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Rob Thomas

Historical Figure

Rob Thomas

b. 1972

American musician (born 1972)

Late 20th Century

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Biography

Robert Kelly Thomas is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He is the lead vocalist for the Florida-based rock band Matchbox Twenty, which he formed in 1995 and with whom he has released five studio albums. As a solo act, he is best known for his guest performance on Santana's 1999 single "Smooth", which won three Grammy Awards, peaked the Billboard Hot 100 for 12 consecutive weeks, and in 2018 was named the second-most successful song in the chart's history. His 2005 single, "Lonely No More," was his first to be released as a lead solo artist. It peaked at number six on the chart and led his debut solo album, ...Something to Be (2005), which peaked atop the Billboard 200.

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Timeline

The story of Rob Thomas, told in moments.

1995 Event

Formed Matchbox Twenty in Orlando, Florida. Their debut album, Yourself or Someone Like You, sold 12 million copies in the US. "Push" and "3AM" became radio staples.

1999 Event

Sang lead on Santana's "Smooth." The song topped the Billboard Hot 100 for 12 weeks. Won three Grammy Awards. He was 27 and co-wrote the track.

2005 Life

Released his first solo album, ...Something to Be. It debuted at number one. "Lonely No More" became his biggest solo hit.

In Their Own Words (5)

Artifacts (15)

Satellite Down

Patrick Sheridan is experiencing technical difficulties... Patrick's thrilled to become a student reporter on a teen news show. But when he leaves his small Texas town for the bright lights of Los...

2012

Green Thumb

Winner of two National Science Fairs for his work on plant life, thirteen-year-old Grady Jacobs isn't exactly Mr. Popularity. But he doesn't care. He's spending the summer with the famous botanist Dr....

2012

Doing Time: Notes from the Undergrad

Each student at Robert E. Lee High School is required to perform two hundred hours of community service in order to graduate. Their responses to the assignment are as varied as the organizations for...

2012

Slave Day

From the creator of Veronica Mars comes a timely novel that looks at a high school fundraising tradition of auctioning off students as “slaves.” At Robert E. Lee High School, the traditional...

2012

Rats Saw God

In hopes of graduating, Steve York agrees to complete a hundred-page writing assignment which helps him to sort out his relationship with his famous astronaut father and the events that changed him...

2013

Veronica Mars: An Original Mystery by Rob Thomas: The Thousand-Dollar Tan Line

From Rob Thomas, the creator of the television series and movie phenomenon Veronica Mars, comes the first book in a thrilling mystery series that picks up where the feature film left off. Ten years...

2014

Veronica Mars 2: An Original Mystery by Rob Thomas: Mr. Kiss and Tell

In the second book in the New York Times bestselling mystery series, Veronica Mars is back with a case that will expose the hidden workings of one of Neptune’s most murderous locations. The Neptune...

2015

Veronica Mars 2: An Original Mystery by Rob Thomas: Mr. Kiss and Tell

In the second book in the New York Times bestselling mystery series, Veronica Mars is back with a case that will expose the hidden workings of one of Neptune’s most murderous locations. The Neptune...

2015

The AI Ladder: Accelerate Your Journey to AI

AI may be the greatest opportunity of our time, with the potential to add nearly $16 trillion to the global economy over the next decade. But so far, adoption has been much slower than anticipated, or...

2020

The Storm-petrels

The first definitive work on the European Storm-petrel and its relatives, by one of the world's leading experts. Imagine a bird as small as a sparrow, which lives most of its life on the open ocean...

2024

AI Value Creators

We've arrived in a new era—GenAI is reshaping industries and decision-making processes across the board. As a result, understanding their potential and pitfalls has become crucial. But in order to...

2025

AI Value Creators

We've arrived in a new era—GenAI is reshaping industries and decision-making processes across the board. As a result, understanding their potential and pitfalls has become crucial. But in order to...

2025

Big Data Revolution: What farmers, doctors and insurance agents teach us about discovering big data patterns

Exploit the power and potential of Big Data to revolutionize business outcomes Big Data Revolution is a guide to improving performance, making better decisions, and transforming business through the...

2015

Visualizing The Beatles: A Complete Graphic History of the World’s Favorite Band

Foreword by Rob Sheffield Filled with stunning full-color infographics, a unique, album-by-album visual history of the evolution of the Beatles that examines how their style, their sound, their...

2018

Visualizing The Beatles: A Complete Graphic History of the World's Favorite Band

Foreword by Rob Sheffield Filled with stunning full-color infographics, a unique, album-by-album visual history of the evolution of the Beatles that examines how their style, their sound, their...

2018

More from the Late 20th Century

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