• 1978-1989, 1993-2014

  Frankie SullivanGuitar

  Jim PeterikKeyboards, guitar, vocals1978-1989, 1993-1996

  Dave BicklerLead vocals1978-1983, 1993-2000, 2013-2014

  Dennis JohnsonBass1978-1981

  Gary SmithDrums1978-1981

  Stephan EllisBass1981-1988, 1996-1999

  Marc DroubayDrums1981-1987, 1996-2014

  Jimi JamisonLead vocals1984-1989, 2000-2006, 2011-2014
• The band formed in Chicago when Jim Peterik and Frankie Sullivan teamed up. Peterik was an established artist, having scored the #2 hit "Vehicle" in 1970 with his band The Ides of March. Sullivan was a rising star on the scene, performing in a band called Mariah. The pair formed the nucleus of the group and co-wrote most of their songs, but they got along like orange juice and milk. Peterik claimed that Sullivan took over the group, marginalizing Peterik to keyboards when he started out as a lead vocalist and guitarist. Their tenuous relationship led to a great deal of tension in the band, which went through a number of member changes over the years.
• Bickler and Peterik both worked as jingle singers before forming the band. Peterik sang a popular Sunkist commercial that re-worked the Beach Boys song "Good Vibrations."
• Survivor is one of the few bands to rack up hits with two different lead singers. Their early hits, including "Eye of the Tiger," were sung by original lead vocalist Dave Bickler. When Bickler had throat surgery in 1983, he was unable to sing, so the band dumped him and filled his spot with Jimi Jamison, who sang on their later hits, including "High on You" and "The Search Is Over."
  
  In 2013, the band began touring with both Jamison and Bickler, but in 2014 Jamison died of a heart attack at age 63.
• Rights to the "Survivor" name took a long time to sort out. When they formed, none of the founders could trademark the name because there was another Chicago band called The Survivors. The band split up in 1989, but in 1992 Jamison (not an original member) assembled a new group and began touring as Survivor. When Peterik and Sullivan found out, they got their version of Survivor back together and hit the road in an attempt to protect their legacy. Peterik left in 1996, but various lineups led by Sullivan toured until 2014. Sullivan eventually won ownership of the Survivor name.
• .38 Special's first hit was Survivor's live showstopper. Three members of Survivor wrote "Rockin' into the Night" and the band had been getting a great reaction to it when they played it live, but when it came time to record their first album, the song instead made its way to .38 Special, thanks in part to John Kalodner, who did A&R for both acts. Kalodner then had Peterik write some songs with .38 Special while also working with Survivor - something that didn't go over well with his bandmates but worked out well for .38 - the first song they wrote together was their next hit, "Hold on Loosely."
• John Kalodner signed the band to Atlantic Records and assigned them to the Atlantic imprint Scotti Brothers, which was run by two well-connected men known for using aggressive tactics in promoting their artists.
• Kim Basinger is the cover model on their first album.

Comments: 1

• Connie from Silver LakeWere any of the artist of Survivor from Lake Geneva

More Songfacts:

Year Of The CatAl Stewart

The title of Al Stewart's "Year Of The Cat" comes from Vietnamese astrology. The Year of the Cat comes every 12 Years: 1975, 1987, 1999, 2011, 2023...

HeartbeatDon Johnson

Don Johnson, who starred as Sonny Crockett in Miami Vice, was also a singer. He had a #5 hit in 1986 with "Heartbeat."

Bad RomanceLady Gaga

Lady Gaga is a big fan of horror movies; listen for the names of these three Alfred Hitchcock films in the lyrics to "Bad Romance": Psycho, Vertigo, Rear Window.

YesterdayThe Beatles

The melody to "Yesterday" came to Paul McCartney in a dream, but the lyrics he had to write consciously. His first attempt at the title was "Scrabble Eggs."

Shut Up And DanceWalk the Moon

Walk The Moon vocalist Nicholas Petricca got the idea for "Shut Up and Dance" when he and his girlfriend were taking forever to get drinks at a Los Angeles club bar. Petricca was getting frustrated, so his girlfriend told him to "shut up and dance with me!'"

Dancing In The DarkBruce Springsteen

Before she was famous on Friends, Courteney Cox danced on stage with Bruce Springsteen in his "Dancing In The Dark" video.

Editor's Picks

Julian LennonSongwriter Interviews

Julian tells the stories behind his hits "Valotte" and "Too Late for Goodbyes," and fills us in on his many non-musical pursuits. Also: what MTV meant to his career.

Artis the SpoonmanSong Writing

Even before Soundgarden wrote a song about him, Artis was the most famous spoon player of all time. So why has he always been broke?

Stand By Me: The Perfect Song-Movie CombinationSong Writing

In 1986, a Stephen King novella was made into a movie, with a classic song serving as title, soundtrack and tone.

Chris Robinson of The Black CrowesSongwriter Interviews

"Great songwriters don't necessarily have hit songs," says Chris. He's written a bunch, but his fans are more interested in the intricate jams.

Stan RidgwaySongwriter Interviews

Go beyond the Wall of Voodoo with this cinematic songwriter.

Gilby ClarkeSongwriter Interviews

The Guns N' Roses rhythm guitarist in the early '90s, Gilby talks about the band's implosion and the side projects it spawned.