Mr. Big - What Happened to the Band Behind 'To Be With You'?

[@rnrtruestories]

A number of people requested this topic. Put your suggestions below for future topics or use the request form here kzbin.info?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqazkyaF9KWDJQc2dLcFJ0VFZfcDJJYUhvbTh1QXxBQ3Jtc0tuc2ZqVUw1N0tyaEdhenVaTTJjc1hZUDdMS2JhWHl2eDQwSTc5Z25Qc2wtSVJES2l5YnVnb1E5X3FNNGlMd083NW1XNDFBVnhQMm5EdkoxOWhtOEVjb2JPZnBodUVDX3NNMy1hMUdhNXI1WUYtWXZINA&q=https%3A%2F%2Fbit.ly%2F3stnXlN&v=X18BurpTTUU

[@djpalac]

Loved that in the mid 90s all the little girls in my high school bought their album for 'To Be With You' and then were upset the rest of the album was some pretty serious hard rock.

[@noahh2338]

They were listening to me big in high school, in 1995?? That's weird, by that time grunge and hip hop were all the rage at my school..

[@tarriklecha5553]

I loved the rest of the album. It surprised me, but I loved it.

[@SuddenlySolveig]

Haha I was one of them! But I believe it was in '91 or '92. I was 15 at the time.

[@keitha.9922]

I was in middle school in 1991 and 1992. From 7th grade to 8th grade. This period is one of the most beautiful moments in music as I was also listening to Guns N Roses with Use Your Illusion I and II and Bryan Adams Waking Up The Neighbours. What a beautiful time to be a teenager

[@sergioromanomunoz8155]

You forgot to tell that they had another Top 40 hit in the spring of 1994 with a cover of Cat Stevens' "Wild World".

[@ronaldwilson9525]

Just to correct a mistake. Paul Gilbert didn’t write To Be With You. Eric Martin did. But this was a great retrospective on one of my favorite bands.

[@ThisIsMeOnYoutube]

Today is Paul's 57th birthday, so happy birthday, Paul. I saw them today, in 1989, in a small club on their first tour. Being a bass player, Billy had been on my radar for years, and I got to see him on the Eat 'Em and Smile tour with DLR, and I knew Paul from Racer X. It was Paul's 23rd birthday, and during the guitar solo, Billy, Eric, and Pat snuck up behind him, mashed his birthday cake over his head, and sang Happy Birthday. That was about halfway through their set, so he had to play the rest of the show covered in cake. After the show, Eric and Pat partied with us at the bar. I assumed Paul was taking a shower to remove the cake, and Billy was doing something else. Thanks for the good times; you guys had a great run. RIP Pat.

[@bobthebear1246]

R.I.P. Pat Torpey. 🌹 Absolute beast of a drummer. This band had so much talent in just those four guys, it was unreal. It's good they had some success as fleeting as it was, but it's just too bad that they couldn't really make it on their own typical sound, which by the way was top-notch Metal. They had a great charismatic lead singer, an absolute beast of a drummer, and a Top 5 bassist AND guitarist. I love "Addicted To That Rush" and "Daddy, Brother, Lover, Little Boy."

[@mlauri30]

Most people only knew them for their ballads, but they were so much more than that.

[@RolandDeschain1]

'Green-Tinted Sixties Mind' is a brilliant song. I was so proud when I learned to play it in the bass. It's pretty simple by Billy Sheehan's standards.

[@lorigoshert6667]

I'd forgotten about that song! Now that I remember, it was my favorite song on the album. The whole album was really good.

[@brandonpage7087]

Wow!!! These guys deserve more respect!!! I had no idea they were a supergroup, with such awesome musical backstories!! Like most everyone else, i've always only known them for "to be with you", & mistook them for just another glam metal band. Also, David Lee Roth had a band that featured both Billy Sheehan & Steve Vai!! How awesome is that???

[@robertlehane9955]

Just back from seeing Mr Big (and Living Colour) in concert in Liverpool. Both bands were brillant. So refreshing to see such great musicians with great songs play live.

[@sper]

these guys were the soundtrack to my youth and I will always love their entire catalogue

[@MikeInExile]

I saw Mr. Big open for Rush at Reunion Arena here in Dallas back in the day. I remember saying their lead singer looked like a high school kid! :-)

[@severinlourenco8355]

Mr Big is an amazing band on their albums and live shows, I've seen them many times and always had a great time. 👍

[@menom7]

I first started to listen to Mr. Big when they opened for RUSH!!! I have ALWAYS followed RUSH,and listening to them as an opening act,I immediately went out an bought their album and their Debut album and started listening to them all the more!!! As Sheen has said in this video............I liked them because they sounded "Real"!!! There was no OVERDUB,electronic gizmo Bulls**t down in the studio!!! It's a shame that bands like that,didn't sell well.............because they were a great band!!!

[@fuzzmangr]

Saw them live last Saturday and Sunday. They kick ass.

[@schmidington]

Billy Sheehan is one of my favorite bassists. That man has phenomenal talent.

[@jeremyz4623]

I would love to see some of these bands sit down with you to talk about the old days!

[@paulwoodcock764]

touring now

[@khill3524]

One of the best bands ever! I feel their albums are great from start to finish. Thank you guys for all the great music!

[@silentskystudios]

LOVE LOVE LOVE Mr. Big! One of my all-time favorite bands and all-time favorite drummers (Pat Torpey, R.I.P.) ! They're touring right now with Nick D'Virgilio on drums. I've got my tickets for the Nashville show. Go see them while you still can!

[@vandavis000]

I love erics voice .

[@thiagots85]

I remember starting an intern job and "Greatest hits" being one of the albuns I got with my first pay in 2003. From start to finish that album is perfection.

[@andreveach7520]

"Green-Tinted Sixties Mind" is one of my ALL TIME FAVORITE songs!!!!!!!!

[@stevengoodman3498]

One of the best live acts I've ever seen. Came to our town in the 90s and blew us all away! Amazing hard rock band that always delivers. Thanks for this! 😊

[@TheoryofaFanGirl]

Eric's Voice is one of My Favourite Ever ! ❤

[@Ultra_Lowcrian]

Hearing that they were worried about people returning the record makes me remember how hard it was to return a CD. Most places wouldn’t let you return it if the cellophane was removed. It also made me think about how many people bought Fear Factory’s Obsolete because of the Gary Numan Cars cover and probably shit their pants when they heard the other tracks.

[@rnrtruestories]

haha yeah. I remember when I did Smash Mouth's career video, apparently Fush Yu Mang was one of the most returned albums in history according to producer Eric Valentine because Walkin' On the Sun was so different from the rest of the record.

[@MrSeanwick1969]

Bump Ahead, the follow up to Lean Into It, was an excellent album. Great covers of Wild World (Cat Stevens) and Mr. Big (Free) as well as a track with one of the most amazing bass/lead guitar melodies in Mr. Gone.

[@ninerjamie]

Been following Eric for a long time. Since I lived in Bay Area, got to see his band 415 at least a couple times a month. I was also blessed to have seen a couple of those shows before their first album came out. Looking forward to celebrating the band next month with 2 shows of The Big Finish Tour. And thanking them for 34 years of being the soundtrack to my life. 🤘😎🤘

[@Arbigale]

MR. BIG = TRUE BIG INSPIRATION. ONE OF THE BEST BANDS ON EARTH

[@djbone604]

Brilliant information! I find your “bullet-points” only delivery style is fantastic 👍 No filler just killer updates on music of my youth. Well done sir! New sub 🇨🇦

[@rnrtruestories]

thank you! I just try to stick to facts and create somewhat of a narrative the best I can.

[@widowrumstrypze9705]

@@rnrtruestories I concur! No bs, no sappy waxings, just GREAT info!

[@shannonaustin9053]

THANK YOU SO MUCH for putting the time into making this ❤

[@John2026]

I'd HIGHLY recommend listening to their entire catalog it's that good. These guys can rock out harder than any other 80s band. It's a shame the public didn't catch on.

[@buckster2575]

Addicted to that rush loved that song way back in 89🤘.

[@seethroughhead505]

A few friendly corrections: The Talas/VH tour was in 1980 TBWY started to pick up steam in late '91 and had its major success in '92 The song was written by Eric Martin

[@williamyates694]

Was wondering if anyone else was gonna point that out lol...

[@angryagain3801]

I noticed the same mistake plus another one at the end where he eludes to the band losing their record deal after the 3rd album. Not true .

[@seethroughhead505]

@@angryagain3801That's right - they remained with Atlantic for several more years.

[@angryagain3801]

@@seethroughhead505 yes this guy really dropped the ball on researching Mr Big.

[@TheoryofaFanGirl]

Been a long time fan. They are such an awesome bunch of guys and still sound amazing . Super Nice guys . Definitely a loss to the music industry now the end is in sight but so many amazing songs . ❤

[@kristalbartmann5504]

I'm a die hard Mr. Big. I own all of their releases except for the imports. And a few of Eric Martin's solo projects

[@WhoisVinnie]

R.I.P. Pat Torpey

[@Camcodrummer]

Was never a huge fan of theirs but the players were all fantastic. I was a Gilbert fan since the late 80s with RacerX.. Pat Torpey was a great drummer and Sheehan is amazing as well.

[@angelinathedrifter]

❤ takes me down memory lane, tis song was te so called Anthem ' of our boarding school tos days 🎉

[@moneyball32]

It’s crazy that this band was formed by literally looking for the best of the best and they wrote some absolute bangers and still only known for To Be With You. One of the best bands of all time in my opinion.

[@blueworldwoman]

Been listening to Eric for 40 years now. Still has the best voice. Great song writer and has never really stopped working and touring. All just top of the game musicians. So glad they are doing one last tour.

[@ninerjamie]

Me too! Are you from the bay area? I'm sure we must know each other, or at least have crossed paths.

[@shredacuda]

Currently on a USA tour. Just finished recording a new album too

[@expat74]

CDFF Lucky this time became my favourite song on the Lean into it album.

[@seanrichardgreen]

Eric Martin would come into the store I worked at, he’s the nicest guy!

[@r.edward5701]

Great vid. Forgot about these guys. Never knew any og their back story before. Really interesting

[@roiben-yehuda5642]

Love this band. Just bought tickets to their final tour (very excited as this is my first time seeing them) .

[@ninerjamie]

Oh wow. I've seen them so many times, I sometimes forget how many have never seen them. I met guy at show who'd flown all the way from Brazil to see them first time. So glad they care about their fans enough to do one last album and tour to celebrate 35 years of love.

[@russob64]

Eric Martin wrote the song “To be With You “ before he was even in Mr Big I don’t think the band would’ve had any hits without Eric Martin and that song

[@planet6393]

Chocked full of talent!

[@vandavis000]

Lovemrbig❤

[@Yabanmf666]

These guys are ridiculously popular in Japan.

[@BangBang-hk4rg]

“To be with You” was my introduction to Mr. Big and caused me to buy that album. I’m so glad I did, because the whole thing rocks from start to finish. Paul Gilbert is an absolute beast on guitar. 🤘

[@ivi13]

Goin to see them on their farewell tour.

[@vandavis000]

Paul Gilbert is an amazing guitarist. Hes really smart too his slide is magnatized to his guitars. Its a metal slide.

[@ampersandmcvinegar5681]

Dude. PG and Sheehan are legends. Mr. Big is on tour right now! Sheehan and Gilbert both were teachers at GIT. They knew each other way before Mr. Big.

[@charliebosch3]

You've always have another surprise and interesting story about a band and it's hard work . Jesus Loves You

[@nikkiwild4014]

2004 - I partied with Billy Sheehan he is a great player and cool party animal .Still texting jokes once in a while . 2010 - I opened for Paul Gilbert's band. Great gig, awesome player .Guitar God onstage - Geeky student Offstage.

[@bahardan8544]

Ok but I wasn’t expecting seeing the legendary Nikki Wild in the comments section 🙃😻

[@nikkiwild4014]

I'm everywhere ,every section and position @@bahardan8544

[@LuigiRBG]

Thanks amigo, I like your channel

[@pdx816]

I just saw Paul Gilbert play a show at a guitar shop/music venue in Portland. He was phenomenal- his sound and tone are amazing. Seemed like a cool guy too.

[@Alfredo78666]

Mr. Big IS DA SHIET! My favorite full of virtuosos pop band.

[@allanvanuga9196]

Great video.

[@colleenkeefer2545]

Saw and met Mr. Big twice. First at the Chestnut Cabaret in Philly. Second when they opened for Rush at the Spectrum. At the club, all the rabid guitar guys were packed in front of Paul and all the rabid bass guys were crammed in front of Billy. The press was so hard we nearly got crushed into the stage. As it is, by the end of the show the stage extension was broken. Crazy night but good show. At the arena, the guys came out to the parking lot and hung out preshow. Oh and I love addicted to that Rush!

[@jeffwilson3527]

I remember being in 9th grade and “to be with you “ kinda being the last hair band song that was huge, nirvana dropped in September and music changed

[@GoldenChed]

Love the tunes that were on the Navy Seals movie 🤘🏻

[@DanielleWhite]

I remember "To Be With You" from when I was in high school but nothing else about them from the time. I liked Todd in the Shadows's take that they managed to have a solid career and notch a hit well in a decade that should have seen them trounced and were a good send-off for the genre.

[@paulwoodcock764]

seeing them live at the ritz on march 20th for the first time, not sure how its took that long !!!!!

[@juanramirez-wk8ty]

Always loved Paul Gilbert going back to his Racer X days, a beast of a guitar virtuoso.

[@thefishingmusicians]

Mt Big is touring again, Asia I think. I just saw some road vlogs from them.

[@tylerthompson1842]

They suffered the same way Extreme did. They both had very similar hit ballads that were hugely successful. The trouble is none of their other material sounded anything like the hit. If you don’t capitalize on that momentum, especially during the dawn of grunge you’re sunk Edit: I probably should’ve watched the video before commenting lol

[@ErikShen2907]

R.I.P MAESTRO PAT TORPEY

[@cris_261]

I saw Mr. Big when they were touring with Rush during that band's Roll the Bones tour. I wasn't really into Mr. Big's sound at the time, but they did a good job as an opening act, and sounded good.

[@videonetwork2521]

Eric Martin didnt write " To be with you, he recored with a hand held cassest recorder, from a guy playing and singing it on a stair way leading to Bakersfield College auditorium. The original included the solo that paul plays in it, but was acually the intro to the song. They wrote the verses around the hook!

[@ninerjamie]

Don't know if you made a typo, but Eric DID write 2BWU.

[@luciencavalcante23]

Wild World and To be with You were hits in Brazil

[@masterjake731]

Off to see them in London

[@blueyedmule]

Bump Ahead was a huge album. And the subsequent Winery Dods with Sheehan/Kotzebue is not to be missed!

[@blueyedmule]

Winery Dogs!

[@khill3524]

How would you compare it to Mr Big music?

[@angryagain3801]

Corporate radio programmers wouldn't play their music . They got a little airplay on the 2nd album but mostly they were ignored and totally disregarded once grunge hit. Looking back at those years it's infuriating how so many talents had their careers detailed by radio programmers that decided this band or that band wasn't cool enough. Corporate dictators have destroyed countless careers . Grateful to say I saw them in August 2023 and it was a fun set. In the video you say they lost their record deal after the 3rd album. Wrong. Nobody in the USA bought those albums but Mr Big absolutely had a record deal and released albums beyond Bump Ahead in the USA

[@rjc7289]

Razor-sharp chops, tight vocal harmonies and catchy melodies -- what's not to like about this band? They made top-notch musicianship sound easily accessible and catchy to the ear. They could go from shredding neoclassical guitar to acoustic ballads and not skip a beat! For example, that song "Seven Impossible Days" actually has a bass playing the main solo, and it's one of the most melodic bass lines Billy Sheehan ever put down on tape! Well, that and the non-stop shredding he did on David Lee Roth's "Elephant Gun" prior to Mr. Big's formation, but I digress. It's no surprise this band is Beatles-level huge in Japan! R.I.P. drummer Pat Torpey.

[@phillipthrasher6812]

Remember Mr Big from 1988 used to play them lot at the skating place

[@TheGuitarFreak22]

My favorite Mr.Big album is their second one. I kinda have something in common with Eric. As he was an army brat; I was a navy brat myself in the early 90's and me, my dad, step sister and half brother and sister lived in San Diego California while my dad was stationed on the USS Kittyhawk. But that was during my early childhood.

[@terraaquafirma6631]

What do you mean "What happened to them?" They're playing in Detroit tonight.

[@khill3524]

The best rock band in the world!

[@zodi71]

Rock City Angels, The Throbs, The Front (Bakers Pink), Hericane Alice, War Babies, Bang Tango, W.A.S.P., London Quireboys... so many.

[@williamyates694]

Green Tinted Sixties Mind and Shine were my faves.

[@aaronpearson2168]

Green tinted sixties mind was my favorite track off Lean Into It.

[@mrscary3105]

Billy is a great guy.

[@clausm2203]

Great band

[@Golden_Girl7123]

Sheehan is super awesome guy. He is still producing.

[@humongousfungusamongus3871]

You look as if you've lost weight, you look great! Kudos to youdos.

[@snoopyrogain541]

When did you change shirts? 😮

[@rnrtruestories]

haha I had to record it over a few days, schedule can get busy sometimes.

[@kyletims9572]

Whatever Happened ? They have sold out multiple Arenas in Japan and other countries just this last month

[@Johnnyrocket5834]

I saw them open for Rush during the Roll the Bones Tour. Rush was good.

[@davestevens4193]

Currently on tour...maybe their final tour.

[@TCROCKS666]

I'll see them for the fifth, but also last time in Berlin.

[@phillipthrasher6812]

I try to find their band came in 1970s but is impossible to find I realize plus I'm not sure I'm spelling it right

[@jasondienethal8581]

You should do an episode about Fastway.

[@Jezballz]

No Thanks.

[@POLLOTROM]

Happy Birthday to Paul Gilbert !

[@Broskidude4343]

Hey bro could you do a little more on Taproot?! I loved this band back in the day, but i kinda forgot about them until the other day lol. Thanks for all the videos. Love em all thank you

[@edwardsanchez3708]

The lead singer from the video to be with you looked just like one of my redhead aunts at the time

[@Vinylrebel72]

Paul Gilbert DID NOT WRITE To Be With You, it was Singer Eric Martin. I know this because I have the interview of that song on VHS, where Eric Martin talks about him writing it.

[@Newhavenrailroadpro2006]

Do whatever happened to X Japan behind the endless rain or do whatever happened to loudness behind the crazy nights

[@arthurmurfitt7698]

Pat put Eric in a choke hold? HAHAHAHAAAAA

[@melissalove2463]

I remember not being able to tell if the lead singer was male or female !

[@seangerant653]

racer - x ........do them next !!!!!!