Mickey Thomas (singer)

John Michael Thomas aka Mickey Thomas (born December 3, 1949, Cairo, Georgia) is an American singer.

Biography

Born in Cairo, Georgia. He was inspired to take part in music after seeing a Beatles performance in 1965. He travelled to Atlanta with long time childhood friends Charles Connell, Lewis Oliver, Tommy Verran, and Walter Wight. Thomas, Connell, and Verran wound up in their first rock and roll band together. Verran was the lead singer at the time. They split up to go to different colleges but later reformed in the early 1970s along with friend Bud Thomas as the "Jets". While singing lead for the Jets in 1974, Thomas joined the Elvin Bishop Group as a harmony singer and eventually made it to lead vocals. His best known achievement was singing on Elvin Bishop's chart hit 'Fooled Around And Fell In Love', a #3 single in 1976.

He recorded the solo album As Long as You Love Me in 1976.

In April 1979 Thomas was asked to join Jefferson Starship after the departure of Marty Balin and Grace Slick.^[1] In 1981 he recorded his second solo album Alive Alone. Former Elvin Bishop Group drummer Donny Baldwin became Starship's drummer two years later when Aynsley Dunbar left.

He spent most of the early eighties as the main vocalist of Jefferson Starship, performing several duets with Slick (who rejoined in 1981) and gaining greater influence in the band. After Paul Kantner left in 1984, Thomas was sole leader of the band. From 1985-1989 the newly dubbed 'Starship' scored some of their biggest hits. When Grace Slick left again in 1988, Thomas sang all lead vocals — in a band whose precursor was formed when he was just 15 years old. But their fortunes as pop music artists soon ran out. A tour was cancelled after Thomas was attacked in a bar and required facial reconstruction surgery. (His assailant was Donny Baldwin, who chose to resign after the incident.)

He recorded "Wild Again" for the soundtrack "Cocktail" (1988) as well as the title song from the film "Sing" in 1989, Thomas also appeared in the 1989 film Dream a Little Dream and recorded the film's titled theme song and its duet version with Mel Tormé for the soundtrack. The duet version was also played during the end of the film.

The original incarnation of Starship disbanded in 1991. In 1992 Paul Kantner reformed Jefferson Starship without Thomas, and Thomas formed a new touring band called 'Starship featuring Mickey Thomas'. Touring has continued with this title.

In 1998 he guested on Sammy Hagar's album Marching To Mars.

In 2002 Thomas and his touring band re-recorded all of the Jefferson Starship hits on which he had appeared. The resulting album was released in 2003, without any band credits being provided, as Forever Gold, part of a series of releases by St. Clair Entertainment.

In 2004 he released an album project, under the title of Over the Edge, produced by Fabrizio Grossi. In 2008 he recorded a new album with Aynsley Dunbar for Direct Music, featuring artists such as Jake E Lee, former guitarist for Ozzy Osbourne. Thomas reunited with Elvin Bishop when Starship closed for them in late 2008.

In November 2010, Mickey Thomas announced on his website that a new Starship album, Loveless Fascination, will be released in late summer or early fall of 2011.

Discography

As Long as You Love Me (1976)
Alive Alone (1981)
Forever Gold (2003), St. Clair Entertainment^[2]
Over the Edge (2004)

References

^ Tobler, John (1992). NME Rock 'N' Roll Years (1st ed.). London: Reed International Books Ltd. p. 325. CN 5585.
^ 2002 re-recordings of Jefferson Starship or Starship songs on which Mickey Thomas originally appeared. These recordings have been licensed to several labels, resulting in the release of Starship - Greatest Hits (Delta Records) and Starship - Greatest Hits (Brilliant Records). The original release of these recordings was as Starship - Greatest and Latest, available outside the U.S. only, and including both a CD and DVD.

External links

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[NME_Rock_'N'_Roll_Years-1] Tobler, John (1992). NME Rock 'N' Roll Years (1st ed.). London: Reed International Books Ltd. p. 325. CN 5585.

[2] 2002 re-recordings of Jefferson Starship or Starship songs on which Mickey Thomas originally appeared. These recordings have been licensed to several labels, resulting in the release of Starship - Greatest Hits (Delta Records) and Starship - Greatest Hits (Brilliant Records). The original release of these recordings was as Starship - Greatest and Latest, available outside the U.S. only, and including both a CD and DVD.

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