Who is Frankie Sullivan? 'Eye of the Tiger' co-writer blasts Nikki Haley for playing hit song at event
WASHINGTON, DC: Nikki Haley, a former governor of South Carolina and an ambassador to the United Nations, made an unusual bid for the presidency on Wednesday, February 15. When announcing her candidacy in Charleston, South Carolina, the Republican challenged her former boss, one-term president Donald Trump, pumping up the crowd by entering to one of the most cherished songs 'Eye of the Tiger,' by Survivor released in 1982.
Frankie Sullivan, a Survivor guitarist, and the song's co-writer told DailyMail that the former UN ambassador should stop using the song at the event right away because he did not approve of it. Sullivan claimed that his decision was not motivated by politics and that he would not permit any politician, regardless of party, to use one of his songs. He has previously prevailed in cease-and-desist cases against Mike Huckabee and Newt Gingrich.
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Who is Frankie Sullivan?
Frankie Sullivan is an American guitarist famed as a founding member of the rock band Survivor. He has been the only remaining original member in the band's lineup since it started in 1977. Sullivan who was born in Chicago, Illinois is an actor and composer best recognized for Rocky III (1982), Lock Up (1989), and Shazam! (2019), as per IMDB.
What is Frankie Sullivan's net worth?
The Guitarist Frankie Sullivan is estimated to have a net worth of $20 million, as per Celebrity Net Worth. He co-wrote Survivor's hit 'Eye of the Tiger,' which was made famous by the Rocky movies and reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, US Mainstream, Australian, and UK charts. He was a part of the hard rock group Mariah in 1976.
'That song stays with Rocky franchise'
Eye of the Tiger's co-writer wants Nikki Haley to stop using the song. "No, f*** them. Write their own [songs]. Half of them don't know what the hell to do, why don't they try writing songs? They'll probably be lousy songs but they won't be any lousier than the way they run everything else," Sullivan stated to Daily Mail. He added, "They don't belong going anywhere near Eye of the Tiger. That song stays with the Rocky franchise."
'Slap on the wrist, and then it all goes away'
The song was featured in the popular film Rocky III, in which Mr T's character, Clubber Lang, battles Sylvester Stallone's title character. As per Sullivan, the best-case scenario for Haley after her usage of the song will be a "slap on the wrist, and then it all goes away." "Get it down. I don't want it up there. It's up on YouTube. I didn't look but I know. I'm sure it is," Sullivan added. The musician announced his decision to get the rally video taken down from YouTube but admitted that doing so would be a "b****"
'Entertainment and politics don't mix'
Republicans including Mike Huckabee, Mitt Romney, and Newt Gingrich have already used the song in their races. Sullivan claimed that he sued in those instances and won. He said, "I would never let a f*****g politician use that song because entertainment and politics don't mix."