Matchbox Twenty’s Rob Thomas on the secrets to his 26

This story is part of the October 12 edition of Sunday Life. See all 14 stories .

Musician Rob Thomas is best known as the lead singer of Matchbox Twenty. Now, touring as a solo act, the 53-year-old discusses the important women in his life, including the complicated relationship he had with his late mother, and how meeting his wife of 26 years, Marisol, changed his life trajectory.

My maternal grandmother, Maddie, lived in South Carolina and ran a general store attached to the home we lived in with her. It was a very poor town and most of the clientele were tobacco farmers. She sold bootleg liquor and pot to them when they finished work. She was the matriarch of the town; rough and unpredictable, but also very caring.

My mother, Mamie, raised my sister, Melissa, and me on her ow