Rob Thomas bringing smooth mix of hits

In recent concerts, Robert Kelly Thomas covers David Bowie ("Let's Dance"), a Santana song ("Smooth") and three tunes by Matchbox Twenty ("If You're Gone," "3 A.M.," and "Unwell"). As his setlists from this summer's shows mostly stick the same, those will likely be heard at Sunday's Tuscaloosa Amphitheater concert.

While there's no apparent connection between the singer-songwriter who grew up in Florida and the late Thin White Duke, other than an appreciation for melodic, danceable pop, Thomas can lay solid claim to the latter four tunes, as he sang lead on and wrote or co-wrote each of the original recordings.

Born in West Germany into a military family, Thomas grew up rough. His father left when he was about 2 years old, and Thomas and sister were raised by an alcoholic mother and grandmother, the latter operating a country store where she sold dope and moonshine. Thomas, his mother and sister moved to the Orlando, Florida, area when he was a preteen; home life continued to be abusive. Thomas dropped out of high school — though he later earned a GED — and was convicted of stealing a car at 17. He spent a couple months in a county jail, and wound up homeless for the next few years.

He began writing songs, some based on family struggles, such as "3 A.M.," which became one of the early hits for a band he formed with other Orlando-area musicians, originally called Matchbox 20, later Matchbox Twenty. Thomas wrote most of the band's work, and co-wrote the 1999 "Smooth" as part of a Carlos Santana comeback record. He originally thought George Michael would sing his lyrics, but Santana liked Thomas' voice on the demo. Cut in three takes, "Smooth" became the highest-ever charting song for the legendary guitarist, spending 58 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100, and winning three Grammy Awards.

"Smooth" helped raise Thomas' profile not just as singer, but as a songwriter. His songs have been covered by Mick Jagger, Seal, Willie Nelson, Travis Tritt, Marc Anthony, Pat Green and Daughtry, among others. The Matchbox Twenty singer-founder received the first Hal David Starlight Award in 2004 from the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

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On tour as Rob Thomas, he leans mostly on solo hits such as 2005's "Lonely No More," a No. 1 from his platinum-selling solo debut disc "... Something to Be." Other solo works that show up on Thomas' recent setlists include “Her Diamonds,” “Streetcorner Symphony,” “Someday,” “Mockingbird,” “This is How a Heart Breaks,” “Ever the Same,” “Little Wonders,” “Give Me the Meltdown” and “Pieces.”

He's cut three more solo discs, the 2009 "Cradlesong," 2015's "The Great Unknown," and this year's "Chip Tooth Smile," which came out April 26. The new single "One Less Day (Dying Young)" went to No. 18 on U.S. adult contemporary charts.

Singer-songwriter Abby Anderson, a Dallas native, opens the 7 p.m. Sunday show. Based on her 2018 five-song debut EP "I'm Good," Anderson's earned 25 million streams, and has been named a country star to watch by CMT and Pandora.

Any tickets remaining are on sale for $104, $84, $64, $54 and $29, plus fees and service charges, through the Amphitheater box office, through Ticketmaster.com, or by calling 800-745-3000. Gates will open at 5:30 p.m. For more, see www.tuscaloosaamphitheater.com.