Jean-Michel Byron

Jean-Michel Byron du Plessis (born 13 October 1957), known professionally as Jean-Michel Byron, is a South African-born funk and rock vocalist. The singer-songwriter is best known for serving for a time as the lead vocalist for the rock band Toto for new material on their first greatest hits album, Past to Present, as well as the band's Greatest Hits Live...and More project. Byron was the fourth frontman in the band's history, replacing Joseph Williams after Williams had suffered from voice issues due to intense touring as well as drug abuse. The South African singer was pushed heavily by the group's record label. The line-up change divided Toto's band-members, yet key group member Jeff Porcaro expressed support at first. His tenure with the band ended up being both brief and highly controversial with fans. In more recent years, Byron has collaborated with the jazz fusion group Michael Sanders & the One Tribe Nation. and it also attracted critical praise. Reviewers had mixed remarks on Byron's vocal abilities, with AllMusic's William Ruhlmann finding the artist "more soulful than his predecessors, but no more memorable."

The band's record label had strongly pushed Byron on the other band members, who felt uncertain given the difference of styles between Byron's soul music background and Toto's previous rock work. Despite album success, things would soon become more intense. During the album's supporting tour in 1990, Byron and the band began to openly clash. His on-stage antics and diva-like behavior irked other band members and had a strongly polarizing influence on Toto's fans, some concertgoers even flipping him off and heckling him during performances. "Byron comes out and starts dancing around. I’m looking at Jeff [Porcaro] with bulging eyes. In rehearsal, Byron was just sitting there, but now he's out doing this Michael Jackson on crack shit, with a golf glove on one hand, and my jaw was on the floor," Toto guitarist, songwriter, and co-vocalist Steve Lukather later remarked. "We're mortified... but it had all gone to his head". With Byron's material alongside works by Luis Conte and Andy Vargas of Santana among others, the release has received positive remarks from several critics such as Morley Seaver of antimusic.com, who praised the "hypnotic blend of musical virtuosity and melodic ear-pleasers" on the album.

Byron also contributed to the Star Jasmine Music Foundation project's 2007 release, titled simply Star Jasmine, with his material alongside songs performed by artists such as Ginger Baker and Van Morrison. His song was called "For a Dancer". The charitable organization assists Californians in many ways such as operating "JAMS", a volunteer-run music school giving instruments and lessons to at-risk youths in the Santa Barbara area.

From 2015 to 2023 they collaborated with the Italian guitarist Ivan Margari with the project SLO Express Band and Jean Michel Byron & Ivan Margari Music. Together they were guests and judges in the 2020 final of the Sanremo Rock Festival. and in 2023 of the Ischia Global Film & Music Festival, also participating in several RAI broadcasts (Paradise-Una Finestra sullo Showbiz - Raidue by Pascal Vicedomini) and Felicità (Raidue). In the same year they played themselves in the final scene in the film "Amici per Caso" by Max Nardari. They recorded a series of songs that have never been released.

In 2021 he was on the jury for the regional finals of the Italian music talent format Sanremo Rock, during which he performed in a live jam session with Nora Hime, art name of Eleonora Almonti, front of the winning Italian band Tothem.

Highlighted discography 1990 – Past to Present / Toto (vocals, composition) 2005 – Servants of a Lesser God / Michael Sanders & the One Tribe Nation (vocals)