Raw owner Jim Stryker, middle, got a surprise customer a month ago when Wynona Judd stopped by. She returned the next night with her new husband, Michael ‘Cactus’ Moser.JIM STRIKERAge: 46.Hometown: Owensboro, Ky.Married: Heather, sons Cheyenne and Keaton.Education: Western Kentucky University.Vocation: Owner, Raw.
Jim Striker has always wanted to make sure the people around him were having a good time.
He believes it’s part of why he gravitated toward the restaurant and bar industry. In college, he and his buddies would rent out venues near the Western Kentucky University campus, bring in a DJ and throw a dance party.
Since moving to Chattanooga to be near his younger brother who was attending UTC, he has worked at such popular, though now defunct, places as David’s, Red Square and Yesterday’s. In 1995, he opened The Bay and now owns and operates Raw in Jack’s Alley.
Striker has also booked hundreds of acts at the places he works and has as much experience in the local entertainment industry as just about anyone else in town.