Robert Kelly Thomas (born February 14, 1972, in Landstuhl, Germany on a US military base) is an American rock recording artist, and songwriter. He is the primary songwriter and 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 also lent his songwriting talents to such artists as Willie Nelson, Mick Jagger, Marc Anthony, Pat Green, Taylor Hicks, Travis Tritt and Daughtry.
Since 1996, his band, Matchbox Twenty, has released a string of hit singles to radio including “Push”, “3 A.M.”, “Real World”, “Back 2 Good”, “Bent”, “If You’re Gone”, “Mad Season”, “Disease”, “Unwell”, “Bright Lights”, and “How Far We’ve Come”. In 2004, the Songwriters Hall of Fame awarded Thomas its first Starlight Award, recognizing young songwriters who have already made a lasting impact in the music industry.
Solo career
On April 19, 2005, after nearly 10 years with Matchbox Twenty, Thomas began his solo career with the release of …Something to Be which shot to #1 on the album chart. This marked the first time a male artist from a rock and/or pop group had debuted at number one with his first solo album since the Billboard Top 200 was introduced 50 years ago. His first single off this album, “Lonely No More”, reached number six on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart. The 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”, (used during a majority of telecasts for ABS’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.
As a solo act, Thomas made several significant appearances. On July 2, 2005, Thomas appeared at the Live 8 concert in Philadelphia. As a solo act, Thomas appeared on the September 10, 2005, ‘MTV Katrina Relief Concert’. On October 5, 2005, he started his first solo tour. In the summer of 2006, Thomas toured with Jewel and Toby Lightman.
In September 2006, Thomas’ solo effort received more exposure when ABC started using the song “Streetcorner Symphony” in promotional ads for its popular Thursday night lineup. This song was subsequently released as a single. Thomas also received attention for a Pre-Grammy performance of “Harder to Breathe” with Maroon 5.
In January 2007, Thomas released a single entitled “Little Wonders” from the soundtrack to the Disney animated feature, Meet the Robinsons. As of April 22, 2007, “Little Wonders” has reached #5 on the Mediabase Hot Adult Contemporary chart. Thomas was featured on the June 14, 2007, episode of the long-running PBS series Soundstage.He is expected to release his second studio album sometime in 2008.
In 2007, Thomas and his recently reunited band Matchbox Twenty released another album entitled Exile on Mainstream.
According to Billboard Magazine, Thomas’ second studio album will be released in early 2009. It is tentatively titled “Cradle Songs”.
Personal Life
Rob Thomas and his wife Marisol (Maldonado) Thomas married in 1999 and currently live in New York state. Thomas has a son named Maison from a previous relationship. The Thomases have two dogs and are committed animal lovers and supporters of animal charities. Rob and his wife have established the Sidewalk Angels Foundation, a non-profit organization created to aid those in need in and around America’s big cities by partnering with various charities to assist people who get lost in the system, those who cannot afford medical care, and animals that have been abandoned or abused.
Television
Rob Thomas made a guest appearance on the show It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia as a version of himself in a rehab center, along with Sinbad, in the episode Dennis Reynolds: An Erotic Life, which originally aired October 23rd, 2008. He could also be seen gettin “punk’d” on the season 4 premiere of the MTV show.