Matchbox 20

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Matchbox Twenty (originally Matchbox 20, typeset as matchbox twenty on most official merchandise and albums) is a rock band formed in Orlando, Florida. Matchbox Twenty have sold in excess of 39 million albums worldwide from the releases of Yourself Or Someone Like You, Mad Season and More Than You Think You Are. The current members of Matchbox Twenty are Rob Thomas (vocals, piano), Paul Doucette (drums), Kyle Cook (lead guitar, vocals) and Brian Yale (bass). Adam Gaynor (rhythm guitar) left Matchbox Twenty in 2005, after performing on all three of their studio albums. Rob Thomas is the principal songwriter and lead singer. Since Matchbox Twenty's hiatus in 2004, Thomas has created a well-established solo career for himself after releasing the album ...Something To Be.

Rob Thomas, Brian Yale and Paul Doucette performed in the band Tabitha's Secret out of Orlando, Florida before splitting apart to form Matchbox 20 with Kyle Cook and Adam Gaynor.

Matchbox Twenty released their first album, Yourself Or Someone Like You in 1996. While their first single, "Long Day", was a rock radio-only smash, the album soon spun off several Top 40 hit singles throughout 1997 and 1998, including "Push", "3 A.M.", "Real World" and "Back 2 Good". The album eventually went on to sell over 12 million copies in the U.S. alone, earning diamond status. Matchbox Twenty toured relentlessly for several years, performing the songs from their one and only album, along with some beloved cover songs such as Cyndi Lauper's "Time After Time" and The Beatles "Don't Let Me Down". Matchbox Twenty fan base grew from concert to concert based on their electrifying live performances and the longevity of their hit singles on radio. That same year, Matchbox Twenty recorded a live version of their Top-40 hit "3 AM" for release on the charity album Live in the X Lounge, benefiting cerebral palsy research.

Before recording their second album, Rob Thomas collaborated with Itaal Shur on a song entitled "Smooth" for Carlos Santana's comeback album, Supernatural. The song had a pop-tinged Latin beat and showcased Thomas' lyrical talents. Thomas was supposed to act solely as songwriter on "Smooth", but Carlos Santana had him sing on it as well after hearing the song's demo recording. "Smooth", was the album's lead single and became a gigantic hit in 1999; Thomas earned three Grammys for writing and performing on "Smooth", including Record of the Year and Song of the Year.

In 2000, Matchbox 20 renamed themselves Matchbox Twenty and released their second album, Mad Season. The album featured lush instrumental arrangements and spun off several hit singles, including "Bent" (Number One on Hot 100) and "If You're Gone". The video for "Bent", poked fun of singer Thomas' heightened profile from "Smooth" by showing the other Matchbox Twenty members assaulting him mercilessly. The evocatively arranged ballad "If You're Gone" became a big hit, especially on adult contemporary formats. Matchbox Twenty's next two singles, "Mad Season" and "Last Beautiful Girl" were not particularly successful.


For their third album, More Than You Think You Are, Matchbox Twenty returned to a harder rock sound. Thomas shared the songwriting efforts with the other Matchbox Twenty members on several songs. The album spun off hit singles "Disease", "Unwell", and "Bright Lights". Although it was not as commercially successful as Matchbox Twenty's two earlier efforts, (Yourself or Someone Like You and Mad Season), it had an enormous radio presence for well over a year, and received a large amount of critical praise.

In May 2004, Matchbox Twenty released a live concert DVD, Show: A Night in the Life of Matchbox Twenty, filmed in Atlanta and featuring 20 songs, including all of their hit singles.

In February 2005, rhythm guitarist Gaynor officially left Matchbox Twenty, which had been on hiatus to allow other members to pursue side projects. Rob Thomas went on to release a solo album entitled ...Something To Be which became the U.S. Billboard 200 #1 album the first week of its release. The album featured four hit singles: "Lonely No More", "This Is How a Heart Breaks", "Ever the Same" and "Streetcorner Symphony".

In January 2007, Rob Thomas released a single entitled "Little Wonders" which he wrote for the Disney movie Meet the Robinsons.

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