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Disclaimer-This is not the real DONNIE IRIS.This is a fan page dedicated to man who wrote the great song AH Leah.
Donnie Iris was a former member of the group The Jaggerz (the one-hit wonder from 1970 responsible for the number-two hit "The Rapper"). After the Jaggerz broke up, Iris toured with Wild Cherry, whose 1976 hit "Play That Funky Music" had made them a hot property into the end of the decade. It was during this period that he became acquainted with his future partner Mark Avsec, now playing keyboards for Wild Cherry. Unfortunately, Wild Cherry was another one-hit wonder, and Iris was out of a job by 1980. But Donnie, along with Avsec, and his new band, The Cruisers, returned to the pop charts in the early '80s several times. He scored minor hits with the songs "Ah, Leah!" (reached ..29 on the Billboard charts), "My Girl" and "Love is Like a Rock".
Born Dominic Ierace in Ellwood City, Pennsylvania, Iris began singing at weddings at age five, and by eight was performing on local television and entering talent contests. When his voice changed, he took up the drums but later got back into singing while in high school. A self-taught guitarist, he formed Donnie & the Donnells while in college.
Aside from his hits ("Ah, Leah!" still gets FM airplay nationwide), Iris and The Cruisers were unable to achieve major success outside of the Pittsburgh area, but still record and perform in the Ohio Valley to this day.
DONNIE IRIS DISCOGRAPHY
1980 Back on the Streets Razor & Tie
1981 King Cool Razor & Tie
1982 The High and the Mighty MCA
1983 Fortune 410 MCA
1985 No Muss...No Fuss HME
1993 Foot Soldiers in the Moonlight Seathru
1993 Out of the Blue Seathru
2000 Live at Nick's Fat City Primary Records
2006 Ellwood City Primary
Billboard Top 200 Appearances
1981 Back On The Streets ..57
1981 King Cool ..84
1982 The High And The Mighty ..180
1983 Fortune 410 ..127
1985 No Muss...No Fuss .. 115
Billboard Singles Appearances
1981 Ah! Leah! Mainstream Rock 19
1981 Ah! Leah! Pop Singles 29
1981 I Can't Hear You Mainstream Rock 47
1981 Sweet Merilee Mainstream Rock 31
1981 Sweet Merilee Pop Singles 80
1982 Love Is Like A Rock Mainstream Rock 9
1982 Love Is Like A Rock Pop Singles 37
1982 My Girl Pop Singles 25
1982 Tough World Mainstream Rock 26
1982 Tough World Pop Singles 57
1982 The High And The Mighty Mainstream Rock 39
1983 Do You Compute? Mainstream Rock 20
1983 Do You Compute? Pop Singles 64
1985 Injured in the Game of Love Mainstream Rock Tracks 28
1985 Injured in the Game of Love The Billboard Hot 100 91
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