Wednesday, September 03, 2014

RIP Jimi Jamison

From today's RAMP Newsletter...

Jimi Jamison, the lead singer of '80s bands Cobra and Survivor, died on August 31 after suffering a heart attack. He was 63. As Rolling Stone reports, Jamison was Survivor's lead singer from 1984 until 1988, powering such hits as "The Moment of Truth" from The Karate Kid, "High On You," "I Can't Hold Back," "Is This Love," and "Burning Heart" from Rocky IV. Interestingly, Jamison did not sing on Survivor's signature hit, 1984's Grammy-winning "Eye of the Tiger" -- that voice belonged to the band's original lead singer, David Bickler, who was forced to leave the group after developing polyps on his vocal chords shortly after recording the song.

Bickler later became the singer of the Bud Light Real Men of Genius spots. Survivor was a Chicago band (led by Jim Peterik), and all of the Budweiser ads were recorded here in town.