Frankie Sullivan | |
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 Sullivan at Sweden Rock Festival 2013 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | February 1, 1955 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, songwriter |
| Instrument | Guitar |
| Years active | 1976–present |
| Member of | Survivor |
| Website | frankiesullivan |
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Frankie Sullivan (born February 1, 1955) is an American guitarist, best known for being a founding member of the rock band Survivor. [1] He has been the only permanent fixture in its lineup since the band's 1977 inception. [2]
According to pianist and keyboardist Jimmy Tranchitella of Northlake, Illinois, Sullivan's musical career began in his early teens. He enjoyed sports and started running when he was 17; he became a lifelong runner. [3]
One of his heroes is Muhammad Ali, and he has a framed autograph from the boxer hanging in his home. [3]
In 1976, Sullivan was a member of the Chicago-based hard rock band Mariah. [4]
In 1978, he partnered with Jim Peterik and the two became a successful songwriting team. [5] With Sullivan as the lead guitarist, he and Peterik formed the nucleus of the band Survivor and the band began touring, playing concerts in clubs. [6] Sullivan's first hit on the Billboard charts was in 1981 with the song "Poor Man's Son", from the album Premonition . [5] Along with keyboardist Jim Peterik, Sullivan co-wrote all of the group's hits, including "Eye of the Tiger" [7] and "Burning Heart" from the Rocky III and IV movie soundtracks. [8] He credits Sylvester Stallone for giving him the "opportunity of a lifetime" by using his song "Eye of the Tiger" in the Rocky III movie. [9]
In 1984, Sullivan and the band Survivor had a song on the movie soundtrack for The Karate Kid . The song was "The Moment of Truth". [10]
In 1999, Sullivan was featured on the VH1 television show, Where are They Now . [11]
38 Special, often stylized as .38 Special or spelled out as Thirty-eight Special, is an American rock band formed by singer-guitarists Donnie Van Zant and Don Barnes in Jacksonville, Florida, in 1974.
Survivor was an American rock band formed in Chicago in 1978 by Jim Peterik and Frankie Sullivan. The band achieved its greatest success in the 1980s, producing many charting singles, especially in the United States. The band is best known for their double-platinum certified 1982 hit "Eye of the Tiger", the theme song for the 1982 motion picture Rocky III. The single spent six weeks at number one in the US. The band continued to chart in the mid-1980s with singles like "Burning Heart", "The Search Is Over", "High on You", "Is This Love", and "I Can't Hold Back."
"Eye of the Tiger" is a song by the American rock band Survivor. It was written as the theme song for the 1982 film Rocky III and released that year as a single from Survivor's third album, Eye of the Tiger.
The Ides of March is an American jazz rock band that had a major North American and minor UK hit with the song "Vehicle" in 1970. After going on hiatus in 1973, the band returned with their original line-up in 1990 and has been active since then.
James Michael Peterik is an American musician and songwriter. He is best known as the founder of the rock band Survivor, as vocalist and guitarist in The Ides of March, and as co-writer of the anthem "Eye of the Tiger", the theme from the 1982 film Rocky III.
David Bickler is an American singer, best known as the lead singer for the rock band Survivor from 1978 until 1983, most notably on the #1 U.S. hit "Eye of the Tiger". In addition to his wide vocal range, his trademark look included a beret. Bickler would go on to provide the vocals in advertisements, including Bud Light's "Real Men of Genius" TV and radio commercials.
Dennis Hardy "Fergie" Frederiksen was an American rock singer best known as the former lead singer of Trillion, Angel, LeRoux and Toto, as well as providing backing vocals for Survivor. He contributed to hit singles in three consecutive years, all with different bands: Survivor's "American Heartbeat" in 1982, LeRoux's "Carrie's Gone" in 1983 and Toto's "Stranger in Town" in 1984.
"The Search Is Over" is a 1985 power ballad by the American rock band Survivor. It was the band's third single and second top-ten hit from their 1984 album Vital Signs.
Too Hot to Sleep is the seventh studio album from rock band Survivor, released in 1988. It was a relative commercial disappointment, reaching only #187 on the Billboard album charts, though "Across the Miles" is one of their biggest AC chart hits. After this album, founders Frankie Sullivan and Jim Peterik put the band on indefinite hiatus, while lead vocalist Jimi Jamison would continue to tour under the Survivor name. Drummer Marc Droubay and bassist Stephan Ellis were replaced by studio musicians on the album. This album marks the final Survivor release to feature Peterik. The lineup of Sullivan and Jamison would not reunite until 2000.
Caught in the Game is the fourth album by American rock band Survivor, released in October 1983. It features guest appearances by Mr. Mister's Richard Page and REO Speedwagon's Kevin Cronin. It is the band's last album to-date to feature lead vocalist Dave Bickler, who left due to vocal surgery. Bickler rejoined the band from 1993 to 2000, and again from 2013 to 2016. The first single "Caught In The Game" went to #77 at Billboard Hot 100 chart and later "I Never Stopped Loving You" failed to hit the Hot 100 reaching only #104.
Eye of the Tiger is the third album by American rock band Survivor, released in 1982. It reached #2 on the US Billboard 200 chart.
Premonition is the second album by American rock band Survivor, released in October 1981 in the United States and February 1982 elsewhere. It was the first album to use the Survivor script logo.
Survivor is the first album by the American rock band Survivor, recorded and released in 1979. It is the band's only album with its original drummer, Gary Smith, and bass guitarist, Dennis Keith Johnson. The recording sessions, overseen by the A&R executive John Kalodner, were not without difficulties. First, Ron Nevison replaced Barry Mraz as producer, and then the project had to be taken to Bruce Fairbairn in Vancouver to achieve a mix that was to Kalodner's satisfaction. The album took eight months to finally be released.
Jimmy Wayne Jamison was an American singer. Best known as Jimi Jamison, he earned recognition as the frontman for the rock bands Target, Cobra, and Survivor from 1984 to 1989, performing the songs "Burning Heart" from the film Rocky IV, "The Moment of Truth" from The Karate Kid, along with other top-20 Survivor hits "I Can't Hold Back", "High On You", "The Search Is Over" and "Is This Love". He officially rejoined Survivor in 2000, remaining in the group until 2006, and rejoined again in 2011. Acclaimed for his vocal abilities, Jamison is also known for having co-written and performed the theme song "I'm Always Here" for the 1990s TV series Baywatch.
"I Can't Hold Back" is a 1984 song recorded by the rock band Survivor. It was the first hit single from album Vital Signs. The song reached #13 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #14 on the Cash Box Top 100. It also returned the band to #1 for three weeks on the Billboard Top Rock Tracks chart.
"Is This Love" is a song by American rock band Survivor. The song was released on October 1, 1986 as the first single from Survivor's sixth album, When Seconds Count. A video was made and put into heavy rotation on MTV.
"Ever Since the World Began" is a power ballad by American rock band Survivor, released in 1982 from the group's third album Eye of the Tiger, featuring Dave Bickler as lead singer. Composed by the band's guitarist Frankie Sullivan and keyboardist Jim Peterik, the song was written for someone fighting against cancer; Frankie Sullivan said in an interview that a member of his immediate family was battling the disease and later succumbed to it. He said the song had a lot of true meaning to him. It also had a lot of significance for co-writer Jim Peterik, as it was one of the final songs he played for his father before the latter's death shortly before the Eye of the Tiger album's release.
"Rockin' into the Night" is a song by American band 38 Special. Written by Gary Smith, Frank Sullivan and Jim Peterik of Survivor, it is the title song of 38 Special's third album, Rockin' into the Night. The song reached number 43 on the Billboard Hot 100. Don Barnes sang lead vocals on the song.
Robert Gary Smith is an American musician and songwriter. He was a member of Chase and a founding member of Survivor. Smith has also performed or recorded with B.B. King, Joe Williams, Vic Damone, Patrick Leonard, Leslie West (Mountain), Steve Forman, Will Lee, Elliott Randall, Bobby Kimball, Tommy Shaw, Darryl Jones, Jim Peterik, John Gary, Bruce Gaitsch, Eric Miyashiro, Clark Terry, Chuck Findley, Larry Carlton, Jaco Pastorius and many others.
The Best of Survivor is a 2006 compilation album by the American rock band Survivor, containing 14 songs from 1981 to 1988.
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