Five for Fighting is the one-man band of John Ondrasik, who rose to fame in 2001 on the strength of the pop/rock ballad “Superman (It’s Not Easy).” The single became popular after the events of September 11, 2001, which shone new light on Five for Fighting’s tale of flight, insecurity, and heroics. Another Top 40 hit, “100 Years,” followed three years later, thus cementing Five for Fighting’s status as one of the decade’s leading balladeers. Using the stage name Five for Fighting — a term he appropriated from ice hockey’s rule book — Ondrasik made his major-label in 1997 by releasing Message for Albert. He then issued America Town in 2000. Five for Fighting performed the song at the Concert for New York City that winter, and America Town went platinum several months later. While it was a bittersweet way to find fame, the single’s success gave Ondrasik the artistic license he’d always craved. When The Battle for Everything appeared in early 2004, it was Five for Fighting’s most stylistically ambitious and lyrically bold recording to date. 2006’s Two Lights continued Ondrasik’s exploration of blue-collar America by focusing on love, mortality, war, and family. A concert album, entitled Back Country Live, arrived in 2007, followed by Slice in October 2009. He released Bookmarks in 2013. Five for Fighting continues to put up the good fight, playing for audiences all over the world.
