Powerhouse vocalist Jimi Jamison earned recognition as the frontman for hard rock bands Target and Cobra before reaching platinum heights with Survivor, singing the hits ‘Burning Heart’ from the film Rocky IV, ‘I Can’t Hold Back’, ‘High on You’, ‘The Search is Over’ and ‘Is This Love’. Legendary U.S. disc jockey Casey Kasem called him “The Voice,” while connoisseurs of AOR and melodic rock often rate him as one of the genre’s Top 5 vocalists of all time.
Some 20 years after his passing, 1998 Live Hits is a powerful time capsule capturing the energy, emotion, and artistry of the singer at a pivotal point in his post-Survivor career. Recorded across three vibrant shows in Little Rock, AR, Nashville, TN, and Bettendorf, IA, and now to be released by Frontiers Music Srl on 12th December, this album showcases Jamison’s electrifying live presence and vocal prowess as he revisits some of the most iconic songs from his time with Survivor, along with deep cuts, original solo work, and inspired covers.
Backing Jamison is a seasoned and soulful ensemble: longtime collaborators Jeff Adams (Bass, vocals) and Hal Butler (Keyboards, vocals) were joined by guitarist Chris Adamson, drummer Pete Mendillo, and Memphis-based producer and guitarist Wes Henley, who also supervised these live album recordings. This lineup reflects a strong musical camaraderie built over years of touring, with several members having roots alongside Jamison that date back to his 1970s band Target.
Now, years later, these recordings allow fans—old and new—to reconnect with a voice and spirit that remains timeless. As testament to that, out now is the album’s first single, seminal cut, ‘Burning Heart’, accompanied by a live video.
1998 Live Hits features: ‘Burning Heart’, ‘High On You’, ‘Rebel Son’, ‘I’m Always Here’, I See You In Everyone’, ‘Rock Hard’, ‘Oceans’, ‘The Search Is Over’, ‘Is This Love’, ‘I Can’t Hold Back’, ‘Riders On The Storm’, ‘Too Hot To Sleep’, ‘Eye Of The Tiger’ and ‘Higher Ground/Roadhouse Blues (Bonus Track Japan)’ – It can be ordered here.
The Doors’ ‘Riders On The Storm’ is said to be a haunting standout on the album, alongside deep cuts and Survivor hits there’s the iconic Baywatch theme ‘I’m Always Here’, plus listeners are recommended to listen to the interplay between Chris Adamson and Wes Henley on guitars. Though Henley’s primary role was behind the board, his friendship with Jamison and passion for the Survivor material often brought him onstage. Together, he and Adamson bring layered, textured performances that do justice to the intricate compositions of Peterik and Sullivan.
Raised on R & B, blues rock, and country music in Memphis, Tennessee, Jimi Jamison released his first single in 1967 with a band called The Debuts. ‘If I Cry’ was originally intended for fellow Memphis band The Box Tops, featuring lead singer Alex Chilton. Jamison honed his craft by singing commercial jingles by day and fronting gritty rockers Target by night. His next band, Cobra, with Mandy Meyer on guitar, cut a cult classic in 1983’s First Strike, but that was just a prelude to Jamison’s breakthrough as lead singer of Survivor.
With Jamison at the mic, Survivor proved that earlier success with ‘Eye of the Tiger’ was no fluke, resulting in 1984’s Platinum-selling Vital Signs album, followed by When Seconds Count (1986), and Too Hot To Sleep (1988) and assorted hit singles – Concurrently with all this Jamison’s voice could be heard singing prominent harmony vocals on ZZ Top’s smash Eliminator album, most notably on ‘Gimme All Your Lovin’’.
Striking out on his own in the 1990s, Jimi Jamison released the solo albums When Love Comes Down and Empires. His voice and songwriting reached new audiences through ‘I’m Always Here’, the theme song for Baywatch, the most-watched television series in the world with a weekly audience of over 1.1 billion viewers. But touring became his primary focus throughout the decade, both with all-star projects including Voices Of Classic Rock and with his own band. Jamison’s primarily Memphis-bred group comprised acclaimed musicians including keyboardist Hal Butler; guitarists John Roth, Jerry Riggs, Hal McCormack, and Chris Adamson; bass players Jeff Adams and Barry Dunaway; and drummers Bill Marshall and Pete Mendillo. The most stable lineup of Butler, Adamson, Adams, and Mendillo was captured live in concert in 1998, but the recordings went unreleased.
Jamison returned to the record racks with a vengeance in the 2000s, with projects including Survivor’s 2006 album, Reach; the 2008 collaboration with Jim Peterik, Crossroads Moment, and its 2010 companion piece Extra Moments; 2011 duo albums Kimball Jamison with his longtime friend, Toto lead vocalist Bobby Kimball, and One Man’s Trash with guitarist Fred Zahl; and his final solo album, 2012’s Never Too Late. His triumphant first-ever UK appearance at Firefest 2010, backed by a band featuring guitarist Tommy Denander, was memorialised on the CD and DVD Live At Firefest. Jamison performed his final show just two days before his untimely passing on September 1, 2014.
Jimi Jamison’s family and friends have worked diligently to keep his memory and music at the forefront. Several all-star Jam for Jimi concerts have been staged in Memphis to raise money for his favorite charity, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. A stretch of Highland Street in Memphis was named Jimi Jamison Street in 2022. That same year, the first of several CD releases from the Jimi Jamison Archives, Rock Hard, presented his 1990 solo debut album as it was originally intended. He was inducted into the Memphis Music Hall of Fame in 2023. Memorabilia, including a fan-funded bronze bust, is on permanent display at the iconic Memphis venue, Lafayette’s Music Room. The tenth anniversary of his passing was acknowledged by Representative Steve Cohen in the United States House of Representatives. His shelved 2008 country rock collaboration with Jim Peterik, entitled Jimmy Wayne Jamison, was unvaulted at the same time. Members of his solo bands continue to play together in both .38 Special and Starship. A film, Resonating Voices: The Jimi Jamison Documentary, is in the early stages of development.
