10 Greatest Unsung Heroes In Rock And Roll

As the '80s were dawning, the guitar actually started to take a back seat in the world of pop music. While you could find no shortage of bands brandishing guitars in the wake of Eddie Van Halen, there were still many acts that were choosing the synthesizer instead of the six string on their pop hits. In between the neon flavored tunes though, Steve Lukather was at the center of it all keeping the guitar alive.

While Steve is best known as the guitarist and occasional singer behind the band Toto, his work as a session player has given us some of the most intricate solos of the modern age. Around the same time that Toto were making hits like Africa, Steve was also tapped to be one of the session musicians on Thriller by Michael Jackson, where he traded licks alongside Van Halen on the song Beat It. As if the best selling pop album of all time wasn't enough, Steve eventually turned in guitar parts on songs like Running with the Night by Lionel Richie as well as other albums by Elton John, Ringo Starr, and Cher.

This isn't just some token player either. From a guitarist's perspective, Lukather is one of the more accomplished in the industry, always knowing what the song needs and knowing how to switch on a dime from delicate playing to intense shredding solos. Being a session musician might seem like a tedious job at first, but there's a difference between just jamming and actually serving a song, and Steve has nailed that down to a science.