Mr. Big bassist Billy Sheehan talked about how the band decided to bring in the singer of a Mr. Big tribute band to help with lead vocals during their U.K. tour.
The band’s original singer Eric Martin was taken off tour because he has been dealing with an unspecified voice issue.
In a recent chat with Talkin’ Bout Rock, Sheehan talked about the ‘excellent’ singer they have as a replacement for their original singer:
“It’s tough when you get… I mean, that’s kind of why it’s a farewell tour. We could limp over the finish line or run over the finish line, and right now we’re planning to run over the finish line. But it’s tough. Vocals are tough. We have a tight, tough schedule. So, this gentleman plays in one of the Italian Mr. Big tribute bands. He’s got a great voice and a wonderful guy. So he just comes in… As you get older, not all singers can hit those high notes anymore. And that’s not every song or everything like that, but a little help from my friends comes in on the lead vocals. I still do my part as I do. Paul [Gilbert] and our drummer, Nick [D’Virgilio], is a great singer — really just a really excellent singer.”
Who Is The Temporary Singer?
The singer is someone you might have heard before.
When their original singer was out, Sheehan tried to fill in for him but ‘didn’t know’ what he was doing. So another name stepped in.
During the same interview, the rocker explained the importance of getting another singer in the band:
“A lot of singers, to hit a higher note, they just push harder. You can only do that for so long. I was very lucky to get vocal lessons from a [vocal coach] named Ron Anderson. And he was the number one guy… When Bono blows his voice out, they fly Ron Anderson in to fix him. He’s the guy. […] I didn’t know what I was doing. But getting some instruction from Mr. Anderson was just amazing. What a difference it makes.”
Sheehan is aware that everybody’s range is different so they had to get another singer in the band. As a result, they got Whitesnake’s Michele Luppi. The bassist added:
“But everybody’s different, everybody approaches it a different way, and we’re doing our best to keep everything real. So we brought somebody in. We didn’t have him behind a curtain. There he is. He’s helping the singer sing.”
You can watch the interview below.