Mr. Big
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Mr. Big
is an American rock supergroup, formed in Los Angeles, California in 1988. The
band is a quartet composed of Eric Martin (lead vocals), Paul Gilbert (guitar),
Billy Sheehan (bass guitar), and Pat Torpey (drums); Mr. Big also included
Richie Kotzen, a reputable blues-based guitarist who replaced Gilbert in 1999.
The band is noted especially for their musicianship, and scored a number of
hits.[2] Their songs were often marked by strong vocals and vocal harmonies.
Their hits include "To Be with You" (a number one single in 15
countries in 1991) and "Green-Tinted Sixties Mind".
Mr. Big
claim to have remained active and popular for over two decades, despite
internal conflicts and changing music trends. They broke up in 2002, but after
requests from fans reunited in 2009; their first tour was in Japan, in June
2009.[3] The band released What If..., their first album in 10 years, in
January 2011.
The band
takes its name from the song by Free, which was eventually covered by the band
on their 1993 album, Bump Ahead.
History
Formation
(1988–1989)
After
bass player Billy Sheehan left David Lee Roth's backing band in 1988,[4] he
began piecing together a new band with the help of Mike Varney from Shrapnel
Records, a label specialized in the shredding genre. He recruited Eric Martin,
of the rock-oriented Eric Martin Band and also soul-leaning solo artist, and
soon thereafter added guitarist Gilbert and drummer Torpey. Gilbert was already
a well-respected guitarist who had released two albums with his Los
Angeles-based band Racer X. Torpey came to California from Arizona, and had
previously recorded and toured with a number of high-profile artists, most
notably Robert Plant.
Breakthrough
(1989–1997)
The
newly formed band hired Herbie Herbert, the former manager of Journey, Europe,
and Santana, to be their manager. By 1989, they signed with Atlantic Records
and released their self-titled debut the same year. The record did not gain the
band a mainstream rock audience stateside, but was a success in Japan.[citation
needed] In June 1990, the group toured in America opening for Rush. In August
1990, two songs, "Strike Like Lightning" and "Shadows",
performed by Mr. Big were exclusively released on the soundtrack album of the
action film Navy SEALs.[6]
Mr.
Big's second album, 1991's Lean Into It, was a major commercial breakthrough,
especially two ballads, "To Be with You" (number one song in fifteen
countries) and "Just Take My Heart", as well as the song
"Green-Tinted Sixties Mind". Lean Into It's front cover featured the
1895 Paris express train derailment. They toured the UK in April and May 1991
and again in 1992, releasing a live album, Mr. Big Live, in 1992. For three
nights, they opened for Aerosmith at London's Wembley Arena.
In
1993, another ballad, a cover of Cat Stevens' "Wild World", (from
their third album, Bump Ahead) peaked at No. 27 on the Billboard Hot 100.[7]
Although it is said that the band also contributed the soundtrack to the Sega
Mega-CD release of The Amazing Spider-Man vs. The Kingpin, the songs actually
featured Eric Martin with musicians hired by Sega.
They
released Hey Man in 1996. The song "Take Cover" was included on the
soundtrack to the cartoon series Mega Man.
Although
the band never replicated its earlier success in the US market, their
popularity continued to soar in Japan and in much of Asia. They continued to
sell out tours in the Asian market, resulting in a number of live releases for
the Japanese market.
Live
At Budokan was one of those live release intended for the Japanese market only.
By the time that album appeared the group had been put on ice as the individual
band members became more engrossed in other projects; the band temporarily
broke up in 1997.
Gilbert's
departure and new line-up (1997–2002)
Gilbert
left the band in 1997, and eventually reformed Racer X. Richie Kotzen, another
Shrapnel artist and former guitarist for Poison, was brought in as a guitar
player. Two studio albums were released by this lineup: Get Over It in 2000,
and Actual Size in 2001. Get Over It was released on September 1999, in Japan, and
yielded "Superfantastic," a multi-platinum number one hit in Japan.
Mr. Big performed a twenty-date tour of Japan followed by a New Year's Eve 1999
show with Aerosmith at the Osaka Dome in Osaka. Get Over It was released in the
US in March 2000, followed by a short club stint at "Roxy",
California.
Several
music videos for songs on Get Over It were recorded (for Electrified and
Superfantastic), however the director claimed rights to the music videos and
the videos were never released.
In
2001, Mr. Big released Actual Size in Asia. The CD sat on the charts in the
number three spot and "Shine", the first single, was number one. The
song was also used as the ending theme for the anime series Hellsing.
However,
tension had developed between Billy Sheehan and the other members when Billy
began touring with Steve Vai. Eric Martin, Richie Kotzen, and Pat decided to
write songs without Billy, and Billy was only given credit for two songs on
Actual Size. Eric Martin and the others were also upset for Billy Sheehan's
attitude during the recording of the Shine music video. This was when Eric
Martin and the others decided the only way to keep moving forward was to fire
Billy Sheehan. After firing Sheehan, Mr. Big's tour manager was furious since
Billy Sheehan's name would sell tickets. The tour manager reacted by pulling
the plug on the tour, forcing Eric Martin and the others to ask Billy Sheehan
if he would like to rejoin the band. Sheehan agreed to rejoin the band, however
only for the farewell tour.
Due to
all this, Mr. Big broke up in 2002 after a farewell tour.
Reunion
and What If... (2009–present)
A near
Mr. Big "one-off" reunion took place on May 13, 2008, in Los Angeles
at the House Of Blues when Paul Gilbert was joined on stage by Pat Torpey,
Richie Kotzen and Billy Sheehan for renditions of Humble Pie's '30 Days In The
Hole' and original Mr. Big composition 'Daddy, Brother, Lover, Little Boy'.
Reportedly, the three had such an amazing time that they decided to contact
Eric Martin a few days later, and a reunion of the four original members (Paul,
Eric, Pat, and Billy) was put into motion.[8]
On
February 1, 2009, a radio announcement for "Koh Sakai’s Burrn Presents:
Heavy Metal Syndicate" contained a short message from Mr. Big, announcing
the reunion of the original Mr. Big line-up to celebrate the twentieth
anniversary of their début album. A press conference in Japan in February
generated much excitement,[9] and a tour of the country starting in June was
announced, with shows in ten locations (including the Budokan). They held their
first reunion concert outside Japan at Rock Cafe in Tallinn, Estonia on
September 2009 continuing their tour.[10]
Warner
Music Japan released remastered copies of their four studio albums, as well as
a greatest hits CD and DVD. There are two bonus studio songs on the album, new
track "Next Time Around", and a cover of Argent's "Hold Your
Head Up".
Mr.
Big toured India in October 2009 as part of the Reunion Tour, playing to huge
crowds at Bangalore and Shillong.
In
September 2010, Mr. Big recorded a seventh album with producer Kevin Shirley at
a Los Angeles-area studio.[11] The album was released in Japan on December 15,
2010, in Europe on January 21, 2011 and in the US in February 2011. What If...
is their first album of new material in nearly 10 years.[12] The band also
toured in support of the album.[13] The tour to support the album kicked off at
The House of Blues, in Hollywood, California on April 2, 2011 and ended at
Rockout Festival in Istanbul, Turkey on October 2011. The band also appeared at
Download Festival on June 2011.
As
part of the album release, the group created a music video for the song
"Undertow". Directed by Vicente and Fernando Cordero, it featured the
band in an industrial park.[14]
On May
10, 2011, Mr. Big performed at the Araneta Coliseum in Manila, Philippines. The
band performed most of the songs from Lean Into It, and introduced a couple of
songs from What If. Additionally the group toured the UK and Europe, with both
Gilbert and Sheehan performing solos at the majority of shows.
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