Mr. Big is an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1988. The band was originally composed of Eric Martin (lead vocals), Paul Gilbert (guitar), Billy Sheehan (bass), and Pat Torpey (drums). Though primarily a hard rock band, they are also known for softer songs.[6] 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". The band takes its name from a song by Free which it covered on the 1993 album Bump Ahead.
Mr. Big remained active and popular for over a decade despite internal conflicts and changing musical trends, releasing four studio albums: Mr. Big (1989), Lean into It (1991), Bump Ahead (1993) and Hey Man (1996). Guitarist Paul Gilbert departed the band in 1999, and Richie Kotzen was brought as a guitarist and vocalist. The band released two more albums with this line-up: Get Over It (1999) and Actual Size (2001). Mr. Big disbanded in 2002.
Following requests from fans, Mr. Big reunited with its original line-up in 2009. The band's first post-reunion tour was in Japan. In 2010, Mr. Big released its first album in 15 years with the same line-up: What If.... During the recording of the follow-up album ...The Stories We Could Tell (2014), Pat Torpey was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease and participated only marginally as a touring support. The band's ninth album, Defying Gravity (2017),[7] was its last record involving Torpey as drum producer; he died the following year. Not wanting to continue without Torpey, the band went on hiatus, then announced in November 2022 that they were planning to tour in 2023 with a new drummer.[8]
Mr. Big is frequently cited as an example of the "Big in Japan" phenomenon, where a musical act is disproportionately more popular in Japan compared to similar groups.[9] Mr. Big are sometimes labeled as a one-hit wonder for "To Be with You", but they have maintained consistent popularity in the Japanese market throughout their career.[10]
History
Formation and debut album (1988–1990)
After bassist Billy Sheehan left David Lee Roth's backing band in 1988,[11] he began piecing together a new band with the help of Mike Varney from Shrapnel Records, a label specialized in the shredding genre. Sheehan started by recruiting vocalist Eric Martin, a Capitol Records solo artist who Sheehan had become aware of after hearing the track "I Can't Stop the Fire", which Martin had recorded with Neal Schon for the soundtrack to the 1984 film Teachers. Sheehan had originally intended to complete the band with guitarist Steve Stevens and drummer Gregg Bissonette (who Sheehan had played with in Roth's backing band)[12], but this fell apart when Stevens opted to pursue his Atomic Playboys project and Bissonette decided to stay with Roth. Soonafter, guitarist Paul Gilbert of the Los Angeles-based heavy metal band Racer X joined the band on Sheehan's invitation. Several drummers were auditioned before Pat Torpey formally completed the line-up. Torpey, a journeyman session drummer, had previously recorded and toured with a number of high-profile artists, including Impellitteri, Stan Bush, Marilyn Martin, Belinda Carlisle, Ted Nugent, The Knack, and Jeff Paris (who would later collaborate with Mr. Big in a songwriting capacity).
At Martin's recommendation, the newly-formed band hired manager Herbie Herbert, who as well as managing Martin during his solo career in the mid-late 1980s, had worked with Santana, Journey, Europe. Several band names were considered, including "Wild Blue Yonder", "Red House", "Hawks and Doves", "Mars Needs Women" and "Magic to Burn", before Torpey suggested "Mr. Big", a nod to the song by Free.[13][14]
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.[15]
Breakthrough and height of fame (1991–1997)
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.
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.[17] They continued to sell out tours in the Asian market, resulting in a number of live releases for the Japanese market. They are one of the more notable examples of the "Big in Japan" phenomenon. Live At Budokan was one of those live releases intended for the Japanese market only. By the time that album appeared, the group were on hiatus, as the individual band members became more engrossed in other projects; the band temporarily broke up in 1997.
Line-up change and break-up (1999–2002)
Gilbert left the band in 1999, 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 in September 1999 in Japan, and yielded the single "Superfantastic," to a lukewarm audience response. Mr. Big performed a 20-date tour of Japan, followed by a New Year's Eve 1999 show with Aerosmith at the Osaka Dome, in Osaka, Japan. 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 Torpey decided the only way to keep moving forward was to fire Sheehan. Although Sheehan was upset that the other members had attempted to "fire" him from the band he created, he agreed to rejoin them, provided that that would be their farewell tour. The band then toured and ultimately disbanded, in February 2002, later issuing a statement in May.[18]
Reunion and new albums (2009–2017)
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.[19] 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,[20] 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, in September 2009, continuing their tour.[21] 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.[22] 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.[23] The band also toured in support of the album.[24] 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, in October 2011. The band also appeared at the Download Festival in June 2011. As part of the album release, the group created a music video for the song "Undertow". Directed by Vicente Cordero and Fernando Cordero, it featured the band in an industrial park.[25]
Billy Sheehan and Eric Martin performing in 2016
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. The band confirmed that Pat's fill-in for the upcoming world tour would be Burning Rain drummer Matt Starr, who had also previously performed with Ace Frehley and Joe Lynn Turner. The group's latest album, Defying Gravity, was recorded in Los Angeles in six days, and released on July 21, 2017. Due to Pat Torpey being diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, he could not play drums fully on the record and played on only several tracks.[26][27] Matt Starr recorded the drum tracks, while Pat Torpey acted as "drum producer."[28]
Death of Pat Torpey, hiatus and reunion with new drummer (2018–present)
In October 2018, Eric Martin said in interview with Friday NI Rocks that the band was in the process of planning their at-that-time possible next and final album. According to Martin, once the band was done with its commitments, they would subsequently disband: "Yeah, that's the last hurrah – that's it. It feels a little uncomfortable to keep going without Pat Torpey."[31] However this never materialized and the band entered a state of hibernation with band members devoting time to other projects. In January 2021, Billy Sheehan said that the band was still together, "[...]but, as you know, sadly we lost our drummer, and we don't have any plan at this point for anything. We'll just let nature take its course. At some point, maybe we'll do something again. We don't know. Maybe me and Paul, maybe me and Eric, maybe Eric and Paul, maybe us with a different drummer — it could be anything — but we have not discussed it at all, and we're just kind of letting it go." He also expressed dissatisfaction with Defying Gravity, claiming there was "mastering problem [...that] made the LP unlistenable." He went on to say that "the label ruined the record" by insisting on having the album and "putting it out when it's not ready. If we had another day to get it to proper mastering and get it done right, it would have been fine. 'Cause I was there for the final mixes — I went in there every day and listened to mixes. Pat was there with us too. We went through the mixes, and they were sounding great. And, unfortunately, we got screwed."[32]
In August 2022, Sheehan revealed that the band was "strongly considering" playing shows in 2023, with Matt Starr returning as the band's drummer.[33] However, in a later interview he announced that the band have decided not to continue with Starr as their drummer due to his "vocal range" being different to Torpey's. Sheehan then stated the band has a new drummer whose identity will be revealed soon.[34] When asked in November 2022 if Sheehan's claims that Mr. Big were reuniting to tour and possibly record new material in 2023 were true, Martin said, "I'm not a hundred percent on the recording part, but, yeah, we're gonna do it. We're definitely gonna tour."[8]
In March 2023, it was announced that Nick D'Virgilio would be joining Mr. Big as touring drummer for the 2023-24 "The Big Finish Tour".[35]
Band members
Current members
Eric Martin – lead vocals (1988–2002, 2009–present)
Billy Sheehan – bass, backing vocals (1988–2002, 2009–present)
Paul Gilbert – guitars, backing vocals (1988–1999, 2009–present)
Nick D'Virgilio – drums, percussion, backing vocals (2023–present)
Former members
Pat Torpey – drums, percussion, backing vocals (1988–2002, 2009–2018; his death)
Richie Kotzen – guitars, backing and lead vocals (1999–2002)
Matt Starr – drums, percussion, backing vocals (2014–2018)
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Paul Brandon Gilbert is an American hard rock and heavy metal guitarist. He is the co-founder of the band Mr. Big, and was also a member of Racer X, with whom he released several albums. In 1996, Gilbert launched a solo career, for which he has released numerous solo albums, and featured in numerous collaborations and guest appearances on other musicians' albums.
William Sheehan is an American musician. He is best known for playing the bass guitar with acts such as Talas, Steve Vai, David Lee Roth, Mr. Big, Niacin, and The Winery Dogs. He is also known for his "lead bass" playing style, including the use of chording, two-handed tapping, "three-finger picking" technique and controlled feedback. Sheehan has been voted "Best Rock Bass Player" five times in Guitar Player readers' polls.
Richard Dale Kotzen Jr. is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter. As a solo artist, Kotzen has back catalogue of more than 20 album releases. He was a member of glam metal band Poison from 1991 to 1993, Mr. Big from 1999 to 2002, and since 2012, has been the frontman of the band The Winery Dogs. Kotzen was signed to California-based Shrapnel Records from 1988 to 1991, and again from 1995 to 1997.
Eric Lee Martin is an American rock singer and musician who was active throughout the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s, both as a solo artist and as a member of various bands. He earned his most prominent success as the frontman for the hard rock band Mr. Big, which scored a big hit in the early 1990s with "To Be with You", a song that Martin wrote during his teen years.
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Bump Ahead is the third studio album by the American hard rock band Mr. Big. It was released in 1993 by Atlantic.
Lean into It is the second studio album by the American rock band Mr. Big, released on March 26, 1991. The band's breakthrough release, Lean into It peaked at number 15 on the Billboard 200 charts, while the single "To Be with You" became the band's first and only song to hit number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. The follow-up single, "Just Take My Heart", was a top-20 hit, peaking at number 16 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Patrick Allan Torpey was an American drummer and singer, best known as the drummer and backing vocalist for the rock band Mr. Big. As well as playing for other various singers and artists such as; John Parr, Belinda Carlisle, Robert Plant, Montrose, Richie Kotzen and The Knack. Torpey had also recorded with Impellitteri and Ted Nugent.
Hey Man is the fourth studio album by the hard rock band, Mr. Big. It would be their last album with guitarist Paul Gilbert until 2011's What If.... The album was the most successful Mr. Big release in Japan, topping the Japanese Oricon chart, where it remained for 16 weeks.
Mr. Big is the debut album by the American rock supergroup Mr. Big. Produced by Kevin Elson, the album proved a partial commercial success, reaching the 46th slot on the Billboard 200 chart. Lead-off single "Addicted to that Rush", featuring the band's aggressive guitar and bass playing, also brought the group some mainstream attention, reaching the No. 39 slot on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart. 300,000 copies were sold, according to a Musician magazine interview with Mr. Big in 1990.
Get Over It is the fifth studio album by the hard rock band Mr. Big. It is their first studio album to feature guitarist Richie Kotzen.
Actual Size is the sixth album by the American rock band Mr. Big, released in August 2001. It was their second and final studio album to feature guitarist Richie Kotzen. Actual Size would be Mr. Big's final studio album for 9 years, until What If... in 2010. The song "Shine" was used as the closing theme to the anime adaptation of Hellsing. Kotzen and Sheehan's band The Winery Dogs performed regularly the song in recent tours.
"To Be with You" is a song by American rock band Mr. Big, released in November 1991 as the second single from their second album, Lean into It (1991). The ballad reached number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 for three weeks and topped the charts in 11 other countries, including Australia, Canada, Germany, and New Zealand.
"It's for You" is a song written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney of the Beatles for Cilla Black for whom it was a UK Top Ten hit in 1964. The song is mainly a McCartney composition.
Change is the seventh solo album by guitarist/vocalist Richie Kotzen. Both "Change" and "Get A Life" appeared in Japanese commercials following their release. Kotzen wrote and produced this album.
What If... is the seventh full-length studio album by the American rock band Mr. Big, which was released on January 21, 2011 through Frontiers Records. It was the band's first album since their 2009 reunion, their first album in 10 years since 2001's Actual Size and their first album with the original line-up featuring guitarist Paul Gilbert since 1996's Hey Man.
The Winery Dogs are an American rock supergroup formed in 2012 by Mike Portnoy, Billy Sheehan and Richie Kotzen.
...The Stories We Could Tell is the eighth studio album by American hard rock band Mr. Big, the second since their 2010 reunion album What If.... It was recorded with producer Pat Regan, and features 13 new studio recordings, including "Gotta Love the Ride", "The Man Who Has Everything", "Just Let Your Heart Reside", and "I Forget to Breathe". The European edition also includes a live version of "Addicted to That Rush", while the Japanese release features a live version of "30 Days in the Hole" from Mr. Big. The album was issued by Frontiers Records in the US and Europe.
Defying Gravity is the ninth studio album from American hard rock band Mr. Big. It is their first album to feature drumming contributions from Matt Starr, who has been filling in since 2014, as founding member Pat Torpey was unable to perform drums on most songs due to his Parkinson's disease diagnosis, but performs on some tracks and is credited as "drum producer". Defying Gravity was Torpey's final studio appearance prior to his death on February 7, 2018.
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