Journey/Steve Perry

Hello folks
here is my comment and history about rock's greatest mysteries
and that is the band Journey. People remember the voice Steve Perry,
the band's most reclusive lead singer. Journey was aunqiue band that had
a bluest keyboard influence with the stinging guitar edge of group founder
Neal Schon.
The band was formed in 1973 by keyboardist Gregg Rolie and guitar prodigy
Neal Schon and had so many line-up changes in the 35 year career. They
started out as a jam band from San Francisco but in 1977 it all change when
their manager Herbie Herbert discovered a young man with a powerful tenor voice
and his name was Steve Perry.
The band scored hits like "Lights", "Anytime", "Open Arms", "Don't Stop Believin'"
"Separate Ways", "Only The Young", "After The Fall", the list goes on an on.

They use to be the biggest selling rock band of the late 1970's and early 1980's.
They were different kind of rock they were like the AOR type. They mixed hard rock with power ballads. Gregg Rolie , the group's founding member and keysman quits the
band and being replaced by Jonathan Cain who would write songs with Steve and Neal.
Neal Schon was one soulful player very fluid with clean notes and it reminded me
of what Clapton did or Terry Kath did.Jonathan Cain brought something fresh and new to the band's musical direction with the keyboard sound and followed by bassist Ross Valory and drummer Steve Smith a great rhythm section.
Steve Perry had been the dominant voice of the band and its spokesperson and he was also the most dissitent member of the band and had been the reluctant rock star.
But his vocals has been always identifiable to the journey sound and many singers were influenced by his crisp high tenor sound.
The band split -up in 1986 after Steve decided to not do any tours since he was
exhausted from the trappings of fame and fortune which made him very uncomfortable.
The band regrouped in 1996 only to be setback by Steve's injury from hiking as they were planning a comeback tour but it was not meant to be. Steve was gone for good and the band were tired of waiting for Steve and decided to get Steve Augeri for two records but later Neal Schon would find this guy from the Phillipines name Arnel Pineda on youtube. You notice how the power of the internet works in mysterious ways?
Arnel is a pretty good impersonation of the legendary voice of Journey but to many fans there will only be one Steve Perry.The old glory days of what it once was is now a thing of the past. and the new journey is a mere tribute band that is paying homage to their mercurila frontman who remains a recluse for the past 13 years.
I had foind memories of the band listening to them on WAPP or WNEW-FM in New York and the music videos from "Escape" and "Frontiers", those were magical times in the good old 1980's and that is what I will remember from thst band that was special to alot of fans.

Journey on the Midnight Special 1979

Journey doing "Don't Stop Believin" this was used in the finale of the Sopranos and James Durbin singing the song on American Idol and used in the Tv show
"Glee", Neal Schon is one motherf--ing guitar player

Journey "Separate Ways" live in Japan 1983 loe that Jonathan Cain on keys man into

"Anyway You Want It" 1980, the last work with founding member Gregg Rolie who would leave the band only to be replaced by Jonathan Cain