"
Fooled Around and Fell in Love" is a song written and performed by
blues guitarist
Elvin Bishop with Mickey Thomas on lead vocals. It appeared on his 1975 album,
Struttin' My Stuff, and was released as a single the following year.
Bishop does not sing lead vocals on the track. He felt that his gravelly voice would not do the song justice; he invited vocalist
Mickey Thomas, who was a background singer in his band at the time, to sing it. It peaked at #3 on the
Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in May 1976. The record was certified gold by the
Recording Industry Association of America on June 23, 1976. In Canada, the song reached #22 on the singles chart and #8 on the Adult Contemporary chart. The single reached #3 in the
New Zealand Singles Chart.
Based on his work with Bishop, Thomas was invited to become the lead singer for
Jefferson Starship (who would later evolve into simply
Starship).