Matchbox Twenty: What’s Rob Thomas’ Net Worth and Will the Band Tour Again?
One of the most popular musical acts of the 1990s, Matchbox Twenty’s main songwriter and original member, Rob Thomas, has enabled the band to steadily score one top ten hit after another.
Although they haven’t released a new studio album in eight years, the band has plans to tour again.
How Matchbox Twenty came together
The story of Matchbox Twenty seems to be one of serendipity, as happens with so many good luck stories. As Rob Thomas told AV Club in 2016, it was one thing leading to another, leading to stardom.
“We were in a band called Tabitha’s Secret, me and Brian [Yale] and Paul [Doucette] from Matchbox Twenty. This was a day when the record company was a much more traditional type of thing—they had . . . guys that would just travel the country and check out live bands they were hearing about.”
Atlantic Records, which Thomas and his bandmates ended up signing with in 1996, had sent a scout to listen to one band, but ended up noticing them.
“So, this guy Kim Stephens was there to see another band, wound up seeing us, and then every few months would come back and check on us to see if we were getting better. Then, when the band broke up, Atlantic came to me and said they liked my songs and asked me if I wanted to sign a record deal, so I brought in me and Brian and Paul, and that was kind of the beginning of Matchbox Twenty.”
Rob Thomas’ solo work, awards, and ‘Smooth’
In addition to being part of Matchbox Twenty, Rob Thomas has also pursued a solo career that has included writing songs for other notable artists.
Renowned as a hitmaker, Thomas has composed songs for artists representing a range of musical genres: Willie Nelson, Mick Jagger, Marc Anthony, and Travis Tritt. He also was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, receiving the distinguished Hal David Starlight Award, created to recognize up and coming, extraordinary songwriters.
The 48-year-old also wrote the monster hit of 1999, “Smooth,” which he recorded with legendary guitarist Carlos Santana. The song won the duo an astonishing three Grammys for Song of the Year, Record of the Year, and Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals.
Despite the memes and good-natured jokes about the song, it’s Thomas and Santana who are laughing all the way to the bank, considering that it’s ranked the No. 2 song of all time, behind Chubby Checkers’ “The Twist.”
Thomas told the Huffington Post in 2019 that, while he’s delighted with the song’s success, he’s also pretty much done with it.
“We were sick of it — and when I say ‘we,’ I mean we all of us. It came out and it’s like, ‘That’s a catchy tune.’ And there was a whole 5-10 year period where we’re just like, ‘I never want to hear that again. I want to bury it somewhere.’ . . . It had gotten so big. I honestly couldn’t listen to it for a long time.”
Rob Thomas’ net worth and whether Matchbox Twenty will tour again
Thomas has a net worth of $17 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth.
The band has plans to kick off a summer tour, officially called the Matchbox Twenty 2020 tour, scheduled as a 50-date North American arena tour, with The Wallflowers as the band’s supporting act.
It remains to be seen, in light of the current global health crisis, if the tour will be postponed.
