British guitarist analyses Elvin Bishop's 'Fooled Around and Fell in Love'! 

I'm a former lead singer/rhythm guitar player whose band opened for Elvin Bishop in the late 70's and I can tell you that Mickey Thomas has a bulletproof voice and sounded like this every time he took the stage. Love your videos. Rock on my brother... 👍

Who else remember being a kid and staying up late to see The Midnight Special or Don Kirshner's Rock Concert?

Mickey Thomas gives one of the best live performances I've ever seen!

The smile on your face while you listen to Mickey sing says it all. No breakdown necessary!

One of the best live vocal performances EVER...... .

Not only was Mickey one of the best blues/rock vocalists ever, he could rock a bell-bottom jumpsuit like few can.

Holy smokes can this guy sing! I remember hearing Jane on the radio when it was first released and being blown away by Mickey's voice. Effortless flawless vibrato, incredible range....one of the best ever in my opinion.

Mickey is such a genuine and humble man, I'm a nobody right but got to meet him and he's one of the nicest people I've ever known, he made _me_ feel included and like what I said was really important! I'll never forget the time!

I recently did a gig opening for Micky T and he still sings his butt off !!

Mickey Thomas' effortless vocals....wow!

Can't take my eyes off Reni Slais, wow how cool is she!

Has there ever been a better live capture of a vocalist in a moment in time singing the best he will ever sing.

Mickey Thomas is an underrated, fantastic singer!!

Students of music have been studying this clip for decades and most note it as being almost perfect for delivery, timing, pitch, technical accuracy, tone and creative artistry. Brilliant in every way.

I love his backup singer. She is incredible

I had a big crush on the female backup singer when I first saw this show back then! And I still do!

This was one of those songs back then that got a ton of airplay but you never got tired of it. Another one was "Taking it to the Streets" by the Doobie Brothers. Damn the 70's were great! Heck of a time to be a teenager.

The Backup singer is Reni Slais. Love your channel.

Can we just all go back to this time... Music was so much better..hell everything was better..

Mickey Thomas had an awesome voice. One of my favorite songs!

I'm African/american. During this period of my life i was heavily into 70's Soul, R&B, and Blues and even some Disco (shoot me but i liked disco) hahahah.. Anyways I was not so much into rock. But i first heard this song on the radio, I think i was 15 years old. I took my allowance money and went straight to Tower Records to buy it , simply because of the vocals. It grabbed me and sucked me in so much, because i was a teen falling in Love with a girl named Barbara at the time. This song suited me perfectly and had a lot of meaning to me. Not to mention, it was truly my first taste of what some say is "Blue Eyed Soul". Elvin for me was even before I discovered, acts like, Hall and Oates, The Everly Bros, The Righteous Brothers and a few other blue eyed soul singers. Two things i learned today, thanks to you bro. I thought it was Elvin singing all these years and at the time I thought he was a black guy singing lead vocals. lol Damn was i wrong.. I never saw what Elvin looked like until recently. I didn't buy the Album, i had bought a 45 Wax Single disc with a "B' side song that i don't remember and it just came in a plain sleeve. So no picture. I had missed seeing him on "The Midnight Special". I knew he was going to be on the show but i fell asleep and missed it. I remember being so pissed. No DVR in those days and VCR's wouldn't come out until a decade y later for the public consumer. Here it is around 40 years later and i find out what he looks like, hahahahaha I know, i know, please spare me the Crucifixion. Thanks for the bit of trivia. Actually I hadn't heard of or thought of this song in 2 decades. For those wondering. I got my girl Barbara, and we were together for 5 years and then ONE of us, "Fooled around and Fell Out of Love" in 1983. :)

Mickey still has his voice still singing live in his 70s. What a timeless and phenomenal tenor and human being.

Mickey grabs the song by the neck and throttles it for dear life. Magnificently skilled vocal instrument and Mickey still has it to this day.

Elvin is a journeyman blues legend. He was never known for his singing It’s also a career-moment where the stars aligned Having Jefferson Starship vocalist, Mickey Thomas, makes the song A rare song where everything works, giving Bishop his only major chart highlight

A lot of great 70’s bands on the Midnight Special. I used to watch that show.

I just wanna say that good old Music didn't needed autotune just talent

Great presentation again. Im listening to music over 60 yrs this awesome performance is one of the best ever. Mickey is one of the greatest singers ever and still performing in 2024. Elvin did a fantastic job plus writing this fantastic song. Keep up the good work

Mickey Thomas one of the most underrated lead vocalists I have ever seen/heard , and he still sounds as good today in his 70,s , absolutely amazing .

A perfect tune. Written, produced, and performed at the highest level of the musical art!

I just want to hug Fil every time I see him. One cool lad.

Standing ovation!👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾🎤

Mickey Thomas singing. One of my favorite male vocalists. He's always had a great set of pipes on him. No doubt it's probably why he got the gig with Jefferson Starship later on in his career. I remember in highschool choir, our teacher showing us breathing techniques to hold connecting notes longer. Have a wonderful evening Fil...🎶🎙️🎸🌃

Mickey Thomas still sings this song in every Starship concert and still sounds this good. After all these years, Mickey still sings this song almost exactly the same way. His voice has held up very well over the decades. I had this song on 45 when I was a kid and still love it when Mickey does it live now. His vocals on Jefferson Starship’s “Jane” is fantastic, too.

"Guardians of the Galaxy" had that song. I love Mickey's singing. Brilliant voice.

Saw Mickey at a fair grounds free concert about 12 years ago- he is the epitome of a vocal master to this day

My favorite thing about "the midnight special" is that you got to see and hear live music ✌️

This song, and "Jane" by Starship are probably the two best vocals of Mickey Thomas' career.

Mickey Thomas has a unique gift of singing. It is so effortless and pure. Saw him with Starship at the Orange County CA Summer Hot Air Balloon & Wine Festival 17 years ago. "Fooled Around" has been a regular number in the master bathroom's shower stall since 1978. I'll be straining trying to sing like Mickey until they put me in a pine box.

Excellent commentary! Mickey Thomas is freakin' incredible. Your guitar playing is amazing too.

A year later...still just loving watching it again, and again and again...

You're appreciation and insight makes the music that much more enjoyable.

Elvin Bishop requested Micky to sing this when he wrote it... Thanks! This was fun! 😎

There's no weakness in this track. Instruments, song writing, vocals and pacing are all fantastic. Quality never ages.

From a period when they wrote great ballads that weren't cheesy.

Wow, you are an amazing teacher! The Midnight Special shows were such a big part of my teens in the 70's...nothing today compares to it! Thank you for all your reviews...

Hi Fil! I just heard this song the other day on 70’s radio! One of the cool songs from that era! It didn’t hurt that Mickey was so good looking too! lol! Loved his voice! Thanks Fil for taking me back to the 70’s, and some cool music! ✌️

That's a lot like Burton Cummings singing who sings in the band Guess Who. Always clear and precise.

Great video Fil. "Mr. Music Encyclopedia", keep up all the hard work and smiling, you are the best at what you do. Thank you

I have always loved this song vocals, Elvin's guitar solo. I was depressed that disco was going to overshadow these "soulful 'belters.'". This song has made me smile for 44 years now. Thanks Fil, for analyzing so well what a song that works on all levels has to distinguish it!

Yes! Mickey Thomas!!!!!! One of my all-time favorite songs!!!

This song was played constantly on Southern Cal FM radio in 1976, big hit, everyone loved it. I saw Elvin Bishop in 1980. They were playing in a small club in Northern CA, right around Mt Shasta. There was a problem though, no Mickey Thomas and for some reason they could not, would not play this song. There was only a few hundred people in the club but everyone was asking for this song. Elvin stopped the show and said "can't play it,different band,sorry" and the show went on. Thanks Fil.

Mickey Thomas’ ..forever soulfully outstanding!! 🌹🎶🌹 🙏

What a voice😮 Mickey Thomas is blessed with. Great song and guitar solo sound. Wow❤Wings of Pegasus

Ive been listening to this track for the past year and keep going back to it because of the masterful vocal performance by Mickey Thomas. Effortless perfection and ease with an added helping of soul to match. I have added this to my list of classic performances of this era.

Heard this back in about 1976. Loved it then. Love it still. 😊

No singer has ever done more to sell another man's album than Mickey Thomas did for Elvin Bishop's "Struttin' My Stuff."

Wow... Mickey Thomas could really sing... loved that live vocal...

this was a pivotal song in my life back then and it still impresses me, great choice Fil

Mickey Thomas, the pride of Cairo, GA. And Fil is right, the solo is a highlight of the song.

Mickey Thomas, Steve Perry, and Kenny Loggins. Three of the best rock tenors.

1976! What a great time to be 13. I remember this song so well. ❤️

I had to give this another watch. What an incredible vocal performance. One of my favorite 70s soft rock songs!

Mickey is just gifted. We throw that word around today, but he really is.

Mickey Thomas, Period.

I got to see Evin play a live show (way back when) at the Brown Door. It was a college bar in Hammond LA. He had a wireless setup and he was from one end of the bar to the other the whole show. The whole time he was playing, he was talking to the patrons. Everyone there just loved it. One of the most memorable shows I have ever seen.

I ALWAYS thought this was Elvin Bishop's voice. Your enthusiasm is contagious especially when I know something special is about to happen!

Just love this pure perfection! 💜

Elvin is a virtuoso. "Travelin' Shoes", "Juke Joint Jump"...great stuff.😊

You're hitting close to home. Elvin lived near home during the San Francisco Sound times. I'd seen Elvin with Paul Butterfield and B.B. King and sitting in with countless other greats and of course his own gig. He was a local guy. My gang sat and talked with him at Crabshaws Corner, a club named after him, in downtown Sacramento. We bought this older guy beers and talked all hot summer day with him. He never let on who he was and we never caught on. Just a guy in coveralls to jaw with. Years later I flew down from Oregon where I'd been designing lighting to see Elvin at Armadillo Willie's. Elvin had gone through some rough times. The three of us were his only audience. Didn't matter, he and the band played a full gig, 2 sets. A great musician and a gentleman. I wouldn't be exaggerating by saying I've seen him 25+ times, and loved it every time. After the tragedy of his daughter's death, I heard he went permanently on the road. He's a great guy and a great musician. Thanks Fil for reminding me. Great times, fan-damn-tastic.

Mickey Thomas is one of the most vastly underrated vocalists ever. That may have something to do with his very wobbly choice of material over the years. This great song here may be his signature vocal, and it proves without a doubt that this man had a tremendously soulful voice, but if you really want to hear this man cut loose, if you really want to hear this man slay and kill, check out his vocals on "Silent Night." (with the Elvin Bishop Band) Yes, it's the classic Christmas song, but Mickey turned it into a soulful, foot-stomping, gospel-ized, earth shaking, get-cho-ass-outta-yo-chair-and-start-moving type of song. It's not only his greatest soul-shaking moment, it's one of the greatest soul-shaking moments in the history of music. Look it up here on RU-vid .... and thank me later. lol

Dear load, that man can sing. He has something really sexy, like, not normal sexy, REALLY sexy. It can't be just me. He was created for the blues. I have no idea how I lived this long and never heard of him. I also have no idea why he's dressed as a gas station attendant.

THank you Fil! One of the greats!

Iconic song, remember hearing this as a little kid in the 70's🤘

I heard this song for the first time on the radio probably in 1991, thinking wow, this is an awesome song, and this totally sounds like Mickey Thomas, but it was credited to Elvin Bishop, so I just said wow...Elvin's got a great voice, almost exactly like Mickey's... and I swear.... I just found out today that it was Mickey Thomas all along!!!! OMG...

Off the chart! Oh, by the way.... You are a hoot to watch while that soul expression spills over

I miss the "human element" in today's music … When I listen to this, I don't care that it's not "perfect" …. It's loaded with talent! Much better than much of today's robotic synthesized music made with autotune LoL!!!!

Love watching Elvin Bishop play. He has so much fun and always great tone. You can see Mickey isn't quite as comfortable as you see him later in his career but his voice is incredible.

At 71 he still sounds this good. Sings in the same key as well!

No internet or RU-vid then. Had to sneak out and turn on the TV and watch Midnight Special to see our fave groups. I remember my mom coming out to "Shhhh" me too many times to count. This and Don Kirschner's Rock Concert. And if we were lucky we'd get an episode of the Old Grey Whistle Test. Gosh darn,,,those were really good times.

"he ain't good lookin' but he sure can play"

Love this from '76 - Thanks Phil for your comments, brilliant

So I just saw Tommy Shaw with an orchestra (high school or maybe college) doing the song Fooling Yourself. AWESOME !!!! If you haven’t seen it put it on your list to watch. Tommy still sounds the same as he did in the 70’s. He’s also playing an acoustic guitar. It is basically like the old “unplugged shows” from way back.

Mickey Thomas is a phenomenon and monster gospel/blues singer. It’s a shame he didn’t get to share the stage with other legendary vocalists, like Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder, etc...

As close to perfection as a song can be: supreme vocals, tasty guitar accents with a nice solo, lyrics that ANYONE can relate to. I always loved this tune and I always will!

Thanks for head voice and falsetto information. Absolutely fascinating! This is actually one of my favorite songs of all time. I'll study your video numerous times young Sir. I adored this composition probably before your birth. You are so knowledgeable!

I love the fact that you can speak to just about every aspect of the music that you are listening to with authority, and that you can appreciate so many different varieties of music.

Mickey Thomas is 1 of my favorite singers ever!

One of my favorite songs. One which it is difficult to imagine either the lead guitar or the vocals being any better. And the rest of the band is so tight. Great analysis. And thanks for the guitar tips. I have worked on the recorded version, but your video makes me want to get back to it again.

I had that jumpsuit in 1976 too . Good job with the guitar Fil, one of the best solos💙💙

I have loved this song forever! I also really like your smile as you listen to this song.

I used to roller skate to this in the mid 70's. Makes me feel melancholic ... great video, Fil

I LOVE IT!!!! Those Midnight Special episodes are just SO AMAZING. Can’t get enough.

Kudos to Fil for what he does...I have learned so much watching Wings of Pegasus.

Never get tired of your analysis and explanations, Fil, thanks so much for that!

Fantastic choice Fil. Mickey Thomas's vocal is outstanding.

With guitar, Elvin Bishop propels the strong melodies of Fooled Around, but Mickey just grabs and transcends reality with his sweet pitch and vocal control!

Excited that you spend so much time and attention on the singer. We knew back then Mickey was awesome. Thx Fil.

Phil I learn so much from you on every reaction. Thank you for sharing your vast musical knowledge and experience. Priceless!

I love the jump suit , “we’ll all stay skinny cause we just won’t eat” Mickey is from just next door here in South Georgia!

Thank you for reviewing this song. It is one of my all-time favorites! Micky nails the vocals and the guitar solo by Elvin grabs me every time. The definition of soul!