Rob Thomas (musician)
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- This article is about the musician. For other people with this name see Rob Thomas.
| Rob Thomas | ||
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| Background information | ||
| Birth name | Robert Kelly Thomas | |
| Born | February 14, 1972 (age 35) | |
| Origin |  Orlando, Florida, United States |
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| Genre(s) | Pop Rock Alternative Rock |
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| Occupation(s) | Singer Songwriter |
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| Instrument(s) | Vocals, Guitar, Piano | |
| Years active | 1996 – present | |
| Label(s) | Atlantic | |
| Associated acts |
Matchbox Twenty Tabitha's Secret |
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| Website | http://www.robthomasmusic.com/ | |
Robert Kelly "Rob" Thomas (born February 14, 1972) is an American pop-rock recording artist and songwriter. He was the primary songwriter and the lead singer of the band Matchbox Twenty and formerly of the band Tabitha's Secret. Thomas also records and performs as a solo artist.
Thomas earned three Grammy awards for co-writing and singing on the Carlos Santana triple-platinum hit "Smooth", on the album Supernatural in 1999. He has lent his songwriting talents to such artists as Willie Nelson, Mick Jagger, Marc Anthony, Pat Green and Taylor Hicks.
Since 1996, his band, Matchbox Twenty, has released a string of hit singles to radio including "Push", "3 A.M.", "Back 2 Good", "Bent", "If You're Gone", "Unwell" and "Bright Lights". In 2004, the Songwriters Hall of Fame awarded Thomas the first Starlight Award, recognizing young songwriters who have already made a lasting impact in the music industry. Thomas also plays the piano and guitar.
Thomas was born on a military base in Landstuhl, Germany and raised in South Carolina and later Florida where he attended Lake Brantley High School. He stated his desire to become a musician at age 13. The first concert he attended was Genesis on its Invisible Touch Tour. His greatest influence was Steve Burry, another Florida musician. Thomas dropped out of high school and left his home as a teenager to pursue his goal of becoming a career musician. He later received a GED degree.
He married Marisol Maldonado in 1999 and has a son named Maison Avery Williams Thomas from a former relationship with Kerry Williams. He has an older sister he calls Missy. He also has two nieces, a nephew and a new great-niece.
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[edit] Solo career
On April 19, 2005, he released a solo album, ...Something to Be. This marked the first time that a male artist from a rock or pop group has debuted at No 1 with their first solo album since Billboard introduced the chart 50 years ago. His first single off that album, "Lonely No More," reached No. 6 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart. The aforementioned single debuted in the Top 10 of the Australian ARIAnet singles chart on the week of April 4, 2005. The second single, "This Is How a Heart Breaks," which was used during a majority of telecasts for ABC's coverage of the NBA Playoffs, was not as successful, but the third single, Ever The Same, went gold and became a top five Adult Contemporary hit.
On July 2, 2005, Rob appeared at the Live 8 concert in Philadelphia. Rob also appeared on the September 10, 2005, MTV Katrina Relief Concert.
On October 5, 2005, Rob started his first solo tour backed by a band of talented musicians including Matt Beck and Frank Romano. The all-female band "Antigone Rising" performed in the warm-up role.
In the summer of 2006, Thomas toured with Jewel and Toby Lightman.
In September 2006, ABC started using his song Streetcorner Symphony in promotional ads for its Thursday-night lineup (Ugly Betty, Grey's Anatomy, and Six Degrees).
In January 2007, Thomas released a single entitled "Little Wonders" from the soundtrack to the Disney animated feature Meet the Robinsons. As of March 24, 2007, "Little Wonders" has reached #8 on Billboard's Hot Adult Contemporary chart.
[edit] Trivia
- He provided background vocals in The Gufs song Give Back Yourself; the Gufs had been on tour with Matchbox Twenty.
- He is 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) in height, has blue eyes.
- His favorite authors are Kurt Vonnegut and Tom Robbins.
- He wrote the song "Dream Myself Awake" for American Idol Taylor Hicks' album.
- His favourite TV shows are: 24, Arrested Development and American Idol
- His wife, Marisol appeared in the videos for Smooth and Ever the Same.
- His best friend is Paul Doucette.
- His two favourite matchbox twenty videos are: Bent and If You're Gone
- ABC advertised the first season of Desperate Housewives with Lonely No More
- As an April Fools Day Prank, Mushroomhead said that their samplist, ST1TCH, was related to Thomas and that they were starting a band together, rNr (Rob and Rick).
- Lonely No More became the most played foreign song in Australia in 2005. Rob was honored with the Australian Music Award (APRA) because of that in June, 2006
[edit] Discography
[edit] Albums
- 2005 ...Something to Be #1 U.S. (RIAA Certification: Platinum, Sales: 1.4 million), #11 UK, #1 Australia (Worldwide Sales: 3 million +)
- Something More (EP)
- A New York Christmas (Single)
- iTunes Originals - Rob Thomas
[edit] Singles
| Year | Song | U.S. | U.S. AC | U.S. Adult | U.S. Pop | UK | AUS | NZ | CAN | RIAA | Album |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | "Smooth" (with Santana) | 1 | 11 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 3 | Gold | Supernatural | |
| 2005 | "Lonely No More" | 6 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 11 | 3 | 9 | 1 | Gold | ...Something to Be |
| 2005 | "This Is How a Heart Breaks" | 52 | 25 | 3 | 31 | 67 | 13 | 24 | 25 | Gold | ...Something to Be |
| 2005 | "Ever the Same" | 48 | 4 | 2 | 30 | - | 29 | - | 5 | Gold | ...Something to Be |
| 2006 | "Something to Be" | - | - | 40 | - | - | 40 | - | - | ...Something to Be | |
| 2006 | "Streetcorner Symphony" | 64 | 7* | 5 | 37 | - | - | - | 9 | ...Something to Be | |
| 2007 | "Little Wonders" | 78* | - | 8* | 93* | - | - | - | 29* | Meet the Robinsons Soundtrack |
(*) indicates still in chart
[edit] See also
- Matchbox Twenty
- List of number-one hits (United States)
- List of artists who reached number one on the Hot 100 (U.S.)
- List of number-one dance hits (United States)
- List of artists who reached number one on the U.S. Dance chart
[edit] External links
