Leo Sayer reveals why he turned down being the lead singer of Toto
Leo recorded some of the band's songs
Last updated 6 hours ago
Leo Sayer joined Simon Mayo for a chat on Greatest Hits Radio, where he spoke about being back in the UK for his tour, living in Australia, and how he was asked to be the lead singer of Toto, but turned it down.
The singer also opened up about his autobiography, which he hopes will be published soon, and what it was like recounting parts of his life for the book.
Leo Sayer turned down singing for Toto
Toto formed back in the late 70s, with the line-up of Bobby Kimball, Steve Lukather, David Paich, David Hungate, Steve Porcaro, and Jeff Porcaro. They had a string of hits including 'Africa', 'Hold The Line' and 'Rosanna', but the line-up could have been different, as Leo explained.
Telling Simon what happened in the 70s, he said: "David Paich and Jeff Porcaro and Steve (Porcaro) came to me in the studio. We were preparing for the third album in 1978 that I made with Richard Perry.
"And we were workshopping songs in the back room in the second studio. And they just turned around to me and they said, ‘Hey, check out these new songs’.
"So I said, ‘Yeah, I'd love to listen to them’. So they played ‘Hold the Line’ and I sang them and they recorded me, and then they said, ‘You know, right, you're the singer’."
However, it didn't work out, as Leo explained: "They brought Bobby Kimball in and he said he wanted to join the band, and they came to me and they said, 'Could you join? We got a choice between you and Bobby, would you like to do it?'
"I said, 'I can't, man. I'm signed to Warner Brothers, and my manager, Adam Faith, would kill me, and I can't do it, but I'd love to, but I can't'. Because I thought, hang on, that would be a swing of a career, wouldn't it?"
Leon continued: "I carried on with my career. I don't think it went badly in the end."
Leo Sayer's autobiography
The singer also opened up about his autobiography, telling Simon: '(I'm) just sorting out publishers at the moment. They take their time. God, they're slower than the record industry! I can tell you that, man!"
The 'Thunder in My Heart' singer went on to reveal that the book is finished, but the publisher wants to re-edit it. He also told how it was difficult to write about some parts of life, revealing: "Some of it was a hard write. I had to tell the story of like, you know, one of the first things that happened to me when I was very young was I was in a hotel fire and I watched five people die right in front of me.
"That's hard to kind of like... you've got to tell the story in a certain way that is, compassionate to the people that you were with."
He continued: "And then, of course, writing about (Celebrity) Big Brother. The whole story is in there and when people read that, I think that they'll be quite surprised at what went on. TV is a very strange medium. Let's just say that."
'Can’t Stop Loving You Tour'
Leo is about to embark on his 'final' UK tour, but he insists he isn't retiring. Speaking about the future, the singer explained: "I just don't think that I can keep this up night after night. I mean, you know, we've got some nice breaks on this tour. It's spaced out. Whereas the last time we did this two years ago, a full tour... There were lots of four shows in a row, things like that and that gets exhausting.
"And I love to do the show my style. I don't have a support act. I come on, I'm the opening act and I'm the finishing act. And we do it in two halves like a football game."
He continued: "I just love doing the whole thing and having the whole theatre to ourselves as well is a lovely luxury in a way. But it kind of works. But it would be very exhausting, let me say, to keep this up touring like this.
"I mean, two years time when I come back was the logical thing to do a full concert tour, I'll be 80 and I can't imagine me putting the same energy into every night, which I want to do. I don't want to not be dancing on stage. I don't want to be not reaching the notes. I want to have the energy to, you know, to put over the songs properly. So I will slow down."
Leo's tour starts on Wednesday 7th October and continues until 15th November 2026. Tickets are available to buy from Aloud.com.
Listen to the full interview below:
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Author: Anna Sky Magliola
Anna Sky Magliola is a Digital Content Editor at Rayo, creating content for brands including Hits Radio, Greatest Hits Radio, KISS, Cool FM and Magic Radio. She began her career at Bauer Media in 2007 and has spent almost two decades creating engaging digital content for millions of readers, specialising in music news, celebrity interviews and TV features. A passionate dance music fan, Anna Sky has travelled the world to experience some of the biggest festivals and is always looking for the next great music story.