Toto won Album of the Year in 1983 for Toto IV.
Released in 1982, Toto IV was the band’s commercially breakthrough album and included the hit singles “Rosanna” and “Africa.” Its polished mixture of rock, pop, jazz, and studio musicianship reflected the highly produced sound associated with Los Angeles recording culture at the time.
At the 25th Grammy Awards, Toto won six awards, including Album of the Year and Record of the Year for “Rosanna.” The band’s members were also prominent session musicians who had worked on recordings by many other major artists.
The album is sometimes mistaken for the winner of a rock-specific category, but Album of the Year is a general field award open to recordings from across genres. Toto IV beat a field that included albums by artists such as John Cougar, Paul Simon, and Asia.