Mr. Big, a remarkable band in the ‘shredder’ pop metal genre, distinguished themselves by valuing songcraft as much as virtuosity. The band’s inception traces back to bass player extraordinaire Billy Sheehan, known as ‘the Eddie Van Halen of bass,’ who departed David Lee Roth’s solo band in 1988. Shortly after, he assembled a new group with former Racer X guitarist Paul Gilbert, drummer Pat Torpey, and singer Eric Martin, who had released two solo albums in the mid-’80s. By 1989, the quartet signed with Atlantic and released their self-titled debut album, garnering success in Japan while struggling to break into the mainstream American rock scene.
In their second album, ‘Lean into It’ in 1991, Mr. Big expanded their musical horizons with hits like ‘Green Tinted Sixties Mind,’ ‘To Be with You,’ and ‘Just Take My Heart.’ Despite subsequent albums like ‘Bump Ahead’ and ‘Hey Man,’ the band couldn’t replicate their early success in the U.S. but maintained a strong following in Japan, leading to numerous sold-out tours and exclusive live albums. After guitarist Gilbert left in the late ’90s, Richie Kotzen joined the band, and they released albums like ‘Get Over It’ and ‘Actual Size’ before embarking on a farewell tour in Japan in 2002.
In 2009, marking their 20th anniversary, Mr. Big’s original members reunited, launching a tour and releasing ‘Back to Budokan.’ They returned to the studio, recording ‘What If’ in 2010 and ‘…The Stories We Could Tell’ in 2014, followed by ‘Defying Gravity’ in 2017. The band’s journey, filled with highs and lows, speaks volumes of their resilience and dedication to their craft. ~ Greg Prato, Rovi