BIOGRAPHY
Born Dominic Ierace in Ellwood City, Pennsylvania on February 28, 1943, Donnie Iris learned to sing from his mother, a former orchestra vocalist, and was performing at weddings by age five and on local television by eight. He attended Lincoln High School and Slippery Rock State College before forming the Jaggerz in 1964, co-writing their 1970 hit The Rapper, which reached number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100. After a stint with Wild Cherry, Iris teamed with keyboardist Mark Avsec to launch a solo career. His 1980 debut, Back on the Streets, produced Ah! Leah! (number 29) and Love Is Like a Rock (number 37), cementing him as Pittsburgh's hometown rock hero. In 2015 he received a Pittsburgh Rock 'n Roll Legend Award, and he released eleven studio albums over his career.