You probably know Rob Thomas as the lead singer of the alternative rock band called Matchbox Twenty. He is an American songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and record producer who has to his credit, three Grammy Awards. His life has been all about music and it’s through it that he became famous and is today recognized as one of America’s best artist’s on a microphone.
Find out here, what his early life looked like, how he was able to grow his career, his personal life as per his wife and every other titbit we found of interest about Rob.
Rob Thomas Bio, Age
Special people are born on special days and Robert Kelly “Rob” Thomas is one special person born and celebrated on a day most people all over the world revel in. He was born on Valentine’s day – the 14th day of February in the year 1972 in Landstuhl, Germany.
His father was a United States Army Sergeant at the time with his name listed as Bill Thomas while his wife, Rob’s mother, was called Mamie. In his family is also his older half-sister from his mother’s previous marriage who he calls Melissa.
Growing up, life would, however, go awry for the kid as his parents divorced when he was just 2 years old, having returned earlier from Germany as he clocked 6 months. Following the divorce, Rob’s mom became piss-poor and found it difficult to cater to the needs of her two kids. She often left the siblings under the care of her mother in Lake City, South Carolina where life was a bit better as her mom ran a store and a gas station where she sold marijuana and moonshine (a type of liquor).
Being in an environment like that, Rob Thomas grew up being exposed to the “hard life.” He, however, took a liking to country music and had as his favorites – Johnny Cash, Merle Haggard, and many others. He got his first musical instrument, a Casio keyboard when he was 10 years old and a friend of his taught him how to play it. At around this time, his mother relocated to Orlando where he attended Lake Brantley High School.
He would later drop out of high school a few months to his graduation and by his 17th birthyear, Rob was incarcerated for two months following a conviction for stealing a Camaro car. Coming out of jail, he became homeless but it was at this time he began giving music a thought.
In 1993, Rob Thomas gave life to his musical talent by forming the band Tabitha’s Secret which had as its bass player Brian Yale, Paul Doucett as the drummer, Jay Stanley as guitarist and John Goff. Thomas wrote most of their songs with which they gained fame in Orlando playing in bars and nightclubs.
However, following the break up of the band, Thomas went on to form Matchbox 20 with Yale and Doucette from his previous band, then Adam Gaynor and Kyle Cook as new members. They signed their first contract with Lava Records.
With their new contract, Matchbox 20 went on to release albums like Yourself or Someone Like You (October 1996), and their second album Mad Season and More Than You Think You Are (March 2000) under the band name Matchbox Twenty.
Rob Thomas went solo with albums: Something to Be and Exile on Mainstream (2007), followed by Cradlesong (2008) before teaming up to produce another album with his Matchbox Twenty bandmates called North. Most of the songs in the album were written by Doucette and Yale.
Rob went on to perform many of his new album tracks like “Hold On Forever”, “Great Unknown”, and “Heaven Help Me” in 2015. The album was finally released on August 2015 and called The Great Unknown.
Wife (Marisol Maldonado), Son
Rob Thomas was introduced to his wife Marisol Maldonado (model) in Montreal at an afterparty in 1997. The musician disclosed that it was love-at-first-sight, the moment he saw her and by the time they had their first kiss, he knew he would not kiss anyone again.
Their relationship started as a long distant one initially and Marisol earlier entertained doubts whether she really wanted to date a rock star. However, what will be will be as she couldn’t resist the bond that was growing between them.
Their acquaintance with each other soon blossomed into courtship and following a music festival they both attended in Boston, Thomas made it know to the belle that he would love to marry her.
Come October 2, 1998, at Serletic’s ranch in California, the two lovebirds were declared husband and wife in a highly publicised wedding ceremony which was broadcast on ABC’s Celebrity Weddings in Style.
Rob has a son from his previous relationship who goes by the name Maison Avery William Thomas. He is very much into music and has joined his father in some of his musical tours. No doubt, we all know where the lad is headed.
Maison was born at the time Rob released his first album Yourself or Someone Like You. This stage of his life was characterized by alcohol abuse, cocaine and of course, women. But following a determination by the band members to change their ways, they all cleaned up and has remained so since then.
Height
Rob Thomas stands at a height of 1.75 m which is the equivalent of 5 feet 7 inches.
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