Mr. Big (American band)

For the English band of the same name, see Mr Big (UK band).

Mr. Big
Mr. Big in 1992 From left: Billy Sheehan, Paul Gilbert, Pat Torpey, Eric Martin
Background information
Origin	Los Angeles, California, United States
Genres	Hard rock, soft rock, glam metal (early years)
Years active	1988–2002, 2009–present
Labels	Warner, Atlantic, Frontiers, Evolution Music Group
Members	Eric Martin Billy Sheehan Paul Gilbert Matt Starr
Past members	Greg Howe Derek Sherinian Pat Torpey Richie Kotzen
Website	mrbigsite.com

Mr. Big is an American hard rock supergroup formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1988. The band is composed of Eric Martin (lead vocals, occasional guitar), Paul Gilbert (guitar), Greg Howe (guitar), Billy Sheehan (bass), [[Derek Sherinian (keyboards) and Pat Torpey (drums). They are noted especially for their musicianship, and have scored a number of hits. Their songs are often marked by strong vocals and vocal harmonies. Their hits include "To Be with You" (a number-one single in 15 countries in 1992) and "Just Take My Heart".

Mr. Big 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, they reunited in 2009; their first post-reunion tour was in Japan, in June 2009. To date, Mr. Big have released nine studio albums, the latest being Defying Gravity (2017). In July 2017, the recording catalogue of their music, owned by Warner Music, was sold to Hong Kong-based Evolution Music Group.

The band takes its name from the eponymous song by Free, which they eventually covered on their 1993 album, Bump Ahead.

History

Formation (1988–1989)

After bass player Billy Sheehan left David Lee Roth's backing band in 1988, 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 Howe, keyboardist Sherinian 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, including Impellitteri, Stan Bush, Belinda Carlisle, Ted Nugent, The Knack, and Jeff Paris (who would later collaborate with Mr. Big in a songwriting capacity). both Greg Howe and Derek Sherinian left the band.

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. In June 1990, the group toured America as an opening act on Rush's Presto Tour. 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.

Mr. Big's second album, 1991's Lean Into It, was a major commercial breakthrough, especially two ballads, "To Be with You" (which went to number one in fifteen countries) and "Just Take My Heart", as well as the song "Green-Tinted Sixties Mind". The cover features a picture of the train in the Montparnasse 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. Although it is said that the band also contributed music to the soundtrack for the Sega Mega-CD release of The Amazing Spider-Man vs. The Kingpin, the songs actually featured Eric Martin with musicians hired by Sega.

The band 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 releases 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 1999, and Actual Size in 2001. Get Over It was released on September 1999 in Japan, and yielded the single "Superfantastic," to a lukewarm audience response. 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 they 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, went to number one. The song was also used as the ending theme for the anime series Hellsing.

However, tension had developed between Sheehan and the other members when Sheehan began touring with Steve Vai. Martin, Kotzen, and Torpey decided to write songs without Sheehan, who was only given credit for two songs on Actual Size. Martin and the others were also upset with Sheehan's attitude during the recording of the Shine music video. This was when Martin and the others decided the only way to keep moving forward was to fire Sheehan. Without Sheehan and Gilbert, Mr. Big's fan base shrank dramatically, forcing Martin and the others to ask Sheehan if he would like to rejoin the band. Although Sheehan was upset that the other members had attempted to "fire" him from the band he created, he agreed to rejoin them for a farewell tour.

Mr. Big disbanded in 2002 after a farewell tour.

Reunion and What If... (2009–2013)

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.

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 debut album. A press conference in Japan in February generated much excitement, 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.

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, the 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 in Bangalore, Dimapur, and Shillong.

In September 2010, Mr. Big recorded a seventh album with producer Kevin Shirley at a Los Angeles-area studio. 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. The band also toured in support of the album. The tour to support the album kicked off at The House of Blues, in Hollywood, California, on April 2, 2011, and ended at the Rockout Festival in Istanbul, Turkey, on October 2011. The band also appeared at the 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.

Billy Sheehan and Eric Martin performing in 2016.

On May 10, 2011, Mr. Big performed at the Araneta Coliseum in Manila, Philippines. They 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.

On July 2011, the lead track of their album Bump Ahead, "Colorado Bulldog", was used as the ending theme for the first episode of the Kami-sama no Memo-chō anime series.

The Stories We Could Tell (2014)

Mr. Big released their eighth studio album ...The Stories We Could Tell on September 30, 2014, via Frontiers Records. It was produced by Pat Regan, who returned as producer for the first time since 1999's Get Over It. Due to Pat Torpey being diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, he could not play drums on the record, but worked with a drum programmer. The band confirmed that Pat's fill-in for the upcoming world tour would be Matt Starr, who is also the drummer for Ace Frehley (KISS).

Defying Gravity (2017)

The group's latest album, Defying Gravity, was recorded in Los Angeles in six days, and released on July 21, 2017. Matt Starr recorded the drum tracks, while Pat Torpey acted as "drum producer."In July, the recording catalogue of Mr. Big, owned by Warner Music, was sold to Hong Kong-based Evolution Music Group.

Members

Current members

• Eric Martin – lead vocals, occasional guitar (1988–2002, 2009–present)
• Billy Sheehan – bass, backing vocals (1988–2002, 2009–present)
• Paul Gilbert – guitar, backing vocals (1988–1997, 2009–present)
• Matt Starr – drums, backing vocals (2014–present)

Former members

• Greg Howe – guitar, backing vocals (1988)
• Derek Sherinian – keyboards, backing vocals (1988)
• Pat Torpey – drums, backing vocals (1988–2002, 2009–2014)
• Richie Kotzen – guitar, backing and lead vocals (1997–2002)

Timeline

Discography

Main article: Mr. Big discography

Studio albums

• Mr. Big (1989)
• Lean into It (1991)
• Bump Ahead (1993)
• Hey Man (1996)
• Get Over It (1999)
• Actual Size (2001)
• What If... (2010)
• ...The Stories We Could Tell (2014)
• Defying Gravity (2017)

External links

• Official Mr. Big site
• Music Radar Interview with Billy Sheehan, Feb. 2009
• Music Radar Interview with Paul Gilbert, Apr. 2009
• Big Music Geek Interview with Billy Sheehan, Apr. 2009