by Brittany Dowdle and James Fraleigh
Cover design by Ty Nowicki
Cover photo by Marc Hauser
Text design and composition by John Reinhardt Book Design
Printed by Lake Book Manufacturing, Inc., Melrose Park, IL
Distributed by Perseus Distribution
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There’s a Story in My Eyes . . .
Dedicated to the first cool guys in my life,
Binky Cihak and Johnny Babinek—
on Wesley Avenue we learned about cars, ukuleles, marbles,
scooters, and the wonders of rock ’n’ roll.
Contents
I. There’s a Story in My Eyes …, Introduction by Jim Peterik
II. In the Light of 1,000 Smiles, Introduction by Lisa Torem
3. Capturing Memories from Afar
5. A Bad Guitar and a Simple Song
7. Under the Spell of the Hot Lights
8. Such Complete Intoxication
9. From the Backstreets to the City
10. My Wavelength Gets a Little Longer
11. Time to Trade Those Dreams
12. Two Worlds Collide
13. The Child Is Born a Survivor
14. The Man behind the Music
15. The Dream Gets Changed on Its Way to Reality
16. Living for a Dream
17. The Currency of Love Changes Hands
18. Don’t Lose Your Grip
19. Storm upon the Skyline
20. Keeper of the Flame
21. Oceans between Us
22. Mean Streets, Blind Alleys
23. It’s the Singer Not the Song
24. On the Road Again
25. Venting Years of Frustrations
26. Sun Sinkin’ but the Fire’s Still Burning
27. Another Part of the Plan
28. The Path from Dark to Light
29. Caught in the Game, Again
30. Turning My Back on the Thunder
31. A Man and His Will to Survive
32. The Fire Within Still Burns
33. The Search Has Come Full Circle
Acknowledgments
Chiseled in Stone … Postscript by Jim Peterik
I FIRST MET Jim Peterik in 1968, or was it ’69, hmmmmm…
The roads are windswept and slippery as our tour bus creeps up I-57 headed for a snowbound Chicago. At 4 a.m. I am eyes open in the back lounge, iPad in hand, rummaging through my weary head for the exact memory.
… I believe it may have actually been 1968, after an Ides of March show at The Blue Village teen club in Westmont, Illinois, one of many psychedelic-themed live music spots which were popping up all over Chicagoland at that time. Through the black-lit haze, in a moment certainly tattooed on Jimmy’s brain, some pimply-chinned high school kid walked up to him as he was packing up his guitar, and said, “Hey man, I’m in a band too, and I think ‘You Wouldn’t Listen’ is a really good song.” Jim Peterik was already a local rock star by then and could have easily blown me off … but he didn’t. Since that fateful night I have gone on to do everything from booking Jimmy and The Ides at Brother Rice High School’s prom in 1969, to forging a long-term friendship while co-writing and recording a number of Peterik/Cronin songs with my band, REO Speedwagon.
For as long as I have known him, Jimmy has always been a stand-up guy, prolifically talented, smart, quirky, naturally funny, a fair and honest collaborator, and a loyal friend. We share the same Midwest work ethic, a love and respect for songs and their creation, as well as an undying belief that music is our salvation. We both still feel the thrill when that final word of a new song magically travels from pen to notebook, when that perfect master mix explodes from the studio monitors, when at last you hear your record on the radio so you pull off to the side of the road, roll down the windows, crank it up full blast, and dig the moment!
Jim has largely flown under the global rock radar. He remains as underrated a singer and guitar player as he is well respected by his songwriting peers and beloved by his fans. He knows everything there is to know about writing a hit song and has a whole bunch of ’em under his silver-studded leather belt to prove it. He is constantly scribbling notes or dictating song ideas into one handheld device or another, totally committed to his craft. When together we have stumbled upon that precise lyric line or unique chord progression we are searching for, his whole being lights up with a love of the music-making process … a rarity in this digital age.
Jim possesses a personality that is built for artistic