The Performers

Jim Peterik

Jim Peterik is a survivor. Those words prophetically appeared first on the back of his first solo album “Don’t Fight The Feeling” back in the seventies. In the decades since, Jim has lived up to that term.

For over 55 years Jim has been the driving force of The Ides Of March. Their timeless hit “Vehicle” is played daily all over the world; and their live show remains a juggernaut featuring all the original members.

In the seventies, Jim combined his love for melody with driving rock in the band Survivor. Their phenomenal rise to the top was borne on the back of the amazing songs that Jim co-wrote. “The Eye Of The Tiger” from the film Rocky III, has become an indelible classic, and garnered Jim Grammy™ and People’s Choice awards; as well as an Oscar™ nomination. Other Billboard chart-toppers followed: “The Search Is Over, High On You, and I Can’t Hold Back”. Further hits from films followed, too. “Burning Heart” from Rocky IV topped the charts; and Jim co-wrote the theme of the seminal animation hit “Heavy Metal” with Sammy Hagar.

A long lasting and fruitful relationship started in 1980 between Jim and the southern-rock group .38 Special. Jim co-wrote their platinum hits “Hold On Loosely, Caught Up In You, Wild-Eyed Southern Boys, Fantasy Girl, and Rockin’ Into The Night”. Their collaboration continues to this day. Jim has also written with the beloved Lynyrd Skynyrd.

Jim Peterik has never lost his verve for the style of music that he helped forge, namely melodic rock. His group Pride Of Lions tours the European continent regularly, and their albums and DVDs are best sellers. Pride Of Lions new Album “Dream Higher” was released in 2024.

Expanding (but not too far) from the musical realm in 2002, Jim co-authored “Songwriting For Dummies” This book distilled a lifetime of successful songwriting into simple language, and shed light on some of the arcane wisdom of writing songs. In the years since, the book has achieved “Best Seller” status and has recently gone into its second printing, with a major update.

In September of 2014, Jim’s Autobiography “Through The Eye Of The Tiger” was released. The book traces Jim’s path from humble beginnings in Suburban Chicago to his stellar career as a Platinum Hit Songwriter, Successful Musician and In-Demand Producer. In 2016 Jim released “The Songs”, taking his top hits to Nashville in an entirely new light, working with some of Music City’s greatest.

Recently, Jim has worked with Dennis DeYoung, formerly of Styx on his 2 acclaimed solo releases; and is working with Chicago’s Robert Lamm. Jim also produced “Tigress: Women Who Rock The World” released in 2021.

Old Dominion

Old Dominion’s skyscraping anthems and electrifying live shows have put the multi-platinum-selling band prominently at the forefront of country music. Fusing clever lyrics and an infectious sound, their lyrical wit and hook-heavy songwriting has certainly proved to be a winning formula for Nashville’s hottest band. It’s no wonder Rolling Stone cited Old Dominion as “one of mainstream country music’s most popular live groups.”

Since breaking onto the music scene, the band has notched nine No. 1 singles at country radio, surpassed five billion on-demand streams, earned a dozen RIAA Platinum and Gold single certifications, and headlined arenas and amphitheaters around the globe. Old Dominion are currently the reigning 8X Academy of Country Music and 7X Country Music Association “Group of the Year.” Between the ACMs and CMAs, Old Dominion has won the "Group of the Year" title more than any other act in country music history. The band performed a seven-show residency at Nashville’s legendary Ryman Auditorium this February, raising more than $1.25M for seven charities the band has been actively engaged with over their career.

The band’s sixth studio album Barbara was released on August 22nd, blending its signature melodic, guitar-driven sound with deeper reflections on life, love, and mortality and leaning into more mature themes without losing their optimistic spirit. Their massive How Good Is That -World

Mac McAnally

Record setting 10-time CMA Musician of the Year, Mac McAnally is a Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, Mississippi Musicians Hall of Fame and Alabama Music Hall of Fame inductee. The renowned songwriter, singer, and instrumentalist has written dozens of hit records for other artists, several of which peaked at #1. His own recording career began with debut hit single “It’s A Crazy World” and has grown to 14 album releases. He has written hits for Alabama, Jimmy Buffett, Kenny Chesney, and Sawyer Brown, and has studio credits that include albums by Toby Keith, Linda Ronstadt, George Strait and Dolly Parton among many others.

Scotty Emerick

Before joining Toby Keith’s traveling road show, writing #1s “Beer for My Horses”, the driving Willie Nelson duet, “As Good as I Once Was,” “I’m Just Talkin’ About Tonight,” “I Love This Bar,” and “Whiskey Girl” along with 46 other Keith cuts, the likable Emerick was forging relationships with the greatest songwriters of the past fifty years. Impressed by his knowledge of not just the songs and the stars, but the people who wrote, played, produced and engineered them, whoever came in contact with the emerging writer – from Willie Nelson and George Strait to Kenny Chesney and Keith – kept him around. Emerick’s ability to channel authenticity into song has seen him earn NSAI’s Songwriter of the Year as well as Best Country Song Grammy and CMA nominations.