Steve Perry (musician)
Encyclopedia
Stephen Ray "Steve" Perry (born January 22, 1949) is an American
singer and songwriter best known as the lead vocalist
of the rock band Journey
from 1977–1987 and 1995–1998. Perry had a successful solo career throughout the late 1980s and early '90s.
Perry's voice has garnered acclaim from musical peers and music publications. Queen's
Brian May
described Perry as "a truly luminous singer, in my opinion — a voice in a million"; producer and American Idol
judge Randy Jackson
opined that "Other than Robert Plant
, there's no singer in rock that even came close to Steve Perry". Perry was ranked #76th in "The 100 Greatest Singers of All-Time" by Rolling Stone
, who lauded his "technical skills, pure tone and passionate sincerity." Allmusic said of Perry: "If only one singer could be selected as the most identifiable with '80s arena rock
, it would have to be Journey's Steve Perry."
Perry resides in Del Mar
, California
.
, Perry is of Portuguese
descent. Perry grew up interested in music, as his father, Ray Pereira (who later changed his last name to Perry), was a vocalist. On his twelfth birthday (January 22, 1961), Mary presented her son with a gold eighth note
necklace, which he still wears for good luck. When Perry was twelve years old, he heard Sam Cooke
's song "Cupid
" on his mother's car radio. This inspired Perry to become a singer.
The family moved to Lemoore, California
during Perry's teen years. He attended high school there, drumming
in the marching band
as well as in extracurricular bands. He attended College of the Sequoias
, in Visalia, California
, for a short time after graduation, where he took first tenor
in the choir there. Perry's mother encouraged his musical growth during this time.
Perry moved to Banta, California
outside of Tracy, California
, where he fronted the band Alien Project in his mid-twenties. He nearly gave up music when the bassist of that band, Richard Michaels, was killed in an automobile accident. Perry returned to Lemoore and decided not to continue his singing career, but at the urging of his mother, Perry answered a call from Walter "Herbie" Herbert, manager of the struggling San Francisco-based band, Journey.
. Fleischman had never moved under Herbert's management, preferring to maintain his previous manager and had never in fact integrated well with the band's then progressive rock
style. Perry was brought on tour and to avoid alarming Fleischman was introduced clandestinely as roadie John Villanueva's Portuguese cousin and surreptitiously performed a song with Journey during a sound check in Long Beach
while Fleischman was away from the stage and Herbert informed the band of the line-up change.
Perry brought a completely new pop sound to the band's music, despite grumblings from his new bandmates and fans of Journey's former progressive rock sound. He made his public debut on October 28, 1977 in San Francisco, and received a mixed reception. Perry determinedly proved the critics wrong, and won over new audiences on his first album with the group, Infinity, which included a song of his own composition called "Lights." The band's style had changed dramatically, but as Journey began to garner radio airplay and media buzz over Infinity, Perry's arrival was accepted.
He provided lead vocals on nine of Journey's albums: Infinity (1978
), Evolution
(1979
), Departure
(1980
), Dream, After Dream (1980, a Japanese movie soundtrack), Captured
(1980, a live album), Escape
(1981
, which went to #1 on the Billboard charts
), Frontiers (1983
), Raised on Radio
(1986
), and Trial By Fire
(1996
). The single "Open Arms," from Escape, was their biggest hit single, residing for six weeks at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100
. Perry had become the unmistakable voice of Journey throughout his time with the band.
During his tenure with Journey, Perry sang backing vocals on several Sammy Hagar
songs, including the 1980 track "Run For Your Life," and duetting with Kenny Loggins
on the 1982 #17 hit single "Don't Fight It." Perry also worked with other musicians such as Sheena Easton
, Clannad and Jon Bon Jovi
during the height of his career.
In 1984, following the release of Frontiers and the tour supporting this effort, Perry released his first solo album, entitled Street Talk
, named after the original name of Perry's earlier band Alien Project. The record sold more than 2 million units, scoring the hit singles #3 "Oh Sherrie
," written for his then-girlfriend Sherrie Swafford, and #18 "Foolish Heart." The music video
for "Oh Sherrie" saw heavy rotation
on MTV
. "She's Mine" and "Strung Out" were also released as singles from this project, which featured former Alien Project drummer Craig Krampf on a few tracks, guitarist Michael Landau, and future American Idol
judge Randy Jackson
on bass, amongst others.
In 1985, Perry was one of 21 singers in the USA for Africa
all-star benefit song "We Are the World
." He also recorded a song, "If Only For the Moment, Girl" for the We Are the World
album. This song was added to the reissue of his album Street Talk. It was during this period also that Perry worked with the Irish folk-rock group Clannad on their 1987 album Sirius
.
Perry debated continuing a solo career or returning to Journey after the success of Street Talk. He left his second solo album Against the Wall unfinished and instead sang on Journey's Raised on Radio album. Perry would revisit his solo project after the Raised On Radio tour but it never saw completion. Several of the songs that were recorded for Against the Wall, however, did appear much later on Perry's 1998 solo compilation, Greatest Hits + Five Unreleased
.
While Perry was re-uniting with Journey, his mother became ill. The recording of Raised on Radio, which Perry was producing, was stop-and-go as he frequently returned to the San Joaquin valley to visit his mother, who died during the production of Raised on Radio. It took a major toll on Journey to have intermittent recording sessions and a vocalist who was not with the band much of the time. Eventually, as Perry later said, he was "toasted". Journey disbanded in 1987 after the Raised on Radio tour. Perry then disappeared from the public eye for seven years, taking a break from the music industry.
, his second solo effort. The album enjoyed some success, partly due to the Strange Medicine world tour.
Journey's classic 1981–85 lineup reunited in 1996 to record Trial by Fire
. The album was a huge success, entering the Billboard charts at #3 and going Platinum before year's end, but its triumph was short-lived. Before the Trial By Fire tour could begin, Perry suffered a hip injury while hiking in Hawaii and was unable to perform. Perry was diagnosed with a degenerative bone condition and a hip replacement would be required. Reluctant to rush into surgery, Perry wished to postpone the tour. Due to the long wait between the album's release and the tour's postponed kick-off date, as well as the absence of Journey's iconic frontman, Journey fans were losing hope for the band's future.
Meanwhile, long-time Journey drummer Steve Smith
resigned, reportedly saying "Journey without Steve Perry was like Jack without his box." (Smith had rejoined, along with original Journey member Ross Valory
, to complete what Perry has referred to as the band's wedding band line-up.)
The remaining members waited until 1998, nearly 17 months after Perry's injury, before making a decision on Journey's future. Growing impatient and realizing the window of opportunity was closing to follow up the success of the Platinum-selling Trial By Fire LP with a world tour, Journey members Jonathan Cain
and Neal Schon
met with Perry and presented an ultimatum that he either undergo hip replacement surgery so the tour could proceed upon his recovery or a replacement singer would be hired. Perry, still hesitant to undergo surgery and now apparently upset at his bandmates' intractability and their perceived meddling in personal health decisions, decided to part ways with Journey. Perry's vocal duties were later taken over by Steve Augeri
of Tall Stories, and nearly two years after the album's initial release, Journey began its long-postponed tour.
While being interviewed during Journey's Revelation tour of 2008, Schon and Cain praised Perry's mighty presence in Journey, adding that Perry had "raised the bar" for Journey. Bassist Valory suggested Journey lead singers who sound like him do so in honor of Perry's legacy with Journey.
later in 1998; the unreleased tracks included an original Alien Project demo as well as selections from the abandoned Against the Wall CD. Also in 1998, Perry recorded two songs for the Warner Bros.
film, Quest for Camelot
, which can be found on the motion picture's soundtrack.
Journey was the subject of an episode of VH1
's Behind the Music
in 2001
, where Perry made the statement that he "never really felt like he was part of the band", to which former manager Herbie Herbert reacted saying "that's like the Pope saying he never really felt Catholic."
Perry appeared at a ceremony on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
on January 21, 2005, after previously stating it was unlikely that he would ever stand with the band again. He indicated that, though it was a good experience, his rejoining Journey is not likely. However, he has also stated "[n]ever say never, unless you mean never, never the less" when the issue of returning to Journey has been mentioned.
In 2005
, Perry produced "The Secret of Moving On", a track on a solo album for former Ambrosia
lead vocalist David Pack
. Perry also provided background vocals for "A Brand New Start," among the many songs he and Pack co-wrote shortly after the September 11, 2001 attacks
. The album, released in September 2005, includes covers
of two of Pack's biggest hits with Ambrosia, "Biggest Part of Me" and "You're the Only Woman."
During the 2005 baseball season
, the Chicago White Sox
adopted Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'
" as their unofficial team anthem. As a result, Perry (an avid San Francisco Giants
fan) was asked to attend the World Series
and even traveled with the White Sox to Houston where Perry joined the players on the field and in the locker room as they celebrated their championship.
In late 2006, Perry's two solo projects, Street Talk and For the Love of Strange Medicine (both featuring previously unreleased material), and his Greatest Hits CD were remastered and re-released. Sony Legacy released Playlist: The Very Best of Steve Perry on January 13, 2009, a compilation of some of his best songs.
Perry rekindled a childhood love for cattle and dairy farming, including an interest in a small bovine insemination business in California's Central Valley.
Perry attended the second game of the 2010 World Series in San Francisco. In the middle of the eighth inning, more than 43,000 San Francisco Giants
fans at AT&T Park began singing along to the song "Lights" by Journey. Perry, a Giants fan, was shown jumping around on the scoreboard and pumping up the crowd. The Giants went on to win 9–0 over the Texas Rangers
.
In an interview with, Classic Rock Presents AOR
released in December 2010, it was revealed that Perry has written over 50 songs and is contemplating his first solo project since 1994. "A little over a year and a half ago, I felt I could maybe come back to it, I have been writing. I have about 50 songs, in a little over a year. I never thought I would do it again, but I decided to open up that room and see what I could find. It's been interesting. Some of it sounds familiar, some of it sounds contemporary, some of it you can't put a label on - and I've never been big on labels anyway." Perry is reluctant however to put a timescale on his return. "I'll be honest, I don't really know how to do that but I can definitely smell a solo project on the horizon. I will be recording some music."
has been widely recognized as a major influence on Perry's vocal style.
He ranked number 76 in Rolling Stone
s 100 Greatest Singers of All Time. Queen
guitarist Brian May
said in a 2007 interview "Perry is a truly luminous singer, in my opinion — a voice in a million. And if anybody knows a great voice, it's me", in reference to former bandmate Freddie Mercury
.
In a recent interview, former bassist
, Sony
record executive, and American Idol
judge Randy Jackson
opined that "Other than Robert Plant
, there's no singer in rock that even came close to Steve Perry". Jackson goes on to say "The power, the range, the tone — he created his own style. He mixed a little Motown, a little Everly Brothers, a little Zeppelin
." Jackson also puts the rumors to rest about Perry's voice saying "I just saw him not long ago, and he still has the golden voice." Perry was awarded the title of "greatest rock singer" in WROQ
's 2010 March Bracket Brawl for the greatest rock singer.
Americans
The people of the United States, also known as simply Americans or American people, are the inhabitants or citizens of the United States. The United States is a multi-ethnic nation, home to people of different ethnic and national backgrounds...
singer and songwriter best known as the lead vocalist
Singing
Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
of the rock band Journey
Journey (band)
Journey is an American rock band formed in 1973 in San Francisco by former members of Santana. The band has gone through several phases; its strongest commercial success occurred between the 1978 and 1987, after which it temporarily disbanded...
from 1977–1987 and 1995–1998. Perry had a successful solo career throughout the late 1980s and early '90s.
Perry's voice has garnered acclaim from musical peers and music publications. Queen's
Queen (band)
Queen are a British rock band formed in London in 1971, originally consisting of Freddie Mercury , Brian May , John Deacon , and Roger Taylor...
Brian May
Brian May
Brian Harold May, CBE is an English musician and astrophysicist most widely known as the guitarist and a songwriter of the rock band Queen...
described Perry as "a truly luminous singer, in my opinion — a voice in a million"; producer and American Idol
American Idol
American Idol, titled American Idol: The Search for a Superstar for the first season, is a reality television singing competition created by Simon Fuller and produced by FremantleMedia North America and 19 Entertainment...
judge Randy Jackson
Randy Jackson
Randall Darius "Randy" Jackson is an American bassist, singer, record producer, music manager, A&R executive, entrepreneur, and television personality. He is best known as a judge on American Idol and executive producer for MTV's America's Best Dance Crew...
opined that "Other than Robert Plant
Robert Plant
Robert Anthony Plant, CBE is an English singer and songwriter best known as the vocalist and lyricist of the iconic rock band Led Zeppelin. He has also had a successful solo career...
, there's no singer in rock that even came close to Steve Perry". Perry was ranked #76th in "The 100 Greatest Singers of All-Time" by Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
, who lauded his "technical skills, pure tone and passionate sincerity." Allmusic said of Perry: "If only one singer could be selected as the most identifiable with '80s arena rock
Arena rock
Arena rock is a term used to describe rock music that utilised large arena venues, particularly sports venues, for concerts or series of concerts linked in tours...
, it would have to be Journey's Steve Perry."
Perry resides in Del Mar
Del Mar, California
Del Mar is an upscale beach town in San Diego County, California. The population was 4,161 at the 2010 census, down from 4,389 at the 2000 census. The San Diego County Fair is hosted on the Del Mar Fairgrounds every summer. Del Mar is Spanish for "of the sea" or "by the sea", because it is located...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
.
Early years
Born in Hanford, CaliforniaHanford, California
Hanford is an important commercial and cultural center in the south central San Joaquin Valley and is the county seat of Kings County, California. It is the principal city of the Hanford-Corcoran, California Metropolitan Statistical Area , which encompasses all of Kings County, including the cities...
, Perry is of Portuguese
Portuguese people
The Portuguese are a nation and ethnic group native to the country of Portugal, in the west of the Iberian peninsula of south-west Europe. Their language is Portuguese, and Roman Catholicism is the predominant religion....
descent. Perry grew up interested in music, as his father, Ray Pereira (who later changed his last name to Perry), was a vocalist. On his twelfth birthday (January 22, 1961), Mary presented her son with a gold eighth note
Eighth note
thumb|180px|right|Figure 1. An eighth note with stem facing up, an eighth note with stem facing down, and an eighth rest.thumb|right|180px|Figure 2. Four eighth notes beamed together....
necklace, which he still wears for good luck. When Perry was twelve years old, he heard Sam Cooke
Sam Cooke
Samuel Cook, , better known under the stage name Sam Cooke, was an American gospel, R&B, soul, and pop singer, songwriter, and entrepreneur. He is considered to be one of the pioneers and founders of soul music. He is commonly known as the King of Soul for his distinctive vocal abilities and...
's song "Cupid
Cupid (Sam Cooke song)
"Cupid" is a 1961 hit single recorded and written by Sam Cooke. The song is ranked #452 on the Rolling Stone magazine's list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.-Cover versions:* In 1964, Johnny Rivers covered the song on his live album In Action....
" on his mother's car radio. This inspired Perry to become a singer.
The family moved to Lemoore, California
Lemoore, California
Lemoore is a city in Kings County, California, United States. Lemoore is located west-southwest of Hanford, at an elevation of 230 feet . It is part of the Hanford–Corcoran Metropolitan Statistical Area...
during Perry's teen years. He attended high school there, drumming
Drummer
A drummer is a musician who is capable of playing drums, which includes but is not limited to a drum kit and accessory based hardware which includes an assortment of pedals and standing support mechanisms, marching percussion and/or any musical instrument that is struck within the context of a...
in the marching band
Marching band
Marching band is a physical activity in which a group of instrumental musicians generally perform outdoors and incorporate some type of marching with their musical performance. Instrumentation typically includes brass, woodwinds, and percussion instruments...
as well as in extracurricular bands. He attended College of the Sequoias
College of the Sequoias
College of the Sequoias is a public two-year community college located in Visalia in Tulare County, in California's San Joaquin Valley. The current enrollment of COS is 13,000 students, and the college offers a variety of transfer, vocational, and community-based classes, including the fire/police...
, in Visalia, California
Visalia, California
Visalia is a Central California city situated in the heart of California’s agricultural San Joaquin Valley, approximately southeast of San Francisco and north of Los Angeles...
, for a short time after graduation, where he took first tenor
Tenor
The tenor is a type of male singing voice and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between C3, the C one octave below middle C, to the A above middle C in choral music, and up to high C in solo work. The low extreme for tenors is roughly B2...
in the choir there. Perry's mother encouraged his musical growth during this time.
Perry moved to Banta, California
Banta, California
Banta is a small unincorporated town in San Joaquin County, California. Historically, it was a major interchange point between the Central Pacific and Southern Pacific railroads...
outside of Tracy, California
Tracy, California
Tracy is the second most populated city in San Joaquin County, California, United States and an exurb of the San Francisco Bay Area. The population was 82,922 at the 2010 census.-History:...
, where he fronted the band Alien Project in his mid-twenties. He nearly gave up music when the bassist of that band, Richard Michaels, was killed in an automobile accident. Perry returned to Lemoore and decided not to continue his singing career, but at the urging of his mother, Perry answered a call from Walter "Herbie" Herbert, manager of the struggling San Francisco-based band, Journey.
Journey years
Herbert had been given a demo of an Alien Project song, "If You Need Me, Call Me," and was told that the young singer would be a great replacement for current frontman, Robert FleischmanRobert Fleischman
Robert Fleischman is an American musician, songwriter, and record producer.Fleischman is perhaps best known as the short-lived lead singer for the rock group Journey in 1977 between the group's albums, Next and Infinity...
. Fleischman had never moved under Herbert's management, preferring to maintain his previous manager and had never in fact integrated well with the band's then progressive rock
Progressive rock
Progressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...
style. Perry was brought on tour and to avoid alarming Fleischman was introduced clandestinely as roadie John Villanueva's Portuguese cousin and surreptitiously performed a song with Journey during a sound check in Long Beach
Long Beach, California
Long Beach is a city situated in Los Angeles County in Southern California, on the Pacific coast of the United States. The city is the 36th-largest city in the nation and the seventh-largest in California. As of 2010, its population was 462,257...
while Fleischman was away from the stage and Herbert informed the band of the line-up change.
Perry brought a completely new pop sound to the band's music, despite grumblings from his new bandmates and fans of Journey's former progressive rock sound. He made his public debut on October 28, 1977 in San Francisco, and received a mixed reception. Perry determinedly proved the critics wrong, and won over new audiences on his first album with the group, Infinity, which included a song of his own composition called "Lights." The band's style had changed dramatically, but as Journey began to garner radio airplay and media buzz over Infinity, Perry's arrival was accepted.
He provided lead vocals on nine of Journey's albums: Infinity (1978
1978 in music
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1978.-January–April:*January 14 – The Sex Pistols play their final show at San Francisco's Winterland Ballroom....
), Evolution
Evolution (Journey album)
Evolution is the name of Journey's fifth studio album. It was released in April 1979 on Columbia Records.The album was their highest charting album to date, selling three million copies in the US...
(1979
1979 in music
See also:Record labels established in 1979* 1979 in music This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1979.-January–February:*January 1...
), Departure
Departure (Journey album)
-Personnel:*Neal Schon - guitars, lead vocals on track 4, backing vocals*Steve Perry - lead vocals*Gregg Rolie - keyboards, harmonica, lead vocals on track 3, backing vocals*Steve Smith - drums and percussion*Ross Valory - bass, backing vocals-Charts:...
(1980
1980 in music
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1980.-January–March:*January 1**Cliff Richard is appointed an MBE by Elizabeth II.**The Zorros audition drummer Greg Pedley....
), Dream, After Dream (1980, a Japanese movie soundtrack), Captured
Captured (Journey album)
This album was recorded during the band's "Departure" tour in 1980. Tracks 1-4 were taken from a performance recorded at The Forum in Montreal, Quebec, Canada on August 8, 1980...
(1980, a live album), Escape
Escape (Journey album)
-Personnel:*Steve Perry - Lead Vocals*Neal Schon - Guitar, Vocals*Ross Valory - Bass, Vocals*Steve Smith - Drums, Percussion*Jonathan Cain - Keyboards, Piano, Guitar, Vocals-Additional personnel:*Wally Buck - Engineer, Assistant Engineer...
(1981
1981 in music
See also:* Timeline of musical eventsThis is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1981.-January–April:*January 10 – A revival of the Gilbert and Sullivan operetta The Pirates of Penzance opens at Broadway's Uris Theatre, starring Linda Ronstadt and Rex Smith.*January 24 –...
, which went to #1 on the Billboard charts
Billboard charts
The Billboard charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs or albums in the United States. The results are published in Billboard magazine...
), Frontiers (1983
1983 in music
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1983.-January-April:*January – ZTT Records is founded.*January 8 – The UK singles chart is tabulated from this week forward by The Gallup Organization...
), Raised on Radio
Raised on Radio
Journey's ninth studio album , Raised on Radio, was released in May 1986 on the Columbia Records label.Following their two most successful albums, lead singer Steve Perry began to take more control over the band's direction. First, Ross Valory and Steve Smith were fired from the band, against the...
(1986
1986 in music
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1986.-January-June:*January 23 – The first induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame takes place...
), and Trial By Fire
Trial by Fire (Journey album)
-Personnel:*Neal Schon - lead guitar, vocals, producer*Steve Perry - lead vocals, head producer*Jonathan Cain - keyboards, rhythm guitar, vocals, producer*Steve Smith - drums and percussion, producer*Ross Valory - bass, vocals, producerwith...
(1996
1996 in music
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1996.-January:* January – At the trial of two American teenagers, Nicholaus McDonald and Brian Bassett, for the murder of Bassett's parents and young brother, defense lawyers attempt to lay the blame for the murders on the fact...
). The single "Open Arms," from Escape, was their biggest hit single, residing for six weeks at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
. Perry had become the unmistakable voice of Journey throughout his time with the band.
During his tenure with Journey, Perry sang backing vocals on several Sammy Hagar
Sammy Hagar
Sam Roy "Sammy" Hagar , also known as The Red Rocker, is an American rock singer, guitarist, and songwriter. Also sings Country Music....
songs, including the 1980 track "Run For Your Life," and duetting with Kenny Loggins
Kenny Loggins
During the next decade, Loggins recorded so many successful songs for film soundtracks that he was referred to as, King of the Movie Soundtrack.He began with "I'm Alright" , "Mr. Night", and "Lead the Way" from Caddyshack...
on the 1982 #17 hit single "Don't Fight It." Perry also worked with other musicians such as Sheena Easton
Sheena Easton
Sheena Easton is a Scottish recording artist. Easton became famous for being the focus of an episode in the British television programme The Big Time, which recorded her attempts to gain a record contract and her eventual signing with EMI Records.Easton rose to fame in the early 1980s with the pop...
, Clannad and Jon Bon Jovi
Jon Bon Jovi
Jon Bon Jovi is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and actor, best known as the founder, occasional rhythm guitarist, and lead singer of rock band Bon Jovi, which was named after him...
during the height of his career.
In 1984, following the release of Frontiers and the tour supporting this effort, Perry released his first solo album, entitled Street Talk
Street Talk
Street Talk is Steve Perry's first solo album, released in April, 1984.Street Talk contains Perry's biggest hit as a solo artist, "Oh Sherrie", written for his then-girlfriend Sherrie Swafford. The song hit #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #1 on Billboard's Rock chart, and the accompanying music...
, named after the original name of Perry's earlier band Alien Project. The record sold more than 2 million units, scoring the hit singles #3 "Oh Sherrie
Oh Sherrie
"Oh Sherrie" is a song written by American singer Steve Perry, Randy Goodrum, Craig Krampf, and Bill Cuomo. It was recorded andreleased on Perry's Street Talk album in 1984, his first solo album which he released while still a member of Journey...
," written for his then-girlfriend Sherrie Swafford, and #18 "Foolish Heart." The music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
for "Oh Sherrie" saw heavy rotation
Heavy rotation
In broadcasting, rotation is the repeated airing of a limited playlist of songs on a radio station or satellite radio channel, or music videos on a TV network. They are usually in a different order each time, however they are not completely shuffled, so as to avoid playing the same song again too...
on MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
. "She's Mine" and "Strung Out" were also released as singles from this project, which featured former Alien Project drummer Craig Krampf on a few tracks, guitarist Michael Landau, and future American Idol
American Idol
American Idol, titled American Idol: The Search for a Superstar for the first season, is a reality television singing competition created by Simon Fuller and produced by FremantleMedia North America and 19 Entertainment...
judge Randy Jackson
Randy Jackson
Randall Darius "Randy" Jackson is an American bassist, singer, record producer, music manager, A&R executive, entrepreneur, and television personality. He is best known as a judge on American Idol and executive producer for MTV's America's Best Dance Crew...
on bass, amongst others.
In 1985, Perry was one of 21 singers in the USA for Africa
USA for Africa
USA for Africa was the name under which forty-seven predominantly U.S. artists, led by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie, recorded the hit single "We Are the World" in 1985. The song was a US and UK Number One for the collective in April of that year...
all-star benefit song "We Are the World
We Are the World
"We Are the World" is a song and charity single originally recorded by the supergroup USA for Africa in 1985. It was written by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie, and produced by Quincy Jones and Michael Omartian for the album We Are the World...
." He also recorded a song, "If Only For the Moment, Girl" for the We Are the World
We Are the World (album)
We Are the World was a 1985 album that contained USA for Africa's "We Are the World" superstar charity recording for famine relief efforts in Ethiopia....
album. This song was added to the reissue of his album Street Talk. It was during this period also that Perry worked with the Irish folk-rock group Clannad on their 1987 album Sirius
Sirius (album)
Sirius is the tenth album by Irish folk group Clannad, released in 1987. It features several guest artists such as Bruce Hornsby, Steve Perry and J. D...
.
Perry debated continuing a solo career or returning to Journey after the success of Street Talk. He left his second solo album Against the Wall unfinished and instead sang on Journey's Raised on Radio album. Perry would revisit his solo project after the Raised On Radio tour but it never saw completion. Several of the songs that were recorded for Against the Wall, however, did appear much later on Perry's 1998 solo compilation, Greatest Hits + Five Unreleased
Greatest Hits + Five Unreleased
Greatest Hits + Five Unreleased is a greatest hits compilation released by American singer/musician Steve Perry in 1998. The album contains hits from his two solo albums Street Talk and For the Love of Strange Medicine as well as several previously unreleased tracks from the abandoned solo...
.
While Perry was re-uniting with Journey, his mother became ill. The recording of Raised on Radio, which Perry was producing, was stop-and-go as he frequently returned to the San Joaquin valley to visit his mother, who died during the production of Raised on Radio. It took a major toll on Journey to have intermittent recording sessions and a vocalist who was not with the band much of the time. Eventually, as Perry later said, he was "toasted". Journey disbanded in 1987 after the Raised on Radio tour. Perry then disappeared from the public eye for seven years, taking a break from the music industry.
Leaving Journey
In 1994, Perry released For the Love of Strange MedicineFor the Love of Strange Medicine
For the Love of Strange Medicine is the second solo album by Steve Perry, released in 1994. After a lengthy 8-year hiatus following the breakup of Journey, and a shelved 1988 solo effort later titled Against the Wall, Perry returned to the spotlight with this album...
, his second solo effort. The album enjoyed some success, partly due to the Strange Medicine world tour.
Journey's classic 1981–85 lineup reunited in 1996 to record Trial by Fire
Trial by Fire (Journey album)
-Personnel:*Neal Schon - lead guitar, vocals, producer*Steve Perry - lead vocals, head producer*Jonathan Cain - keyboards, rhythm guitar, vocals, producer*Steve Smith - drums and percussion, producer*Ross Valory - bass, vocals, producerwith...
. The album was a huge success, entering the Billboard charts at #3 and going Platinum before year's end, but its triumph was short-lived. Before the Trial By Fire tour could begin, Perry suffered a hip injury while hiking in Hawaii and was unable to perform. Perry was diagnosed with a degenerative bone condition and a hip replacement would be required. Reluctant to rush into surgery, Perry wished to postpone the tour. Due to the long wait between the album's release and the tour's postponed kick-off date, as well as the absence of Journey's iconic frontman, Journey fans were losing hope for the band's future.
Meanwhile, long-time Journey drummer Steve Smith
Steve Smith (musician)
Steve Elliott Smith is an American drummer who has worked with hundreds of artists in his career, but is mostly known for being the drummer of the rock band Journey during their peak years of success. Modern Drummer magazine readers voted him the #1 All-Around Drummer five years in a row...
resigned, reportedly saying "Journey without Steve Perry was like Jack without his box." (Smith had rejoined, along with original Journey member Ross Valory
Ross Valory
Ross Lamont Valory is Journey's noted bass player. He and Neal Schon are the only original members of the band still performing with the group. Aside from his termination from the group during the Raised on Radio album sessions in 1986, Ross has played on all of Journey's albums...
, to complete what Perry has referred to as the band's wedding band line-up.)
The remaining members waited until 1998, nearly 17 months after Perry's injury, before making a decision on Journey's future. Growing impatient and realizing the window of opportunity was closing to follow up the success of the Platinum-selling Trial By Fire LP with a world tour, Journey members Jonathan Cain
Jonathan Cain
Jonathan Cain is an American musician, best known for his work with The Babys, Journey and Bad English.-Early life:...
and Neal Schon
Neal Schon
Neal George Joseph Schon is an American rock guitarist, songwriter, and vocalist best known for his work with the band Journey. He is the only member to have recorded on all of Journey's albums...
met with Perry and presented an ultimatum that he either undergo hip replacement surgery so the tour could proceed upon his recovery or a replacement singer would be hired. Perry, still hesitant to undergo surgery and now apparently upset at his bandmates' intractability and their perceived meddling in personal health decisions, decided to part ways with Journey. Perry's vocal duties were later taken over by Steve Augeri
Steve Augeri
Steve Augeri is an American rock singer best known for his work with Tall Stories, Tyketto, and Journey.-Career:...
of Tall Stories, and nearly two years after the album's initial release, Journey began its long-postponed tour.
While being interviewed during Journey's Revelation tour of 2008, Schon and Cain praised Perry's mighty presence in Journey, adding that Perry had "raised the bar" for Journey. Bassist Valory suggested Journey lead singers who sound like him do so in honor of Perry's legacy with Journey.
Post-Journey
Perry underwent successful hip replacement surgery in 1998 to correct the problem he had been diagnosed with two years earlier. He released the Greatest Hits + Five Unreleased compilation albumCompilation album
A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
later in 1998; the unreleased tracks included an original Alien Project demo as well as selections from the abandoned Against the Wall CD. Also in 1998, Perry recorded two songs for the Warner Bros.
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...
film, Quest for Camelot
Quest for Camelot
Quest for Camelot is a 1998 animated feature film from Warner Bros. Animation, based on the novel The King's Damosel by Vera Chapman, starring the voices of Jessalyn Gilsig, Cary Elwes, Gary Oldman, Eric Idle, Don Rickles, Jane Seymour, Pierce Brosnan, Bronson Pinchot, Jaleel White, Gabriel Byrne,...
, which can be found on the motion picture's soundtrack.
Journey was the subject of an episode of VH1
VH1
VH1 or Vh1 is an American cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in the old space of Turner Broadcasting's short-lived Cable Music Channel, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slightly...
's Behind the Music
Behind the Music
Behind the Music is a television series on VH1. It originally ran from 1997 to 2006, before it was stopped and only aired new episodes sporadically. The series places its generality on documentation of musical artists or groups who are interviewed and profiled, and discuss how their careers became...
in 2001
2001 in television
The year 2001 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 2001.-Events:-Debuts:-1940s:*Meet the Press .*Candid Camera .*CBS Evening News ....
, where Perry made the statement that he "never really felt like he was part of the band", to which former manager Herbie Herbert reacted saying "that's like the Pope saying he never really felt Catholic."
Perry appeared at a ceremony on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
Hollywood Walk of Fame
The Hollywood Walk of Fame consists of more than 2,400 five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along fifteen blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in Hollywood, California...
on January 21, 2005, after previously stating it was unlikely that he would ever stand with the band again. He indicated that, though it was a good experience, his rejoining Journey is not likely. However, he has also stated "[n]ever say never, unless you mean never, never the less" when the issue of returning to Journey has been mentioned.
In 2005
2005 in music
-Events:*During the year 2005, 12 rock music albums scored number 1 in the USA. This was the first time even ten albums have scored number 1 since 1996.-January:...
, Perry produced "The Secret of Moving On", a track on a solo album for former Ambrosia
Ambrosia (band)
Ambrosia is an American rock band formed in southern California in 1970. Ambrosia had five Top Forty hit singles between 1975 and 1980.-Formation and inspiration:...
lead vocalist David Pack
David Pack
David Robert Pack , is a Grammy Award Winning Artist, Producer & Music Director of Global Events. His career began as the front man, vocalist and guitarist with the rock group Ambrosia popular in the 1970s and 1980s.-Career:...
. Perry also provided background vocals for "A Brand New Start," among the many songs he and Pack co-wrote shortly after the September 11, 2001 attacks
September 11, 2001 attacks
The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks (also referred to as September 11, September 11th or 9/119/11 is pronounced "nine eleven". The slash is not part of the pronunciation...
. The album, released in September 2005, includes covers
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
of two of Pack's biggest hits with Ambrosia, "Biggest Part of Me" and "You're the Only Woman."
During the 2005 baseball season
2005 in baseball
-Headline events of the year:*Chicago White Sox swept the Houston Astros to win the 2005 World Series.*2005 also marked the inaugural season of the Washington Nationals, who relocated from Montreal and were formerly known as the Expos....
, the Chicago White Sox
Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are a Major League Baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois.The White Sox play in the American League's Central Division. Since , the White Sox have played in U.S. Cellular Field, which was originally called New Comiskey Park and nicknamed The Cell by local fans...
adopted Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'
Don't Stop Believin'
"Don't Stop Believin is a popular song by the American rock band Journey, originally released as a single from their 1981 album Escape, which became a #9 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 on its original release. It re-entered the UK Singles Chart in 2009 as a result of increased prominence of digital...
" as their unofficial team anthem. As a result, Perry (an avid San Francisco Giants
San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the National League West Division....
fan) was asked to attend the World Series
2005 World Series
The 2005 World Series, the 101st Major League Baseball championship series, saw the American League champion Chicago White Sox sweep the National League champion Houston Astros four games to none in the best-of-seven-games series, winning their third championship and first since 1917.Home-field...
and even traveled with the White Sox to Houston where Perry joined the players on the field and in the locker room as they celebrated their championship.
In late 2006, Perry's two solo projects, Street Talk and For the Love of Strange Medicine (both featuring previously unreleased material), and his Greatest Hits CD were remastered and re-released. Sony Legacy released Playlist: The Very Best of Steve Perry on January 13, 2009, a compilation of some of his best songs.
Perry rekindled a childhood love for cattle and dairy farming, including an interest in a small bovine insemination business in California's Central Valley.
Perry attended the second game of the 2010 World Series in San Francisco. In the middle of the eighth inning, more than 43,000 San Francisco Giants
San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the National League West Division....
fans at AT&T Park began singing along to the song "Lights" by Journey. Perry, a Giants fan, was shown jumping around on the scoreboard and pumping up the crowd. The Giants went on to win 9–0 over the Texas Rangers
Texas Rangers (baseball)
The Texas Rangers are a professional baseball team in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, based in Arlington, Texas. The Rangers are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League, and are the reigning A.L. Western Division and A.L. Champions. Since , the Rangers have...
.
In an interview with, Classic Rock Presents AOR
Classic Rock (magazine)
Classic Rock is a British magazine dedicated to the radio format of classic rock, published by Future Publishing, who are also responsible for its "sister" publication Metal Hammer. Although firmly focusing on key bands from the 1960s through early 1990s, it also includes articles and reviews of...
released in December 2010, it was revealed that Perry has written over 50 songs and is contemplating his first solo project since 1994. "A little over a year and a half ago, I felt I could maybe come back to it, I have been writing. I have about 50 songs, in a little over a year. I never thought I would do it again, but I decided to open up that room and see what I could find. It's been interesting. Some of it sounds familiar, some of it sounds contemporary, some of it you can't put a label on - and I've never been big on labels anyway." Perry is reluctant however to put a timescale on his return. "I'll be honest, I don't really know how to do that but I can definitely smell a solo project on the horizon. I will be recording some music."
Singing voice
Sam CookeSam Cooke
Samuel Cook, , better known under the stage name Sam Cooke, was an American gospel, R&B, soul, and pop singer, songwriter, and entrepreneur. He is considered to be one of the pioneers and founders of soul music. He is commonly known as the King of Soul for his distinctive vocal abilities and...
has been widely recognized as a major influence on Perry's vocal style.
He ranked number 76 in Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
s 100 Greatest Singers of All Time. Queen
Queen (band)
Queen are a British rock band formed in London in 1971, originally consisting of Freddie Mercury , Brian May , John Deacon , and Roger Taylor...
guitarist Brian May
Brian May
Brian Harold May, CBE is an English musician and astrophysicist most widely known as the guitarist and a songwriter of the rock band Queen...
said in a 2007 interview "Perry is a truly luminous singer, in my opinion — a voice in a million. And if anybody knows a great voice, it's me", in reference to former bandmate Freddie Mercury
Freddie Mercury
Freddie Mercury was a British musician, singer and songwriter, best known as the lead vocalist of the rock band Queen. As a performer, he was known for his flamboyant stage persona and powerful vocals over a four-octave range...
.
In a recent interview, former bassist
Bassist
A bass player, or bassist is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass, bass guitar, keyboard bass or a low brass instrument such as a tuba or sousaphone. Different musical genres tend to be associated with one or more of these instruments...
, Sony
Sony
, commonly referred to as Sony, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan and the world's fifth largest media conglomerate measured by revenues....
record executive, and American Idol
American Idol
American Idol, titled American Idol: The Search for a Superstar for the first season, is a reality television singing competition created by Simon Fuller and produced by FremantleMedia North America and 19 Entertainment...
judge Randy Jackson
Randy Jackson
Randall Darius "Randy" Jackson is an American bassist, singer, record producer, music manager, A&R executive, entrepreneur, and television personality. He is best known as a judge on American Idol and executive producer for MTV's America's Best Dance Crew...
opined that "Other than Robert Plant
Robert Plant
Robert Anthony Plant, CBE is an English singer and songwriter best known as the vocalist and lyricist of the iconic rock band Led Zeppelin. He has also had a successful solo career...
, there's no singer in rock that even came close to Steve Perry". Jackson goes on to say "The power, the range, the tone — he created his own style. He mixed a little Motown, a little Everly Brothers, a little Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band, active in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Formed in 1968, they consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham...
." Jackson also puts the rumors to rest about Perry's voice saying "I just saw him not long ago, and he still has the golden voice." Perry was awarded the title of "greatest rock singer" in WROQ
WROQ
WROQ-FM is a Classic rock station licensed to Anderson, South Carolina and serves the Upstate South Carolina region, including Greenville and Spartanburg. The station has had a Classic Rock and Roll format since December 1, 1987. This makes it one of the oldest Classic Rock stations in the...
's 2010 March Bracket Brawl for the greatest rock singer.
Albums
| Year | Album | US Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
UK UK Albums Chart The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart... |
RIAA Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States... |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | Street Talk Street Talk Street Talk is Steve Perry's first solo album, released in April, 1984.Street Talk contains Perry's biggest hit as a solo artist, "Oh Sherrie", written for his then-girlfriend Sherrie Swafford. The song hit #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #1 on Billboard's Rock chart, and the accompanying music... |
12 | 59 | 2× Platinum |
| 1994 | For the Love of Strange Medicine For the Love of Strange Medicine For the Love of Strange Medicine is the second solo album by Steve Perry, released in 1994. After a lengthy 8-year hiatus following the breakup of Journey, and a shelved 1988 solo effort later titled Against the Wall, Perry returned to the spotlight with this album... |
15 | 64 | Gold |
| 1995 | Perry's Coming [Japan-only release] | — | — | |
| 1998 | Greatest Hits + Five Unreleased Greatest Hits + Five Unreleased Greatest Hits + Five Unreleased is a greatest hits compilation released by American singer/musician Steve Perry in 1998. The album contains hits from his two solo albums Street Talk and For the Love of Strange Medicine as well as several previously unreleased tracks from the abandoned solo... |
— | — | |
| 2009 | Playlist: The Very Best of Steve Perry | — | — |
Singles
| Year | Title | Peak chart position | Album | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
US Main |
US AC Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks The Adult Contemporary chart is a weekly chart published in Billboard magazine that lists the most popular songs on adult contemporary and "lite-pop" radio stations in the United States... |
UK UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
|||
| 1982 | "Don't Fight It" (with Kenny Loggins Kenny Loggins During the next decade, Loggins recorded so many successful songs for film soundtracks that he was referred to as, King of the Movie Soundtrack.He began with "I'm Alright" , "Mr. Night", and "Lead the Way" from Caddyshack... ) |
17 | 4 | — | — | High Adventure High Adventure High Adventure is the fourth solo album by soft rock singer, Kenny Loggins. Released in 1982, it is perhaps best-known for its top 40 pop singles "Heart to Heart", "Heartlight", and "Don't Fight It" which was co-written by Journey frontman Steve Perry, who also performs on the track and Neil... (Kenny Loggins) |
| 1984 | "Oh Sherrie Oh Sherrie "Oh Sherrie" is a song written by American singer Steve Perry, Randy Goodrum, Craig Krampf, and Bill Cuomo. It was recorded andreleased on Perry's Street Talk album in 1984, his first solo album which he released while still a member of Journey... " |
3 | 1 | 33 | 89 | Street Talk |
| "I Believe" | — | 43 | — | — | ||
| "She's Mine" | 21 | 15 | — | — | ||
| "Strung Out" | 40 | 17 | — | — | ||
| "Foolish Heart Foolish Heart (song) "Foolish Heart" is a rock song written by Steve Perry, formerly of the band Journey and Randy Goodrum, and was performed by Perry from his first solo album, Street Talk... " |
18 | — | 2 | — | ||
| 1994 | "You Better Wait You Better Wait "You Better Wait" is a song by Steve Perry from his album For the Love of Strange Medicine. It was Perry's first single from the album, the first following his official departure from his former band, Journey. The song peaked at number 29 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1994.... " |
29 | 6 | 17 | — | For the Love of Strange Medicine |
| "Missing You" | 74 | — | 24 | — | ||
| "Young Hearts Forever" | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Anyway" | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1995 | "Donna Please" | — | — | — | — | |
| 1998 | "I Stand Alone" | — | — | — | — | Greatest Hits + Five Unreleased |
| "When You're In Love (For The First Time)" | — | — | — | — | ||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | ||||||
External links
- Journey Rocker Kept Sopranos Boss Waiting (archived link)