Starship |
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Fri. December 03.1999 3:01 AM EST |
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Starship's Mickey Thomasby Frank Tortorici |
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Mickey Thomas was first heard on the radio as part of the Elvin Bishop Band. ( ) |
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Singer Mickey Thomas' strong, high-pitched voice was perfect for the
plaintive pop-rock hits of Starship, the band he still leads, which formed
from the ashes of the Jefferson Airplane/Starship lineups. Thomas was born Dec. 3, 1949, in
In 1972 Thomas backed gospel singer Gideon Daniels, a friend of former Paul Butterfield Blues Band member Elvin Bishop. Since 1969, Bishop had led numerous bands bearing his name; Thomas soon became lead singer of the then-current lineup. The Elvin Bishop Band, with Thomas on lead vocal, had a huge hit in 1976 with "Fooled Around and Fell in Love." Thomas stuck with Bishop for a few more years before joining Grace Slick, Paul Kantner and what remained of Jefferson Starship in 1979. The band was based on multiple lead voices since its landmark days as Jefferson Airplane in the '60s. Slick, singer/guitarist Kantner and singer Marty Balin had led Jefferson Starship through mid-'70s hit albums such as Red Octopus, which included the smash "Miracles." Thomas actually replaced Balin, but after Kantner and Slick ended their romantic relationship, Kantner exited the band as well, leaving Slick and Thomas as the only lead singers. Thomas' first appearance on an LP with the group was on Jefferson Starship's Freedom at Point Zero (1979), which yielded the Thomas-sung hit "Jane" (RealAudio excerpt). Dropping the Jefferson from the moniker, Thomas, Slick, guitarist Craig Chaquico, bassist Pete Sears and drummer Donny Baldwin formed Starship. The band's Knee Deep in the Hoopla (1985) featured the hits "We Built This City" and "Sara." Without Sears, Starship followed their debut LP with No Protection (1987), featuring the #1 "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now." Though the music was commercially successful, critics (who found Jefferson Starship a weak version of the earlier Airplane) attacked the generic AM-radio fodder they said Starship was producing. Slick quit, leaving Thomas as the sole vocalist on Love Among the Cannibals (1989), which featured "It's Not Enough." Starship split soon after, but Kantner resurrected the name again for a new lineup, sans Thomas, under the name Jefferson Starship–The Next Generation. Thomas now tours with yet another lineup under the name Starship, featuring Mickey Thomas. Last year, along with Mitch Ryder and Richie Havens, they headlined VetFest America, a celebration of U.S. war heroes. In 1997, Thomas guested on Sammy Hagar's Marching to Mars. He is also the voice of Kanga Roddy in the syndicated cartoon "The Adventures of Kanga Roddy." This year, Thomas joined Earl Slick, Nathan East and Stephen Ferrone in covering "Last Child" on Cleopatra Records' Aerosmith tribute CD, Not the Same Old Song and Dance. Thomas' only solo LPs are As Long As You Love Me (1977) and Alive Alone (1981). Other birthdays on Friday: Paul Nicholas, 54; Ozzy Osbourne, 51; Don Barnes (.38 Special), 47; and Duane Roland (Molly Hatchet), 47. |
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