Dave Bickler - Survivor

Bickler is best known as a member of Survivor from 1977 to 1983 and again from 1993 until 2000. He was a part of the group for their first four albums: Survivor, Premonition, Eye of The Tiger and Caught in the Game. Although primarily serving as the band's lead vocalist during this time, he is also credited with playing keyboards on Survivor's first two albums (including being the sole keyboardist on their debut album, before erstwhile rhythm guitarist Jim Peterik began to take over the role on future releases). Survivor experienced their big breakthrough in 1982, when they were asked by Sylvester Stallone to provide the theme song for his movie Rocky III. 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 charts, soaring to #1 for seven weeks. The song won the band a Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal, was voted "Best New Song" by the People's Choice Awards 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 200 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 Store, 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 Up movie soundtrack with the voice of Jimi Jamison).

Bickler left the band in late 1983 after he developed polyps on his vocal cords 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 Tiger 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 Hits album on Scotti Bros. 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 Jamison 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 McAuley). Bickler is credited with co-writing two songs on the new Survivor album Reach with Frankie Sullivan: "I Don't" and "One More Chance". Bickler also began recording his first solo album in early 2001, which remains unreleased.