Mr Big were a

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pop rock Pop rock (also typeset as pop/rock) is a fusion genre and form of rock music characterized by a strong commercial appeal, with more emphasis on professional songwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than standard rock musi ...

band, active in the 1970s and 1990s. They were formed by Jeff Pain (aka Dicken) and best known for their 1977 Top 5 hit, "Romeo". The band was originally active from 1972–78 and then for a second period from 1990–98.

Biography

The members of Mr Big had been playing together since the late 1960s, under the name 'Burnt Oak'. They first played under the name, 'Mr Big', in 1972, at the

Marquee Club The Marquee Club was a music venue in London, England, that opened in 1958 with a range of jazz and skiffle acts. It was a small and relatively cheap club, in the heart of London's West End of London, West End. It was the location of the first ...

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, when the manager billed them as Mr Big instead of Burnt Oak. The manager refused to change it, so it stuck for the rest of the band's career. In 1974, the band signed to

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, releasing three singles, none of which made a significant breakthrough, but which did lead to appearances on '' Lift Off'', a TV pop show presented by Ayesha Brough. In 1975, Bob Hirschman, then manager of Mott the Hoople, took over as the band's manager. Their first album, ''Sweet Silence'', was released on EMI, to greater acclaim than their previous singles. Promotional TV appearances for this album included ''Supersonic'' with Mike Mansfield and ''Superpop''. In November 1975, Mr Big supported

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on their '' A Night at the Opera'' tour. In 1976, Mr Big embarked on their own UK headline tour and supported Sweet on their tour of Europe, performing on TV in

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, the

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and the UK. Mr Big were also the first British band to be signed to

Clive Davis Clive Jay Davis (born April 4, 1932) is an American record producer, A&R executive, record executive, and lawyer. He has won five Grammy Awards and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, as a non-performer, in 2000. From 1967 to 1 ...

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in America. They recorded their second album, ''Photographic Smile'', in

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, with Val Garay. In 1977, the band toured the United States in February, March and April with

Tom Petty Thomas Earl Petty (October 20, 1950October 2, 2017) was an American singer, songwriter, and musician. He was the leader and frontman of the Rock music, rock bands Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and Mudcrutch and a member of the late 1980s sup ...

, Journey,

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and The Runaways. Meanwhile, the single "Romeo" reached No. 4 in the UK Singles Chart, despite a temporary ban by the

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. It also peaked at number 44 in Australia. It also sold well in Japan, the U.S. and parts of Europe, and was

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in 1977 by the South African band 'Pendulum'. The follow-up single "Feel Like Calling Home" failed to capitalise on the success of the previous one, and only reached No. 35 in UK. The band embarked on a UK headline tour with more television appearances in the UK and Europe. In 1978, the third album ''Seppuku'' was recorded with Ian Hunter as producer and the band again toured the UK. They appeared on ''

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'' with "Senora", and split up soon afterwards.

After the breakup

Dicken and bassist Pete Crowther went on to form another band named Broken Home, which released two albums and played the

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in 1980, also scoring a couple of minor hits in Norway and Germany. Dicken has since collaborated with a variety of different artists under various names, as well as releasing solo material and performing 'Mr. Big Greatest Hits' tours. The current Mr Big consists of originals Dicken and Eddie Carter with new members on bass, keyboards and percussion. Their album, ''Rainbow Bridge'', was released in 1996.

Discography

Albums

* ''Sweet Silence'' ( EMI, 1975) * ''Photographic Smile'' ( Arista, 1977) (US release consisting of songs from ''Sweet Silence'' and ''Mr. Big'') * ''Mr. Big'' (EMI, 1977) * ''Rainbow Bridge'' (Rock Shop, 1996) * ''Seppuku'' ( Angel Air, 2001) (originally recorded in 1978, but was not released) * ''Bitter Streets'' (Soundfactor, 2011)

Singles

References