Matchbox Twenty

An alternative American rock band Matchbox 20 was formed in Orlando, Florida by the ex-members of the band Tabitha's Secret Rob Thomas (vocals, piano), Brian Yale (bass guitar, vocals) and Paul Doucette (drums, percussion, vocals) together with Adam Gaynor (rhythm guitar, vocals) and Kyle Cook (lead guitar, vocals). Their first album, Yourself Or Someone Like You was released in1996 and after the first highly successful single Push, continued to spin off singles well into 1998 (Real World, Back 2 Good, and 3 AM joined Push as radio favorites). By that time Matchbox 20's blend of 70s arena rock and early-90s American alt-rock became extremely popular and eventually Yourself Or Someone Like You sold over 12 million copies in the USA alone, earning diamond status. Early in 1998 Matchbox 20 was named Best New Band by Rolling Stone's annual reader's poll.

In 2000 the name of the band was transformed to Matchbox Twenty and the second album, Mad Season, saw the light of the day. It could boast of lush instrumental arrangements and such hit singles as Bent and If You're Gone. On their third album, More Than You Think You Are, released two years later, Matchbox Twenty decided to return to a harder rock sound. For the first time ever Rob Thomas shared the songwriting duties with other members of the band. The album was not as commercially successful as the band's previous works, but still it contained several hit singles (Disease, Unwell, Bright Lights) and was highly acclaimed by the critics. In 2005 after the frequent touring, Matchbox Twenty decided to go on hiatus, Adam Gaynor officially left the band and Rob Thomas released his debut solo album, Something to Be with a more polished funk and dance-influenced sound. It became #1 in Billboard album charts the first week of its release and spawned several hit songs (Lonely No More, This Is How a Heart Breaks).

In 2007 Matchbox Twenty returned to the studio. Paul Doucette replaced Gaynor on guitar, and Push Stars's Ryan MacMillan became a new drummer. The "retrospective" album, Exile on Mainstream, was released on the October, 2 2007. It features six new songs combined with eleven Matchbox Twenty hits presented in chronological order to trace the band’s musical evolution. The album's title pokes good-natured fun at the group's tremendous popularity, while playing off of the classic Rolling Stones album Exile on Main Street. Rob Thomas will probably spend most of 2008 working on his second solo album. And Matchbox Twenty is looking forward to its first tour in four years, along with the prospect of an album of new material down the line.