Dave Bickler (born 1953) is an
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
vocalist, best known as the lead singer for the rock band
SurvivorSurvivor is an American rock band formed in 1978. The band achieved its greatest success in the 1980s with its pop-rock sound, which garnered many charting singles, especially in the United States. The band is best known for its Double Platinum-certified 1982 mega-hit "Eye of the Tiger", the theme...
from 1977–1983. His distinctive vocal was featured on the #1 U.S. hit "
Eye of the Tiger"Eye of the Tiger" is a song performed by the American rock band Survivor from the album Eye of the Tiger, released in 1982. It was used at the request of Sylvester Stallone for the film Rocky III...
". In addition to his wide vocal range, his street-wise image included a trademark
beretA beret is a soft round cap, usually of wool felt, with a flat crown, which is worn by both men and women and usually associated with France although it is also the traditional headgear of Northern Spain...
. Bickler would go on to provide the vocals in advertisements, including the
Real Men of GeniusReal Men of Genius is a series of one-minute-long American radio advertisements for Bud Light beer created by Bob Winter, a copywriter at DDB Chicago. Each sixty-second ad pays mock tribute to an "unsung hero". The series began in 1999 and was originally called Real American Heroes...
Bud Light TV and radio commercials.
Bickler's career began as lead singer of 1970s
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
rockRock music is a genre of popular music that entered the mainstream in the 1960s. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, rhythm and blues, country music and also drew on folk music, jazz and classical music....
group Jamestown Massacre, who recorded their debut album not later than 1972.
Dave Bickler (born 1953) is an
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
vocalist, best known as the lead singer for the rock band
SurvivorSurvivor is an American rock band formed in 1978. The band achieved its greatest success in the 1980s with its pop-rock sound, which garnered many charting singles, especially in the United States. The band is best known for its Double Platinum-certified 1982 mega-hit "Eye of the Tiger", the theme...
from 1977–1983. His distinctive vocal was featured on the #1 U.S. hit "
Eye of the Tiger"Eye of the Tiger" is a song performed by the American rock band Survivor from the album Eye of the Tiger, released in 1982. It was used at the request of Sylvester Stallone for the film Rocky III...
". In addition to his wide vocal range, his street-wise image included a trademark
beretA beret is a soft round cap, usually of wool felt, with a flat crown, which is worn by both men and women and usually associated with France although it is also the traditional headgear of Northern Spain...
. Bickler would go on to provide the vocals in advertisements, including the
Real Men of GeniusReal Men of Genius is a series of one-minute-long American radio advertisements for Bud Light beer created by Bob Winter, a copywriter at DDB Chicago. Each sixty-second ad pays mock tribute to an "unsung hero". The series began in 1999 and was originally called Real American Heroes...
Bud Light TV and radio commercials.
Biography
Bickler's career began as lead singer of 1970s
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
rockRock music is a genre of popular music that entered the mainstream in the 1960s. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, rhythm and blues, country music and also drew on folk music, jazz and classical music....
group Jamestown Massacre, who recorded their debut album not later than 1972. The Jamestown Massacre single "Summer Sun" was a Billboard Top 100 and Easy Listening chart entry in the summer of 1972. Bickler met
Jim PeterikJim Peterik is an American musician and songwriter. Jim is best known as one of the members in the band Survivor and as vocalist and songwriter of the hit song "Vehicle" by The Ides of March...
while doing commercial jingles in the mid-1970s. In 1971, Bickler graduated from
Benet AcademyBenet Academy is a private, co-educational, college-preparatory, Catholic, Benedictine high school in Lisle, Illinois. It is located in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Joliet in Illinois...
in
Lisle, IllinoisLisle is a village in DuPage County, Illinois, United States. The population was 21,182 at the 2000 census, and estimated to be 23,376 as of 2005...
.
Bickler is best known as a member of
SurvivorSurvivor is an American rock band formed in 1978. The band achieved its greatest success in the 1980s with its pop-rock sound, which garnered many charting singles, especially in the United States. The band is best known for its Double Platinum-certified 1982 mega-hit "Eye of the Tiger", the theme...
from 1977–1983 and 1993–2000. He was a part of the group for their first four albums:
SurvivorSurvivor is the eponymous debut album by the American rock band Survivor released in 1979.- Track listing :# "Somewhere in America"# "Can't Getcha Offa My Mind"# "Let It Be Now"# "As Soon As Love Finds Me"# "Youngblood"# "Love Has Got Me"...
,
Premonition,
Eye of The TigerEye of the Tiger is the third album by the American rock band Survivor, released in 1982. It features the title track, which is the theme song of the film Rocky III.-Track listing:- Personnel :* Dave Bickler: Lead Vocals...
and
Caught in the GameCaught in the Game is the fourth album by the American rock band Survivor, released in 1983. It features guest appearances by Mr. Mister's Richard Page and REO Speedwagon's Kevin Cronin.- Track listing :# "Caught in the Game" 4:46...
. Survivor experienced their big breakthrough in 1982, when they were asked by
Sylvester StalloneSylvester Gardenzio Stallone , nicknamed Sly Stallone, is an American actor, director, producer and screenwriter. One of the biggest box office draws in the world from the 1970s to the 1990s, Stallone is an icon of machismo and Hollywood action heroism...
to provide the theme song for his movie
Rocky IIIRocky III is the second sequel in the Rocky film series, released in 1982. It is written and directed by and stars Sylvester Stallone as the title character, with Carl Weathers as former boxing rival Apollo Creed, and Talia Shire as Rocky's wife, Adrian.Rocky's opponent is James "Clubber" Lang,...
. Enter "Eye of the Tiger", which soon turned into one of the biggest hits of the band's career. It had an enormous impact on the
Billboard chartsThe Billboard charts are music sales, airplay and digital ranking reports distributed to the general public by Billboard magazine. Billboard is considered the foremost authority worldwide in these song sales, airplay, digital reports, or music charts.On January 4, 1936, Billboard magazine published...
, soaring to #1 for seven weeks. The song won the band a
Grammy AwardThe Grammy Awards —or Grammys—are presented annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States for outstanding achievements in the music industry...
for
Best Rock Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal- 2000s :*Grammy Awards of 2009**Kings of Leon for "Sex on Fire"*Grammy Awards of 2008**The White Stripes for "Icky Thump"*Grammy Awards of 2007**Red Hot Chili Peppers for "Dani California"*Grammy Awards of 2006...
, was voted "Best New Song" by the
People's Choice AwardsThe People's Choice Awards is an awards show recognizing the people and the work of popular culture. The show has been held annually since 1975 and is voted on by the general public. The People's Choice Awards air on CBS and are produced by Procter & Gamble....
and received an Academy Award nomination. Thanks to the song's success and another Top 20 single, "American Heartbeat", the album
Eye of the Tiger stormed to #2 on the
Billboard 200The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling new music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
chart. The song remains a cultural phenomenon. It came in at #18 on the “Top 100 Singles” chart in Billboard's 100th Anniversary issue and it is well over the 300,000 mark on the
iTunes StoreThe iTunes Store is a software-based online digital media store operated by Apple Inc. Opening as the iTunes Music Store on April 28, 2003, it was as of April 2008 the number-one music vendor in the United States. As of January 2009, the store has sold 6 billion songs, accounting for 70% of...
, where it once held #9 on their “Top Soundtrack” chart.
Bickler also can be heard on other Survivor singles including "Somewhere In America", "Rebel Girl", "Poor Man's Son", "Summer Nights", "The One That Really Matters", "American Heartbeat", "Caught In The Game" and "Ever Since the World Began" (this song has a version that was featured on
Lock UpLock Up is a 1989 film detailing the last six months of the prison term of inmate Frank Leone . The movie largely involves the conflict between him and Warden Drumgoole .-Synopsis:...
movie soundtrack with the voice of Jimi Jamison).
Bickler left the band in late 1983 after he developed
polypsA polyp is an abnormal growth of tissue projecting from a mucous membrane. If it is attached to the surface by a narrow elongated stalk it is said to be pedunculated. If no stalk is present it is said to be sessile. Polyps are commonly found in the colon, stomach, nose, sinus, urinary bladder and...
on his
vocal cordsThe vocal folds, also known commonly as vocal cords, are composed of twin infoldings of mucous membrane stretched horizontally across the larynx. They vibrate, modulating the flow of air being expelled from the lungs during phonation...
and required surgery and voice rest, a condition that would take a year and a half to recuperate from. Bickler was also unhappy about his lack of a bigger payday he felt was owed him for the multiplatinum success the band had from their hit album
Eye of The TigerEye of the Tiger is the third album by the American rock band Survivor, released in 1982. It features the title track, which is the theme song of the film Rocky III.-Track listing:- Personnel :* Dave Bickler: Lead Vocals...
released a year earlier. After leaving Survivor, Bickler continued recording with other groups in the Chicago area and doing commercial jingles and ads.
Bickler rejoined Survivor in early 1993 as lead vocalist for a
Greatest HitsGreatest Hits is a 1993 compilation album by the American rock band Survivor.-Track listing:#"Eye of the Tiger" - 4:09#"You Know Who You Are" - 4:51#"Burning Heart" - 3:49...
album on
Scotti Bros.Scotti Brothers Records was a California-based record label founded by Tony and Ben Scotti in 1974. Their first success was releasing albums from teen pop star Leif Garrett. They later helped launch the careers of "Weird Al" Yankovic and Survivor...
featuring two new songs "You Know Who You Are" and "Hungry Years" (which he co-wrote). Bickler recorded new music with the band in hopes of a new album, but ongoing lawsuits and trademark ownership issues with former singer
Jimi JamisonJimi Jamison is a rock vocalist and songwriter, best known as the lead singer for the band Survivor from 1984-1989 and 2000-2006.- Further biography :...
halted the release.
Bickler was fired in early 2000 after a brief string of tour dates. He was replaced once again by Jimi Jamison (who split with Survivor in July 2006 and was replaced by Hard Rock Singer
Robin McAuleyRobin McAuley is an Irish rock vocalist known mostly for his work in McAuley Schenker Group and before that Grand Prix recording 2 albums...
). Bickler is credited with co-writing two songs on the new Survivor album
ReachReach is the 8th album from the rock band Survivor, released under Tower Records and the band's latest album in 18 years. Some of the material originates from a period from 1993 to 1996 when the band recorded demos for an unreleased album that can be heard on the Fire Makes Steel bootleg...
with Frankie Sullivan: "I Don't" and "One More Chance". Bickler also began recording his first solo album in early 2001, which remains unreleased.
Since 2000, Bickler has continued his venture in recording commercials and video advertisements. His singing is featured in the successful Budweiser Light "Real American Heroes" and "
Real Men of GeniusReal Men of Genius is a series of one-minute-long American radio advertisements for Bud Light beer created by Bob Winter, a copywriter at DDB Chicago. Each sixty-second ad pays mock tribute to an "unsung hero". The series began in 1999 and was originally called Real American Heroes...
" ad campaign (the decision to change the campaign from Heroes to Genius was made after 9/11) singing plaintively in counterpoint to the wry commentary of voice actor Peter Stacker. Over 100 of these commercials have been recorded and broadcast on sports radio stations and events for over ten years. A handful of CDs from the Bud Light ads have been released and sold over 100,000 copies in its first three weeks of release.
With Survivor
- Survivor
Survivor is the eponymous debut album by the American rock band Survivor released in 1979.- Track listing :# "Somewhere in America"# "Can't Getcha Offa My Mind"# "Let It Be Now"# "As Soon As Love Finds Me"# "Youngblood"# "Love Has Got Me"...
(1979)
- Premonition (1981)
- Eye of the Tiger
Eye of the Tiger is the third album by the American rock band Survivor, released in 1982. It features the title track, which is the theme song of the film Rocky III.-Track listing:- Personnel :* Dave Bickler: Lead Vocals...
(1982)
- Caught in the Game
Caught in the Game is the fourth album by the American rock band Survivor, released in 1983. It features guest appearances by Mr. Mister's Richard Page and REO Speedwagon's Kevin Cronin.- Track listing :# "Caught in the Game" 4:46...
(1983)
External links