A
Bio-Discography by Todd Seely
By the time he reached his mid-30’s, Jeff Scott Soto had already spent twenty years splitting his time between recording studios and concert stages around the world. Whether performing before an arena full of thousands of fans, or among peers at an intimate industry event, Soto has earned the respect of everyone within earshot of his voice. From heavy metal and funk to AOR and pop, Jeff has done it all.
Born November 4, 1965, in Brooklyn, New York, Jeff Scott Soto relocated to the San Fernando Valley in California at the age of eight. During his formative years, while his friends were drawn to the likes of Kiss, Jeff’s musical tastes leaned more toward bands like Queen, Journey and Motown artists like the Jackson 5. Following graduation from high school in 1983, Jeff and his older brother Joey formed a series of dead-end metal bands. Restless, pretty well broke and undecided as to what to do next, Jeff visited a high school friend in Colorado – where he ended up staying for almost a year. And then things got interesting…
In late 1984, Jeff Scott Soto answered an open call for audition tapes by former Alcatrazz guitarist Yngwie J. Malmsteen. The tape he sent was nothing to write home about, but in Jeff’s voice Yngwie imagined his songs as they should be sung. Arrangements were made for Jeff to meet Yngwie, and to audition in person. During a three week period of rehearsing and recording demos, Jeff won over Yngwie and his band, and his major label debut, ‘Yngwie J. Malmsteen’s Rising Force’, was released on Polydor that year. In 1985, Jeff returned to the recording studio to record Malmsteen’s ‘Marching Out’, which was also to feature Marcel Jacob, a key figure later in Soto’s recording career. The band hit the road to support the album. They made quite a stir in Japan; the Tokyo concert was filmed and later released on video as ‘Chasing Yngwie: Live in Tokyo, ‘85’. But as quickly as it had all begun, it ended – Jeff was out of the band. Vocalist Mark Boals was brought in to finish out the tour, as well as to appear in the video for the hit song “I’ll See the Light Tonight” – lip syncing to Soto’s vocals! Ouch.
Turnabout is fair play, however, and Jeff was brought back into Yngwie’s band in 1986 for the ‘Trilogy’ tour, replacing the newly fired Mark Boals. Jeff had spent the rest of 1985 trying to get the bands Driver (with Rudy Sarzo and Tommy Aldridge), L.A. Rocks and L’Amour off the ground to no avail, so the Malmsteen offer came at a good time.
After leaving Yngwie’s band for the second time, Jeff recorded a few demos with ex-Kiss guitarist Vinnie Vincent. While that was never meant to expand into anything more, it did keep Jeff in circulation until he hooked up with Japanese guitarist Kuni Takeuchi. With Kuni, Jeff recorded 1988’s ‘Lookin’ for Action’, an album reminiscent of Dokken or Slaughter in sound and style. The band toured that year, appearing at festivals like Japan Aid. Kuni and Jeff found time to appear on Italian guitarist Alex Masi’s album ‘Attack of the Neon Shark’, released in 1989. Jeff also recorded vocals, albeit under an alias, for ‘Kryst the Conqueror’, a project spearheaded by members of punk legends The Misfits. The resultant EP, however, was nowhere near - in either conception or execution - the benchmark set by 1990’s debut albums by Talisman and Eyes.
Talisman reunited Jeff Scott Soto with former Rising Force band mate, bassist Marcel Jacob. While Talisman was initially Marcel’s brainchild, the two musicians quickly gelled into the creative nucleus of the band. At this point in Jeff’s career, he had begun seriously developing his own songwriting and vocal style. This becomes evident when listening to songs like “I’ll Be Waiting” from the Talisman debut, and “Don’t Turn Around” from the Eyes debut. And yet the bands couldn’t be further apart, stylistically. On the one hand, Eyes almost wholly encompassed a hard-rocking California party vibe. Talisman, on the other hand, exhibited the chops and songwriting approach of a distinctly European metal band. Interestingly, both Jeff and Marcel appear on these two divergent albums. Neither band toured extensively; Jeff found time to record two more sessions – the over-the-top perversion of 1991’s ‘Skrapp Mettle’ album and the universally offensive death-grunt vocal work of ‘Bakteria’. Both were wisely recorded under assumed names. The next two years saw Jeff working with guitarist George Bernhardt and Gary Schutt in a band called Slam. The group recorded a collection of promising demos, but unfortunately could not keep its head above water in the changing musical environment of the early 90’s.
1992 brought Jeff together with German guitarist Axel Rudi Pell for the first time on ‘Eternal Prisoner’. Pell modeled himself after Deep Purple’s Ritchie Blackmore. His songwriting was rooted firmly in European-style metal. Although the music was faster and heavier than anything Jeff had released to date, Pell showed his softer side when he released ‘The Ballads’ in 1993, featuring Soto’s version of the worldwide pop hit “Forever Young”. 1993 also saw the release of four other albums to feature Jeff’s vocal work: Talisman’s sophomore release ‘Genesis’, the Eyes demo album ‘Windows of the Soul’, the soundtrack to the cartoon film ‘Biker Mice from Mars’ and ‘Eternal Faith’ by Takara. Takara was the pride and joy of guitarist Neal Grusky. While Neal made headway with the band to some extent, it was only with the aid of Jeff Scott Soto that they were able to land a recording contract. No sooner had the ink dried than Jeff was busy writing, recording and producing Takara’s debut album. For those keeping count, this would mean that Jeff was splitting time as a member of three different bands. Soto maintains he was never officially a member of Takara; rather, he was helping out a friend. That may be splitting hairs to some – Jeff went on to write and record two more albums with Takara, 1995’s ‘Taste of Heaven’ and 1998’s ‘Blind in Paradise’. As it became harder to separate himself from Takara’s identity, Soto decided to wish Grusky and the band the best, and he broke off the relationship. But we’re getting ahead of ourselves.
1994 was a banner year for Talisman. They released ‘Five Out of Five Live’, recorded on their successful debut Japanese tour. While they busied themselves writing the next studio album, ‘Humanimal’, Jeff recorded ‘Between the Walls’ with Axel Rudi Pell. The band took to the road, and recorded what would be released the following year as ‘Live in Germany’. Meanwhile, Talisman decided to make their most ambitious album project yet into a two-part release. The twin release featured influences as varied as Motown, hip-hop, funk, pop and metal. While the combination could very well have come across as schizophrenic in the worst of scenarios, instead ‘Humanimal’ was greeted with wild enthusiasm. It remains to this day one of the most satisfying recordings in the Talisman catalog, and remains a favorite of many a fan and band member. Soto also reunited with Takara’s Gary Schutt for Schutt’s ‘Sentimetal’ solo disc. The two promoted the album at a special acoustic performance in Germany (also featuring Neal Grusky) released the following year as ‘Alive N Kissing’. The promo-only release showcased Takara & Schutt, and covers of songs by Journey and Prince served as a sneak preview of what could be expected from Soto’s solo debut ‘Love Parade’.
‘Love Parade’ was Soto’s surprise of 1995. It was a most funky affair, owing more to Prince and Queen than to any other influences. Songs like “Dragon Attack”, “4U” and “Funk Sandwich” showed Soto to be a risk-taker, offering up music as far removed from what he was known for as he could get. Talisman’s ‘Life’ saw a premature release, much to the Japanese record label’s pleasure and the band’s chagrin. A slightly different mix was released a short time later for the rest of the world. At this point, Talisman took an open-ended hiatus. While they decided what to do next, Marcel and Jeff recorded the first of two albums as Human Clay. The music might appropriately be described as “Talisman Jr.”. Former taskmaster Yngwie Malmsteen appeared on the track “Jealousy”, repaying Jacob and Soto’s contributions on Malmsteen’s ‘Inspiration’ album. Rounding out 1996, Jeff recorded a third studio album with Axel Rudi Pell, ‘Black Moon Pyramid’, and paid tribute to his beloved Queen on the album ‘Dragon Attack’. As if that wasn’t enough, two Talisman best-of compilations also appeared that year, ‘Besterious’ and ‘Best of Talisman’.
Perhaps it should be mentioned that Jeff Scott Soto, by 1996, had joined yet another band. This time it was the disco debauchery of Boogie Knights. The band had built up a reputation as the premier party band of its kind, and had won the adulation of audiences wherever they played, appearing in movies, on TV and at special events nationwide. So while Jeff could be heard on the raw ‘U4IA’ album by Human Clay and his final Pell album, 1997’s ‘Magic’, he could also be heard singing “Grease” and “YMCA” on the Boogie Knights album ‘Welcome to the Jungle Boogie’. As Jeff himself is quick to point out, it was a money gig. Talisman was on hiatus, Takara wasn’t a touring entity…it seemed to be a no-brainer.
The grueling pace of his Boogie Knights schedule didn’t keep Jeff from completing 1998’s ‘Truth’ album with the reunited, kindler, gentler Talisman. ‘Truth’ featured some of Jeff’s most impressive vocal layering, as well as innovative arrangements of songs by Queen, Prince and Madonna. To some folks, later to include the band, the album was Talisman’s own version of Van Halen’s ‘Diver Down’ – too many covers. And then the recording schedule seemed to ease up. Suddenly things got a lot quieter. As it turns out, this was the calm before the storm.
Most of 1999 and 2000 was spent doing odd sessions here and there. Jeff recorded contributions for tributes to both Van Halen and Ozzy. He laid down lead vocals for the fictional band Steel Dragon for the film ‘Rock Star’. The fictional band was fleshed out by non-fictional musicians Jason Bonham (Bonham), Jeff Pilson (Dokken) and Zakk Wylde (Ozzy), the latter with whom Jeff recorded a series of demos that, as of this writing, have yet to see the light of day. Perhaps most interesting – certainly to Jeff – was an invitation to perform with his inspiration and musical hero, Queen’s Brian May. The occasion was the annual Queen convention in the UK. Jeff had been in contact with Brian May’s representative at one point, and had forwarded some songs to Brian. A personal letter from Brian had followed, praising Jeff’s work, and offering the nicety that perhaps they would work together one day. Little did Brian May know that this forecast would come to fruition little over a month later! Jeff attended the Queen convention, where he performed “Dragon Attack” with Brian. Since that first meeting, Jeff and Brian May have become friends, and Jeff has furthered his reputation among Queen fans with a series of appearances with the SAS Band (Spike’s All Stars), Queen sideman Spike Edney’s band.
In early 2002 Jeff, Marcel and Talisman’s ‘Truth’ guitarist Pontus Norgren reconvened under the banner of Humanimal to record a single self-titled album. At times reminiscent of ‘Truth’ in sound, it displayed a more modern rock approach in style. The band’s confusing moniker, coupled with contractual issues with the label, left some fans, and even the band members themselves, less enamored of the project. June saw Jeff Scott Soto’s triumphant British debut at the Gods 2002 festival. Jeff was a featured headliner, blasting through a set which cherry-picked highlights from all phases of his career to date. The show, featuring guitarist Howie Simon, drummer Alex Papa and bassist Gary Schutt, was recorded for subsequent CD and DVD release. Later that same year, Jeff again shared the stage with Brian May, as well as Queen’s Roger Taylor, at an October party celebrating Queen’s star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. To cap off an extraordinary year came the release of Jeff’s acclaimed second solo album, ‘Prism’ – featuring a who’s who of musicians from Jeff’s career and a duet with the great Glenn Hughes – followed by the announcement of Talisman’s ‘Cats & Dogs’ album, to be unleashed in the spring of 2003 with longtime guitarist Fredrik Akesson back in the fold.
‘Cats & Dogs’ hailed the return of the more aggressive Talisman sound, also taking into account the more modern rock approach of the previous year’s ‘Humanimal’ album. Talisman undertook only a short tour in the late summer, at the tail end of Soto’s successful European solo tour. Kicking off Jeff’s solo tour was an encore performance at the 2003 UK Queen Convention, captured on video and issued on DVD to the delight of Soto’s geographically-challenged fans. 2003 also seemed to be a year of duets for Jeff – he appeared on no fewer than four duets with artists Ken Tamplin, Chris Catena, Laudamus and Christian Rivel. Which brings us to 2004…
Striking while the iron was hot, Jeff Scott Soto began 2004 with the writing and recording of his third solo album, titled ‘Lost in the Translation’. In addition, Jeff announced some exciting news. A hastily-arranged performance at the January, 2004 NAMM show with Journey guitarist Neal Schon blossomed into a new project called Soul SirkUS. It would seem that Neal was quite taken with Jeff’s singing; in the weeks following NAMM, Jeff and Neal began writing and recording the songs which would become the Soul SirkUS debut ‘World Play’ (*the black version). Initially available through only through Warner Brothers Online, the debut became a relative rarity soon after its release, when drummer Deen Castronovo bowed out for personal reasons. In the meantime, Jeff released ‘Lost in the Translation’ – which also featured Soul SirkUS band mate Neal Schon - to widespread acclaim. Soto effectively brought 2004 to a close with a return to stages in the United States, Europe and South America in support of ‘Lost in the Translation’, and he extended his reach around the globe with a two-week solo tour of Australia.
Soul SirkUS became Jeff’s focus for much of 2005. With Deen Castronovo out of the picture, the band tapped Australian wonder Virgil Donati (ex-Steve Vai), closed ranks and returned to the recording studio. The band emerged again, having re-recorded most of the rhythm tracks and added four new songs. The expanded edition of ‘World Play’ (*the yellow version), now featuring a bonus DVD with interviews and studio footage, was given a European release by Frontiers Records. Not content to simply sit on the album, Soul SirkUS solidified plans for a Spring tour, and spent all of April and May criss-crossing the United States and Europe. During the US portion of the tour, a special tour edition of ‘World Play’ was made available (*the green edition), keeping collectors on their toes. With little label support to speak of, the Soul SirkUS tour was a critical, if not necessarily commercial, success. The band slipped out of public view, and its members resumed their individual projects where they had left off. With Soul SirkUS on hiatus, Soto returned to Europe and South America for a solo tour in the Fall of 2005, before returning home to begin work on what would be his fourth solo album.
The early months of 2006 were spent writing music in an altogether new direction, as Jeff collaborated with several notable Swedish songsmiths. Early demos proved to be some of the most forward-thinking songs of Soto’s career, making it apparent that Jeff had reached the next stage in his evolution as an artist. At the same time, Jeff squeezed in enough time to record vocals for a somewhat unexpected Talisman album, the appropriately titled ‘7’. Although most of the album’s creation fell onto the shoulders of bassist Marcel Jacob, ‘7’ would prove to be one of the band’s most satisfying releases, in spite of its piece-meal, long distance assembly. Meanwhile, the music of Jeff Scott Soto was reaching more ears than ever thanks to a promotional push in the UK, spearheaded by Richard Mace. Soto’s music, particularly the ballads, garnered valuable airplay on the BBC radio network. In May of 2006, Soto parlayed his surge in popularity into ‘Essential Ballads’, a compilation of album cuts, b-sides and rarities that acted as a perfect calling card for the uninitiated. The inclusion of Soto’s cover of “Send Her My Love”, in hindsight, seems almost cheeky.
In July of 2006, having just kicked off a major co-headlining tour of North America with Def Leppard, Journey suddenly found itself without a lead singer. Jeff and Journey guitarist Neal Schon had already shown they had synergy in Soul SirkUS, and so the call was made. Within the week, and without the benefit of a rehearsal, Jeff Scott Soto found himself face to face with 20,000 screaming fans. By the end of the night, he had proven himself up to the challenge. The tour seemed to take on a life of its own, with shows selling out and additional dates being booked further into the year. By the time the tour buses rolled to a halt at the tail end of November, the tour had been extended a full three months beyond its original August ending date. In December of 2006 Jeff Scott Soto was announced as the permanent lead singer for Journey - the opportunity of a lifetime and the ultimate validation of his hard work, talent and perseverance.
Not one to sit idle for long, Jeff finished out the year with a week in the UK performing at a series of charity shows with Queen keyboardist Spike Edney’s SAS Band. Looking ahead to the new year, the wheels are already turning. January 2007 brings a special performance for the Animal Rescue Foundation, with Journey’s Neal Schon & Jonathan Cain and ex-Soul SirkUS band mate Marco Mendoza. And Journey will regroup in the Spring for a European tour, followed by a rare outing by Jeff’s longest-running vehicle, Talisman.
It’s an exciting time to be a fan of the music of Jeff Scott Soto. Hell, it’s always been an exciting time to be a fan of his music. And in case you hadn’t noticed, Jeff’s made a lot of music to be a fan of. This biography is only the tip of the iceberg. So for the completists out there, print off a copy of Jeff’s discography... here... happy hunting!
Todd Seely, longtime JSS fan, is writer for online rock journal The Fuze. You can visit him at www.the-fuze.com.
By the time he reached his mid-30’s, Jeff Scott Soto had already spent twenty years splitting his time between recording studios and concert stages around the world. Whether performing before an arena full of thousands of fans, or among peers at an intimate industry event, Soto has earned the respect of everyone within earshot of his voice. From heavy metal and funk to AOR and pop, Jeff has done it all.
Born November 4, 1965, in Brooklyn, New York, Jeff Scott Soto relocated to the San Fernando Valley in California at the age of eight. During his formative years, while his friends were drawn to the likes of Kiss, Jeff’s musical tastes leaned more toward bands like Queen, Journey and Motown artists like the Jackson 5. Following graduation from high school in 1983, Jeff and his older brother Joey formed a series of dead-end metal bands. Restless, pretty well broke and undecided as to what to do next, Jeff visited a high school friend in Colorado – where he ended up staying for almost a year. And then things got interesting…
In late 1984, Jeff Scott Soto answered an open call for audition tapes by former Alcatrazz guitarist Yngwie J. Malmsteen. The tape he sent was nothing to write home about, but in Jeff’s voice Yngwie imagined his songs as they should be sung. Arrangements were made for Jeff to meet Yngwie, and to audition in person. During a three week period of rehearsing and recording demos, Jeff won over Yngwie and his band, and his major label debut, ‘Yngwie J. Malmsteen’s Rising Force’, was released on Polydor that year. In 1985, Jeff returned to the recording studio to record Malmsteen’s ‘Marching Out’, which was also to feature Marcel Jacob, a key figure later in Soto’s recording career. The band hit the road to support the album. They made quite a stir in Japan; the Tokyo concert was filmed and later released on video as ‘Chasing Yngwie: Live in Tokyo, ‘85’. But as quickly as it had all begun, it ended – Jeff was out of the band. Vocalist Mark Boals was brought in to finish out the tour, as well as to appear in the video for the hit song “I’ll See the Light Tonight” – lip syncing to Soto’s vocals! Ouch.
Turnabout is fair play, however, and Jeff was brought back into Yngwie’s band in 1986 for the ‘Trilogy’ tour, replacing the newly fired Mark Boals. Jeff had spent the rest of 1985 trying to get the bands Driver (with Rudy Sarzo and Tommy Aldridge), L.A. Rocks and L’Amour off the ground to no avail, so the Malmsteen offer came at a good time.
After leaving Yngwie’s band for the second time, Jeff recorded a few demos with ex-Kiss guitarist Vinnie Vincent. While that was never meant to expand into anything more, it did keep Jeff in circulation until he hooked up with Japanese guitarist Kuni Takeuchi. With Kuni, Jeff recorded 1988’s ‘Lookin’ for Action’, an album reminiscent of Dokken or Slaughter in sound and style. The band toured that year, appearing at festivals like Japan Aid. Kuni and Jeff found time to appear on Italian guitarist Alex Masi’s album ‘Attack of the Neon Shark’, released in 1989. Jeff also recorded vocals, albeit under an alias, for ‘Kryst the Conqueror’, a project spearheaded by members of punk legends The Misfits. The resultant EP, however, was nowhere near - in either conception or execution - the benchmark set by 1990’s debut albums by Talisman and Eyes.
Talisman reunited Jeff Scott Soto with former Rising Force band mate, bassist Marcel Jacob. While Talisman was initially Marcel’s brainchild, the two musicians quickly gelled into the creative nucleus of the band. At this point in Jeff’s career, he had begun seriously developing his own songwriting and vocal style. This becomes evident when listening to songs like “I’ll Be Waiting” from the Talisman debut, and “Don’t Turn Around” from the Eyes debut. And yet the bands couldn’t be further apart, stylistically. On the one hand, Eyes almost wholly encompassed a hard-rocking California party vibe. Talisman, on the other hand, exhibited the chops and songwriting approach of a distinctly European metal band. Interestingly, both Jeff and Marcel appear on these two divergent albums. Neither band toured extensively; Jeff found time to record two more sessions – the over-the-top perversion of 1991’s ‘Skrapp Mettle’ album and the universally offensive death-grunt vocal work of ‘Bakteria’. Both were wisely recorded under assumed names. The next two years saw Jeff working with guitarist George Bernhardt and Gary Schutt in a band called Slam. The group recorded a collection of promising demos, but unfortunately could not keep its head above water in the changing musical environment of the early 90’s.
1992 brought Jeff together with German guitarist Axel Rudi Pell for the first time on ‘Eternal Prisoner’. Pell modeled himself after Deep Purple’s Ritchie Blackmore. His songwriting was rooted firmly in European-style metal. Although the music was faster and heavier than anything Jeff had released to date, Pell showed his softer side when he released ‘The Ballads’ in 1993, featuring Soto’s version of the worldwide pop hit “Forever Young”. 1993 also saw the release of four other albums to feature Jeff’s vocal work: Talisman’s sophomore release ‘Genesis’, the Eyes demo album ‘Windows of the Soul’, the soundtrack to the cartoon film ‘Biker Mice from Mars’ and ‘Eternal Faith’ by Takara. Takara was the pride and joy of guitarist Neal Grusky. While Neal made headway with the band to some extent, it was only with the aid of Jeff Scott Soto that they were able to land a recording contract. No sooner had the ink dried than Jeff was busy writing, recording and producing Takara’s debut album. For those keeping count, this would mean that Jeff was splitting time as a member of three different bands. Soto maintains he was never officially a member of Takara; rather, he was helping out a friend. That may be splitting hairs to some – Jeff went on to write and record two more albums with Takara, 1995’s ‘Taste of Heaven’ and 1998’s ‘Blind in Paradise’. As it became harder to separate himself from Takara’s identity, Soto decided to wish Grusky and the band the best, and he broke off the relationship. But we’re getting ahead of ourselves.
1994 was a banner year for Talisman. They released ‘Five Out of Five Live’, recorded on their successful debut Japanese tour. While they busied themselves writing the next studio album, ‘Humanimal’, Jeff recorded ‘Between the Walls’ with Axel Rudi Pell. The band took to the road, and recorded what would be released the following year as ‘Live in Germany’. Meanwhile, Talisman decided to make their most ambitious album project yet into a two-part release. The twin release featured influences as varied as Motown, hip-hop, funk, pop and metal. While the combination could very well have come across as schizophrenic in the worst of scenarios, instead ‘Humanimal’ was greeted with wild enthusiasm. It remains to this day one of the most satisfying recordings in the Talisman catalog, and remains a favorite of many a fan and band member. Soto also reunited with Takara’s Gary Schutt for Schutt’s ‘Sentimetal’ solo disc. The two promoted the album at a special acoustic performance in Germany (also featuring Neal Grusky) released the following year as ‘Alive N Kissing’. The promo-only release showcased Takara & Schutt, and covers of songs by Journey and Prince served as a sneak preview of what could be expected from Soto’s solo debut ‘Love Parade’.
‘Love Parade’ was Soto’s surprise of 1995. It was a most funky affair, owing more to Prince and Queen than to any other influences. Songs like “Dragon Attack”, “4U” and “Funk Sandwich” showed Soto to be a risk-taker, offering up music as far removed from what he was known for as he could get. Talisman’s ‘Life’ saw a premature release, much to the Japanese record label’s pleasure and the band’s chagrin. A slightly different mix was released a short time later for the rest of the world. At this point, Talisman took an open-ended hiatus. While they decided what to do next, Marcel and Jeff recorded the first of two albums as Human Clay. The music might appropriately be described as “Talisman Jr.”. Former taskmaster Yngwie Malmsteen appeared on the track “Jealousy”, repaying Jacob and Soto’s contributions on Malmsteen’s ‘Inspiration’ album. Rounding out 1996, Jeff recorded a third studio album with Axel Rudi Pell, ‘Black Moon Pyramid’, and paid tribute to his beloved Queen on the album ‘Dragon Attack’. As if that wasn’t enough, two Talisman best-of compilations also appeared that year, ‘Besterious’ and ‘Best of Talisman’.
Perhaps it should be mentioned that Jeff Scott Soto, by 1996, had joined yet another band. This time it was the disco debauchery of Boogie Knights. The band had built up a reputation as the premier party band of its kind, and had won the adulation of audiences wherever they played, appearing in movies, on TV and at special events nationwide. So while Jeff could be heard on the raw ‘U4IA’ album by Human Clay and his final Pell album, 1997’s ‘Magic’, he could also be heard singing “Grease” and “YMCA” on the Boogie Knights album ‘Welcome to the Jungle Boogie’. As Jeff himself is quick to point out, it was a money gig. Talisman was on hiatus, Takara wasn’t a touring entity…it seemed to be a no-brainer.
The grueling pace of his Boogie Knights schedule didn’t keep Jeff from completing 1998’s ‘Truth’ album with the reunited, kindler, gentler Talisman. ‘Truth’ featured some of Jeff’s most impressive vocal layering, as well as innovative arrangements of songs by Queen, Prince and Madonna. To some folks, later to include the band, the album was Talisman’s own version of Van Halen’s ‘Diver Down’ – too many covers. And then the recording schedule seemed to ease up. Suddenly things got a lot quieter. As it turns out, this was the calm before the storm.
Most of 1999 and 2000 was spent doing odd sessions here and there. Jeff recorded contributions for tributes to both Van Halen and Ozzy. He laid down lead vocals for the fictional band Steel Dragon for the film ‘Rock Star’. The fictional band was fleshed out by non-fictional musicians Jason Bonham (Bonham), Jeff Pilson (Dokken) and Zakk Wylde (Ozzy), the latter with whom Jeff recorded a series of demos that, as of this writing, have yet to see the light of day. Perhaps most interesting – certainly to Jeff – was an invitation to perform with his inspiration and musical hero, Queen’s Brian May. The occasion was the annual Queen convention in the UK. Jeff had been in contact with Brian May’s representative at one point, and had forwarded some songs to Brian. A personal letter from Brian had followed, praising Jeff’s work, and offering the nicety that perhaps they would work together one day. Little did Brian May know that this forecast would come to fruition little over a month later! Jeff attended the Queen convention, where he performed “Dragon Attack” with Brian. Since that first meeting, Jeff and Brian May have become friends, and Jeff has furthered his reputation among Queen fans with a series of appearances with the SAS Band (Spike’s All Stars), Queen sideman Spike Edney’s band.
In early 2002 Jeff, Marcel and Talisman’s ‘Truth’ guitarist Pontus Norgren reconvened under the banner of Humanimal to record a single self-titled album. At times reminiscent of ‘Truth’ in sound, it displayed a more modern rock approach in style. The band’s confusing moniker, coupled with contractual issues with the label, left some fans, and even the band members themselves, less enamored of the project. June saw Jeff Scott Soto’s triumphant British debut at the Gods 2002 festival. Jeff was a featured headliner, blasting through a set which cherry-picked highlights from all phases of his career to date. The show, featuring guitarist Howie Simon, drummer Alex Papa and bassist Gary Schutt, was recorded for subsequent CD and DVD release. Later that same year, Jeff again shared the stage with Brian May, as well as Queen’s Roger Taylor, at an October party celebrating Queen’s star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. To cap off an extraordinary year came the release of Jeff’s acclaimed second solo album, ‘Prism’ – featuring a who’s who of musicians from Jeff’s career and a duet with the great Glenn Hughes – followed by the announcement of Talisman’s ‘Cats & Dogs’ album, to be unleashed in the spring of 2003 with longtime guitarist Fredrik Akesson back in the fold.
‘Cats & Dogs’ hailed the return of the more aggressive Talisman sound, also taking into account the more modern rock approach of the previous year’s ‘Humanimal’ album. Talisman undertook only a short tour in the late summer, at the tail end of Soto’s successful European solo tour. Kicking off Jeff’s solo tour was an encore performance at the 2003 UK Queen Convention, captured on video and issued on DVD to the delight of Soto’s geographically-challenged fans. 2003 also seemed to be a year of duets for Jeff – he appeared on no fewer than four duets with artists Ken Tamplin, Chris Catena, Laudamus and Christian Rivel. Which brings us to 2004…
Striking while the iron was hot, Jeff Scott Soto began 2004 with the writing and recording of his third solo album, titled ‘Lost in the Translation’. In addition, Jeff announced some exciting news. A hastily-arranged performance at the January, 2004 NAMM show with Journey guitarist Neal Schon blossomed into a new project called Soul SirkUS. It would seem that Neal was quite taken with Jeff’s singing; in the weeks following NAMM, Jeff and Neal began writing and recording the songs which would become the Soul SirkUS debut ‘World Play’ (*the black version). Initially available through only through Warner Brothers Online, the debut became a relative rarity soon after its release, when drummer Deen Castronovo bowed out for personal reasons. In the meantime, Jeff released ‘Lost in the Translation’ – which also featured Soul SirkUS band mate Neal Schon - to widespread acclaim. Soto effectively brought 2004 to a close with a return to stages in the United States, Europe and South America in support of ‘Lost in the Translation’, and he extended his reach around the globe with a two-week solo tour of Australia.
Soul SirkUS became Jeff’s focus for much of 2005. With Deen Castronovo out of the picture, the band tapped Australian wonder Virgil Donati (ex-Steve Vai), closed ranks and returned to the recording studio. The band emerged again, having re-recorded most of the rhythm tracks and added four new songs. The expanded edition of ‘World Play’ (*the yellow version), now featuring a bonus DVD with interviews and studio footage, was given a European release by Frontiers Records. Not content to simply sit on the album, Soul SirkUS solidified plans for a Spring tour, and spent all of April and May criss-crossing the United States and Europe. During the US portion of the tour, a special tour edition of ‘World Play’ was made available (*the green edition), keeping collectors on their toes. With little label support to speak of, the Soul SirkUS tour was a critical, if not necessarily commercial, success. The band slipped out of public view, and its members resumed their individual projects where they had left off. With Soul SirkUS on hiatus, Soto returned to Europe and South America for a solo tour in the Fall of 2005, before returning home to begin work on what would be his fourth solo album.
The early months of 2006 were spent writing music in an altogether new direction, as Jeff collaborated with several notable Swedish songsmiths. Early demos proved to be some of the most forward-thinking songs of Soto’s career, making it apparent that Jeff had reached the next stage in his evolution as an artist. At the same time, Jeff squeezed in enough time to record vocals for a somewhat unexpected Talisman album, the appropriately titled ‘7’. Although most of the album’s creation fell onto the shoulders of bassist Marcel Jacob, ‘7’ would prove to be one of the band’s most satisfying releases, in spite of its piece-meal, long distance assembly. Meanwhile, the music of Jeff Scott Soto was reaching more ears than ever thanks to a promotional push in the UK, spearheaded by Richard Mace. Soto’s music, particularly the ballads, garnered valuable airplay on the BBC radio network. In May of 2006, Soto parlayed his surge in popularity into ‘Essential Ballads’, a compilation of album cuts, b-sides and rarities that acted as a perfect calling card for the uninitiated. The inclusion of Soto’s cover of “Send Her My Love”, in hindsight, seems almost cheeky.
In July of 2006, having just kicked off a major co-headlining tour of North America with Def Leppard, Journey suddenly found itself without a lead singer. Jeff and Journey guitarist Neal Schon had already shown they had synergy in Soul SirkUS, and so the call was made. Within the week, and without the benefit of a rehearsal, Jeff Scott Soto found himself face to face with 20,000 screaming fans. By the end of the night, he had proven himself up to the challenge. The tour seemed to take on a life of its own, with shows selling out and additional dates being booked further into the year. By the time the tour buses rolled to a halt at the tail end of November, the tour had been extended a full three months beyond its original August ending date. In December of 2006 Jeff Scott Soto was announced as the permanent lead singer for Journey - the opportunity of a lifetime and the ultimate validation of his hard work, talent and perseverance.
Not one to sit idle for long, Jeff finished out the year with a week in the UK performing at a series of charity shows with Queen keyboardist Spike Edney’s SAS Band. Looking ahead to the new year, the wheels are already turning. January 2007 brings a special performance for the Animal Rescue Foundation, with Journey’s Neal Schon & Jonathan Cain and ex-Soul SirkUS band mate Marco Mendoza. And Journey will regroup in the Spring for a European tour, followed by a rare outing by Jeff’s longest-running vehicle, Talisman.
It’s an exciting time to be a fan of the music of Jeff Scott Soto. Hell, it’s always been an exciting time to be a fan of his music. And in case you hadn’t noticed, Jeff’s made a lot of music to be a fan of. This biography is only the tip of the iceberg. So for the completists out there, print off a copy of Jeff’s discography... here... happy hunting!
Todd Seely, longtime JSS fan, is writer for online rock journal The Fuze. You can visit him at www.the-fuze.com.
