Jim Peterik

While still a grade school student in 1964, Jim Peterik was playing in a garage band named The Renegades when guitarist Larry Millas recruited him to join his group, The Shon-Dels. After studying Julius Caesar in class, they changed their name to The Ides of March. Soon, they were playing gigs around their hometown of Berwyn, Illinois, a blue-collar suburb of Chicago. Signed to Parrot Records, they first hit the airways with You Wouldn't Listen and Roller Coaster in 1966. Their breakthrough moment came when they signed with Warner Bros. and recorded Vehicle – a song Jim wrote as a tongue-in-cheek response to an anti-drug pamphlet for his sweetheart and future wife, Karen. A studio technician nearly ended their shot at stardom when he inadvertently hit the wrong button, erasing 14 seconds from the master tape. The problem was solved by splicing in a previously-rejected take just before the guitar solo. Powered by a dynamic horn section, the band was propelled to sudden fame by the classic, which hit #2 on the Billboard Pop Charts in 1970 and became the fastest-selling record in Warner Bros. history. The song ultimately reached platinum status, selling over one million copies and cementing the band's place in history. They then went on tour, opening for acts like Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin and Janis Joplin, while promoting their debut album, predictably titled Vehicle. The band's second album, Common Bond, featured the song L.A. Goodbye, which reached #1 on Chicago radio for seven weeks. Switching to RCA Records in 1972, the group dropped their brass section and released World Woven, followed the next year by Midnight Oil. At this point, the band decided to take a short break, which, as fate would have it, lasted 17 years... Meanwhile, Jim recorded a few solo efforts for Epic Records, most notably, Don't Fight the Feeling, before co-founding the group Survivor and charting with songs like Somewhere in America and Poor Man's Son under the Scotti Brothers label. The group hit their stride with Jim co-writing classics like Eye of the Tiger (from the Rocky III soundtrack). Eye of the Tiger spent seven weeks at the #1 spot on the Billboard Charts, ultimately going double-platinum and earning Peterik and co-writer Frankie Sullivan a Grammy Award, an Oscar nomination and a People's Choice Award for Best Song. Vital Signs, released in 1984, contained the hits The Search is Over, High on You and I Can't Hold Back. Jim then co-wrote Burning Heart (the theme from Rocky IV) and Is This Love, both major hits. 1988 saw the release of the album Too Hot to Sleep. Jim left the group in 1996 to pursue other projects. Throughout his prolific career, Jim has collaborated with numerous major artists, including Lynyrd Skynyrd, .38 Special, Sammy Hagar, The Doobie Brothers, Cheap Trick, REO Speedwagon and The Beach Boys, resulting in hits like Caught Up in You, Heavy Metal, Rockin' Into the Night, Hold on Loosely (by .38 Special) and That's Why God Made the Radio (by The Beach Boys). Jim's vision has directly contributed to 18 Top Ten hits and 3 #1 hits over five decades. In 1990, the original members of Ides (Larry Millas, Bob Bergland, Mike Borch, John Larson and Jim) reunited, joined by Scott May, Tim Bales, Steve Eisen and Dave Stahlberg. Despite the passing of bandmate John Larson in 2011, they continue performing and recording to this day. 2014 will mark 50 years since the group's inception. Jim embarked on another solo foray in 2006, releasing the album Above the Storm. His group, Pride of Lions, featuring singer Toby Hitchcock, has recorded a number of albums, including 2012's Immortal. Their single, Delusional, is an ode to dreamers and nonconformists. Seeking an alternative to the raucousness of rock, he formed Jim Peterik's Lifeforce, a smooth jazz ensemble. Following their critically-acclaimed, self-titled album in 2009, Jim's own label, World Stage International Records, recently announced the release of Jim Peterik's Lifeforce Forces at Play Deluxe Remastered Edition. Jim also takes great pleasure in mentoring new musical talent. Among his protégés are Lisa McClowry, for whom Jim wrote and produced the album Lisa McClowry Sings Acoustic Alchemy; the 17-year-old, baritone-voiced, country sensation Hunter Cook; son Sijay Peterik; sibling act Ariel, Zoey & Eli, Too, who turned Jim's anti-bullying song Hey Bully into a viral music video; new country artist Andrew Salgado and Marc Scherer, a tenor with a stunning, 4-octave range. Jim and Marc recently co-wrote a tribute - complete with video - to the victims of the Newtown massacre, entitled Newtown (You're Not Alone).