Jimmy Demers

by Steve Leggett
Blessed with an amazing voice and the wisdom to know exactly what to do with it, Jimmy Demers was raised in Worcester, MA, where he began singing at the age of four. Along with his brother, songwriter Donnie Demers, he began his professional career on Jerry Lewis' Muscular Dystrophy Association Telethon in 1982 and was a runner-up on Ed McMahon's Star Search in the mid-'80s. Soon Demers was an in-demand singer at sessions for everyone from Cher and Paula Abdul to Garth Brooks, Dionne Warwick, and even Bob Hope. Demers next joined the boy band Truth Inc., which signed to Interscope Records and had a middling pop hit, "Sex on the Beach," in 1990. He also found time to sing countless commercial jingles, including high-profile spots for Coca-Cola, AOL, and McDonald's. In 2007, Demers sang his brother Donnie's composition, "Let the Best of You Go Free," to a stadium audience of over 65,000 people at the closing ceremony of the World Summer Games Special Olympics, a clear emotional high point in his career. Signed by the Concord Music Group, Demers released his debut solo album, Dream a Little, with the label in 2008. The album included a Diane Warren song, "Nothing Hurts Like Love," and three tracks arranged by Victor Vanacore.