Biography
Mickey Thomas spent the majority of his professional years fronting Jefferson Starship and the later configuration known as Starship. Before entering that lineup in 1979, he had already reached the upper reaches of the Hot 100 as lead voice on the Elvin Bishop Group’s 1976 soft-rock hit “Fooled Around and Fell in Love,” a track that caught the ear of Paul Kantner and Craig Chaquico as they searched for new singers following the exits of Grace Slick and Marty Balin. Thomas guided the ensemble through the Reagan years, during which Slick rejoined; after Kantner’s departure the remaining members dropped the “Jefferson” prefix, rebranded as Starship, and scored a signature 1985 chart-topper with “We Built This City,” swiftly followed by “Sara.” A third number-one single arrived in 1987 with “Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now,” yet the classic roster soon splintered. Thomas remained through the 1989 release Love Among the Cannibals and continued into the new millennium, leading various iterations of the band on tour while also issuing the occasional solo outing such as the 2011 covers collection Marauder.
Born December 3, 1949, in Cairo, Georgia, Thomas experienced a pivotal moment at sixteen when he witnessed the Beatles perform in Atlanta. He formed a group with local friends and later played in the Jets alongside Charles Connell, Tommy Verran, and Bud Thomas. While performing with that outfit he began contributing backing vocals to the Elvin Bishop Group and soon advanced to lead, first on a 1975 funk arrangement of “Silent Night.” When the band recorded the ballad “Fooled Around and Fell in Love,” members chose Thomas over Bishop for his smoother timbre; the single climbed to number three and became a defining soft-rock staple of the decade. Capitalizing on the success, Thomas cut the solo album As Long as You Love Me, which failed to gain traction. He exited the Elvin Bishop Group after 1977’s Raisin’ Hell, worked as a session vocalist, and contributed songs to the 1978 Leif Garrett film Skateboard, scripted by future television producer Dick Wolf. An introduction to Jefferson Starship guitarist Craig Chaquico led to his recruitment when Kantner and Chaquico rebuilt the band after losing both lead singers. Thomas debuted on 1979’s Freedom at Point Zero, remained for Slick’s return on 1981’s Modern Times, and issued his own Alive Alone the same year, though 1982’s Winds of Change made clear his primary allegiance lay with the group. One further Jefferson Starship album, 1984’s Nuclear Furniture, preceded Kantner’s departure and subsequent lawsuit, after which the name “Jefferson” was retired. Rechristened Starship, the band embraced glossy 1980s production on Knee Deep in the Hoopla, propelled to multiplatinum status by the pounding “We Built This City” and the power ballad “Sara.” Momentum continued with 1987’s No Protection, whose Diane Warren–Albert Hammond composition “Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now” topped the chart after its placement in the Andrew McCarthy–Kim Cattrall comedy Mannequin.
Slick left in 1988 to join the Jefferson Airplane reunion, leaving Thomas as sole frontman for Love Among the Cannibals in 1989. During the supporting tour, drummer Donny Baldwin—formerly of the Elvin Bishop Group—attacked Thomas, necessitating facial reconstructive surgery and metal plates. Baldwin departed immediately, and after the tour concluded Craig Chaquico also exited. Thomas carried on, collaborating with producer Peter Wolf on tracks that appeared on the 1991 compilation Greatest Hits (Ten Years and Change 1979–1991); RCA subsequently dropped the act. Acquiring the Starship trademark in 1992, Thomas toured first as Mickey Thomas’ Starship and later as Starship featuring Mickey Thomas. The ensemble occasionally entered the studio, re-recording earlier hits in 2002. In 2013, working with producer Jeff Pilson, the group issued its first collection of original material in fourteen years, Loveless Fascination. Parallel to these activities, Thomas recorded the theme for the Mighty Ducks television series, voiced the lead in the children’s program Adventures with Kanga Roddy, and released the solo album Over the Edge in 2004. Further solo projects included 2010’s The Blues Masters Featuring Mickey Thomas and the 2011 covers set Marauder. Starship returned to the studio in 2021 for another round of re-recordings collected on Greatest Hits Relaunched, adding new versions of the Scorpions’ “Winds of Change,” the Elvin Bishop Group’s “Fooled Around and Fell in Love,” Kansas’ “Carry On, My Wayward Son,” and Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’,” the last of which also surfaced on the 2022 multi-artist tribute A Tribute to Journey.
Born December 3, 1949, in Cairo, Georgia, Thomas experienced a pivotal moment at sixteen when he witnessed the Beatles perform in Atlanta. He formed a group with local friends and later played in the Jets alongside Charles Connell, Tommy Verran, and Bud Thomas. While performing with that outfit he began contributing backing vocals to the Elvin Bishop Group and soon advanced to lead, first on a 1975 funk arrangement of “Silent Night.” When the band recorded the ballad “Fooled Around and Fell in Love,” members chose Thomas over Bishop for his smoother timbre; the single climbed to number three and became a defining soft-rock staple of the decade. Capitalizing on the success, Thomas cut the solo album As Long as You Love Me, which failed to gain traction. He exited the Elvin Bishop Group after 1977’s Raisin’ Hell, worked as a session vocalist, and contributed songs to the 1978 Leif Garrett film Skateboard, scripted by future television producer Dick Wolf. An introduction to Jefferson Starship guitarist Craig Chaquico led to his recruitment when Kantner and Chaquico rebuilt the band after losing both lead singers. Thomas debuted on 1979’s Freedom at Point Zero, remained for Slick’s return on 1981’s Modern Times, and issued his own Alive Alone the same year, though 1982’s Winds of Change made clear his primary allegiance lay with the group. One further Jefferson Starship album, 1984’s Nuclear Furniture, preceded Kantner’s departure and subsequent lawsuit, after which the name “Jefferson” was retired. Rechristened Starship, the band embraced glossy 1980s production on Knee Deep in the Hoopla, propelled to multiplatinum status by the pounding “We Built This City” and the power ballad “Sara.” Momentum continued with 1987’s No Protection, whose Diane Warren–Albert Hammond composition “Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now” topped the chart after its placement in the Andrew McCarthy–Kim Cattrall comedy Mannequin.
Slick left in 1988 to join the Jefferson Airplane reunion, leaving Thomas as sole frontman for Love Among the Cannibals in 1989. During the supporting tour, drummer Donny Baldwin—formerly of the Elvin Bishop Group—attacked Thomas, necessitating facial reconstructive surgery and metal plates. Baldwin departed immediately, and after the tour concluded Craig Chaquico also exited. Thomas carried on, collaborating with producer Peter Wolf on tracks that appeared on the 1991 compilation Greatest Hits (Ten Years and Change 1979–1991); RCA subsequently dropped the act. Acquiring the Starship trademark in 1992, Thomas toured first as Mickey Thomas’ Starship and later as Starship featuring Mickey Thomas. The ensemble occasionally entered the studio, re-recording earlier hits in 2002. In 2013, working with producer Jeff Pilson, the group issued its first collection of original material in fourteen years, Loveless Fascination. Parallel to these activities, Thomas recorded the theme for the Mighty Ducks television series, voiced the lead in the children’s program Adventures with Kanga Roddy, and released the solo album Over the Edge in 2004. Further solo projects included 2010’s The Blues Masters Featuring Mickey Thomas and the 2011 covers set Marauder. Starship returned to the studio in 2021 for another round of re-recordings collected on Greatest Hits Relaunched, adding new versions of the Scorpions’ “Winds of Change,” the Elvin Bishop Group’s “Fooled Around and Fell in Love,” Kansas’ “Carry On, My Wayward Son,” and Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’,” the last of which also surfaced on the 2022 multi-artist tribute A Tribute to Journey.
Albums
Singles
