House Resolution 11

A RESOLUTION COMMENDING THE LEGENDARY MUSICAL CAREER OF THE LATE JIMI JAMISON, LEAD SINGER OF THE RENOWNED BAND SURVIVOR.

WHEREAS, the late Jimi Jamison, a Mississippi native and the powerful lead singer of the rock band Survivor, is being honored for his outstanding musical career as well as for making an indelible contribution in the music industry; and

WHEREAS, Jimmy Wayne Jamison, who was best known as Jimi Jamison, was born on August 23, 1951, in Durant, Mississippi, but soon after his birth, he relocated to Memphis, Tennessee, with his family; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Jamison, as a teen, grew up listening to Blues-Rock and Soul music, and he also taught himself to play the guitar and the piano, and destined to become a performer, he performed his first song entitled "Day Tripper" by the Beatles in front of a crowd in middle school and soon after, at the age of 12, he got his first taste of success in an R&B band called The Debuts with a hit single entitled "If I Cry" in 1968; and

WHEREAS, in the mid-1970s, Mr. Jamison, and a few others including guitarist Buddy Davis, formed the Memphis southern rock band Target, and from 1974-1980 the band had some success and released the albums Target (1976) and Captured (1977) on A&M Records, and they opened concerts for Black Sabbath, Boston and KISS; and

WHEREAS, from 1981-1983, Mr. Jamison performed with the band Cobra and were signed with Epic Records after having a hit in Memphis, and the band released one album entitled "First Strike" in 1983 and from this album the British music magazine Kerrang! listed the album number one in its import charts and with the song "Blood on Your Money" even getting aired on MTV, which was Mr. Jamison's first music video; and

WHEREAS, in part, due to Mr. Jamison and the band Cobra experiencing only moderate commercial success, the band split, and in 1984, he was invited to join the rock band Survivor, whose success had begun to fade since having a number one hit in 1982 with "Eye of the Tiger"; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Jamison, due to his powerful vocals, was able to instantly place the band back on top with his first recording with the band being "The Moment of Truth" (The Karate Kid theme song), which reached number 63 on the Billboard Hot 100 in July of 1984; and

WHEREAS, later in 1984, Mr. Jamison's first full album with Survivor, and the band's fifth overall, was Vital Signs and with this album there were several hit singles such as "High on You", "I Can't Hold Back", "The Search is Over" and "First Night", and in 1985, the band went on tour with headliners Bryan Adams and REO Speedwagon and in that same year Survivor was asked by Sylvester Stallone to perform a song for the film Rocky IV and due to this request another hit, "Burning Heart", was achieved; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Jamison's second album with Survivor, When Seconds Count was released in 1986 and included the hit single "Is This Love," and in late 1988 the band released its final 80s album entitled Too Hot to Sleep; and

WHEREAS, from 1980-1999, Mr. Jamison embarked on his solo career, and in 1991, he released his first solo album, When Love Comes Down, and from this album the songs "Rock Hard" and "Taste of Love" were used in episodes of Baywatch, and the latter was also used in the 1992 film Jersey Girl, and he even co-wrote and performed the Baywatch theme song "I'm Always Here"; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Jamison reunited with Survivor from 2000-2006, and during that time the band earned an Emmy Nomination for making an Eye of Tiger parody, and also, the band released Reach in 2006, which was the band's first new album in 18 years; and

WHEREAS, from 2007-2014, Mr. Jamison returned to solo work and released his solo album, Crossroads Moment, in 2008 before having a final tenure with Survivor from 2011-2014, and his last show with the band benefited cancer patients and the band performed hits such as "Feels Like Love", "Broken Promises", "Take You on a Saturday", "High on You", "The Search is Over" and a few others before ending this final performance with "Eye of the Tiger"; and

WHEREAS, in addition to performing with Survivor, Mr. Jamison, throughout his career, was known for his collaborations where he provided background vocals for several bands and artists - all of which have left an indelible mark on the music industry; and

WHEREAS, although this Magnolia State native, Mr. Jamison, passed away on September 1, 2014, his stamp on the music industry will remain and be remembered for generations to come:

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, That we do hereby commend the late Mr. Jimi Jamison, a Mississippi native, upon his outstanding musical career as well as his musical contributions as lead singer of the rock band Survivor.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be furnished to the family of Mr. Jimmy "Jimi" Wayne Jamison and to the members of the Capitol Press Corps.