Thirsty Merc frontman Ray Thistlethwayte is joining legendary rock band Toto.
The Thirsty Merc co-founder has joined the “Africa” icons as the band’s new keyboardist and backing vocalist, hitting the road with the American heavyweights on their current North American tour.
“I’m extremely excited to be joining Toto on keys and backing vocals,” Thistlethwayte shared ahead of his first show in Milwaukee. “Can’t wait to get into these tunes on stage with these absolute legends.”
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Toto confirmed the news via social media as they prepared to launch their ‘An Evening With’ tour, which runs through mid-March before additional summer dates.
“We are thrilled to announce Rai Thistlethwayte has joined the ensemble on keyboards and background vocals,” they said. “Our ‘An Evening With’ tour begins tomorrow and will stage shows through March 13. With the Summer tour to follow.”
Over the past year, Thistlethwayte has steadily expanded his US footprint, touring with Sammy Hagar and appearing in Hagar’s ‘Best Of All Worlds’ Las Vegas residency alongside Michael Anthony, Joe Satriani and Kenny Aronoff. He is also a member of Australian supergroup The Fabulous Caprettos.
For Toto — whose line-up has shifted across decades, with guitarist Steve Lukather the sole remaining original member currently touring — Thistlethwayte’s arrival adds a musician equally comfortable with arena rock, deep harmony stacks and virtuosic keys, as a Conservatorium-trained jazz pianist.
After an early solo deal with Columbia in the United States and the release of “Give A Smile To The Planet”, Thistlethwayte formed Thirsty Merc in 2002 with Phil Stack, Karl Robertson and Matthew Baker. Signed to Warner Music Australia, the band quickly became a mainstay of 2000s Australian radio.
Their self-titled debut went double platinum, followed by platinum-selling Sideshows and 2010’s Mousetrap Heart. Songs including “In The Summertime”, “Someday, Someday”, “20 Good Reasons”, “Emancipate Myself”, “My Completeness”, “When The Weather Is Fine” and “Mousetrap Heart” remain fixtures of the era. Thistlethwayte’s elastic vocal and melodic instincts anchored the group, while his keyboard work became an increasingly central part of their live shows.
