For the better part of his career, Mickey Thomas served as the lead singer in Jefferson Starship and its Starship offshoots. Prior to joining Jefferson Starship in 1979, Thomas found his way to the top of the charts as the lead vocalist on the Elvin Bishop Group's 1976 soft rock smash "Fooled Around and Fell in Love," a single that brought the singer to the attention of Paul Kantner and Craig Chaquico, who were figuring out how to proceed with Jefferson Starship after the departure of both Grace Slick and Marty Balin. Thomas helped steer the band through the Reagan era, a period that also saw Slick return to the fold. The pair of singers stuck with the band after the departure of Kantner, renaming themselves Starship and then scoring a massive, era-defining hit with the frothy 1985 "We Built This City" which was followed to the top of the charts by "Sara." Starship had one other number one single with 1987's "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now" before the lineup started to fracture. Thomas stuck with the band not only through 1989's Love Among the Cannibals, but throughout the 21st century, touring and re-recording Starship-related hits under a number of name permutations while occasionally devoting himself to a solo project like the 2011 covers album Marauder.

Born on December 3, 1949, in Cairo Georgia, Mickey Thomas had his life changed when he saw the Beatles play Atlanta when he was sixteen years old. He formed a band with a handful of childhood friends and continued to play music in the Georgia area, playing in a band called the Jets that consisted of Charles Connell, Tommy Verran, and Bud Thomas.

While singing for the Jets, Thomas got a gig singing as a backing vocalist for the Elvin Bishop Group. He quickly rose in the ranks, taking lead on a funky version of the Christmas standard "Silent Night" in 1975. When it came time for the band to cut the smooth love tune "Fooled Around and Fell in Love," they opted to have Thomas take the lead instead of Bishop, as he had a sweeter voice. The gambit paid off: "Fooled Around and Fell in Love" climbed all the way to number three, becoming one of the soft rock standards of the '70s. Thomas took advantage of the hit by recording his own album As Long as You Love Me, which didn't wind up going anywhere.

Thomas left the Elvin Bishop Group after 1977's Raisin' Hell. He spent some time as a session singer, a period that also saw him cutting some songs for Skateboard, a 1978 Leif Garrett movie that was written by future Law & Order kingpin Dick Wolf. He soon met Jefferson Starship guitarist Craig Chaquico, and when it came time for Chaquico and Paul Kantner to rebuild Jefferson Starship after the exit of both of their lead singers, the guitarist brought in Thomas to fill their shoes. His first album with the group was 1979's Freedom at Point Zero and he stayed with the group through the return of Grace Slick for 1981's Modern Times. That same year, Thomas released his solo effort, Alive Alone, but by the time Jefferson Starship put out Winds of Change in 1982, it became clear that Thomas prioritized the band.

Jefferson Starship released one additional album, 1984's Nuclear Furniture, before Kantner departed over creative differences. He swiftly sued the band and all parties came to the agreement that they would no longer use the name "Jefferson" from that point forward. The newly christened Starship quickly released Knee Deep in the Hoopla, a full embrace of the big, garish beats of the MTV-addled '80s that became a blockbuster thanks to its pair of number one hits: the pounding "We Built This City" and the power ballad "Sara." Starship maintained its momentum with 1987's No Protection, which featured the number one hit "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now," which Diane Warren and Albert Hammond wrote for the Andrew McCarthy and Kim Cattrell comedy Mannequin.

Despite this heady success, Slick split from Starship in 1988 so she could take part in the Jefferson Airplane reunion of 1989. Starship carried on with Thomas as the lone singer, releasing Love Among the Cannibals in 1989. During its supporting tour, drummer Donny Baldwin -- who once played in the Elvin Bishop Group -- assaulted Thomas, an attack so severe that the singer required facial reconstructive surgery and metal plates implanted in his head. Baldwin left Starship immediately after the incident. Once Thomas recovered, Starship completed the Love Among the Cannibals tour, at which time Craig Chaquico left the band. Thomas continued with Starship, working with producer Peter Wolf on new material that wound up on the 1991 compilation Greatest Hits (Ten Years and Change 1979-1991). Their label, RCA, dropped the group after its release.

Thomas acquired the rights to the Starship name in 1992 and started touring, first as "Mickey Thomas' Starship," then settling on "Starship featuring Mickey Thomas." The singer kept versions of this band going over the years, usually concentrating on live performances but occasionally heading into the studio. One of these sessions found Mickey Thomas' Starship re-recording Starship and Jefferson Starship hits in 2002. In 2013, Starship worked with producer Jeff Pilson for Loveless Fascination, their first album of original material in 14 years. While continuing to tour with Starship, Thomas pursued solo projects. He sang the theme for the Mighty Ducks television series, voiced the lead character in the children's show Adventures with Kanga Roddy, and, in 2004, released the album Over the Edge. In 2010, he released The Blues Masters Featuring Mickey Thomas. The covers album Marauder arrived in 2011.

Starship returned to the studio in 2021 to re-record their hits a second time for Greatest Hits Relaunched, a compilation that also included the group's takes on the Scorpions' "Winds of Change," the Elvin Bishop Group's "Fooled Around and Fell in Love," Kansas' "Carry On, My Wayward Son" and Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'." The latter also appeared on the 2022 multi-artist album A Tribute to Journey. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Rovi