicotinic acid was realized, it was thought appropriate to choose a name to dissociate it from nicotine, to avoid the perception that vitamins or niacin-rich food contains nicotine, or that cigarettes contain vitamins. The resulting name 'niacin' was derived from nicotinic acid + vitamin.

Carpenter found in 1951 that niacin in corn is biologically unavailable, and can be released only in very alkaline lime water of pH 11. This process is known as nixtamalization.

Niacin is referred to as vitamin B₃ because it was the third of the B vitamins to be discovered. It has historically been referred to as "vitamin PP" or "vitamin P-P".

Research

, a combination of niacin with laropiprant is being tested in a clinical trial. Laropiprant reduces facial flushes induced by niacin.

References

Category:Hypolipidemic agents Category:B vitamins Category:Inositol Category:Nicotinic acids

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name	Dennis Chambers
birth date	May 09, 1959
instrument	Drums
genre	Jazz, Jazz fusion, Funk music, Latin Rock
background	non_vocal_instrumentalist }}

Dennis Chambers (born May 9, 1959) is an American drummer who has recorded and performed with John Scofield, George Duke, Brecker Brothers, Santana, Parliament/Funkadelic, John McLaughlin, Niacin, Mike Stern, Greg Howe, and many others. Despite a lack of formal training, Chambers has become well known among drummers for his technique and speed. Chambers is particularly regarded for his ability to play "in the pocket" but can also stretch very far out of the pocket which is also a hallmark of his technique. Chambers exhibits a powerful style that is technically proficient, yet highly musical and groove-oriented. He can play in a wide variety of musical genres, but is perhaps most notable for his jazz-fusion, funk, and Latin music playing. He is mostly known for his fast hands and triplets on the bass drum. He has helped many young drummers, the most prominent being Tony Royster, Jr.

He has been part of the Maceo Parker live band and is touring with Carlos Santana and makes appearances with his band Niacin.

He plays Pearl drums, Zildjian cymbals, Zildjian sticks,and Evans drumheads.

Chambers began drumming at the age of four years old, and was gigging in Baltimore-area nightclubs by the age of six. In 1978 (at 18 years old) he joined Parliament/Funkadelic, and stayed with them until 1985. In 1986 he joined the John Scofield band. Since then he has played with most of the major figures in jazz fusion music.

On August 26th, 2011 Chambers appeared as a featured drummer on the Late Show with David Letterman's Drum Solo Week II, alongside other such notable players as Tony Royster, Jr., Gavin Harrison, and Stewart Copeland.

Selected discography

! Year	! Constellation	! Title	! Label
1983		Live at the Beverly Theater in Hollywood	Westbound
1986	John Scofield	Blue Matter	Gramavision
1987	John Scofield	Loud Jazz	Gramavision
1987	John Scofield	Pick Hits Live	Gramavision
1989	Gary Thomas	By All Means Necessary	JMT
1990		Let The Juice Loose (Live at the Blue Note, Tokyo)	Bellaphon
1991	Dennis Chambers	Big City	Glass House
1992	Carl Filipiak Group (Carl Filipiak, Dennis Chambers, Paul Soroka, Jim Charlsen, Victor Williams, George Gray, Dave Fairall, Rod Daniels)	Right on Time	Geometric Records
1992	Petite Blonde (Bill Evans (saxophonist)	Live Recording	[[Lipstick Records
1992	The Return Of The Brecker Brothers	The Return Of The Brecker Brothers	GRP Records
1992	Dennis Chambers	Getting Even	Glass House
1993	Graffiti (Dennis Chambers, Haakon Graf, Gary Grainger, Ulf Wakenius)	Good Groove	ESC Records
1994		Tokio Live	Japan Import
1993	Charles Blenzig (Mike Stern, Will Lee, Alex Foster, Dennis Chambers, Manolo Badrena, Michael Brecker)	Say what you mean	Big World
1995	Steely Dan	Alive in America	Giant
1997	John McLaughlin, Gary Thomas	The Heart of Things	Verve/Universum
1999	Victor Bailey	Low Blow	ESC Records
2000	John McLaughlin	The Heart Of Things / Live In Paris	Polygram
2001	Brett Garsed, TJ Helmerich, Gary Willis, Scott Kinsey	Uncle Moe's Space Ranch	Tone Center Records
2002	Dennis Chambers	Outbreak	Esc
2003	Greg Howe, Victor Wooten, Dennis Chambers	Extraction	Tone Center Records
2003	Bireli Lagrene, Dominique Di Piazza, Dennis Chambers	Front Page	Sunny Side Records
2006	Dennis Chambers	Planet Earth	BHM
2006	Dennis Chambers, Jeff Berlin, David Fiuczynsky, T Lavitz	Boston T Party	Tone Center
2006	True Spirit John Grant, Victor Williams Dennis Chambers, Najee,	True Spirit	Indy release
2007	The Carl Filipiak Group	I Got Your Mantra	Art of Life Records
2007	Brett Garsed, TJ Helmerich, Gary Willis, Scott Kinsey	Moe's Town (Uncle Moe's Space Ranch)	Tone Center Records
2008	Paul Hanson	Frolic in the Land of Plenty	Abstract Logix Records
2009	Dean Brown	DBIII:live at the Cotton Club Tokyo	BHM records
2009	Tony Bunn	Small World	ATP Records Group

References

External links

DennisChambers.com

Drummerworld: Dennis Chambers

Dennis Chambers Bio, Interview & Video-Workshop on Bonedo.de (text-German/video-English)

Category:1959 births Category:Living people Category:American jazz drummers Category:American funk drummers Category:African American musicians Category:African American drummers Category:P-Funk members Category:Santana (band) members

da:Dennis Chambers de:Dennis Chambers es:Dennis Chambers fr:Dennis Chambers it:Dennis Chambers nl:Dennis Chambers nn:Dennis Chambers pl:Dennis Chambers ro:Dennis Chambers sv:Dennis Chambers

Name	Glen Hughes
Nickname	Smack Snr
Position
Birth date	January 13, 1973
Birth place	Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Height	6 ft 1 in (184 cm)
Weight	14 st 9 lbs (95 kg)
Retired	yes
Club1	Bulldogs
Year1start	1992
Year1end	04
Appearances1	177
Tries1	20
Goals1	0
Fieldgoals1	0
Points1	80
Source	Rugby League Project
New	yes }}

Glen Hughes (born 13 January 1973 in Sydney, New South Wales) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer of the 1990s and 2000s. He played for the Bulldogs as a five-eighth and lock, winning the 1995 ARL Premiership with them. Glen is the son of former Bulldog Garry Hughes and the brother of Steven Hughes and Corey Hughes who also played for the Bulldogs. He played from the interchange bench for the Canterbury Bulldogs in their loss at the 1998 NRL grand final to the Brisbane Broncos.

References

External links

Rugby League Project stats

Bulldogs profile

Glen Hughes Player Profile at yesterdayshero.com.au

Category:1973 births Category:Australian rugby league players Category:Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs players Category:Living people

name	Steve Lukather
alt	Steve Lukather stands on a stage playing a green electric guitar.
background	solo_singer
born	October 21, 1957 San Fernando Valley, California, U.S.
instrument	Guitar, keyboards, mandolin, lute, vocals
genre	Hard Rock, Progressive Rock, Jazz Fusion
occupation	Musician, songwriter, arranger, producer
associated acts	Toto, Michael Jackson, Boz Scaggs, Los Lobotomys
notable instruments	Music Man "Luke" signature model
years active	1975–present
label	Mascot Records
website	http://www.stevelukather.net/ }}

Steve "Luke" Lukather (born October 21, 1957, San Fernando Valley, California) is an American guitarist, singer, songwriter, arranger, and record producer best known for his work with the rock band Toto. Lukather has played with many artists, released several solo albums, and worked as a composer, arranger, and session guitarist on more than 1,500 albums. He was also a member of jazz fusion band Los Lobotomys, a collaboration of notable session musicians. While his work with Toto was predominantly based on pop rock music, Lukather's solo and side-project work spans many genres including rock, progressive rock, jazz and funk.

Session keyboardist David Paich and session drummer Jeff Porcaro were high school friends with Lukather. Lukather was invited to join in forming their band, Toto, in 1976 when Lukather was nineteen years old. He was a member of Toto from that time until the band split up in 2008. Lukather's reputation as a guitarist and his association with Paich and Porcaro, who were also established artists, allowed him to secure a solid flow of session work in the 1970s and 1980s. He is a prolific songwriter, writing or co-writing many songs for Toto and other artists. His career has encompassed hundreds of performances and album appearances with Toto and other well-known musicians. Lukather has been nominated for twelve Grammy awards, and has won five times.

Lukather is known for his efficiency in the studio, often recording tracks in one take using minimal sound processing. While he once used many guitar effects in the studio and on stage, he now frequently disparages such practice, and instead advocates clean tones and minimal studio processing. Lukather plays primarily a signature electric guitar manufactured by Ernie Ball Music Man bearing his nickname, Luke. He also plays Yamaha acoustic guitars.

Biography

Early life

Steven Lee Lukather was born on October 21, 1957 in San Fernando Valley, California. He first played keyboards and drums, and then taught himself how to play the guitar starting at age seven, when his father bought him a Kay acoustic guitar and a copy of The Beatles album ''Meet the Beatles''. Lukather claims that the album "changed his life" and that he was greatly influenced by the guitar playing of George Harrison in particular.

In high school, Lukather met David Paich and the Porcaro brothers (Jeff, Steve, and Mike), all of whom became members of Toto. Lukather, who had been a self-taught musician until then, began taking guitar lessons from a musician named Jimmy Wyble, who expanded Lukather's knowledge of different aspects of music, such as orchestration. It was during this period that Lukather became interested in the idea of becoming a session musician, which provided opportunities to play with a variety of famous musicians.

Jeff Porcaro, who was playing drums with Steely Dan, became a mentor to Lukather and furthered his interest in session work. Lukather's first job in the music industry was studio work with Boz Scaggs, after which Paich and Porcaro—who had become prominent session musicians in their own right—asked Lukather to join them in forming Toto in 1976, along with Bobby Kimball, David Hungate, and Steve Porcaro. Lukather turned down an offer to join Miles Davis's band because Toto was leaving the next day for a world tour.

Toto

Lukather was the lead guitarist for Toto, as well as a lead and backing vocalist and composer. In the early years of the band's history, David Paich wrote most of the songs that appeared on Toto records and in the charts. Lukather also credits Jeff Porcaro for his leadership within the band. Lukather's role in Toto evolved, and following Porcaro's death Lukather felt that he needed to step up and make sure the band kept going. Lukather won three of his five Grammy awards for work with Toto, twice as an artist and once as a producer. Toto has sold over 32 million records.

After the 1990 dismissal of their fourth vocalist, Jean-Michel Byron, Toto was without a lead singer until around 1997; Lukather assumed most of the vocal duties for the band during that time. He performed lead vocals for every track on 1992's ''Kingdom of Desire'' and 1995's ''Tambu'' except for two instrumental tracks. The ''Tambu'' single "I Will Remember", co-written by Lukather and Stan Lynch, reached #64 on UK charts. Some ''Tambu'' reviewers contrasted Lukather's vocals with those of former singers such as Bobby Kimball (and indeed, panned the entire album), some concert reviewers noted that he struggled vocally on certain songs, and a number of backup singers and guest vocalists accompanied the band's live shows during that period. It was not until Toto brought back former lead singers Joseph Williams and Bobby Kimball to collaborate on 1998's ''Toto XX'' that Lukather returned to lead & backup vocals.

Lukather's songwriting contributions grew from a smattering of tracks on early Toto albums to almost every track from the late 1980s. He wrote very few of Toto's earlier hits by himself however, with the exception of the hit single "I Won't Hold You Back" from ''Toto IV''. Lukather has admitted that writing lyrics is not one of his strengths. Thus, he collaborates with other band members to complete song ideas and make them into viable album tracks. Lukather contributed to all but one song on Toto's 2006 album ''Falling in Between''.

Lukather has frequently expressed frustration in the media over Toto's decline in popularity in the United States since peaking with ''Toto IV''. The American segment of the ''Falling in Between'' tour was not well-attended, and Lukather commented that American audiences prefer the mainstream "cookie-cutter" music typically heard on the radio. He acknowledged that Toto maintains a large overseas fan base, but has criticized the American music industry (MTV in particular), and characterized the industry as catering to "any bonehead with a computer and a cute haircut". He has also criticized popular guitar magazines for covering unremarkable guitarists.

In June 2008, Lukather decided to leave Toto. This decision directly led to the official dissolution of the band. On his website, Lukather stated: "Honestly I have just had enough. This is NOT a break. It is over. I just can't do it anymore and at 50 years old I wanted to start over and give it one last try on my own." In February 2010, the band announced that they would reunite to support Toto bassist Mike Porcaro, who was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's disease.

Session work

Lukather achieved notability in the 1970s and 1980s as one of the most sought-after session guitarists in Los Angeles, playing with a wide range of artists from Aretha Franklin to Warren Zevon. He performed the guitar solo for Olivia Newton-John's popular 1981 single "Physical", which was Billboard's #1 single of the 1980s. He has performed on over 1,000 records spanning 36 years. He largely credits fellow Toto members David Paich and Jeff Porcaro for getting him exposure in the industry.

Notable sessions include: Michael Jackson's "Beat It" and "Human Nature" (co-written by Toto member Steve Porcaro), Stevie Nicks' "Stand Back" single from Nicks' 1983 album ''The Wild Heart'', several tracks from the Don Henley album ''I Can't Stand Still'', several tracks from the Jackson Browne album ''Lives in the Balance'', two tracks from the Lionel Richie album ''Can't Slow Down'', and the Richard Marx album ''Repeat Offender''. Besides sessions, Lukather has also written hits for such artists as The Tubes and George Benson, for whose song "Turn Your Love Around" Lukather won a Grammy award.

Solo albums

Lukather has had a very successful solo career for 23 years and released six solo studio albums: ''Lukather'' (1989), ''Candyman'' (1994), ''Luke'' (1997), ''Santamental'' (2003), ''Ever Changing Times'' (2008) and ''All's Well That Ends Well'' (2010).

''Lukather''

''Lukather'' came about after Toto had been recording and playing for 11 years, and the consensus among the band members was to take a break. As Lukather had written a number of songs that did not appear on Toto albums, he decided to pursue a solo album, with the intention of presenting a dimension of his music that fans would be unfamiliar with. He collaborated with many notable musicians, including Eddie Van Halen, Richard Marx, Jan Hammer, Steve Stevens, and fellow Toto members Jeff Porcaro and David Paich. Lukather has said that the album was produced very simply, and that a lot of ambient studio noise, such as counting off on various tracks, is audible on it. He also credits bands Pink Floyd, Cream, Led Zeppelin, and guitarists Jimi Hendrix, David Gilmour, Jeff Beck, and Eric Clapton as influences on the album. The single "Swear Your Love" came from the album.

''Candyman''

''Candyman'', recorded and mastered from March 1993 through November 1993, was a collaboration of musicians who were for the most part also in Lukather's band Los Lobotomys. Toto familiars Simon Phillips and David Paich participated as well as David Garfield, John Peña, Chris Trujillo, Lenny Castro, Larry Klimas, Fee Waybill, Richard Page, and Paul Rodgers. Lukather recorded the album in mostly live takes with little overdubbing.

Some international fans were confused about whether ''Candyman'' was a Steve Lukather album or a Los Lobotomys album. The Japanese and US releases of ''Candyman'' were under the Los Lobotomys name rather than Lukather's; the Japanese release also featured a version of the Hendrix song "Red House." The European release of ''Candyman'' was credited to Lukather alone. Additionally, the touring band for the album was sometimes introduced as "Steve Lukather and Los Lobotomys" and sometimes as just "Los Lobotomys."

The song "Borrowed Time" was released as a single in Europe and included "Red House" as a B-side.

''Luke''

Released in 1997, ''Luke'' is a much different and more introspective album than Lukather's previous two solo efforts. The album is a concentrated collection of many of Lukather's musical influences, and he deliberately let those influences come out on the album. ''Luke'' is an experimental album, and like ''Candyman'' it was recorded mostly in live sessions with minimal overdubbing and processing afterwards. ''Luke'' also features instrumentation not heard on previous Lukather albums such as pedal steel, harmonicas, Mellotrons, and experimental guitar, bass, and drum sounds.

The US version of ''Luke'' includes a version of the Jeff Beck song "The Pump." The song "Hate Everything About You" was released as a single.

''Santamental''

''Santamental'' is a collaborative project featuring several prominent musicians such as guitarists Edward Van Halen, Slash, and Steve Vai and drummer Gregg Bissonette. When Lukather's record company, Bop City Records, approached him about recording a Christmas album, he quipped, "Why me? Do I look like Father Christmas to you mofos?" The company wanted him to do the record knowing he would approach the project with a unique angle and produce something different from the typical Christmas album. Lukather recruited keyboardist Jeff Babko and guitarist Larry Carlton, who Lukather had worked with previously, to help arrange the songs. The project was a challenge to Lukather, who had to be creative to turn the traditionally simple songs into something interesting for listeners without altering the fundamental structures. He said of the album, "But I never dreamt in a million years that I'd do a Christmas record."

The musicians Lukather chose for ''Santamental'', most of whom were involved in the hard rock genre, lent a heavy feel to the album. Van Halen recorded guitar tracks for "Joy to the World" after not having been in the studio for some time but immediately made an impression on Lukather with his level of playing. Vai provided guitar work for "Carol of the Bells" along with Lukather's son Trevor, then 14 years old. Slash, who recorded his part in one take, played on the Lukather/Stan Lynch composition "Broken Heart for Christmas". Lukather spoke highly of Slash after the project, calling him the "Keith Richards of our generation". Well-known session guitarist Michael Landau played on the song "Look Out For Angels", and there is a version of "Jingle Bells" featuring a big band and sung by Sammy Davis, Jr.

''Ever Changing Times''

''Ever Changing Times'', released on February 22, 2008, is a collection of songs Lukather recorded in 2007 while between Toto tours. The album contains contributions from a wide assortment of fellow session musicians such as Bill Champlin, Abe Laboriel, Jr., Leland Sklar, Steve Porcaro, and from Lukather's son Trevor. Joseph Williams provides backing vocals on five of the tracks. Lukather wrote the songs for the album with his son and a handful of other musicians using basic equipment in a hotel room. His song-writing philosophy is that if a song sounds good with only guitars and vocals, it will likely sound good after a full production.

Lukather collaborated with Grammy Award-winning engineer and producer Steve MacMillan on the project, with the goal of introducing some new methods and techniques into the recording process. Lukather described the final tracks as "perfectly imperfect", preferring to record with the five-piece backing band in one room and in one take. MacMillan encouraged Lukather to use "organic, vintage tones". As a result, Lukather eschewed effects and played the guitar parts directly through tube amplifiers manufactured by Marshall, Vox, and some boutique brands. Lukather commented that MacMillan served as a valuable "second set of ears" in the studio, often encouraging him to keep parts that he normally would have discarded.

''All's Well That Ends Well''

Lukather's sixth studio album, ''All's Well That Ends Well'', was released on October 11, 2010 in Europe and Japan, and November 16 as a digital download worldwide. It draws from Lukather's personal experiences in the two years since ''Ever Changing Times''. While Lukather focused on instrumental writing and production on previous albums but collaborated with lyricists, he wrote much of the lyrics for ''All's Well That Ends Well'' himself.

Side projects

When not working with Toto, Lukather has participated in numerous side projects such as playing in Toxic Monkey with Bill Evans, Will Lee, Keith Carlock and Steve Weingart and touring with Edgar Winter and Larry Carlton and others. In 1985, Lukather released the instructional "Star Licks" guitar video featuring many of the guitar parts from the first five Toto studio albums. It was released on DVD in 2005.

Lukather has been a long-time member of the band Los Lobotomys, a collaboration of session musicians including jazz and be-bop player David "Creatchy" Garfield and Toto drummer Jeff Porcaro. Los Lobotomys formed in the mid-1980s and played regular shows in the Los Angeles area, often inviting whatever session musicians happened to be available and in the area. They recorded an album under the Los Lobotomys name in 1989, and the band was heavily involved in the recording of Lukather's ''Candyman''. Los Lobotomys recorded a live album in 2004 comprising several tracks from ''Candyman'' and from the 1989 album.

In 1998, Lukather received an invitation to tour Japan with fellow guitarist Larry Carlton after Japanese promoters requested that Carlton's annual tours each be different from the last. Lukather and Carlton exchanged some recorded material and decided that a collaboration would be interesting. Lukather was flattered by the invitation to tour with Carlton, citing him as his favorite guitarist. Lukather speaks highly of their stage efforts, although the two were admittedly outside their normal realm of work. He stated in an interview that "you can hear us having fun on the record—you can hear the smiles on our faces."

After several shows, the duo realized that they should record their collaboration even if just for their own use. Guitarist and producer Steve Vai heard one of the subsequent recordings and expressed interest in releasing it under his Favored Nations label, also home to artists such as Eric Johnson and Dweezil Zappa. Vai and Lukather mixed and produced the recording, which is said to be a mixture of jazz, blues, and fusion music. The resulting album, ''No Substitutions: Live in Osaka'', won a 2001 Grammy award for Best Pop Instrumental Album. Album reviewers described Lukather as having a heavier style than Carlton. Lukather and Carlton later did an international tour in support of the album.

In 2005, Lukather was noted for his rendition of the Jimi Hendrix song "Little Wing" at a gala 90th birthday celebration for jazz guitarist Les Paul.

Lukather has also been participating in projects such as the Fermatta Master Class Series showing his support for music education around the world.

Personal life

Lukather married Marie Currie (twin sister of The Runaways' Cherie Currie) in 1981. They had two children together: Cristina, born in 1985, and Trevor, in 1987. They later divorced in 1994. He is now husband to Shawn, and father to Lily-Rose, born in 2008. Lukather resides in the Los Angeles area. His son Trevor is an active professional guitarist, frequently performing and now and then attending events with his father.

Discography

Solo

''Lukather'' (1989)

''Candyman'' (1994)

''Luke'' (1997)

''No Substitutions: Live in Osaka'' (2001)

''Santamental'' (2003)

''Ever Changing Times'' (2008)

''All's Well That Ends Well'' (2010)

With Toto

With Los Lobotomys

''Los Lobotomys'' (1989)

Style and equipment

Influenced by blues-rock guitarists such as Jimi Hendrix and Jimmy Page, jazz guitarists such as Larry Carlton and Al Di Meola and session players like Jay Graydon, Larry Carlton, Dean Parks, Ray Parker jr., Lee Ritenour, and many more..., Lukather is known for a "melodic and intense" playing style. His vibrato is very pronounced and his exaggerated wide bends are instantly recognizable. Well versed in theory, Lukather can follow chord charts and changes as a jazz musician would, and this ability enhances his value as a session musician. In interviews, he has explained how he thinks of the guitar in a "chordal cluster" format, and not the typical "linear scale" format.

Lukather's approach to engineering his sound in the studio is usually very simple. He is not known for doing a large number of takes or for incorporating much overdubbing—rather, he has a reputation for doing only single takes for many parts. Although he enjoys the technical mastery that is possible in the studio, Lukather prefers the dynamic of performing live on stage. He has stated that dynamics are the most important element of producing a recording with good sound quality.

Despite being known in the past for having an intricate effects rack, Lukather now claims to play mostly free of effects after seeing some overdone commercial effects processors named after him. Other than some delay, he has not used many effects in recent years. He has held a long association with Bob Bradshaw of Custom Audio Electronics, who designed and manufactured key elements of Lukather's effects rack. Lukather is one of the few official endorsers of EMG pickups, having collaborated on his own Lukather signature "SL20" pickup system. The pickup system is a single unit incorporating two different types of pickups (including a humbucker), single volume and tone knobs, and a pickguard.

Lukather is an endorser of Music Man guitars and has a signature model named "Luke". The guitar started out with only MusicMan specifications (including a Floyd Rose locking vibrato, later replaced with a vintage-style fulcrum bridge), but in 1998 the manufacturer made several customizations to the model to better fit Lukather's playing style. Music Man also produces a Ball Family Reserve Steve Lukather Model that features upgraded hardware and materials. Lukather has also been known to play Ibanez, Tyler and Valley Arts guitars as well as a vintage Gibson Les Paul. His relationship with Ibanez and Valley Arts yielded an endorsement for a brief time in the 1980s with the release of the Ibanez Roadstar RS1010SL and Valley Arts Custom Pro Steve Lukather Signature guitars in 1984/85.

Awards

1982 - Grammy Award for Best R&B; Song: Steve Lukather, Jay Graydon, Bill Champlin (for George Benson) - "Turn Your Love Around"

1982 - Grammy Award for Producer of the Year: Toto - ''Toto IV''

1982 - Grammy Award for Album of the Year: Toto - ''Toto IV''

1982 - Grammy Award for Record of the Year: Toto - "Rosanna"

2002 - Grammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental Album: Larry Carlton & Steve Lukather - ''No Substitutions: Live in Osaka''

Edison Award:

1999, Lifetime Achievement Award, Toto, Holland.

Musicians Hall of Fame:

2009, Toto induction Musicians Hall of Fame, Nashville, USA.

Eddie Christiani Award:

2010, Lifetime achievement guitar award, Holland (along with Jan Akkerman & Brian May).

Guitar Player's Gallery of the Greats:

Guitar Player Magazine winning Best Studio Player 5 years in a row in the readers poll.

Gibson:

Voted one of the top 10 session guitar players of all time.

References

External links

Category:1957 births Category:Living people Category:American session musicians Category:American rock guitarists Category:Grammy Award winners Category:Lead guitarists Category:Columbia Records artists

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