Jimi Jamison remembers the job offer that was on the table in 1983 to take over as lead singer of the band Survivor.

"It was a totally different kind of music and I didn't know if I'd be able to do it," he recalled during a telephone interview from his home in Memphis.

But one session with his car radio convinced him.

"I was driving from Schaumburg (Ill.) in the suburbs to downtown Chicago and heard 'High on You' (the band's hit at the time) four times and thought, 'Maybe this'll work out after all,' " he said with a laugh.

Although Jamison - who plays tonight at Riverboat Days in Clinton, Iowa - sees himself as more of a blues-rocker and currently plays with as many as five different bands, it's the Survivor music that brings out the crowds.

Jamison left the band in the midst of recording its 2006 album "Reach" because he was owed "quite a bit of money."

"There's no hard feelings. It's just business," he said.

He still plays with Survivor founding member Jim Peterik in the band World Stage, which is scheduled to be featured on the PBS television series "Soundstage" this fall.

Survivor songs take up a lot of Jamison's show, as does his most recent album, "Crossroads Moment."

But he gets to have fun with his band as well as his audience during shows, he said.

"We start jamming and do every possible song we can think of that fits into those chords. It's a fun thing when we get the audience hollering out songs that fit," he said. "It's like 'stump the band.' "

The concert concludes with Survivor's biggest hit, "Eye of the Tiger." Although the song, written for the "Rocky III" movie in 1982, was recorded with Survivor's previous lead singer, Jamison has made it his own. As the concert finale, it includes a lengthy guitar solo and drum effects.

"It makes it more theatrical and entertaining with fans," he said.

The song continues to have an impact, with Jamison saying that his friend, St. Louis Cardinals manager Tony LaRussa, plays it sometimes to energize the baseball team.

"It's so uplifting, especially used in a sports situation for schools," Jamison added.