Jim Peterik is a survivor. Those words prophetically appeared first on the back of his first solo album “Don’t Fight The Feeling” back in the seventies. In the decades since, Jim has lived up to that term.
For over 55 years Jim has been the driving force of The Ides Of March. Their timeless hit “Vehicle” is played daily all over the world; and their live show remains a juggernaut featuring all the original members.
In the seventies, Jim combined his love for melody with driving rock in the band Survivor. Their phenomenal rise to the top was borne on the back of the amazing songs that Jim co-wrote. “The Eye Of The Tiger” from the film Rocky III, has become an indelible classic, and garnered Jim Grammy™ and People’s Choice awards; as well as an Oscar™ nomination. Other Billboard chart-toppers followed: “The Search Is Over, High On You, and I Can’t Hold Back”. Further hits from films followed, too. “Burning Heart” from Rocky IV topped the charts; and Jim co-wrote the theme of the seminal animation hit “Heavy Metal” with Sammy Hagar.
A long lasting and fruitful relationship started in 1980 between Jim and the southern-rock group .38 Special. Jim co-wrote their platinum hits “Hold On Loosely, Caught Up In You, Wild-Eyed Southern Boys, Fantasy Girl, and Rockin’ Into The Night”. Their collaboration continues to this day. Jim has also written with the beloved Lynyrd Skynyrd.
Jim Peterik has never lost his verve for the style of music that he helped forge, namely melodic rock. His group Pride Of Lions tours the European continent regularly, and their albums and DVDs are best sellers. Pride Of Lions new Album “Lionheart” was released 9 October 2020 on Frontiers records
Expanding (but not too far) from the musical realm in 2002, Jim co-authored “Songwriting For Dummies” This book distilled a lifetime of successful songwriting into simple language, and shed light on some of the arcane wisdom of writing songs. In the years since, the book has achieved “Best Seller” status and has recently gone into its second printing, with a major update.
In September of 2014, Jim’s Autobiography “Through The Eye Of The Tiger” was released. The book traces Jim’s path from humble beginnings in Suburban Chicago to his stellar career as a Platinum Hit Songwriter, Successful Musician and In-Demand Producer. In 2016 Jim released “The Songs”, taking his top hits to Nashville in an entirely new light, working with some of Music City’s greatest.
Recently, Jim has worked with Dennis DeYoung, formerly of Styx on his 2 acclaimed solo releases; and is working with Chicago’s Robert Lamm. Jim also produced “Tigress: Women Who Rock The World” released 5 November 2021.
