His songs have been recorded by Al Green, Aaron Neville, Burt Bacharach, Bonnie Raitt, Chicago, Wynonna Judd and Vanessa Williams, among many others.
[2] His song "16 Tons of Monkeys," co-written with guitarist Steve Schiff, was featured in the 1992 Academy Award-winning short film Session Man.
Allison and Sonny Curtis, plus Rick Grech (Blind Faith, Traffic) and Albert Lee (Heads, Hands and Feet, Eric Clapton) and the Raik's Nick van Maarth who would later join California rock ensemble Wha-Koo.
The record was produced by Rob Fraboni (The Band, Bob Dylan, Joe Cocker) and featured a supporting cast that included Earl Slick, Garth Hudson, Dick Dale and Albert Lee.
Recorded in the famous Capitol Studio B, it featured K.'s touring band: George “Geo” Conner (guitar), Alfredo Acosta Alwag (drums), and Enrique “Eric” Gotthelf (bass).
Recorded during 1985 and 1986, it was produced, variously, by Rick Neigher, Bob Rose (Julian Lennon) and T Bone Burnett (Counting Crows, Wallflowers, Robert Plant & Alison Krauss).
Produced by Tonio K. and David Miner, with T Bone Burnett serving as Executive Producer, the all-star cast of supporting musicians included Burnett, Booker T. Jones on Hammond B-3, Jim Keltner, Raymond Pounds and Alex Acuña on drums and percussion, James Jamerson, Jr. and David Miner on bass, and Charlie Sexton and Jack Sherman on additional guitars.
Additional guitarists included Jack Sherman, Charlie Sexton, Rusty Anderson, Los Lobos' David Hidalgo and The Replacements' Paul Westerberg.
His biggest commercial success, "Love Is," was co-written with long-time collaborator John Keller, composer Michael Caruso and recorded by Vanessa Williams and Brian McKnight.
"Graceland (Never Been To)," opening track to the Quentin Tarantino-written and Tony Scott-directed movie True Romance, is one of their more notable, albeit obscure, cuts.
Tonio K. film credits include "Nobody Lives Without Love," co-written with musician/writer/producer Larry Klein (Joni Mitchell, Herbie Hancock) and featured on the multi-platinum-selling soundtrack to Batman Forever; the quasi-Disco semi-hit, "I'm Supposed To Have Sex With You," from the Carl Reiner film Summer School; "Stop The Clock," co-written with T Bone Burnett for the early Vince Vaughn/Joaquin Phoenix/Janeane Garofalo vehicle, Clay Pigeons; the above-mentioned "Graceland" from True Romance; and his song "The Tuff Do What?"
Allison, The Crickets, Al Green, Bette Midler, The Pointer Sisters, Tanya Tucker, Diane Schuur, Percy Sledge, Phoebe Snow, Jules Shear, The Runaways, Patty Smyth, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, and Italian superstar Richard Cocciante.