Robert Kelly Thomas, born in 1972 in Germany, is an American musician best known as the lead vocalist and songwriter for Matchbox Twenty, the Florida-based alternative rock band he founded in 1995. With the band, Thomas has released five studio albums and is behind hits like Push, 3AM, Bent, Unwell, and How Far We've Come. He gained international fame for his collaboration with Santana on the Grammy-winning single Smooth, which topped charts and became one of Billboard’s all-time biggest hits. As a solo artist, his single Lonely No More reached the top ten and led his debut album to number one on the Billboard 200. Thomas has also written songs for artists such as Willie Nelson and Mick Jagger and received the first Hal David Starlight Award from the Songwriters Hall of Fame, honoring his impact as a songwriter.