Five For Fighting is the work of singer-songwriter John Ondrasik, a confessed hockey fan, who started the band in the late Nineties. From the school of Elton John and Billy Joel, he adopted the name “Five for Fighting,” which is an expression in ice hockey when a player receives a five-minute penalty for fighting. Ondrasik thought “Five for Fighting” would be more memorable than his real name. In 1997 John released his debut album and in 2000 Five for Fighting signed with Columbia Records and released America Town on September 26, 2000. At first the album made little impact, but the song “Superman (It’s Not Easy)” became an anthem after the attacks on 9/11. Ondrasik would perform the song at The Concert for New York City in late 2001 and made him a star.

“Superman (It’s Not Easy)” started climbing the charts reaching the top 20 of the Billboard Hot 100 and number one on the Billboard Adult Top 40. While America Town failed to make the top 50 of the Billboard 200 album charts, its consistent sales led to its going platinum. When John isn’t busy being a rock star he writes a hockey column for Sports Illustrated online.

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Five For Fighting Official site
John’s column about hockey for Sports Illustrated