GGM Studios is the first and only Toto’s and Steve Lukather’s Italian Official FanSite since 1993 and the only currently active throught the world. This reference site for all Toto-Fans was born from the brilliant idea of Domenico, Paolo, Denise and Andrea, who actually are part of the managerial staff, in order to blend together the passion for music in general with the endless love for this phenomenal Californian band.
GGM was born on November 12th, 1993 at Biassono, a small town in the province of Milan. Initially Domenico and Paolo, together with a group of friends, enjoy performing across the whole Brianza, doing cabaret shows and playing the magical music of Toto with a Toto Tribute Band.
Years pass and GGM collect some success by entering in several local and national tv stations performing Toto music as a Tribute Band.
They live a very exciting period in radio and newspapers, but all good things come to an end and GGM, as a cover band, is done in 1999 by mutual agreement.
In this very moment Domenico comes up with the great idea to create a virtual place on the web where all Toto fans could exchange point of views, talk and chat of all topics, but most of all they can talk about their idols: Toto. So on October 18th, 1999 takes form the first Italian FanSite dedicated to the music of Toto: www.ggmstudios.it
The idea is good since the beginning and many people leave several messages of appreciation in the guestbook section; at first only the Italian users but later also from different foreign countries people begins to write anytime.
For reasons of space and layouts on May 18th 2003, GGM transfer the website to a new server and the domain changes from www.ggmstudios.it to the current www.ggmstudios.com.
From this very moment the real adventure of GGM Studios begins as a Toto FanSite in Italy.
In 2004 GGM guys work for months to an idea that later became a reality: the first GGM Award in the history is delivered on July 9th 2004 to Toto members after an exciting concert in Brescia, during their 2004 summer tour.
The work gradually becomes harder and requires more time for the site management: Denise, life’s and work’s companion of Domenico, comes to support the guys.
The three GGM guys began to move forward, without ever stopping for a moment, putting body and soul to their project and at the end they obtained, by the Band itself, their site to become the ITALIAN OFFICIAL TOTO FANSITE.
Between the end of 2005 and the beginning of 2006 ambitions are getting bigger and bigger and the fanclub management and all the events require another member to be added from the original staff. Andrea, the fourth element of the team, is welcomed as the promoter.
In this period the staff made a pact of cooperation with Frontiers Records, the new label of the Band.
The idea that jumps to the head of GGM is to arrange two release parties in Milan and Rome for a preview of Toto latest album “Falling in between” for the fans. With the next move, always supported by the courtesy of Frontiers, it was decided to organize some Meet & Greet with the Band, to achieve the dream of many fans to shake hands with their favourite musicians.
In the following years GGM organizes several interviews with various members of the Band and is always present when the Group arrives to Italy, organizing events, clinics and meet & greet.
The fanclub itself follows the Band in Europe, America and Asia (Zurich, Budapest, Montecarlo, Mexico, Los Angeles and Tokyo 2008 during their last tour).
For this very reason over the passing years a strong friendship between Toto Members and the GGM guys is well established. Toto Members always show their kindness toward the Italian Fanclub.
In 2008 we also created the official anthem for Toto Fans called IV Toto (www.ivtoto.com) in collaboration with Bobby Kimball and other great musicians.
We work constantly with Frontiers Records, Toto new label, Sony-Bmg. Mogar Music S.p.A., MMI Modern Music Institute, Sounds of Pisces, Edel Italia and Eagle Rock.
Following this period of time GGM Studios participated to the various concerts of Toto in Italy and promoted all of their albums and tours all around the world, as well as the solo initiatives of band members, including the ones who joined for each tour.
In 2013 the GGM President, Domenico, met Marco and Mauro Ferrari, who joined the GGM family, and decided to start a project that Domenico had in mind for many years.
This project changed when Mike Porcaro passed away. Domenico and Marco then decided to dedicate a song to Mike and make a benefit project to raise money for trhe fight against ALS and asked to GGM friends like Leland Sklar and Scott Page to participate to the project.
Then Steve Porcaro and Shannon Forrest, Toto drummer, joined and the project became reality. A song written by Marco, and his brother Mauro, and played by the great musicians of the Toto family: Steve Porcaro, Leland Sklar (bass), Scott Page (sax), Shannon Forrest (drums) and the voice of GGM dear friend Alessandro Del Vecchio.
During the process of making this song, Domenico and Marco had the idea of working on another song with the participation of longtime Domenico’s friend, mr. Bobby Kimball, who came to Italy to sing and track in the studio.
These two songs, Precious Time and Thank You Grazie, were published in a mini EP in 2016 under the title GGM PRECIOUS TIME. GGM began a worldwide promotion with the help of all its friends, all Toto members and friends, Roby facchinetti of Pooh and Volcano Promotion, who all kindly believed in the good cause.
After two years of work GGM organized with “La Meridiana” of Monza, a benefit concert at the Bank of Desio Auditorium, where at the end of the evening donated the amount raised by selling the album to Toto fans and friends all around the world, thank you!
In the meantime GGM Studios followed with great participation the releasing of the long awaited Toto XIV album produced by CJ Vanston. and published by Frontiers Records.
The album lineup saw the comeback of David Hungate, Steve Porcaro, and Lenny Castro, and was followed by a two times world tour.
GGM for this occasion, in collaboration with their label Frontiers Records, organized two release parties in Milan and Naples (Frontiers Headquarters) with a great following by Toto fans. These events were also mentioned on national television (Rai2) and local tv and radio stations.
Then Toto left Frontiers Records and rejoined Sony for their 40th anniversary and GGM in collaboration with Sony Italy organized a release party in Milan and promotion for the world tour for the upcoming new album and collection of their songs remastered plus some new and unreleased tracks. In the concert held in Milan, GGM Studios gave a check of the amount raised with the GGM PRECIOUS TIME Project.
Not to forget all the GGM Awards that GGM STUDIOS gave in all these recent years: EXTREME, POOH, JIM PETERIK, L.A. GUNS, STEVE GADD, JOE PORCARO and MARCO FERRADINI.
GGM promoted also the first and wonderful solo album by Steve Porcaro “Someday – Somehow”, and Fabrizio Grossi’s two albums with his Supersonic Blues Machine band.
Then the pandemic occurred and all tours and projectswere stopped. Until the beginning of 2021 that saw the release of two solo albums, one by Steve Lukather and one by Joseph Williams. Again GGM made his effort to let the people know about this projects on the web, social and radio interviews (radio Lombardia)
It’s a recent news that this album will be followed by a world tour with a new Toto band lineup.
