JIMI JAMISON
Survivor

Jimi Jamison hails from Memphis, Tennessee, a place where the music has soul and meaning.

Jimi veritably found music in spite of himself. Unaware that he was musically inclined - and as a lark - Jimi singed up for music class in high school and suddenly found himself singing solos in school productions and recording background vocals for the local recording studios, as well as commercial jingles for a Memphis advertising agency.

By the mid-1970's, Jamison's band Target has signed a recording contract with A&M Records; released two albums; and was touring with such mega-artists as KISS, Boston, and Black Sabbath. Jimi's next band was a hard-edged, hard-rocking outfit called Cobra, that released one album for Epic Records before breaking up.

Ironically, the day Cobra broke up, Jimi's phone rang with an offer from Survivor to join the band. Survivor was already a hit- making group, with their massive single Eye of the Tiger having topped the charts in 1983 with over two million sales. Jamison joined the band and recorded the 1984 album, Vital Signs.

Jimi's driving and powerful vocals rejuvenated Survivor, and immediately led to a Number One Rock Chart Hit with Can't Hold Back, as well as two Pop Chart Top Tens with Search Is Over and High On You. Jimi's first vocal effort with Survivor had propelled the Vital Signs album to Platinum status.

Survivor was then invited to record the them for the Rocky IV movie, and Jimi's driving rendition of Burning Heart sent the single to Number Two on the Pop Charts and the album soundtrack to yet another Platinum certification. One more Top Ten effort, Is This Love, followed before the group disbanded in 1987.

Today Jimi's voice is also universally recognized as that on the theme (I'm Always Here) of the hit television series, "Baywatch" - a song which he wrote and performed. Jimi and the original Survivor line-up have reunited in 2000 and been on tour with REO Speedwagon and Styx.