an image, when javascript is unavailable

  • facebook-rs

Before His First Gig With Journey, Steve Augeri Got So Nervous He Threw Up

By Andy Greene

Andy Greene

Rolling Stone ‘s interview series King for a Day features long-form conversations between senior writer Andy Greene and singers who had the difficult job of fronting major rock bands after the departure of an iconic vocalist. Some of them stayed in their bands for years, while others lasted just a few months. In the end, however, they all found out that replacement singers can themselves be replaced. This edition features former Journey singer Steve Augeri.

journey band steve perry replacement

Journey has been fronted by six vocalists over the past 50 years. Some of them lasted a matter of months, while others remained with the group for well over a decade. But none faced the insane pressure that Steve Augeri faced during his tenure from 1998 to 2006. This was right after the band parted ways with Steve “The Voice” Perry and many fans were unwilling to even consider the idea that anyone else could fill that slot.

“It was literally one day at a time, one show at a time, that I would slowly, slowly get the fans’ approval and their confidence,” Augeri says today. “Not everyone was willing, though. I might have been one of the people that said, ‘No. I don’t care if you can sing or not. I don’t care if you are a decent individual. I won’t stand for anyone other than Steve Perry singing for this band.’ I’m sure that to this day, there are some fans that feel that no matter who is singing for them. I respect that. I get it.”

Augeri left the group 16 years ago when health issues and their relentless tour schedule left him with a shattered voice, but he’s made a full recovery and now spends much of his year touring the world and playing the Journey classics with the Steve Augeri Band. He phoned up Rolling Stone from his home in Staten Island, New York, to look back on his life and his tenure in Journey.

How are you doing today? I’m doing great. I’m having a couple of double espressos, a protein energy shake, and I’m ready to talk. My cat is staring at me. We’re having a staring contest.

Editor’s picks

The 250 greatest guitarists of all time, the 500 greatest albums of all time, the 50 worst decisions in movie history, every awful thing trump has promised to do in a second term.

Were you on tour recently? We just came back from something called the Retro Festival in Switzerland in Lucerne. Our year just started in the last two weeks. We were in Orlando, Florida, prior to that. It’s been a slow couple of years. You can only imagine. Things are starting to pick up.

It must feel good to be back onstage. Oh, goodness. Indeed. These last two years have really changed my perspective on a lot of things. Getting back to work and performing, I’ll never take it for granted again.

I want to go through some of your history here. You grew up in Brooklyn? Yeah. Bensonhurst Brooklyn in the heart of what I guess you can call Mobland/Mafialand/Gangland territory, to be honest with you. I used to go to school and I’d pass by Sammy “The Bull” Gravano’s bar where he used to carry on his illegal activities, so to speak.

Was music a big part of your life as a kid? Yeah. Starting at PS 48 in Brooklyn. They had some money in the budget to pass out recorders and then clarinets. And then a music teacher that saw a spark of talent in me and started working with me vocally. I remember my first recital in fifth grade singing [Giuseppe Verdi’s] “La donna è mobile.” I learned it phonetically and that was the start of it all.

Who were some of your favorite singers as a kid? I’m of the generation that was fortunate to see the Beatles on Ed Sullivan. I remember laying on the living room floor on my elbows with my hands on my chin, watching these four guys that would push me towards that direction and spark something in me. Thousands of other kids turned into musicians the next day and bothered their parents for a guitar or a bass or drums. I was one of thousands of kids that had their lives turned upside by that TV performance.

Did you see any concerts in your youth that left a big mark on you? My first concert was a Humble Pie concert at the Academy of Music on 14th Street. It then became the Palladium and then NYU dormitories. I was probably about 15. I remember that was my exposure and the first time I’d ever experienced anything like that. It was a gathering of people from all over the city that came together to celebrate this amazing music. The marijuana smoke was so thick. I had never experienced anything like that in public. There was electricity in the air. It really rocked my world and cemented my desire to follow in that path of attempting to become a rock & roll artist.

When did you first make a really serious attempt to become one? It was absolutely at age 15. I knew that was it. There was no profession or no job that could at all compare to anything like that. I already had the music bug. I was already living and breathing music. I’d wake up and I had to chatter my teeth in a drum groove. You can ask my dentist. To this day, I’m still repairing it. That used to be my drum kit. It just used to consume me 24/7.

How did your career develop from there? The beautiful thing about growing up in that era, and especially in New York City, was you’d take a walk and you’d hear a band on each and every street, whether it was coming from the basements or garages, there was one on every block. I had a little clique of three or four bands in the neighborhood. We’d all share gear, drums, amplifiers. What’s interesting is that I grew up in the same neighborhood as Saturday Night Fever. That particular nightclub, 2001 Odyssey, on Wednesday nights they would hold a rock & roll night. We were one of the bands that used to play there to an audience of about 10. It was mainly family and friends. We kind of came up in there.

Journey's Bassist Ross Valory Opens Up About the Band's Saga — And His Adventurous Solo Album

Watch miley cyrus cover journey's hit '80s anthem 'faithfully', def leppard and journey unite for massive u.s. stadium tour.

I was playing in a band called Kicks. It was managed by [Steve] Leber and [David] Krebs, who were doing AC/DC and Aerosmith. They had a wonderful gal named Marge Raymond who sang in a band called Flame. That was produced by Jimmy Iovine. Marge had a voice like no other and she could out-sing any male vocalist. She could dominate any room or any concert, any stage.

She left Flame and started Kicks and I became one of her rhythm guitarists. Then she was tapped when Aerosmith was on the ice to play with the rhythm section plus Bob Mayo of Peter Frampton frame. They called themselves Renegade. She was fronting that band. That led me to step into the lead vocalist slot for Kicks. From there, Leber and Krebs took notice.

And then Paul O’Neill, who is most noticeable for being one of the leaders of Trans-Siberian Orchestra, tapped me to play with Michael Schenker. It was for a vocalist and guitar player. I couldn’t cut it on the guitar at the time, but they took me out as a vocalist. We started in nightclubs, and then Ted Nugent took us out as his opening act.

My job was to stand behind a curtain near the side of the stage and sing background. On the Nugent tour, I used to feel this looming presence behind me. It was Ted slapping my back. He’d say, “Don’t worry. Someday you’ll be in front of that curtain.”

How did you wind up working at the Gap in the mid-Nineties? [ Laughs ] I spent a few years in this band called Tall Stories. Like many bands of our era, we were just about to release our record when the music moved on a dime with the release of Nirvana’s record [ Nevermind .] On our very same release date was Spin Doctors and, more importantly, Pearl Jam. Anything that wasn’t associated with Seattle or the new sound was dropped and not even considered. And so that was the demise of Tall Stories. We were a fine band with a fine album.

After that, I was out of work. I had a cousin that worked for the Gap. She was high up in management. She was kind enough to look and see if there was anything I could do. All through my career, I was a construction worker or laborer, much like my father and my grandfather. I come from a long line of people swinging a hammer.

I did this for a year. They made me a maintenance manager. It wasn’t so awful, but it was anything from changing toilet seats to lightbulbs to painting fitting rooms, in record time. If you ever tried on a pair of jeans at the Gap and went home with a little extra paint on your butt, that might have been my responsibility. I now apologize, in front of the world.

Were you a fan of Journey back in the Eighties? I was an absolute fan, first and foremost, of Steve Perry’s voice. I had heard them prior to that, but it wasn’t until I was working in a record store called Record Factory in Brooklyn when Escape was released. That kind of altered the direction of my life. That particular record was played a minimum of three times a day for quite a few months. I kid you not. We sold a minimum of a case a day. As you can imagine, it became ingrained in me.

When I first heard Steve, I said, “Oh, my God, this guy is doing something Sam Cooke might have done in front of an electric guitar and bass and a drum kit. He’s bringing this great R&B influence.” That marriage of the two is what grabbed my attention.

How did you hear that they were looking for a new singer? It’s the old expression of “It’s not what you know, but who you know.” I had done some work with a fabulous guitar player known as Joe Cefalu. He then moved out to Marin County in California and befriended Neal Schon. He then heard through the grapevine that they were splitting with Steve for one reason or another, and they were starting to audition vocalists.

He gives me a call and tells me what’s happening. I had basically retired after having more success than most people have had in this industry. I released a record with Tall Stories and another with Tyketto, another wonderful melodic rock band.

But a year had passed. I guess I was content working for the Gap. I was just about to reach a year and I was going to achieve 401(k) status. I was going to have a retirement plan put into place. I was like, “You’re doing OK. You walked away from music. You have a steady paycheck.” And he throws this dream back at me and goes, “Put together three songs, send it to me, and I’ll personally put it in Neal Schon’s hand.”

A week goes by. He doesn’t receive the cassette in the mail. He calls to ask what happened. I thanked him and said, “Joe, it’s a pipe dream, my friend. I appreciate you thinking of me, but this is never going to happen. I’m nowhere near the level of these guys, and especially Steve. It’s just ludicrous, insanity.” He said, “Don’t worry, I’m going to take care of it.”

He had a great deal more confidence in me than I ever had. He handed a tape to Neal and within a day or two, I was handed a phone call from Neal inviting me out to California to audition. As soon as I hung up, I received a phone call from Jonathan Cain. It may have been vice versa. I don’t remember.

What happened from there? I couldn’t believe it. I didn’t know if someone was pranking me. I didn’t know if someone was having a good laugh. I called Joe and he said, “Steve, you might want to sit down for this. What I’m about to tell you is going to alter your life forever.” He did indeed confirm that I was getting the audition. I begged Jonathan and Neal to give me a week to prepare, which is nowhere near what you need to get the voice back into shape, but I literally hadn’t sang for a year.

A week went by. I received my ticket to go across the country to San Francisco to Marin County. I walked in the room and there were these two heroes of mine. For five days, we recorded two songs a day. One was one of their classic hits, and one new song a day they had written and were preparing to release on their forthcoming record.

It was a little bit of a rocky start my first day because of either nerves or just the voice is a muscle and it hadn’t been worked in a year. We started out slow and rough. But by the fifth day, by the grace of God or some higher power, my voice came back to me. The stars aligned and I was singing up to par of close to where I was years ago.

I was feeling pretty good. They were working with A&R guru John Kalodner. They thanked me and the feeling was really great. I think I read in their eyes and their facial expressions it was going to happen without them saying it. But I turned around and said, “Gentlemen, I just want to say that I don’t know how this will end. I appreciate the opportunity. One thing for certain, by just you opening my eyes again, you’ve reestablished the fact that I want to go out and sing. I don’t want to go back to the Gap. I want to go get my music career back on track. And if this doesn’t happen, I’ll have a pretty great story to tell my grandkids.”

I had one foot out the door. I spun around and said, “You know, there was one more song I’d really love to have a stab at.” Not because I love ballads and soft rock and love songs, but because of the way that Save Perry sang “Open Arms,” it was a mega-song for me. Maybe it’s a little too mushy and a little too soft for the hard rock fans.

Here I was after nailing the audition, and I’m rolling the dice again. I could have absolutely blown it and thrown everything down the toilet. But I didn’t. I said, “Can I try that?” They agreed, and we did it. I happen to think that particular song may have clinched it for them. Again, it’s luck. It’s who you know. But after who you know, you have to be prepared. Things worked out. Stars were aligned.

How did you learn you had the gig? It didn’t happen overnight. I know Geoff Tate [from Queensrÿche] was also considered. He co-wrote one of the songs that was on one of our records. I can only imagine there had to be quite a few others. But I’m the one who got lucky. It was the big shot, one chance in a million, chance of a lifetime.

Once you got the job, did you start to feel a tremendous weight on your shoulders? It must have been like, “Oh, my God. I need to now step into the shoes of one of the greatest singers of all time, and somehow win over his fans.” Absolutely. I don’t there’s any more daunting task. I’ve seen bands replace members, and lead vocalists are usually the hardest ones. Even if there’s a beloved guitarist, for example, it’s tough. And of course, I’m coming from a fan’s perspective, first and foremost. I knew I had a great obstacle when it came to them, and there’s only one way to do it is to go out and do my best and try to be myself. It’s equally important to respect the music and respect what Steve did with it. I guess the reason they picked me in the first place is that we have vocal similarities. We aren’t identical, but there are similarities.

I had a great teacher early on in my career. One thing he taught me is that you can only go out there and be yourself and do your best. The moment you try and mimic somebody and try to alter your voice to do something other than what comes natural, you’re not going to be the best at your craft. I had to straddle those two things. I had to give the audience and the band what they were expecting, and also try to be true to myself.

There was a balancing act. And there was no overnight success. It happened over a course of eight years. It started out in 1,500 seat theaters.

Let’s go through some of that. Your first show was in June of 1998 in San Rafael, California. What was it like to walk onstage and deliver that first song? Before the show, there was a garbage receptacle. I stuck my head in there and relieved myself. I never had that happen to me before. My stomach was in jitters and butterflies. Once I was done, I cleaned up and hit the stage. I was fine for the first minute or so, but then I locked eyes with my son and my wife in the 20th row. That’s when the waterworks happened. That’s where the reality crept in. That’s where the emotions started. “This is really true. This is happening.”

I could only imagine it went well. We had the label there and John Kalodner. As you said, how do we even consider replacing someone as monumental and iconic as Steve Perry? But we did it in increments. We went out for a test drive. That was a test drive. We went to Japan for a few shows. That was a test drive.

You had to prove to the industry that the audience was still there even without Steve Perry. There were probably doubts that this was even possible. Absolutely. I understand the band’s perspective that they wanted to continue on. And of course, Steve’s perspective was, “How could you even possibly consider it?” I always looked at both sides of this. I went, “If I’m going to do this with them, I have to be respectful, more than anybody, to the fans.”

Some folks are there that literally just need the music. They have to go and pay for a ticket and hear it live. There is where Journey are fortunate, or anyone that had someone step in and do that. Sometimes they just need the music. It’s that simple.

I spoke to some people back then who saw Journey and couldn’t name one member of the band, past or present. They just wanted to hear the songs and didn’t follow the saga in any real way. Pretty much. As you can imagine, through the years I’ve come in touch with a number of these musicians. We all share the same battle stories. I have a gentlemen who used to sing for Kansas, John Elefante. He’s amazing. He’s absolutely stellar. I’ve worked with Bobby Kimball’s replacement [in Toto] who passed away a number of year ago, Fergie Frederiksen. These are just a handful of guys. I could rattle off at least 20 names.

Getting back to your early days in Journey, the Armageddon soundtrack was pretty key. It showed people that Journey would be more than just an oldies revue. Sure. The Armageddon soundtrack was a huge shot in the arm and a huge opportunity. It wouldn’t have happened without John Kalodner. The soundtrack was compete. He asked for a favor from [ Armageddon music composer] Trevor Rabin and the label. He said, “If Journey is going to have any shot at a comeback, we’re going to have to get a song on a huge blockbuster soundtrack.” So we have John and CBS Records and Trevor Rabin to thank. And you can thank “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing,” Aerosmith’s gazillion-selling hit single. And Diane Warren. Thank you, Diane Warren [ laughs ].

It was the peak of the CD era. The labels had basically killed the single. Everyone who wanted that one song had to buy the whole album. That’s correct. And they did that 7 million times.

Tell me about making Arrival. It was a love/hate relationship. First of all, there were so many things to love about it. They chose New York City to do the record because [producer] Kevin Shirley had a second home here. He had a beautiful penthouse on Central Park West. He had a beach home in West Hampton. The guys came and made their homes here for however long the record took, a month or so. The damndest thing is I have a very fragile voice. I’ve never been the kind of guy that can go out and sing very night.

The first week of pre-production, the label was coming. They wanted to hear us rehearse. Me being a novice and green, I gave it all I had at the first rehearsal. And I had poor monitoring. I didn’t have the expertise and the knowledge that one eventually builds up. I blew my voice out. For the first week or two, we were repairing the voice.

You can only imagine. You want to go in there and give it your 200 percent. Now I’m a bird with an injured wing, a lame duck. But through the patience of the band and Kevin Shirley’s master production, we took our time and I’m glad. I’m extremely proud of the record we did and the performances that are on that record. Somehow, by the grace of God, the record was embraced by the fans.

They gave you credits on many of the songs. You have to imagine, that was a huge honor. I had picked up a couple of things along the way with Tall Stories. And in Tyketto, I co-wrote every song on the record, along with some great records. But this was in the minor leagues. We’re talking about the Staten Island Yankees as opposed to playing up in the Bronx at Yankee Stadium.

Now here I am in the big leagues. I’m in a room with Neal and Jon, who penned “Faithfully” and “Don’t Stop Believin'” and “Who’s Crying Now” and “When You Love a Woman,” with and without Steve Perry. These guys are masters. I’m a novice. I’m green.

Neal and Jonathan would develop a section of a song and be really happy. All of a sudden, these guys are off to the races. They’re world class. But my mind is a little slow, so I literally would have to leave the room with my pen and pad and a guitar maybe. I’d have to take five minutes to listen on my own since these guys are working on all cylinders. They’re revving their engines at 120 mph.

I’d go back and throw my little idea out. Sometimes it worked. Sometimes it didn’t. They’d have to say, “Go back to the drawing board.” That’s where I literally did leave the room. That’s where I first learned to write with them. These guys were monsters, and I was not. [ Laughs ] That was the learning process. I was in the room with the adults, and I was the kid. It was a great experience.

Their touring schedule was often pretty rough. They’d go out for months at a time. After a couple of years, did it start to grow tiresome? Of course. At first, it’s all brand new and shiny. You run out the door. I’d have my suitcase packed a week before we left. Towards the end of my career with Journey, it would be the morning of the flight and I hadn’t packed a thing. It’s just human nature. It was hard to leave.

Everyone thinks of the upsides and the glamor and the sparkle and everything that shines. But the loneliness and the wear and tear, which is a huge part of it for a vocalist. The thing that would kill me was when we’d do three nights in a row. We would do five shows a week. And you needed to do that to keep a big touring machine afloat.

If you go down, nobody makes a nickel. You go into the red. You’re paying for hotel rooms and salaries and nobody is generating income. There’s a bit of a psychological thing going on. You have to keep yourself healthy.

One of the many things I used to do was I’d almost never go out. If perhaps they’d drink on their day off at a bar, I’d bring my bicycle and go for a ride. I literally saw the world on two wheels. The cornfields of Iowa and the Mississippi River. You name it, I saw it, but staying away from talking. I zipped it up and saved my voice for the next show. That was one way I kept it together.

Those are not easy songs to sing night after night. It was even hard for Steve Perry near the end of his time. You have to hit those notes over and over. Yeah. Whether you did or not, you were expected to. You did everything in your power to make it happen. It was diet or exercise. We used to say you literally lived the life of a monk. And it worked for a while, but what happens is it starts to compound over the years. And your voice was going to change anyway. No athlete is going to perform at 30 like they did when they were 20. That’s just the reality of your physicality. It’s just inevitable. It’s going to happen. There’s going to come a time where you can’t do five shows in a row. It’s not possible.

Tell me about making Generations . That was a different sort of record since they all sang on it. Correct. I don’t think that necessarily would have been the case had I not been on the ropes at the time. We had come off the road and I was experiencing vocal problems, or not recuperating as quickly as I used to. And so it was a great idea. “Let’s just share the vocal responsibilities amongst the band. This way, when we go out for the following tour, Steve doesn’t have to sing as much. We can take some of the workload off him.” Frankly, that was a pretty good idea. And that’s exactly what we did.

It’s sort of a lost record. It’s not on Spotify, or anything. Do you know why that is? Well, I can only imagine. I’m speculating. But for one reason or another, they just perhaps felt it wasn’t necessary or worthwhile to put it out there. I know for a fact there are a couple of songs on there that are extremely worthy. I’m sad that they haven’t done that. But that is still the case. Maybe that might change in the future going forward. Maybe not.

In 2005, you guys get the star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and Steve Perry shows up out of nowhere. Tell me about that day and what it was like to meet him. This was kind of nerve-racking for me, obviously, for several reasons. We had never met prior to this. I don’t think there was bad blood, but nobody was necessarily sending each other Christmas cards.

So here we are being honored. What a great honor to get a star on the Walk of Fame. It was exciting for me. I brought my whole family over. And Steve had an obligation to his fans. If you ask for my opinion, and I shouldn’t speak for anyone else, I think he showed up out of respect to the fans. It was a day to take a bow and accept a great honor. That’s why we were all there. Steve deserved it at least as much as anyone that was receiving it.

We did have a cordial, “Hello. How do you do? Great to meet you. Honored to meet you.” That was the extent of it. I didn’t expect much. I’ve always had a great respect for him. I continue to. But that’s that way it was. That’s the way it went down.

How stressful was it to go on tour at this point when you’re having vocal problems and there were that many shows booked? I don’t think I ever experienced anxiety in my life like that before. I was pretty low key. Everything rolled off my back. Nothing really stuck to me. I was pretty chill until the later years of my career with Journey. I saw the writing on the wall. I knew there was no way I could keep it up and sustain. Frankly, the day that they released me, my voice was completely “in the weeds,” as Jonathan Cain used to say. I guess that’s a golf expression. I was terrible. I don’t think I’ve ever physically and emotionally felt that much pain in my life.

It was also equally liberating. There was a relief and a weight off my shoulders that I soon embraced and accepted that I had a pretty decent run. I achieved something that, from a musician’s point of view, you only dream of. These are dreams that are so far out of reach, but somehow they came into my clutches. I had it for a while. Like everything good in life, nothing lasts forever.

Near the end of your time in Journey, some fan reports suggested you were using pre-recorded vocals onstage. Is that accurate? Well, I can’t … I’ll put it to you this way, and I’ll keep it short and sweet. Each and every day I went out and performed with Journey, I sang every show to the best of my ability and with every ounce of my heart and soul. I can’t answer that question. I can’t legally answer it. But I will tell you that much. Perhaps someday, someone else will answer it another way. That’s the best I can do.

How did they tell you it was over? At first, they sent me to some of the best doctors in Nashville and a coupe of voice therapists. It was coming together. But they had this tremendous summer tour planned with Def Leppard. Neal was working at the time with this great artist named Jeff Scott Soto. They tapped Jeff to step in and help them out for the remainder of the year. He did.

I don’t recall the precise day they gave me the pink slip, but I wasn’t surprised. I was certainly hurt. I was certainly saddened, but I wasn’t surprised because the last thing that Neal said to me before we parted was, “Steve, it’s not personal. It’s business.”

I understand. What puts it in perspective and what got me through what was one of the most difficult times in my life is that if they were able to part with the likes of Steve Perry and the talent of Steve Perry, this is a no-brainer for them. And so I was able to accept it easier. Not 100 percent. That’s because I’ve never experienced pain like that, emotional pain. But it was easier to accept.

Have you spoken to Jonathan or Neal since then? I have. Very infrequently. I had the desire to see them when they came locally once or twice. It was fun to see them. They embraced me. It was very kind of them to have me come. I’ve met Arnel [Pineda] on one or two occasions. Aside from having a great voice and a great instrument, I love his story and how he came to be. I’m actually thrilled for him since I was him. I saw what it was like. It’s a rags-to-riches story. I’m happy for him.

Your job was harder. You were coming right after Steve Perry. You had to deal with all sorts of fan expectations and pressures that he did not. You know what? I think that’s very true. I did some of the lifting. I can’t take all the credit. After me, they really exploded. I think you could call me the buffer or the primer. I was the one that really took the hits, maybe. Again, it’s all relative. I didn’t expect any less. I took the criticism. I didn’t accept any less. It’s natural and it’s just the way it was.

If it happened again, would I do it any differently? Yeah. I’d probably diminish the shows from five to four a week. That might have saved me a little bit. But who knows?

You’ve been touring a lot recently and you’re still doing the Journey classics. I’ve been fortunate in that. I formed the Steve Augeri Band 10 years ago. I’ve been fortunate enough to find a group of really great guys that love to play the music. Of course, the scale is minuscule compared to, again, playing Yankee Stadium. We’re playing what sometimes is even the sandlot. But the joy is still there. The same joy is still there. I’m not exaggerating. As long as the joy is there, I’ll continue doing it.

You’ve also done shows with John Payne and Lou Gramm and these other former singers of big bands. Yes. In fact, we just came back from Sweden yesterday. I’m still adjusting to the timezone. I’m going out tomorrow to be with John Payne and Asia. We’re playing with Lou in another few weeks. I still carry on with my band and other situations. I’ve got another situation in Nashville with the group. Sixwire. They are some of the great Nashville players. They keep me humble. They are great musicians.

Tell me about your new song, “If You Want.” Over the last 10 years, just to make people aware I haven’t completely disappeared, I’ve made sure that I’ve released at least one song a year. It’s not on a label. I just put it out on social media and YouTube and Amazon and all these platforms.

And then 2020 rolls around. We get locked down in March. I took a good look at myself, especially living in New York, and I said, “We may not get out of this alive. And I have a laundry list of material, songs I want the world to hear. Whether it gets to their ears or not, that’s another story, but I need to release them.”

I went from performing mode and I pivoted to creative mode. I don’t recall ever being this gung-ho and this enthusiastic about writing music. I wrote a bunch of stuff immediately and I started collaborating with two band members of mine, my guitarist, Adam Holland, and my keyboard player, Craig Pullman. We were sending files back and forth and we wrote about a third of the record together in that manner.

And then I had about a third of the record that I had written prior to the pandemic. I felt I had to get them out since it would be fruit dying on the vine. Then I wrote some songs in the past couple of years. I put together an album that I’m super psyched about. More than anything ever, I feel like I’ve found my voice. I don’t think I’ll get the comparisons to Steve Perry. As wonderful a compliment as that is, I feel like I finally found something that sounds like me both writing-wise and performance-wise. This summer, we’re releasing Seven Ways to Sunday . That’s the name of the record.

Your voice sounds great. I hear no signs of the damage from years past. It gets back to what I was telling you. My vocal coach told me, “When you do your thing and you’re not chasing anyone else’s expectations and you’re not imitating, you’re less likely to put yourself in a position that’s unnatural.” That’s basically what it boils down to. I would say that I’d be able to do this music without having to second guess myself and without the anxiety. [ Laughs. ]

How does it feel emotionally when you’re onstage these days and you’re singing “Faithfully” and “Don’t Stop Believin'”? Obviously with “Don’t Stop Believin'” there’s a different feeling mainly because it’s so iconic. You can almost sing just half the lyrics and the audience will sing the rest. You can literally kick back and skate a little bit. I don’t, but I could. Everyone knows it inside and out. Boy, wouldn’t you want to write a song like that? But kudos to Steve Perry and Journey.

To get back to your question, I do find joy in singing those songs. However, I will be honest with you. I do some songs in my set that are non-Journey songs, like a Rod Stewart song or a Tina Turner song. I do feel a certain freedom doing these songs and a certain comfort because I’ve hand-picked them. I have a desire to do something like this. I would do anything by Rod, but we happen to do “Forever Young.” That’s kind of apropos because as we age, going out in front of an audience literally makes you feel 20 or even 40 years younger.

As more time goes by, I imagine you’re very grateful that you had the Journey experience. It changed your life in so many ways. They brought you the audience you have now. I have no regrets. I can never say a negative word. Maybe if I really dug down deep, I’m sure you could find darkness and negativity anywhere. But at face value and even just in the big picture, it’s been nothing but a huge positive in my life and continues to be. I can only be thankful and I’m continuing on doing exactly what I did then. I’m still doing it now. Again, even if it’s going from Yankee Stadium to the sandlot, as long as it continues to be a joy, which it is, I’m going to continue doing it.

Fuerza Regida Cancel Rolling Loud Performance Due to ‘Personal Emergency’

  • Rolling Loud Bill Changes
  • By Althea Legaspi

See Zach Bryan Debut New Song 'Sandpaper' at Newark Concert

  • 'smooth me out'
  • By Daniel Kreps

The Best of SXSW Day Four: Eliza McLamb, Lip Critic, Rocket, and More

  • By Rolling Stone

Faye Webster Closes Rolling Stone's Future of Music Showcase With Late-Night Pedal-Steel Bliss

  • By Angie Martoccio

Fletcher Worried She Might Have to Quit Music. Now, She's Healing in More Ways Than One

  • Finding the Antidote
  • By Waiss Aramesh

Most Popular

Oscars: full list of winners, 'oppenheimer' reigns at oscars with seven wins, including best picture and director: full winners list, one of travis kelce’s former flames allege that he may continue this toxic dating pattern with taylor swift, snoop dogg responds to suge knight's claim that he, diddy, and dr. dre are in "secret society", you might also like, london’s biggest eurovision song contest screening party canceled due to israel’s participation, usher does satin suiting and wife jennifer drips in crystal-embellished zuhair murad tuxedo dress at naacp image awards 2024, the best yoga mats for any practice, according to instructors, jeremy renner: robert downey jr. supported me after snowmobile accident ‘like we were dating’, kobe bryant’s 2000 championship ring up for auction.

Rolling Stone is a part of Penske Media Corporation. © 2024 Rolling Stone, LLC. All rights reserved.

Verify it's you

Please log in.

  • Share full article

Advertisement

Supported by

Steve Perry Walked Away From Journey. A Promise Finally Ended His Silence.

journey band steve perry replacement

By Alex Pappademas

  • Sept. 5, 2018

MALIBU, Calif. — On the back patio of a Greek restaurant, a white-haired man making his way to the exit paused for a second look at one of his fellow diners, a man with a prominent nose who wore his dark hair in a modest pompadour.

“You look a lot like Steve Perry,” the white-haired man said.

“I used to be Steve Perry,” Steve Perry said.

This is how it goes when you are Steve Perry. Everyone is excited to see you, and no one can quite believe it. Everyone wants to know where you’ve been.

In 1977, an ambitious but middlingly successful San Francisco jazz-rock band called Journey went looking for a new lead singer and found Mr. Perry, then a 28-year-old veteran of many unsigned bands. Mr. Perry and the band’s lead guitarist and co-founder, Neal Schon, began writing concise, uplifting hard rock songs that showcased Mr. Perry’s clean, powerful alto, as operatic an instrument as pop has ever seen. This new incarnation of Journey produced a string of hit singles, released eight multiplatinum albums and toured relentlessly — so relentlessly that in 1987, a road-worn Mr. Perry took a hiatus, effectively dissolving the band he’d helped make famous.

He did not disappear completely — there was a solo album in 1994, followed in 1996 by a Journey reunion album, “Trial by Fire.” But it wasn’t long before Mr. Perry walked away again, from Journey and from the spotlight. With his forthcoming album, “Traces,” due in early October, he’s breaking 20 years of radio silence.

Over the course of a long midafternoon lunch — well-done souvlaki, hold all the starches — Mr. Perry, now 69, explained why he left, and why he’s returned. He spoke of loving, and losing and opening himself to being loved again, including by people he’s never met, who know him only as a voice from the Top 40 past.

And when he detailed the personal tragedy that moved him to make music again, he talked about it in language as earnest and emotional as any Journey song:

“I thought I had a pretty good heart,” he said, “but a heart isn’t really complete until it’s completely broken.”

IN ITS ’80S heyday, Journey was a commercial powerhouse and a critical piñata. With Mr. Perry up front, slinging high notes like Frisbees into the stratosphere, Journey quickly became not just big but huge . When few public figures aside from Pac-Man and Donkey Kong had their own video game, Journey had two. The offices of the group’s management company received 600 pieces of Journey fan mail per day.

The group toured hard for nine years. Gradually, that punishing schedule began to take a toll on Journey’s lead singer.

“I never had any nodules or anything, and I never had polyps,” Mr. Perry said, referring to the state of his vocal cords. He looked around for some wood to knock, then settled for his own skull. The pain, he said, was more spiritual than physical.

[ Never miss a pop music story: Sign up for our weekly newsletter, Louder. ]

As a vocalist, Mr. Perry explained, “your instrument is you. It’s not just your throat, it’s you . If you’re burnt out, if you’re depressed, if you’re feeling weary and lost and paranoid, you’re a mess.”

“Frankly,” Mr. Schon said in a phone interview, “I don’t know how he lasted as long as he did without feeling burned out. He was so good, doing things that nobody else could do.”

On Feb. 1, 1987, Mr. Perry performed one last show with Journey, in Anchorage. Then he went home.

Mr. Perry was born in Hanford, Calif., in the San Joaquin Valley, about 45 minutes south of Fresno. His parents, who were both Portuguese immigrants, divorced when he was 8, and Mr. Perry and his mother moved in next door to her parents’. “I became invisible, emotionally,” Mr. Perry said. “And there were places I used to hide, to feel comfortable, to protect myself.”

Sometimes he’d crawl into a corner of his grandparents’ garage with a blanket and a flashlight. But he also found refuge in music. “I could get lost in these 45s that I had,” Mr. Perry said. “It turned on a passion for music in me that saved my life.”

As a teen, Mr. Perry moved to Lemoore, Calif., where he enjoyed an archetypally idyllic West Coast adolescence: “A lot of my writing, to this day, is based on my emotional attachment to Lemoore High School.”

There he discovered the Beatles and the Beach Boys, went on parked-car dates by the San Joaquin Valley’s many irrigation canals, and experienced a feeling of “freedom and teenage emotion and contact with the world” that he’s never forgotten. Even a song like “No Erasin’,” the buoyant lead single from his new LP has that down-by-the-old-canal spirit, Mr. Perry said.

And after he left Journey, it was Lemoore that Mr. Perry returned to, hoping to rediscover the person he’d been before subsuming his identity within an internationally famous rock band. In the beginning, he couldn’t even bear to listen to music on the radio: “A little PTSD, I think.”

Eventually, in 1994, he made that solo album, “For the Love of Strange Medicine,” and sported a windblown near-mullet and a dazed expression on the cover. The reviews were respectful, and the album wasn’t a flop. With alternative rock at its cultural peak, Mr. Perry was a man without a context — which suited him just fine.

“I was glad,” he said, “that I was just allowed to step back and go, O.K. — this is a good time to go ride my Harley.”

JOURNEY STAYED REUNITED after Mr. Perry left for the second time in 1997. Since December 2007, its frontman has been Arnel Pineda, a former cover-band vocalist from Manila, Philippines, who Mr. Schon discovered via YouTube . When Journey was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame last April, Mr. Pineda sang the 1981 anthem “Don’t Stop Believin’,” not Mr. Perry. “I’m not in the band,” he said flatly, adding, “It’s Arnel’s gig — singers have to stick together.”

Around the time Mr. Pineda joined the band, something strange had happened — after being radioactively unhip for decades, Journey had crept back into the zeitgeist. David Chase used “Don’t Stop Believin’” to nerve-racking effect in the last scene of the 2007 series finale of “The Sopranos” ; when Mr. Perry refused to sign off on the show’s use of the song until he was told how it would be used, he briefly became one of the few people in America who knew in advance how the show ended.

“Don’t Stop Believin’” became a kind of pop standard, covered by everyone from the cast of “Glee” to the avant-shred guitarist Marnie Stern . Decades after they’d gone their separate ways, Journey and Mr. Perry found themselves discovering fans they never knew they had.

Mark Oliver Everett, the Los Angeles singer-songwriter who performs with his band Eels under the stage name E, was not one of them, at first.

“When I was young, living in Virginia,” Mr. Everett said, “Journey was always on the radio, and I wasn’t into it.”

So although Mr. Perry became a regular at Eels shows beginning around 2003, it took Mr. Everett five years to invite him backstage. He’d become acquainted with Patty Jenkins, the film director, who’d befriended Mr. Perry after contacting him for permission to use “Don’t Stop Believin’” in her 2003 film “Monster.” (“When he literally showed up on the mixing stage the next day and pulled up a chair next to me, saying, ‘Hey I really love your movie. How can I help you?’ it was the beginning of one of the greatest friendships of my life,” Ms. Jenkins wrote in an email.) Over lunch, Ms. Jenkins lobbied Mr. Everett to meet Mr. Perry.

They hit it off immediately. “At that time,” Mr. Everett said, “we had a very serious Eels croquet game in my backyard every Sunday.” He invited Mr. Perry to attend that week. Before long, Mr. Perry began showing up — uninvited and unannounced, but not unwelcome — at Eels rehearsals.

“They’d always bust my chops,” Mr. Perry said. “Like, ‘Well? Is this the year you come on and sing a couple songs with us?’”

At one point, the Eels guitarist Jeff Lyster managed to bait Mr. Perry into singing Journey’s “Lights” at one of these rehearsals, which Mr. Everett remembers as “this great moment — a guy who’s become like Howard Hughes, and just walked away from it all 25 years ago, and he’s finally doing it again.”

Eventually Mr. Perry decided to sing a few numbers at an Eels show, which would be his first public performance in decades. He made this decision known to the band, Mr. Everett said, not via phone or email but by showing up to tour rehearsals one day carrying his own microphone. “He moves in mysterious ways,” Mr. Everett observed.

For mysterious Steve Perry reasons, Mr. Perry chose to make his long-awaited return to the stage at a 2014 Eels show at the Fitzgerald Theater in St. Paul, Minn. During a surprise encore, he sang three songs, including one of his favorite Eels tunes, whose profane title is rendered on an edited album as “It’s a Monstertrucker.”

“I walked out with no anticipation and they knew me and they responded, and it was really a thrill,” Mr. Perry said. “I missed it so much. I couldn’t believe it’d been so long.”

“It’s a Monstertrucker” is a spare song about struggling to get through a lonely Sunday in someone’s absence. For Mr. Perry, it was not an out-of-nowhere choice.

In 2011, Ms. Jenkins directed one segment of “Five,” a Lifetime anthology film about women and breast cancer. Mr. Perry visited her one day in the cutting room while she was at work on a scene featuring real cancer patients as extras. A woman named Kellie Nash caught Mr. Perry’s eye. Instantly smitten, he asked Ms. Jenkins if she would introduce them by email.

“And she says ‘O.K., I’ll send the email,’ ” Mr. Perry said, “but there’s one thing I should tell you first. She was in remission, but it came back, and it’s in her bones and her lungs. She’s fighting for her life.”

“My head said, ‘I don’t know,’ ” Mr. Perry remembered, “but my heart said, ‘Send the email.’”

“That was extremely unlike Steve, as he is just not that guy,” Ms. Jenkins said. “I have never seen him hit on, or even show interest in anyone before. He was always so conservative about opening up to anyone.”

A few weeks later, Ms. Nash and Mr. Perry connected by phone and ended up talking for nearly five hours. Their friendship soon blossomed into romance. Mr. Perry described Ms. Nash as the greatest thing that ever happened to him.

“I was loved by a lot of people, but I didn’t really feel it as much as I did when Kellie said it,” he said. “Because she’s got better things to do than waste her time with those words.”

They were together for a year and a half. They made each other laugh and talked each other to sleep at night.

In the fall of 2012, Ms. Nash began experiencing headaches. An MRI revealed that the cancer had spread to her brain. One night not long afterward, Ms. Nash asked Mr. Perry to make her a promise.

“She said, ‘If something were to happen to me, promise me you won’t go back into isolation,’ ” Mr. Perry said, “because that would make this all for naught.”

At this point in the story, Mr. Perry asked for a moment and began to cry.

Ms. Nash died on Dec. 14, 2012, at 40. Two years later, Mr. Perry showed up to Eels rehearsal with his own microphone, ready to make good on a promise.

TIME HAS ADDED a husky edge to Mr. Perry’s angelic voice; on “Traces,” he hits some trembling high notes that bring to mind the otherworldly jazz countertenor “Little” Jimmy Scott. The tone suits the songs, which occasionally rock, but mostly feel close to their origins as solo demos Mr. Perry cut with only loops and click tracks backing him up.

The idea that the album might kick-start a comeback for Mr. Perry is one that its maker inevitably has to hem and haw about.

“I don’t even know if ‘coming back’ is a good word,” he said. “I’m in touch with the honest emotion, the love of the music I’ve just made. And all the neurosis that used to come with it, too. All the fears and joys. I had to put my arms around all of it. And walking back into it has been an experience, of all of the above.”

Find the Right Soundtrack for You

Trying to expand your musical horizons take a listen to something new..

Kacey Musgraves is closer to fine on her new LP. Read our review .

Adrianne Lenker  isn’t scared of sadness.

Hear the week’s most notable new songs on the Playlist .

Meet the 20-year-old  turning sheet music into hot content.

Ariana Grande  spins heartbreak into gold on “Eternal Sunshine.”

  • Festival Report
  • Album Reviews
  • E.P. Reviews
  • DVD Reviews
  • Concert Reviews
  • Festival Reviews

Subscribe To Our Newsletter

Get The Latest Rock & Metal News Straight To Your Inbox!

Metal Wani

JOURNEY Singer Arnel Pineda Shares Feelings on Band Reuniting With Steve Perry & Losing His Job for It

  • February 3, 2021
  • 2 minute read

journey band steve perry replacement

During a new conversation with Rolling Stone , Journey singer Arnel Pineda talked about the possibility to bring back former singer Steve Perry and he is very opened to this idea.

Arnel said:

“I posted on Instagram that I had waited 35 years for that. It was dreamy. I couldn’t believe I met him since he’s very reclusive and he avoids people.

“He didn’t want to get interviewed, at least until he released his new record [‘Traces’] and then suddenly he was out there, going to radio stations and accepting interviews.

“I was really surprised that he agreed to meet me. It’s one of the most special things that happened in my life. He’s one of my heroes when it comes to singing. I remember back in the ’80s, I would sleep on the bus with my Walkman on in my ears as his voice sang all these favorite songs from Journey .”

Asked more:

I do, but if he came back, that would mean…

“I know, but I miss them so much together. Every now and then, I watch their videos together. It’s always them with Steve Perry that I watch. I mean, no offense to Adam Lambert . He’s an amazing performer and he has an amazing voice, but I still watch the old [ Queen ] ones with Freddie Mercury.

“That’s why when people say things like, ‘No Perry , No Journey ,’ I understand it. Where I come from, we’re so influenced by Western music. We loved the originals, if you know what I mean.”

His return would put you out of a job.

“That would be OK to me! I’m telling you. That’s how much I adore him and I adore Journey and how much I adore Steve Perry. Back in 2005, I resigned from my job in Hong Kong because I lost my voice due to acid reflux.

“I was telling my friends back then that my only regret was I lost my voice before I had the chance to sing side-by-side with Steve Perry. I was joking with them, but then a different situation happened.

“I just wish that one show with him… it would change my life forever. It’s been 30 years now and the band keeps changing my life in ways nobody would ever guess would happen.”

Related Topics

journey band steve perry replacement

You May Also Like

journey band steve perry replacement

Wolfgang Van Halen Talks Reunion With Michael Anthony: “No Hatred, Animosity or Competition Between Us”

  • March 13, 2024

journey band steve perry replacement

Watch POISON’s Bret Michaels Smash “Parti-Gras” Show In Lincoln, California

  • March 12, 2024

journey band steve perry replacement

John 5 On His Tenure In MOTLEY CRUE: “You’ve To Understand Who The Boss Is”

journey band steve perry replacement

Richie Faulkner Reveals Glenn Tipton’s Future In JUDAS PRIEST

journey band steve perry replacement

Sebastian Bach To SKID ROW Members: “Let’s Get The Hair Band Back Together”

journey band steve perry replacement

Ace Frehley Reveals The Ultimatum That Saved KISS’ Career

159 comments.

Journey is not Journey without Steve Perry! ❤️❤️

Not all bands are able to recover from a lead singer especially with a voice as acoustically well know as Steve’s. Arnel has done a phenomenal job. I think it would be great if they both toured together.

You can go to karaoke and see the same

You’re an idiot for that comment Arnel is a good man with a great voice. And willing to loose his job for Perry’s return

Yes, I think your together or let him keep doing it

Calling someone an idiot and misspelling lose in the same comment. That’s gold right there.

I agree. Arnel is remarkable. Steve Perry has mentioned that himself.

You’re 💯 correct. Not just having a great voice, but he’s truly a humble man. Which in my eyes, is amazing.

He’s Definitely a humble man

Sometimes people just cannot hide their stupidity if only for a moment !

Journey Band? hahaha! PATAWA kayo!!! 🤣😂 😝Do you think you’re still famous and matter? That band is obsolete man, and if not for ARNEL PINEDA, those precious songs would be gone in the wind and only drunk people would remember, and the speculation there is that the old lead vocal is afraid to be forgotten by the fans or He is very jealous to the new lead vocal of the band because the fans love him so much, that’s why he came back hahaha #UngratefulBeing #CallousFace

I don’t need Parnel to help me remember. I don’t even need the radio for that. I heard Journeys music first had at the original times and I can hear it in my head. It was branded into my sole. I can never forget the originals.

Dude.. your comment about only drunk people listening Journey songs that are or would be gone in the wind is absurd. Journey has sold over 100 million albums. 25 million more than Van Halen Their Iconic just like Van Halen. You’re probably a WILCO fan.. 🤣🤣. I think he sold 500 thousand albums. It’s all music that will be played and streaming well after we leave this earth.

What a ridiculous comment… journeys songs are iconic, and drunk or not every generation before and after Steve Perry love those tunes. As far as Steve Perry missing the lime light well he must have missed it for 35 years in near seclusion…he may have just needed a break from his Megastar status…which has to be exhausting…and no older he wants to try something new…and it would be something new….Kudos to Steve’s stand in but honestly he was just doing cover tunes…damn God job I can say and I’m sure it was a dream come true for him…. however with Steve back think of the possibility for great new tunes…Rock on Steve, it’s time.

Obsolete? You’re an idiot. They are still touring! Journey is everywhere. There is no creativity today that even remotely compares.

Stupid comment.. you’ve never seen a karaoke singer like Arnel…

Stupid comment from John Sammer. Hahhaha

What an ignorant comment. You’re obviously talking out of your arse and lack musical knowledge.

why dont you do it then buddy

I don’t know. Steve’s voice isn’t what it was back then. I don’t think he can hit the high notes or jags the energy Arnel had

your 100% correct!

WRONG!! I WACHED A SPECIAL ON HIM AND HE WENT TROUGH SOME HEALING TIME BUT HE’S STILL BETTER THAN THE REST!!!

life’s goes on … and the show must go on as well. stop living in the past …✌🏻

Love you Steve keep rocking you inspire everyone attached to your Band Journey I follow you

So true, Mr. Perry. You are, however, one hard act to follow.

Old music 🎶 or new, I enjoy your voice. Take of of yourself. 😃

You’re right, the show must go on. At first I was angry you left, and the rest of the band went on without you. I didn’t want to have anything to do with Arnel, but now I understand you got burned out. I haven’t seen Journey since you left, but I am no longer opposed to it. I’ve heard Arnel sing. He does a great job and I will give him a chance, but please know, you will always be the face of Journey even Arnel knows that. What a gracious guy. Thank you for getting me through some difficult times with your songs and your voice,

Steve Perry is a living legend. I saw journey with Bryan Adams and also with Lover boy back in the ’80s and their live shows were incredible. I admit that Steve’s only fault is being a Giants fan (go blue!) but I appreciate all of the great memories and incredible music sooo much that I can forgive him such a slight shortcoming. On the other hand, Arnel Pineda has taken the reigns and has had phenomenal success with the band as well. In my opinion, the band should just try to incorporate them both in their new endeavour. This would be a time capsule for the lifelong fans and afterall, it’s supposed to be about the music. Not the fame. Giving the fans a chance to watch both performers would be graceful and joyous for us all.

I agree. Hope Steve Perry is up for it.

It would be great when they join together in one show, Steve is Steve and Arnel is Arnel, as well with Journey is Journey. Put them together and its Amazingggggg….,

That be awesome

Arnold voice I’m sure a nice guy but people his voice can’t compare to perry,nowhere near close

Eric the new singer of Skid Row is incredible!

I hope Arnel gets to stay with Journey. He’s done a phenomenal job as lead singer. No offense to Steve but his time with Journey has passed.

Me also I would love to see Perry perform again wheels in the sky keep on turning

This is such a stupid comment.

What do you mean? Expand on that if you would..

Why not?? They could do a duet for most of concert and one could do one song and the other could the next one. It be better their voices too.lLess strain. I mean Arnel has been in the band longer then Steve so I think he should be involved

You think that’s what people wanna see??? Seriously? Your an idiot!! The tribute guy has been around 20 years now! This would be the biggest rock reunion OF ALL TIME!!!! Putting a spot light on the tribute singer would be a waste of electricity!!! The 90k in the stadium would not be there to see him!! 🤦 my god the stupidity of some people never seem to amaze me! Even the dam current singer knows he would be out!!! Dam!

Not necessarily. Arnel.Pineda should be included in the tour and receive a share… Even if he doesnt sing. That would be good business.

You sound like a discriminating idiot! You don’t have to put down the tribute singer that way show some respect.

Did you just say Arnel has been in the band longer than Steve?

Perry was vocals for Journey for a total of 15 years. Pineda had been vials for Journey for 16 years now.

They are Steve Perry song no one better than the man who wrote them

I’ve seen Steve perform in the mid 80”s and he was amazing! I’ve seen Armel as well and he’s just as amazing !!!

Jefferson Starship recorded and toured with with 2 singers.

move on, just be happy with the success of others. SP cant hit the hi notes anymore. Give chance to others.

Exactly, the Steve Perry era is gone. Whether he is better than Arnel is debatable. Arnel has kept the cash coming in to reach the bands 50yr anniversay. As for entertainment, interaction with crowd, and stage personality, my vote goes to Arnel. I’ve never been a fan of Journey until Arnel

A new singer hasn’t brought any new material in 20 years!! The Journey was over long before Arniel joined!! Just saying!! #juststopalready

Wow. I didn’t think anybody would prefer the new guy over Steve Perry. Smh

Then go away. Steve is and always was Journey. Without him they are just a cover band.

LOL…Arrnel copied Perry’s voice and inflection. He’d be nothing without Perry. Love Arnel’s humble attitude, but he really can’t say anything else as true Journey fans (obviously not you) allow him to remain because he sounds 90% like Perry, not because he sounds like Arnel. Anything against Perry and that would be the end for him and the band.

Yup Arnel!!

Same here. Look guys Steve Perry cannot sing the way he did during his tenure with the original Journey, this is a given since he is already advanced in years. They invested in Arnel for good measure because of the similarity of their voices. Journey could not have revived without Arnel with the band intact and money is flooding their way. The members who are manning the instruments have no problem getting into their senior years because their instruments do not get old and retire.

Steve just needs to be a hermit and stay home he ain’t got the pipes no more those days are long over with

Great on point Giddy! People just have to realize there’s no “all the way Perry” “all the way Pineda” here. Both guys worked on their merits & so both should be recognize on those terms! Someone suggested putting them together in one concert 🎵 & if ever that happens, it will be one of the most awesome & best collaborations ever in the rock band 🎸 history & era!

Debatable??? Lol! Perry is king!

Journey sucks bigtime

Hahahahaha!

I listen to all kinds of music and played an instrument for almost 8 years and know music.But I have to say Journey is one of the all time greatest bands.As time and the years go by music changs and not alot of bands can adapt to the times and record songs of the time.Stones went from decade to decade and go from you can’t always get what you want in the 60-70’s to miss you in the 80’s .Just because you don’t like Journey you can’t rag on the band.They have the same line up all these years.

So, you know all about “sucking” huh?

Says the guy reading article about Journey ..

They both deserved it

BIG BIG time

For me I’d like Arnel’s dream to come true…by singing with the legend himself before he steps out & Steve comes in back with the band. It would be a great reunion concert for Journey. Arnel did his part so I guess he’ll be happy to welcome back the original lead singer of the group. Kudos to Steve, Arnel & Journey!

i totally agree, i think Arnel held it down for the group for so many years. if Arnel wasn’t around to help keep Journey relevant, Steve would have nothing to come back to.

i say let them keep Arnel and bring Steve back.

love Journey, love Steve and really appreciate and adore the admiration, professionalism and humbleness shown by Arnel.

Steve Perry is not the original singer.

I agree that Journey is not Journey without Steve Perry. Just like Survivor is not Survivor without Jimi Jamison.

I agree too, FOREIGNER,LYNYRD SKYNARD and QUEEN is hard replace a lead vocals or frontman it sounds TRIBUTE BAND no originality in the group you never expecting sounds the same anymore.

Journey was Journey long before Steve Perry. They are still Journey without him. He’s the one that left the band. They didn’t replace him to fire him. He left them high and dry.

listening to a bunch of AARP discount getting dustys is like listening to biden chirping

Steve Perry does not have the pipes he used to have. I have been in love with Journey since Steve started. It pains me to say it but alas it is true.

Journey was Journey for its first three albums before Steve arrived on the scene. Gregg Rolie was their original lead vocalist. Robert Fleischmann was brough on board but wasn’t in the band long enough to appear on the Infinity album. That was when Steve came into the picture. You probably know the part of the band’s history that included Steve Perry, and hopefully you know the reasons he left. His first replacement, Steve Augeri, was an amazing vocalist but had to leave due to health issues. Jeff Scott Soto came next, but he very quickly grew tired of being booed onstage when he was merely trying to do his job. Neal Schon found arnel Pineda singing Journey tunes on Youtube, and ultimately Neal picked him to be the next vocalist. Journey is still very much Journey. Steve has not been a part of present-day Journey since 1999. He is very much a part of the band’s history, just like Dennis DeYoung left Styx at about the same time Steve left Journey. Styx has become an even tighter band with the addition of Larry Gowan and Todd Sucherman. The whole band gets along great, something they couldn’t say when Dennis was in the band. Let them be who they are and stop wishing for something that, realistically, is highly unlikey to happen.

Journey was a great band before Steve and a great band after Steve. Yes, I loved the Steve Perry days, but they most definitely ARE Journey with or without Steve Perry!

Wrong Journey is not Journey with Greg Rolli

U r crazy Arnel sings Steve Perry better than Steve perry

Where is Steve Perry now? His a great singer ,no doubt about it. But hey, journey band is everywhere now because Of Arnel Pineda. Give the credit to where is due.

Journey was Journey before Steve Perry

Journey remains Journey 17 years when Steve Perry left. If Arnel Pineda had not selected to joined, probably been disbanded, end of the Journey, hehehe. Just respect both vocalist, they been both admires fairly by their fans, don’t make any comparison.

I like Journey more with Steve Perry and went to many of their 80s tours but we want Steve Perry and Journey of the 80s and I think if Steve come back it’s not going to be the old 80s Steve anymore. Don’t be disappointed because many of us are hopeful and even longing for the old…

Not not even true, Journey became successful even without Steve Perry.

When someone quits a replacement works fine with me. It’s a band not a lone singer

Arnel Pineda is a class act! I remember watching his band at Cal Jams in Sunoco! Fantastic band! I wish Arnel all the best! He’s a very special talent!

Absolutely correct

Although a lot of people like myself were Journey fans in the Steve Perry era, I am also a fan of the Arnel Pineda era as well. He comes off not just as a terrific singer, but also humble and gracious. That’s something that we don’t see everyday.

Journey….Greg Rollie, Neal Schon, Aynsley Dunbar, George Tickner, and Ross Valory were awesome before Perry. Just sayin’

Diana Getz, Let’s hear you sing!

I agree, but without Arnel, Journey would have disappear completely. I’ve had the pleasure of seeing Arnel Pineda live and let me tell you that, as far as his voice, his energy and his endurance are concerned, it’s close enough to the original if you ask me. Also, Steve Perry is clearly not capable of signing his own song anymore, let alone night after night. They would have to change the keys of the songs dramatically. The dream I have is the one of a Journey with Arnel’s voice and Steve’s incredible talent in songwriting. But it’s a dream…

Your 100% right ! I love Steve Perry but they would have to lower the key at least a half a step I think it would have to be a one night only gig . This is a true statement

haha 1/2 a step… yeah, more than that for sure, but the thing is, that is ok – I mean, who wouldn’t want to see Journey with Steve back in the band? – Billy Joel sings everything down about a minor 3rd or so, but he still sells out MSG – People know the band by Steve Perry – I pray that he has become much more humble compared to the 80’s and 90’s lol – I have personal accounts of his tude back then… He seems to have “seen the light” – so, while he is still alive, I say full steam ahead – no matter what shape his voice is in… there was only ONE SP…

Exactly. I understand people love original singers, so when he/she departs its huge problem for the band to find replacement which will sound as the first one. In Journey’s case they were so Lucky to find Arnel. He helped bend to survive, and band helped him to become a star. With all respect to mr Perry, Ariel’s contribution to the band was enormous, and it shouldn’t be forgotten.

Honestly speaking I never heard music or album whatever of Journey whoever is the lead singer,unless I found out that Arnel is coming here with the invitation of Neil Scion so to make story short Arnel never come back to Philippines anymore because he was chosen to be the lead singer then after that I always listen to the Journey. Journey owe everything to Arnel being alive again and the fans had been doubled in numbers because of him Arnel . All over the world most fans especially the filipinos are going to his concer. So proud of you Arnel…..

Arnel is a class act. We just saw them in Atlanta with Toto. They will never be the original journey but of all the bands in history that have changed singers I think Journey has done the best.

Phil Collins would disagree with you.

Steve Perry has an angelic voice, but it’s not what it used to be back in the day. The truth is Steve is 73 now and his voice has changed with age… like it does for everyone. Steve couldn’t hit the highs and melodic tones that he did in the 70’s and 80’s, and I’m sure that trying to do so would wreck his voice after the first few shows. Even Arnel isn’t able to carry a tune like he did 10 years ago. I’m in no way bashing Steve. I’m just telling you why any fantasies of the band reuniting for a tour won’t happen. A studio reunion? Maybe… But I don’t see Steve being cool with using auto-tune.

true..lets just celebrate their old age singing even they cannot hit the high notes anymore.. I’d love to watch them being together as their reunion…peace ✌️ PS..we must admit during their era in their young age..Steve and Arnel is wowed/awesome singers on their own❤️🫰🏽

I would love for Journey to do a cover of the song El Pipiripau!

I don’t know this people comparing SP and AP now’they don’t even know that SP is already old and Arnel is a new comer and it sounds like SP but not originally.if Steve can go back on tour the question is can he sing the same pitch now? I watch the reunion of my favorite band in the 80s also Air Supply I really regret that is not really the same as original.for my opinion it is better to have old or the same musician with new lead vocals like Arnel Pineda with high energy and we don’t need angelic voice now coz we are on the 20th century..

I first saw Arnel in 1987 in a club called Caljam in Olongopo City, Phillipines. He was the singer for a group called Amo Band. He absolutely blew me away with his vocal range. Think he does well with Journey? You should hear his “Highway Star”! I went back the next night but their engagement was over. I met my wife soon after, she was a musician in a band from Manila and I asked her if she knew anything about Amo Band or the singer but she hadn’t seen them. I never forgot that performance but I never knew his name. Fast forward to when he was ‘discovered’ on YouTube and tapped to take the lead vocals for Journey. I heard the story of the new Filipino singer and thought to myself this has got to be the same guy. So after reading more about him – sure enough he had fronted Amo Band back in the 80’s and I knew I now had a name to go with the incredible voice. Most importantly now my wife knew why I had always spoken so highly of that one performance I had saw those many years before.

this comment leverages things another notch

Wow, incredible comment thats what you called “Journey”…

I also loved the Amo Band. They performed in Olongapo and Manila in the 80s. There was a “battle of the bands” at the Araneta Coliseum and Amo (fronted by Arnel) blew the competition away—including recording stars.

Thanks for sharing! Arnel is indeed a serious talent! So happy that he was discovered and now all Journey fans benefited.

Steve perry and arnel should sing togther thay kind of sound a like i would love to meet both singer my addess is 4910 j street omaha nebraska 68117

Perry’s voice/ability has significantly declined with age. Enjoy the recordings of his heydays. Arnel Pineda is a wonderful talent and makes a current Journey concert magnificent.

It would be a dream to have Arnel and Steve and the rest of the band sing together one time. I would travel wherever they was at if I had to Travel across the United States to see them I would. I have seen journey so many times and I love them I love them I’ve seen them twice in the past 6 months and I traveled from Ohio to Las Vegas both times. I hope this happens

They could manage Steve return as Helloween did.

Arnel is awesome in his own right, but steve IS Journey

Arnel is journeys saviour they would have disappeared without a doubt. It seem both singers respect each other and if the feelings there why not do what Halloween did deliver great shows with two singers it’s easy to say bring back the original but all you have for reference is a time capsule on vinyl cd what Ever time moves of voices change what is for real is arnel appeared in journeys darkest hour to save the day

He would not lose his job. Steve Perry would not be able to do more than a few songs each night.

In the 80s Journey was my first concert and I’ve been a huge Steve Perry Journey fan ever since. Arnel is a great singer but truthfully the experience is just not the same for me. Now I prefer watching and listening to old live Journey concerts with Steve Perry.

I commend Arnel on his support of Steve Perry coming back to Journey but as much as it pains me to say, he is 73 now and he can never be the the Steve Perry he once was.

In an industry with huge egos, Arnel is an exception. I’ve been so impressed with his humility and gratitude for his opportunity with Journey. As a result, I believe it is the primary reason the band continues to have so much success. I would love to see Journey reunite with Steve Perry, but I don’t think it will ever happen.

Steve Perry has aged, and the energy has depleted, we all do appreciate him being the frontman of journey , he has the right to sing again… Journey to the tunes of Frank Sinatra

The first time I heard Arnel was right when the 2 disc set with the live DVD came out. Walmart was using the dvd to play on their TVs in the electronic department. I stood there in awe for a good 30mins just watching this guy. I’ll get hate for it, but he has smoother tones and a bigger range than Steve did, even in his prime. What a fairytale story for Arnel how things happened.

1. Perry 2. Auguri 3.Arnel In that order, period.

huh who is auguri never heard him sing

Augeri cannot even beat Arnel lol🤣 can you see it in Yutube and compare🫰🏽😁☺️

Arnel is good and thank you for your good voice I have seen u in Hawaii for 8 times so far including your own single concert as arnel Pineda

Arnel is a good impersonator for Steve Perry but he is not Steve Perry. Anyone who has seen him in concert can hear the difference. Yes Journey has continued because of him because everyone hungers for the original. If they were out in the road doing just their originals there would not be a Journey. Not one song has become a hit since Perry’s departure. Never will. I would like to see Steve Perry perform again for their 50th and would travel anywhere they had that concert. He couldn’t perform every night at his age and would probably have to compensate some.,,that being said one more show would be fantastic! They would sell out as soon as the tickets were released.

NOT TRUE, ROLLINGSTONES THE OLDEST GROUP STILL PERFORMING ALONG WITH THE BOSS, AGE IS NOTHING.

On another note. Steven Tyler!! Still great

The lack of a hit single is more because of the popular trends in radio now. Mainstream radio doesn’t play anything from classic bands, just pop and hip-hop.

but steve couldnt do it anymore thats why he left the group!….thats the truth!…

I DEFINITELY AGREE AND THIS WILL COMPLETE HE IS TRULY A JOURNEY FAMILY BY DOING MANY DUETS WITH STEVE TO CREATE A NEW LAGACY FOR BOTH MEN AS JOURNEY.

Arnel and DEEN helped keep Journey alive……

Steve Perry will never take someone job away from them. Especially arneil job. This is only hear say Steve Perry is joining the band. Steve Perry may sing couple songs with journey, but Arniel would be the singer to finish the show.

Arnel is no Steve Perry, but he is the closest we can get. I think it is awesome, because Arnel is one of us…a fan of Journey, who is loving his dream job. Thank God for Arnel, for keeping Journey alive!

WOW! I hope the band shows him the same class and has him along whether he’s lead or not , just to do a few songs here and there. He really has a respect for them and I hope they don’t just drop him like that. He’s a good, honest, and decent kid that deserves a chance to stay on and tour … even if he plays second fiddle to Steve in the band, I think he’d be fine with that,… just being. It’s the little things you need to take notice of guys and .. it may be little to you, but to him it would be the world it sounds like. Steve or no Steve, let him stay if he is open to the idea, and let him participate.. even if just for back round vocals. He’s earned it

Steve won’t be able to pull it off. Should keep Arnel around.

Steve was great back in the day with Journey for sure but he has since parted ways from the band. Arnel is amazing and has such awesome talent. Arnel was the come back of Journey without a doubt. It would be nice to have Steve come back and do a few shows together and have Arnel sing with his idol on stage for his dream to come true. Afterwards I think it would be awesome and a humble thing to do is to pass the torch to Arnel and give him the recognition he truly deserves. Arnel is the new life , the new heartbeat and the new sound for Journey now. Props and Kudos to Steve Perry as he should also be very appreciated and recognized for his era of being with Journey and giving us all some awesome music. I very much like them both equally. I think that Arnel should remain the lead singer from here on out for Journey. I have never been to a Journey concert but I sure would like to attend at least one.

Arnel is the man ..Steve perry is too old. Time to move on

If Steve can’t handle all the notes like he used to then don’t replace Arnel it’s that simple.

I should have left a response. But forgot what to say.

Arnel is very humble but Steve will never never come back to journey because Steve can’t sing any more that’s why you never see him sing with this girl or with this guy or by himself. He was very great in the eighties and nineties but now it’s over. Steve will always be Journey but he is retired now cashing checks. I wished he would comeback and bring some back up singers too make a comeback bigger than Led Zeppelin in 2007 but Steve will only do talk shows now. But I think it’s his voice yes he can sing in the shower but not in front of a audience sorry guys but the curtain has dropped

Arnel has done a great job as the singer of Foreigner has done in place of Lou.Just glad people come along to cover these great singers

Okay folks let’s look at reality. Steve Perry himself does not want to come back to journey. End of story end of every thread and story and rumor because it’s not going to happen. This is a 2-year-old article so that’s that. Time to move on.

If that happens it will definitely sound like GNR

It’s true that steve Time with journey is done and that his voice is not what it was and that is ok . Arnel voice brings journey ´s music back and because off him Journey trives. No arnel journey is just a has been. So yes a duet with steve and arnel would be fantastique.

Don’t you worry Arnel, this is just a one-time show, Neal Schon & Perry are incompatible.

Journey should end the end of their road with his main voice!!

Arnel,my man will be very happy to join the tour, he will gladly take over in case Steve would lose his voice or get tired since he is 73 yrs old maybe he can’t perform night after night

Steve Perry’s voice.have changed just like most of the old Rock stars. Arnelstill has it. I don.t think SP will try to sing the high notes of the journey songs.It will be a disaster if he does that.

journey is dead

What i see removing AP in SP is big mistake for them to do.there’s only one SP but b4 he left them the reason is he can’t do it anymore.Sp know’s what he can n can’t do anymore.his days the voice he had is not there anymore.i dont think SP can sing for a tour at his age.its not there anymore does day are over.for jouney you can stil continue but AP out SP in your journey will end there.stop dreaming your getting old know your days is getting near the end.putting together is not a bad thing SP’s voice cant handle it anymore AP will continue the journey up to day when your jouney day come’s to end.just my opinion

This kid is a class act.

Journey is not the same without Steven Perry, however Arnel Pineda has done an absolutely super job filling such big shoes especially with his vocals!! I would love to see Steven back with the band, but not to remove Arnel entirely. I also commend this young man for his grace and understanding what this could mean for his future. I have even more respect for him.

Dak sucks at quarterback!

Deen Castronovo (Journey’s Drummer) sounds like Steve as well! https://youtu.be/acbyR1DiPC8?si=sM_K-kMK4zMIyRfk

I’m still holding out hope, Steve will come out of road retirement and do at least one more tour. His music, journeys music. Just to see him one more time. He is still on my bucket list to see all the greats from my past. And he is in the top 5. I know I’m not the only one!!??

Journey is a great band. As well Steve Perry has an iconic voice. It’s very difficult to compete with a lead vocalist that has such an iconic voice. Bands are remembered more for the iconic vocals then actually the band itself. You hear vocalists like Steve Perry, and you right away assume its Journey Any newcomer can never compete with such a legendary and iconic voices. I do agree that Adam Lambert is a great vocalist. But for his own music. He can never replace Fred Mercury in Queen. No matter how much he tries. Nor can he replace any other iconic voice. like all the other new vocalist can’t. They didn’t become legendary for no reason. instead of trying to replace all these iconic vocalists. they should start making their own voices iconic.

I have always loved the band Journey. I think Steve Perry had the most magical voice of all time. Journey was not Journey for me after his departure. But I honestly believe that Arnel is a awesome singer. He may not sing like Steve Perry, he sort of sounds like him. I think he is a great Entertainer I’m not going to discredit him at all. But to see Journey together again would be the most amazing thing.

I think, if you still have the chops and people want to see you, go for it!. On the other hand, if you can no longer sing your songs well, don’t embarrass yourself. Let people remember you for your great voice and songs. There will always be tribute bands that will keep that music alive. It was the best music in my book. Grace Slick once said, no one wants to see old musicians trying to rock out. She then made her exit and never looked back.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Notify me of follow-up comments by email.

Notify me of new posts by email.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed .

Input your search keywords and press Enter.

Get Latest Rock & Metal News Delivered Straight To Your Inbox!

Made with Mailchimp

journey band steve perry replacement

journey band steve perry replacement

Journey’s Jonathan Cain shares the real-life story behind ‘Don’t Stop Believin’ ‘ as band prepares for Spokane show

Journey lead singer Arnel Pineda, right, sings alongside keyboardist Jonathan Cain, who steps out to play guitar on a song in 2017 at the Spokane Arena. The band will bring its 50th anniversary tour to the Arena on Friday.  (JESSE TINSLEY)

One of the architects of the massive hit “Don’t Stop Believin’ ” almost stopped believing in Journey when vocalist Steve Perry quit the band in 1998. Keyboardist Jonathan Cain was uncertain that the band could continue after Perry left the group. It was understandable, since Journey said goodbye to a singer with such a big set of identifiable pipes that his nickname is “The Voice.”

“Steve was the best bandleader you can have,” Cain said. “He was magical.”

If Journey failed to replace Perry, the group would have called it a day during its 25th anniversary. However, guitarist Neal Schon refused to give up, and Steve Augeri filled Perry’s role. Jeff Scott Soto followed Augeri. Neither replacement singer approximated the impact of the iconic Perry. And the band was searching for yet another vocalist in 2007. Cain once again wondered if Journey could continue.

Then Schon witnessed Journey cover band singer Arnel Pineda in 2007 belting out “Don’t Stop Believin’ ” in his native Manila via YouTube. An invitation to audition was offered.

“I was skeptical,” Cain said. “I’m a realist. I thought, this kid has never been to America. There will be blowback because of his skin color and his race. I worried about how much of this country would accept him.”

But Pineda was embraced with open arms by Journey fans. A quarter century after Perry bid farewell to Journey, the band is nearly as popular as it was during its heyday.

“We could have never have guessed this would happen,” Cain, 73, said while calling from Los Angeles. “There is life for us at this point. When I look back at all that we accomplished, it’s just amazing to take it all in.”

So Cain and the rest of Journey, which includes drummer Deen Castronovo and bassist Todd Jensen, believe. “Don’t Stop Believin’ ” isn’t just the name of Journey’s biggest hit. It’s also the advice Cain received from his father when he struggled as a musician during the ‘70s.

“ ‘Don’t stop believin’ Jon,’ is what my dad told me,” Cain said. “I wrote it down in one of my notebooks.” “Don’t Stop Believin’ ” is also the name of Cain’s memoir, which was published in 2018.

Journey, which will perform Friday at the Spokane Arena, was massive during its early ‘80s peak with Perry, who is an underappreciated arranger of the band’s many hits. When Journey was putting together songs for its breakthrough album, “Escape,” in 1981, Perry asked Cain for ideas.

“The clock was ticking on us and Steve wanted to know if there was anything in my magic notebook,” Cain recalled. “I shared with him the phrase, ‘Don’t stop believin’.”

Cain proceeds to sing the couplet, Don’t stop believin’/hold on to that feeling. It’s an enduring anthem. The chorus doesn’t arrive until the conclusion of the tune, which is rare.

“Steve came up with that idea,” Cain said. “He said, ‘Make them wait to hear it. That way they’ll always want to hear it.’ I can still hear Steve yodeling the words to ‘Don’t Stop Believin’. ”

Journey has sold 48 million albums and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2017. “I don’t know how to top that,” Cain said.

There’s often drama and unpredictability over the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Mark Knopfler blew off Dire Straits’ induction in 2018. After years of complaining that they were dismissed by the hallowed Rock Hall, Kiss accepted the hardware but surprisingly refused to perform at their ceremony in 2014. According to Cain, nobody knew what Perry would do during the night of Journey’s induction.

“I was hoping he would perform,” Cain said. “I was waiting for him to do so. He didn’t perform, but I was ready if he was up to it. On the plus side, Perry was full of grace and humility. He had a one-on-one for 15 minutes with Arnel, who came out and said, ‘My God, I met him!’ It was an amazing experience.”

Journey played “Lights,” “Separate Ways” and “Don’t Stop Believin’.” Speaking once more of the latter, Journey was ecstatic that Sopranos visionary David Chase selected the hit to cap his iconic show.

“That blew us away,” Cain said. “David Chase notified us a year before it aired. ‘I’ve chosen your song’ is what he told us.”

The members of Journey were sworn to secrecy. “We didn’t say a thing,” Cain said. “It was a feel-good song for Tony Soprano’s character. I loved the show and James Gandolfini (who played Tony Soprano).”

While on vacation in Italy in 2013, Cain was checking out of a hotel in Rome shortly before Gandolfini checked in. Just a few hours later, Gandolfini passed away in his room. “I was freaking out when I heard about it,” Cain said. “That was just too weird.”

But fans might also file Journey adding a cover band singer from halfway around the world as weird. “Who would ever guess that would work,” Cain said, “But it has worked out well.”

Pineda’s tenure with the band has almost matched Perry’s period with Journey, which was 21 years.

“We’re still going strong,” Cain said. “We have more years ahead of us.”

Don’t stop believin’, indeed.

Combatting loneliness: Why staying connected is vital to your health

Staying connected – and in relationships – could be the cure you need to your health and stress issues.

Journey Reflects on New Album, Whether Steve Perry Could Return for 50th Anniversary Shows (Exclusive)

Journey on new album and if steve perry or gregg rolie could return for 50th anniversary (exclusive), erika alexander feels like she’s now in hollywood’s ‘major leagues’ after ‘american fiction’ success, why tichina arnold is renting out her ‘martin’ costumes and other iconic outfits (exclusive), 'the valley’: nia and danny react to being 'couple's goals' (exclusive), the valley's jason and janet caperna shares valuable lessons learned from season 1 (exclusive), jason kelce's wife kylie mourns death of their family's dog winnie, cara delevingne reacts to her $7 million la home catching fire, 'the valley': michelle and jesse lally announce separation ahead of premiere (exclusive), ‘the valley’: jasmine goode’s ‘big reason’ she returned to reality tv after ‘the bachelor’, 'ghostbusters' og annie potts jokes franchise is 'biblical' on 40th anniversary (exclusive), ricky martin still feels like a sex symbol 25 years after 'livin' la vida loca' (exclusive), wendy williams’ guardian speaks out against lifetime doc in unsealed lawsuit, prince william and prince harry separately attend award ceremony dedicated to mother diana, oprah winfrey reveals why she resigned from weight watchers, jason reitman opens up about late dad ivan reitman's 'ghostbusters' legacy (exclusive), rita moreno reflects on her oscar win, 62 years later (exclusive), michael keaton praises jenna ortega’s performance in ‘beetlejuice’ sequel (exclusive), ‘arthur the king’: mark wahlberg on why he decided to continue filming despite injury, 'baywatch' alum nicole eggert shaves head with daughter as she battles breast cancer, mckenna graces tears up over 'ghostbusters: frozen empire' experience (exclusive), kristen doute's message to those questioning if she deserves a second chance with ‘the valley’, the rock legends revealed the surprising silver lining of recording during a pandemic in an interview with et..

The rock legends of Journey are approaching nearly half a century of hitmaking with a new No. 1 album and a Las Vegas residency, to boot! ET was with the icons in Sin City for an exclusive look at their orchestral show and to get the inside story on their first new music in more than a decade. 

"Hearing it when it was finished it was definitely emotional," lead guitarist Neal Schon tells ET's Denny Directo of their new album, Freedom , which marks their first full-length release in 11 years. "We had recorded this album in a way different way because of COVID." 

The band recorded Freedom entirely separate from one another, laying down their respective parts individually in different parts of the world. 

"You get lemons, you make lemonade," says keyboardist Jonathan Cain, revealing the surprising silver lining they discovered through the process. "We were stuck at home. We were supposed to be on tour with The Pretenders and everything got shut down. So we just thought, 'Why not?' And we also made the record for half the price. ... We spent half the money, so we got a blessing from it." 

"It will never be the same," vocalist Arnel Pineda chimes in with a laugh. "So we'll do the same thing again to save money, right?" 

Creatively, the band drew on both past and present experiences while striving to stay true to the heart of what fans have come to know and love about them. 

"I feel that we encompassed like a lot from Infinity to where we are now in this album," says Schon, referencing Journey's 1978 full-length featuring their first Billboard Hot 100 hit, "Wheel in the Sky." 

"It's very diverse, it's very musical," he continues. "I’m happy with that. I think it really represents that band well."

In 2023, Journey will celebrate 50 years in the biz. To commemorate their golden anniversary, the group has planned a slew of upcoming performances into the years ahead, including stadium shows and -- in their words: "More pyro!" and "Firing bombs onstage right, bro!" 

With more than 100-million records sold, 19 Top 40 singles and 25 Gold and Platinum albums under their belts, Journey remains one of the best-selling bands of all-time.

Pineda has been a part of that success for 15 years after replacing lead singer Steve Perry in 2007. The 54-year-old says his life went "from black to white" when joining the group. "These guys, I owe so much to them," he says. 

As for whether they would bring back former band members Perry and Gregg Rolie for the anniversary shows, Schon is open to the possibility. 

"I think that those two guys were a big part of the band," he says, "and I think that, you know, if the city permits, I think the fans would overall love it."

Just last week, Journey rocked two of four planned performances from July 15-23 at Resorts World Theater in Las Vegas alongside Violution Orchestra. Only ET was with them for the soundcheck. 

"So much came to life with that orchestra," gushes drummer Deen Castronovo. "I mean, they were already beautiful songs and they have such a life of their own. But when you get that orchestra, it's so lush, man. I mean, it's amazing sounding. It really is." 

Updates on Celebrity News, TV, Fashion and More!

RELATED CONTENT:

Must-See Celeb Sightings: July 2022

Usher Talks 'Watch This' Viral Meme, New Vegas Residency (Exclusive)

Adele Says She Stands By Her Decision to Postpone Las Vegas Residency

Adele Says She Stands By Her Decision to Postpone Las Vegas Residency

Latest news.

To revisit this article, visit My Profile, then View saved stories .

  • Backchannel
  • Newsletters
  • WIRED Insider
  • WIRED Consulting

Steven Leckart

Journey Finds Replacement Singer on YouTube

Image may contain Human Person and Duet

Videos of Arnel Pineda , formerly with a band called the Zoo, were discovered by Journey axeman Neil Schon, who has heaps o' praise for the group's FOURTH SIXTH (!) singer (the legendary Steve Perry stopped believin' in '96 – perhaps he's too busy cultivating the best ponytail ever ? ...Jeff Scott Soto boned out this year; Steve Augeri left in '06; and, news to me, there were two other singers before Perry. [ thanks Chuck! ])

As Schon said in a press release :

“I was frustrated about not having a singer, so I went on YouTube for a couple of days and just sat on it for hours... After watching the videos over and over again, I had to walk away from the computer and let what I heard sink in because it sounded too good to be true. I thought, ‘he can’t be that good.’ But he is that good, he’s the real deal and so tremendously talented. Arnel doesn’t sound synthetic and he’s not emulating anyone. I tried to get a hold of him through YouTube and I finally heard from him that night, but it took some convincing to get him to believe that it really was me and not an imposter."

Someone should totally make a movie about this! ...oh wait. Nevermind .

Earlier today, a member of a popular Steve Perry fan site attempted to post the following message in the comment thread. Due to her, well, enthusiastic use of all-caps, our spam filter did not approve the message. So, without further adieu, here's the entire letter, followed by my reply (for those at all interested), as well as a response...

On 12/6/07 12:53 PM, "RDH/DRH" REDACTED wrote:
Greetings.....I attempted to post this comment on your page on the internet with the RE'd article. I did get a few posts to go through - as tests. However my real comment...below...was refused as "potential comment spam"???? So I decided to send this via E-mail. STEVE PERRY OBSOLETE???????? HOW DARE YOU ….HOW DARE YOU!!! Mr. Perry is a living and viable man – how dare you do such a juvenile thing as put that word on his picture!!!! Steve Perry is not now…nor will he ever be obsolete….again….HOW DARE YOU!!!! Mr. Perry and his talent stands alone. His presence, his beautiful and incomparable melodic voice, the passion with which he delivered and expressed each and every song in his recorded legacy will live on and on – without question - WAY past any other singer Journey might acquire. I wish their new singer, Mr. Pineda, the very best…and a lot of strength…..he will surely need it. I understand and accept that Journey ‘WAS’ before Steve Perry…and it will still be Journey with out him. It was Mr. Perry’s choice – for whatever reasons – to leave when he did. I also understand Mr. Schon’s and Mr. Cain’s desire to “move on” – and they have, so be it. Those things are between the parties involved and bear nothing on this reply. This has to do with you Mr. Leckart and your cruel and uncalled for use of the word obsolete in conjunction with Mr. Perry. The simple fact that you put that word on Mr. Perry’s picture is heart hurtful to many, many of Mr. Perry’s fans and wasn’t necessary to get your point across. Mr. Perry won’t respond to this he has too much class, in reality he most likely won’t even see it. But me, on the other hand, did see it and I am just one of them “many” fans and most likely old enough to be your mother. So with that in mind…..”Shame on you Steven…go to your room and write 100 times ‘I will use choose my words more carefully in the future and not speculate on the ire of a fan’”. Oh, and btw…I’ll take that ‘ponytail’ with Mr. Perry attached to it any time he’d like to stop by……. Regards, Rebecca Hauser P.S.: For the record….Mr. Soto did not “bone”??? out…he was unceremoniously “let go” and I used “let go” for lack of a better euphemism. Facts Mr. Leckart…..get the facts before you print things. Perhaps you could apologize to Mr. Perry for labeling him obsolete in a follow up article. I'd accept that...but it won't erase the fact that you did it in the first place. Regards Rebecca Hauser Georgia, USA

Ringworld Needs to Be Updated for Television

Geek's Guide to the Galaxy

These Are the Best Dyson Vacuums You Can Buy

Brenda Stolyar

The Best Meal Kit Delivery Services for Every Kind of Cook

Louryn Strampe

The Amazfit Balance Has a Wonky Heart in a Pretty Shell

Adrienne So

*************

—– Original Message —– From: Leckart, Steven mailto:[email protected] To: RDH/DRH - REDACTED - Sent: Thursday, December 06, 2007 4:31 PM Subject: Re: Journey Finds Replacement Singer on YouTube Hi Rebecca, The repetitive use of all-caps most likely set off the spam filter. Here’s more info: http://www.imediaconnection.com/content/3649.asp You might try reposting without all-caps. If that doesn’t work, I’ll gladly post your email below the write up. As far as your comments, I’d like to point out the following: The use of the “?” emphasizes the word “obsolete” as a question, NOT as a statement of either fact or opinion. Personally, I’ve always felt Journey isn’t Journey without Steve Perry. And his version of “Only the Young” is still one of my favorite songs. Thanks for reading, Steven On 12/6/07 2:59 PM, REDACTED wrote: Thank you for your prompt reply. And I did see the "?" after the word OBSOLETE...however, only that HUGE and CAPPED "OBSOLETE" splattered all over his picture registered. The ? might have been a question to you and./or was intended to be a question...but to Steve's fans the defacing of his picture with that word - I'm sorry, but I, and the members of the Steve Perry fan site that I belong to, viewed it was an insult. I do thank you for the "Personally, I’ve always felt Journey isn’t Journey without Steve Perry." comment...it really is true, but that is the past. I still wish you had simply posted Mr. Perry's handsome self and did a comment in the text instead. However, I guess it did do what you intended...it got my attention...and provoked a comment - I just wish you hadn't put that word on his face. ...STEVE IS NOT OBSOLETE...not by a long shot. He really does not need Journey ...HE STANDS ALONE.

The Small Company at the Center of ‘Gamergate 2.0’

Megan Farokhmanesh

Lots of People Make Money on Fanfic. Just Not the Authors

Elizabeth Minkel

No One Knows What TikTok Is

Angela Watercutter

TikTok Is So 2004

Jason Parham

Bluesky’s Future Is Social Media’s Past

Reece Rogers

  • Skip to main content
  • Keyboard shortcuts for audio player

Music Reviews

Journey's new album, new frontman.

In advance of Journey's new album, Revelation , which drops Wednesday, Bryant Park Project Producer Dan Pashman looks at Arnel Pineda, the band's replacement frontman.

journey band steve perry replacement

New Journey singer Arnel Pineda performing in Las Vegas. Ethan Miller/Getty Images hide caption

RACHEL MARTIN, host:

OK. Those of us with discerning taste in music know that tomorrow is a big day. That's because Journey - that's right, Journey - is releasing a new album. It's called "Revelation," and it's the band's first album with their new lead singer, Arnel Pineda. It includes three discs, one of new music, one of new recordings of Journey classics featuring Pineda at the mike, and a DVD of a March concert in Las Vegas. The story of how Arnel Pineda came to be Journey's lead singer is pretty darn amazing, but not necessarily unique. It turns out he's the latest in a long line of super fans who got to live their dream by becoming the lead singers of the bands that they idolized. Awhile back, producer Dan Pashman told Alison Stewart and me all about the proud lineage.

DAN PASHMAN: The first time we witnessed this phenomena was in 1997 when Tim Owens was hired to replace Rob Halford as the frontman for Judas Priest. And Owens had been in a series of Judas Priest cover bands before he got the real gig. Oh, by the way, a quick side note, Owens was also in a band called Brainicide at one point. I just thought I should mention that. I was thinking we should have a BPP segment called Brainicide.

ALISON STEWART, host:

PASHMAN: I don't know what that will consist of, but I'll work on that.

STEWART: It sounds like killing your brain. I don't know. You might want to start thinking about that one.

PASHMAN: Yeah. So two Judas Priest fans videotaped Owens in his role without his knowledge, videotaped him in the Priest cover band, and they got the tape to the real band and the group eventually hired him and gave him the stage name Ripper Owens. So I thought we'd do a quick audio comparison here. Here's Judas Priest performing their classic song "Breaking the Law."

STEWART: The name's Ripper now. Like, I can't - OK.

PASHMAN: You're not Tim anymore. You're Ripper. So this is them performing their classic song "Breaking the Law," live back in the '80s, with the original lead singer Rob Halford.

(Soundbite of song "Breaking the Law")

Mr. ROB HALFORD: (Singing) There I was completely wasted, out of work and down. All inside it's so frustrating as I drift from town to town. Feel as though nobody cares if I live or die...

PASHMAN: All right. So that's the original, and now here's Priest performing the same song live in 2001, with Ripper Owens at the helm.

Mr. TOM OWENS: (Singing) There I was completely wasted, out of work and down. All inside it's so frustrating as I drift from town to town. Feel as though nobody cares if I live or die...

PASHMAN: Pretty close. Pretty close to the real thing.

STEWART: It's close. I prefer the Halford.

PASHMAN: Yeah.

STEWART: I do.

PASHMAN: Well, if it's any consolation to you, Ally, I should add that Rob Halford did return as Judas Priest's lead singer in 2003.

STEWART: I feel better.

PASHMAN: But the tale of Tim Owens sounds like a story, you know, kind of fit for Hollywood, and it was. And four years after he got that job, Mark Wahlberg and Jennifer Aniston starred in a film inspired by Owen's story called "Rock Star."

STEWART: I'm embarrassed. I saw it.

PASHMAN: Yeah. In the theater?

STEWART: Yes.

PASHMAN: Oh, man. You're busted. That film had the tagline, the story of a wannabe who got to be. Here's a clip of the trailer.

(Soundbite of movie trailer "Rock Star")

Unidentified Man #1: You know what the sickest thing is about you, little man? You fantasize about being somebody else singing somebody else's songs.

Mr. MARK WAHLBERG: (As Chris "Izzy" Cole) Oh. Maybe if I get really lucky, I'll get to grope and listen to Air Supply and wear jackboots like you.

Unidentified Man #1: What's wrong with Air Supply?

Unidentified Man #2: We're auditioning for a new lead singer.

Unidentified Man #3: The good Lord has given you a hell of a voice.

Unidentified Man #4: Do you want the gig then?

PASHMAN: All right. So that was "Rock Star," and now moving onto 2007, the heavy-metal band Anthrax took a cue from Judas Priest and named their 31-year-old personal trainer and part-time singer from Long Island their lead singer. You know, that's where you find most Anthrax fans, in the gyms of Long Island. His name is Dan Nelson, and he met Anthrax guitarist Rob Caggiano on MySpace a few years ago. One thing led to another, and now Nelson's the lead singer of Anthrax, and actually, when he got that gig, his friend gave him a DVD of "Rock Star" as a gift.

STEWART: That's a good friend.

PASHMAN: Right. So the story continues, and all this leads to my personal favorite super fan on the list, the best story of a wannabe who got to be. And now we all know and love the band Journey. Am I right?

MARTIN: (Singing) Don't stop believing...

PASHMAN: That's right. You know what I'm talking about Rachel. Their guitarist, Neal Schon, was searching for a lead singer to replace estranged frontman, Steve Perry. So where would anyone look in that situation? Obviously, YouTube. So...

STEWART: Just a cornucopia of talent.

PASHMAN: Right. Exactly. Well, it took him days. Neal Schon spent days on YouTube and was almost already to give up when he came across a Filipino band called the Zoo that performs original music and covers, especially - you guessed it - Journey covers. Their lead singer is a guy named Arnel Pineda, who's been called the Filipino Steve Perry, which is just about, I think, the greatest compliment you could ever give someone.

MARTIN: Yes. I agree.

PASHMAN: You guys agree? And this guy is pretty amazing. Now first, just in case anyone out there forgets what the original Journey sounds like with Steve Perry, let's first hear a quick clip of their classic hit "Don't Stop Believing."

(Soundbite of song "Don't Stop Believing")

Mr. STEVE PERRY: (Singing) You're just a small town girl, living in a lonely world.

PASHMAN: All right. So that's the original. Now here's Arnel Pineda, the Filipino Steve Perry, with his band the Zoo, performing the same song on YouTube.

Mr. ARNEL PINEDA: (Singing) You're just a small town girl, living in a lonely world.

STEWART: Ow! I like it, Arnel.

Mr. PINEDA: (Singing) Let's hit the midnight train going anywhere.

PASHMAN: That's pretty great, right?

STEWART: That's shocking, because I love Steve Perry.

MARTIN: I think he's saying Oh, Sherrie.

PASHMAN: Right, so Pineda got an email from the Journey guitarist and he thought it was a hoax, so he ignored it. But then his friends said, hey, you know, what if this is real? This could be your big break? You know, so Pineda wrote back, and eventually he got the gig, and now he's on tour with Journey. And if you want to get an idea of just how faithful he is to the Steve Perry sound, we're going to fade in the original version and play them together layered on top of each other. Take a listen.

Mr. PERRY and Mr. PINEDA: (Singing) I'm singing in a smoky room. Smell of wine and cheap perfume. For a smile they can share the night. It goes on and on and on and on, yeah.

PASHMAN: Oh. We are rocking out in the studios. So to all you musical super fans out there, "Guitar Hero" and "Rock Band" players alike, I say to you, don't stop believing. This could be your story.

MARTIN: Oh, my gosh! Twice the Steve Perry. Twice as nice!

STEWART: It's so good. OK.

MARTIN: We do have to add this, though, Dan. There was a little asterisk attached to this story.

PASHMAN: Fair enough.

MARTIN: Involving a reality show.

PASHMAN: Right. In 2005, there was a reality show called "Rock Star," also called "Rock Star" and it was to find a lead singer of INXS, but we kind of ruled that kind of a different story. It's not the same as a super fan being plucked. And one other quick aside, in my research for this piece, I found out that there's a Journey Island in Second Life. They have a Journey Island.

MARTIN: Really?

PASHMAN: Yeah. I mean, you wouldn't have guessed it, but you know...

MARTIN: I am going there. That is incentive for me to get in on that world.

PASHMAN: Put that in your pipe and smoke it, REO Speedwagon.

(Soundbite of "Don't Stop Believing")

Mr. PINEDA: (Singing) Some will win. Some will lose. Some were born to just sing the blues. Oh, the movie never ends. It goes on and on and on...

MARTIN: That was BPP producer Dan Pashman with Alison Stewart and me, and as we said, Journey fans rejoice, the band's first album featuring Arnel Pineda as lead singer comes out manana.

PESCA: But whenever I hear this song, I think "The Sopranos" is going to end, and I get sad all over again.

MARTIN: All over again. Stay with us. The final Democratic primary is upon us. Montana's up. We'll learn more. This is the BPP from NPR News.

Copyright © 2008 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information.

NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.

The Real Reason Steve Perry Left Journey

Journey waves to New Jersey crowd.

For years, Journey singer Steve Perry used to wear a necklace of a gold musical eighth-note. In 2018, he explained to Rolling Stone it was a gift he received from his mom when he was 12 years old.

"She always believed in me. I wore it for years and years, but hung it up in May of 1998, just after the band and I legally split and I had a complete contractual release from all my obligations to the band and label."

Perry fronted Journey to its greatest commercial success in the '80s, catapulting the band to arena rock stardom through the likes of "Open Arms" and "Don't Stop Believin'." However , by 1987, even with the triumph of Raised by Radio tour, the band was greatly fractured and went on hiatus for nearly ten years. 

As time heals all wounds, Perry reunited in the mid-90s with bandmates Jonathan Cain, Ross Valory, and Steve Smith. Now under the management of Irving Azoff, Journey released Trial by Fire. The Recording Industry Association of America certified the album platinum and the Recording Academy nominated one of its hit singles, "When You Love a Woman," for a Grammy.

Through pain, Steve Perry came back to music

Just before tour arrangements could be made, Perry collapsed while on a hike. He learned he needed hip surgery due to a degenerative bone condition. The band could not wait for Perry to heal, and so he was replaced by Steve Augeri and later Arnel Pineda .

For years, Perry's surgery explained his reason for officially leaving Journey. But in 2018, he made a revelation. Ahead of the release of his solo album Traces , Perry admitted his actual motive.

"The truth is, that I thought music had run its course in my heart," Perry said. "I had to be honest with myself, and in my heart, I knew I just wasn't feeling it anymore."

Perry , in soul and spirit, was tired. But like any true rockstar, he could not be away from the limelight too long. Traces allowed Perry to find music again. In a promise to his late girlfriend Kellie Nash, who died in 2012 from breast cancer, this was the moment he stopped isolating himself from the world. 

"I found myself with not only just a broken heart but an open heart," Perry told Billboard . "And from that came rock and roll."

Society Of RockLogo

Artists - A-H

  • & Young
  • .38 Special
  • Aaron Lewis
  • Aaron Neville

Artists - I-P

  • Iron Butterfly
  • Iron Maiden
  • Izzy Stradlin

Artists - Q-Z

  • Queens of the Stone Age
  • Queensrÿche
  • Classic Rock

Classic Rock

  • Keyboardist Jim Beard, Known for His...
  • 12 Rock Legends Who Openly Dislike...
  • 10 Rock Stars Who Can’t Stand...

Metal

  • Legendary Motorhead Frontman, Lemmy, To Be...
  • Happy 76th Birthday Tony Iommi: How...
  • Metallica Secures Best Metal Performance at...

Blues

  • Unveiling Stevie Ray Vaughan’s Top 10...
  • Album Review: “Two Steps From The...
  • The Facts In The Early Life...

Battle of the Journey Vocalists – Steve Perry Vs. Arnel Pineda

Perry vs. pineda.

In 1998,  Steve Perry  was dropped as the front man of the highly popular classic rock group  Journey.  Although it was with Perry that the band had its greatest hits in the mid-late 80’s, his replacements didn’t do so bad in the charts and on tour either. In 2007, after the band dropped Perry’s immediate replacement  Steve Augeri due to a chronic throat infection, they found Filipino singer  Arnel Pineda from YouTube. Journey original veterans,  Neal Schon  and  Jonathan Cain  flew Pineda all the way from Manila to the states to audition for the new position of the band’s lead singer, and eventually winning the part. Pineda was introduced and was received with mixed criticisms, with loyal fans saying he can never sound like Steve Perry, while others saying he’s holding out well on his own. Others are even saying that if they close their eyes, they can actually hear a Steve Perry of the 80’s glory.

Watch the comparison of their vocal stylings side-by-side in the video below:

Don’t Miss Out! Sign up for the Latest Updates

  • Steve Perry
  • Music Video

I Love Classic Rock

8 Worst Rock Guitar Riffs of All Time

8 Worst Rock Guitar Riffs of All Time

20 Most Overrated Rock Anthems of All Time

20 Most Overrated Rock Anthems of All Time

Ross Valory Shares His Real Opinion About Leaving Journey

Ross Valory Shares His Real Opinion About Leaving Journey

How Duff McKagan Survived A “Bad Trip” With The Help Of Iggy Pop

How Duff McKagan Survived A “Bad Trip” With The…

Bon Jovi Release New Song “Legendary”

Bon Jovi Release New Song “Legendary”

Bon Jovi’s Bad News At Touring

Bon Jovi’s Bad News At Touring

Was Jim Morrison An Overrated Icon?

Was Jim Morrison An Overrated Icon?

Premium partners.

Society of Rock partner World War Wings

Interested in becoming a partner?

Contact us for more info.

Society Of RockLogo

© 2024 Society Of Rock

  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Policy

journey band steve perry replacement

Watch CBS News

Documentary Looks At Journey's Lead Singer Search

August 6, 2013 / 3:00 PM PDT / CBS San Francisco

Journey

BEVERLY HILLS, Ca (CBS SF/AP)- The resurgence of the Bay Area band, "Journey" through the band's discovery of a new lead singer via the Internet gets a close-up look on a new PBS documentary.

"Don't Stop Believin': Everyman's Journey" airs on Sept. 30 as part of the network's Independent Lens series.

It's the story of how "Journey" guitarist Neal Schon found a replacement for front man Steve Perry by searching YouTube videos, and the band's eventual integration of Arnel Pineda into its lineup.

It wasn't easy.

Some longtime "Journey" fans were reluctant to accept the presence of Pineda, a 45-year-old Filipino singer, into an American band that had been dominated by Perry's presence and soaring vocals.

Pineda joined "Journey" in December 2007. Schon says Pineda reinvigorated the group famous for such hits as "Don't Stop Believin'," "Faithfully" and "Open Arms."

(Copyright 2013 by CBS San Francisco and Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

Featured Local Savings

More from cbs news.

Warriors' clock operator still living the dream more than 60 years after joining franchise

Pioneering SoCal punk band the Zeros plays Bay Area shows

New SFMOMA exhibit showcases artists with disabilities

Man arrested for two separate fatal Tenderloin shootings

  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews

Don't Stop Believin': Everyman's Journey

  • Episode aired Mar 8, 2013

Don't Stop Believin': Everyman's Journey (2013)

A documentary on Arnel Pineda, who was plucked from YouTube to become the new singer for the rock & roll band, Journey. A documentary on Arnel Pineda, who was plucked from YouTube to become the new singer for the rock & roll band, Journey. A documentary on Arnel Pineda, who was plucked from YouTube to become the new singer for the rock & roll band, Journey.

  • Ramona S. Diaz
  • Jeffrey Dinsmore
  • Lois Vossen
  • Arnel Pineda
  • Jonathan Cain
  • 9 User reviews
  • 26 Critic reviews
  • 53 Metascore
  • 1 win & 1 nomination

Theatrical Version

  • Self - lead vocalist, Journey

Neal Schon

  • Self - lead guitar, Journey
  • Self - keyboards and rhythm guitar, Journey

Ross Valory

  • Self - bass, Journey
  • Self - drums, Journey
  • Self - manager, Journey
  • Self - Arnel Pineda's greatest fan
  • Self - Arnel Pineda's wife

Ellen DeGeneres

  • (archive footage)

Steve Perry

  • Self - lead vocalist 1977-1998, Journey
  • Self - Arnel Pineda's brother
  • Self - lead vocalist 1998-2006, Journey
  • Self - tour manager 1998-2010, Journey
  • Self - stage manager, Journey

Katherine Heigl

  • Self - bass and vocals, Chicago

Ann Wilson

  • Self - lead singer, Heart
  • All cast & crew
  • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

Did you know

  • Soundtracks Separate Ways (Worlds Apart) written by Jonathan Cain & Steve Perry courtesy of Jonathan Cain (as John Friga) & Steve Perry

User reviews 9

  • Oct 14, 2013
  • March 8, 2013 (United States)
  • United States
  • Official Facebook
  • Official site
  • ジャーニー ドント・ストップ・ビリーヴィン
  • Moises Salvador Elementary School, Manila, Philippines
  • Arcady Bay Entertainment
  • Defining Entertainment
  • See more company credits at IMDbPro

Technical specs

  • Runtime 1 hour 45 minutes

Related news

Contribute to this page.

  • IMDb Answers: Help fill gaps in our data
  • Learn more about contributing

More to explore

Production art

Recently viewed

  • Today's news
  • Reviews and deals
  • Climate change
  • 2024 election
  • Fall allergies
  • Health news
  • Mental health
  • Sexual health
  • Family health
  • So mini ways
  • Unapologetically
  • Buying guides

Entertainment

  • How to Watch
  • My watchlist
  • Stock market
  • Biden economy
  • Personal finance
  • Stocks: most active
  • Stocks: gainers
  • Stocks: losers
  • Trending tickers
  • World indices
  • US Treasury bonds
  • Top mutual funds
  • Highest open interest
  • Highest implied volatility
  • Currency converter
  • Basic materials
  • Communication services
  • Consumer cyclical
  • Consumer defensive
  • Financial services
  • Industrials
  • Real estate
  • Mutual funds
  • Credit cards
  • Credit card rates
  • Balance transfer credit cards
  • Business credit cards
  • Cash back credit cards
  • Rewards credit cards
  • Travel credit cards
  • Checking accounts
  • Online checking accounts
  • High-yield savings accounts
  • Money market accounts
  • Personal loans
  • Student loans
  • Car insurance
  • Home buying
  • Options pit
  • Investment ideas
  • Research reports
  • Fantasy football
  • Pro Pick 'Em
  • College Pick 'Em
  • Fantasy baseball
  • Fantasy hockey
  • Fantasy basketball
  • Download the app
  • Daily fantasy
  • Scores and schedules
  • GameChannel
  • World Baseball Classic
  • Premier League
  • CONCACAF League
  • Champions League
  • Motorsports
  • Horse racing
  • Newsletters

New on Yahoo

  • Privacy Dashboard

Watch Steve Perry Reunite With Journey (And Meet His Replacement) At Their Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame Induction

By Peter Helman

Steve Perry reunited with Journey for his old band’s induction into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame last night. Although he did end up skedaddling before the performance , it was still the first time he had appeared with Journey since the unveiling of the band’s star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2005. It was also the first time Perry met his replacement, Arnel Pineda, a Filipino singer who used to front a Journey tribute act that the band discovered on YouTube. “I must give a complete shoutout to someone who sings his heart out every night, and it’s Arnel Pineda,” Perry said during his acceptance speech. Where are you, Arnel? Arnel, I love you. Hi, Arnel!” He also thanked the rest of his bandmates, saying, “Aynsley Dunbar, Gregg Rolie, Steve Smith, Neal Schon, Jonathan Cain, Ross Valory. Are you fucking shitting me? Any singer would give his ass for that shit. So, I want to thank them for all the music we’ve written.” Watch below.

#Respect Rock and roll hall of fame 2017. #Journey #StevePerry #ArnelPineda A post shared by Rosie Owens (@4urjourney) on Apr 7, 2017 at 7:02pm PDT
One of the sweetest hug you can ever get from one of my heroes and silent mentors..it means the world to me..waited 35 years for this moment..thank you Almighty God!! #TheVoice #StevePerry #oneofthemostmemorable #maximumblessings Thank you so much Mr Steve Perry for your priceless words and graciousness.. @taratogs @curachalang @yulsession @journeymusicofficial A post shared by arnel c. pineda (@arnelpineda2007) on Apr 7, 2017 at 5:25pm PDT

This post Watch Steve Perry Reunite With Journey (And Meet His Replacement) At Their Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame Induction first appeared on Stereogum .

Recommended Stories

Bears trade justin fields to steelers, clearing way for likely no. 1 draft pick of qb caleb williams.

The Steelers have their Russell Wilson backup, and the Bears have their new way forward.

A 15-year problem that has plagued corporate America is finally turning around

Productivity is rebounding after 15 years of no gains. That could help drive stocks higher.

Shohei Ohtani posts first photo with wife ahead of Dodgers' trip to South Korea

Ohtani's wife is former Japanese basketball player Mamiko Tanaka.

After signing Russell Wilson, Steelers trade 2022 1st-round pick Kenny Pickett to Eagles

The Steelers moved on from Pickett after just two seasons.

Players react to Rams DT Aaron Donald announcing his retirement: 'THANK GOD'

Not everyone was sad to see the three-time DPOY leave the game.

NFL free agency: Moves that caught our attention so far, from the Patriots (good) to some running backs (odd)

Yahoo Sports' Nate Tice breaks down the moves that stuck out to him now that the initial dust has settled on Tamperpalooza.

No. 7 Iowa State blows out No. 1 Houston to win Big 12 tournament

Iowa State throttled Houston in the second half and will be a popular Final Four pick.

Wisconsin beats No. 3 Purdue in overtime to advance to Big Ten tournament title game

Max Klesmit hit the game-winning shot with less than five seconds to go.

Russell Wilson's hurried deal with Steelers may say a lot about his intentions, and Pittsburgh's

Wilson's announced deal with Pittsburgh went down before free agency even began. Why were both sides so quick to link up?

The biggest gas-guzzlers of 2024: 'The Meanest List' is the opposite of greenest cars

In its so-called “Meanest List” of a dozen models, the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) makes no apologies for berating “the worst-performing mass market automobiles” sold in 2024 in the U.S.

Rock Pasta

Why Journey’s Arnel Pineda is Incomparable to Steve Perry

journey band steve perry replacement

Which Journey Singer Is Better?

It was around 1998 when Steve Perry was dropped out as the frontman of one of the greatest classic rock group Journey. Even though Steve Perry was the very reason that the band had its greatest hits and success in the mid-late ’80s, his replacements did well also in the charts and even on tour. In 2007, after Perry left the group there was an immediate replacement and it was Steve Augeri, though due to a chronic throat infection, Augeri was replaced by a Filipino singer Arnel Pineda whom they found on youtube. Journey original members and co-founders, Neal Schon and Jonathan Cain flew Pineda all the way from Manila to the states so he can have his audition for the position as the new frontman of the band, and of course, he won the part.

But why is it that Arnel Pineda is incomparable to Steve Perry? Well to answer that question – Steve Perry is Journey. Steve was the best then, though his voice has changed due to age. Arnel Pineda brings a new life and refreshes Journey songs for this generation of rock fans so that they can experience Journey ‘s music and enjoy it. Journey was Steve Perry but then again, Journey is about its music now and that is why Arnel Pineda is a perfect fit for the band today. There is absolutely no comparison, it was because of Steve Perry why Journey became famous. You might say that Arnel Pineda can take on Perry today, but back in the day though, Steve has so much power and in a more relaxed way – not forced.

As much as the fact that Steve Perry is gone is hard to accept, we have to face it. They needed the replacement and they found a perfect one. Yup, Arnel is great (and no one can say he isn’t) but you can’t just go around saying that he beat the original. He may not be Steve but he does the job pretty well on his own. That being said, let’s just enjoy the music.

What about you, which was the better singer? Tell us what you think.

Like Us on Facebook!

journey band steve perry replacement

JOURNEY: New Documentary 'A Voice Lost...And Found' To Premiere On REELZ This Weekend

"Journey: A Voice Lost...And Found" will premiere on Reelz on Sunday, June 25 at 9 p.m. EDT / 6 p.m. PDT.

The official program synopsis: JOURNEY dominated the American music scene in the 1970s and 1980s with their epic arena rock anthems and power ballads. Frontman Steve Perry was dubbed "The Voice" thanks to the untouchable vocal stylings that burned up the radio waves and made him a household name. But the bigger JOURNEY became the more miserable Perry grew. He was the rare rock superstar who craved anonymity more than applause.

Then at the height of the band's success Perry did the unthinkable quitting JOURNEY . That alone should've been an absolute death knell for a band so defined by a single voice. But JOURNEY 's other longtime members refused to give up the dream and brought in a new singer to keep the music going.

Fans were livid that anyone would dare to try to fill Perry 's shoes. Shows were played in empty houses and threats were even made against the band. When that replacement singer didn't work out desperation forced the band to turn to YouTube for the most unlikely inspiration.

JOURNEY members Jonathan Cain and Deen Castronovo are joined by former members Jeff Scott Soto and Narada Michael Walden , as well as SiriusXM radio personality Eddie Trunk and former JOURNEY producer Kevin Elson to tell the band's amazing tale.

"Journey: A Voice Lost...And Found" is produced by AMS Pictures .

Reelz is available in more than 40 million homes on DIRECTV (238), DISH Network (299), Verizon FiOS TV (692HD), AT&T U-verse (799/1799HD) and Xfinity , Spectrum , Optimum , Mediacom , Peacock , Philo , Freecast , DIRECTV Stream , Dish Sling and many other cable systems and major streaming services nationwide. Find Reelz in your area by visiting www.reelz.com .

Owned by Hubbard Media Group , Reelz is headquartered in Albuquerque, New Mexico with national ad sales based in New York City with offices in Chicago and Los Angeles.

Sadly I don't have Reelz as I use YouTube TV, if there is anyone who can work out how to make a .mov .mkv .mv4 .MP4 or otherwise of this show, please DM me, I would LOVE to see it since I'm in it!! 🙏🤘😘 https://t.co/LpLHhO0i6F — Jeff Scott Soto (@jeffscottsoto) June 23, 2023

Comments Disclaimer And Information

BLABBERMOUTH.NET uses the Facebook Comments plugin to let people comment on content on the site using their Facebook account. The comments reside on Facebook servers and are not stored on BLABBERMOUTH.NET. To comment on a BLABBERMOUTH.NET story or review, you must be logged in to an active personal account on Facebook. Once you're logged in, you will be able to comment. User comments or postings do not reflect the viewpoint of BLABBERMOUTH.NET and BLABBERMOUTH.NET does not endorse, or guarantee the accuracy of, any user comment. To report spam or any abusive, obscene, defamatory, racist, homophobic or threatening comments, or anything that may violate any applicable laws, use the "Report to Facebook" and "Mark as spam" links that appear next to the comments themselves. To do so, click the downward arrow on the top-right corner of the Facebook comment (the arrow is invisible until you roll over it) and select the appropriate action. You can also send an e-mail to blabbermouthinbox(@)gmail.com with pertinent details. BLABBERMOUTH.NET reserves the right to "hide" comments that may be considered offensive, illegal or inappropriate and to "ban" users that violate the site's Terms Of Service. Hidden comments will still appear to the user and to the user's Facebook friends. If a new comment is published from a "banned" user or contains a blacklisted word, this comment will automatically have limited visibility (the "banned" user's comments will only be visible to the user and the user's Facebook friends).

journey band steve perry replacement

Ranking All 81 Steve Perry Journey Songs

Journey had never gotten higher than No. 85 on the Billboard album chart when new frontman Steve Perry walked in the door in 1977.

They went on to sell an astonishing nine million albums in the U.S. alone before Jonathan Cain joined in 1980, and Journey somehow got even bigger. Their next four albums were all Top 5 smashes, and they were all platinum or multi-platinum. Perry’s first record with Cain sold more than 10 million copies.

Journey had also never had a charting single before Perry arrived. By the time he split with the group in the late ’90s, they’d racked up 16 Top 25 singles – including seven Top 10 smashes. “Open Arms” remained at No. 2 for an astonishing six weeks. “When You Love a Woman” was nominated for a Grammy. “Don’t Stop Believin'” became a timeless classic.

READ MORE: Why Journey Stopped Making Videos

Which one was best? Our ranking of all 81 Steve Perry Journey songs counts them down, leaving out instrumentals (since those were showcases for Neal Schon ) as well as early-era Journey duets with Gregg Rolie or Schon where Perry wasn’t the focus.

Steve Perry changed the band forever, setting them on a course to superstardom that Schon, Rolie and then Cain bolstered and enriched. As such, these rankings may differ slightly from lists devoted to Journey’s larger catalog. For example, some of their ballads creep up higher – simply because they remain quintessential examples of Perry’s genius.

No. 81. “Back Talk”

From: Frontiers (1983)

Drummer Steve Smith earned a songwriting co-credit on “Back Talk,” and it’s easy to see why as this Side 2 skip loudly rumbles along. There were much better songs left on the cutting room floor.

No. 80. “Can Do”

From: Infinity (1978)

Actually, can’t.

No. 79. “Baby I’m a Leavin’ You”

From: Trial By Fire (1996)

If you were wondering what Journey would sound like as a reggae band.

No. 78. “I’m Cryin'”

From: Departure (1980)

Gregg Rolie and Neal Schon do their best to prop up this draggy, frankly mawkish song, adding sharp gurgles of organ and knifing riffs. But it’s no use.

No. 77. “Positive Touch”

From: Raised on Radio (1986)

Journey had always made music in a room together – until this album. Instead, initial demos for Raised on Radio were constructed with a click track, which Perry then asked Steve Smith to mimic. He succeeded all too well on this boringly metronomic song, before splitting with the group in frustration.

No. 76. “La Do Da”

Perry’s initial collaborations with Schon were a revelation. So many of the group’s foundational songs emerged from those initial writing sessions. And then there was this.

Subscribe to Ultimate Classic Rock on Youtube

No. 75. “Liberty”

From: Time3 (1992)

If you were wondering what Journey would sound like as a country band.

No. 74. “Troubled Child”

They had “Only the Young.” They had “Only Solutions.” They even had “Ask the Lonely.” Instead, for some reason, they chose this instead.

No. 73. “Lady Luck”

From: Evolution (1979)

Journey isn’t the only act with a song called “Lady Luck,” joining Rod Stewart , Deep Purple and David Lee Roth . Come to think of it, none of those are really any good either.

No. 72. “Happy to Give”

Cain’s initial idea had the feel of a soundtrack, recalling too-atmospheric Vangelis, and “Happy to Give” never recovered. It’s certainly not Perry’s fault. He tried cutting the vocal so many times that Cain started calling it Perry’s “pet song.”

No. 71. “La Raza Del Sol”

From: B-side of “Still They Ride” (1981)

Always in touch with the common man, Cain became inspired by the plight of migrant farm workers in California. But his new bandmates were still in ’70s jam-band mode, surrounding it all with a meandering music bed that felt like a leftover from the pre-Perry days.

No. 70. “Mother, Father”

From: Escape (1981)

Another song with its heart in the right place, “Mother, Father” gave Neal Schon one more chance to work with his talented dad. The results were stitched together with ideas from both Perry and Schon, however, and became rather disjointed along the way.

No. 69. “Colors of the Spirit”

This seemed like it was going to be more intriguing. They begin (and end) with a vague world-music feel, but return to expected ’80s-era Journey-isms in between.

No. 68. “Homemade Love”

They’d finally cracked the code for pop chart success with “Any Way You Want It,” but Journey was still down for a few musical excesses of old. The worst part was placing the sludgy, clumsily salacious “Homemade Love” at the end of this album. Departure suddenly seemed to be looking backward instead of ahead.

No. 67. “One More”

From: Trial by Fire (1996)

The first in a number of Trial by Fire songs that made overt faith references. That became an underlying theme on the album, sparked when Perry arrived at the sessions carrying a Bible.

No. 66. “Dixie Highway”

From: Captured (1981)

“Dixie Highway” sounds like what it was: a throwaway track written on Journey’s tour bus while traveling the eponymous interstate into Detroit. It was perhaps interesting enough to be tried out live, but not interesting enough to make it onto a studio album.

No. 65. “It’s Just the Rain”

Perry achieves a sweet sense of reverie, his most favored place, but the surroundings owe too much to rather boring solo forays into smooth jazz by Cain and Schon.

No. 64. “Keep On Runnin'”

A pedestrian rocker, “Keep on Runnin'” is the only stumble on Side One of Journey’s biggest selling LP.

No. 63. “Trial by Fire”

From Trial by Fire (1996)

This made direct reference to verses in 2 Corinthians, underscoring again how Cain’s long-dormant songwriting partnership with Perry was reborn through a shared interest in scripture. Cain’s solo career returned to this theme as he began delving into faith-based songs with 2016’s What God Wants to Hear .

No. 62. “Still She Cries”

See “It’s Just the Rain.”

No. 61. “Dead or Alive”

The second of two throwback-style songs on Escape that seek to approximate Journey’s more rugged, fusion-leaning ’70s-era, and the lesser of the pair. That “Dead or Alive” came directly after the too-similar “Lay It Down” also didn’t do the song any favors.

No. 60. “City of the Angels”

“Lights,” found later on this list of Steve Perry Journey songs, was originally about Los Angeles , before Perry shifted its locale to his new home base in San Francisco. He later returned to the idea of paying tribute to L.A., with much poorer results.

No. 59. “I Can See It in Your Eyes”

The obvious goal of getting the early-’80s lineup back together was to recreate the sound of that era – and they did that here. Unfortunately, it was the sound of their throwaway stuff on Side Two of Frontiers .

No. 58. “Can’t Tame the Lion”

See “I Can See It in Your Eyes.”

No. 57. “Escape”

Cain and Perry are credited as co-composers, but the title track from Escape still feels like the first of what became a series of not-always-successful attempts by Neal Schon to balance Journey’s new knack for balladry with ballsier rock songs. It certainly served that purpose in later-era concerts.

No. 56. “Winds of March”

Credited to a crowd including Matt and his son Neal Schon, Robert Fleischman, Gregg Rolie and Steve Perry, “Winds of March” actually sounds like a meeting of two minds: Perry, who deftly croons his way through the first two minutes, and his new bandmates – who absolutely tear through the remaining three.

No. 55. “Line of Fire”

A perfunctory rocker best remembered for a rather on-the-nose sound effect at roughly the 2:10 mark that Perry cribbed from Junior Walker’s chart-topping 1965 R&B hit “Shotgun .”

No. 54. “Precious Time”

Rolie adds a muscular harp squall, but not much else stands out.

No. 53. “Lay It Down”

One of two songs from Escape that could have seamlessly fit into a Rolie-era album. Steve Smith approximates co-founding drummer Aynsley Dunbar’s thudding, heavy-rock approach while Schon swirls into the stratosphere.

No. 52. “Chain Reaction”

Schon finds a fusible groove, then joins Perry for a gutty vocal interplay. But “Chain Reaction” ends up getting lost somewhere along the way.

No. 51. “Once You Love Somebody”

They tried for a bluesy feel on a song echoing the relationship troubles that both Perry and Cain were then experiencing, but there’s simply not enough grit to this.

No. 50. “Natural Thing”

From: B-side of “Don’t Stop Believin'” (1981)

Your average classic rock radio-loving fan might not peg Steve Perry as a died-in-the-wool R&B guy who can totally pull off this sometimes very un-Journey style. Tell them to start here.

No. 49. “Easy to Fall”

Presented in their classic arena-ballad style, but without much to differentiate it from other, better, more popular iterations, “Easy to Fall” is the sound of Journey trying to sound like Journey. There’s a lot of that on Trial by Fire – and on every LP that followed it.

No. 48. “Rubicon”

This song drove a seemingly permanent wedge in the band. Schon was reportedly playing “Rubicon” when Perry came over and turned down his amplifiers. “They want to hear the voice,” Schon remembered Perry saying . Perry and Schon put out only two more albums together, and it took them 13 years to do it.

No. 47. “When I Think of You”

“When I Think of You” appeared on Journey’s Perry-curated Greatest Hits 2 not because of its chart history, but because of what it meant to him. Perry wrote this little-known deep cut after his late mother appeared, happy and healthy, in a particularly vivid dream . He told Cain he wanted to write create a song around the dream, and they finished the touching “When I Think of You” together.

No. 46. “Frontiers”

The second-best song on this album’s deflating flip side. Singing in a clipped, coolly detached tone, Perry offers a great put-down for warmongers: “War is for fools; crisis is cool.”

No. 45. “It Could Have Been You”

Schon’s riffy contributions work in brilliant counterpoint to Perry’s inherent poignancy, underscoring why this partnership meshed so easily – and so well.

No. 44. “Sweet and Simple”

Perry brought this dream-like song with him, having written it years before while looking out over Lake Tahoe. Journey completed it with a quickly ascending final segment that matched now-patented multi-tracked vocals with Schon’s typical pyro.

No. 43. “Where Were You”

There’s a reason Journey opened their concerts with “Where Were You” for so long. They were just coming off an opening gig with AC/DC at this point, and clearly the headliner’s knack for outsized, riffy rockers rubbed off.

No. 42. “Castles Burning”

A badly needed rocker on an album that too often played down to their ballad- and mid-tempo-loving fan base.

No. 41. “Little Girl” From: Dream After Dream (1981)

Dream After Dream , the last Journey album to feature contributions from Gregg Rolie, isn’t really part of the band’s catalog since it’s otherwise filled with incidental music for a now-forgotten foreign film. Mostly, they dig back into the prog and fusion that defined their earliest era – except for “Little Girl,” where Perry is showcased. This too-often-overlooked song later became known — if it was known at all — simply as a B-side to the “Open Arms” single.

No. 40. “Raised on Radio”

Radio holds a talismanic place in Perry’s imagination for two reasons. His dad owned a station and radio was a constant presence in the youthful places where Perry returns, time and time again, for creative sustenance. If things had gone another way, he’s said he could see himself as a DJ, rather than a huge pop star.

No. 39. “Message of Love”

A continuation of the untroubled sleekness of Raised on Radio -era Journey, this could have easily passed as a Steve Perry solo track.

No. 38. “Ask the Lonely”

From: Two of a Kind (1983)

Jonathan Cain once said Perry could write songs like this in his sleep . Unfortunately, this only-okay leftover is an example of that assembly line-type approach. That said, “Ask the Lonely” is still better than most of the stuff on the back end of Frontiers .

No. 37. “Lovin’ You Is Easy”

Starts out as another cookie-cutter ’70s-era Journey song, then Perry gets to the ear-worm title lyric and everything changes.

No. 36. “When You Love a Woman”

Featuring a saccharine sentiment with a too-sweet string section to match, this is Journey balladry at its limpest. Still, “When You Love a Woman” became a gold-selling No. 12 smash. Because, Steve Perry.

No. 35. “Don’t Be Down on Me Baby”

Again, nobody aches like Steve Perry.

No. 34. “Why Can’t This Night Go on Forever”

Written in tribute to their fans, “Why Can’t This Night Go on Forever” moved past its quite overt “Open Arms” / “Faithfully”-style ambitions on the strength of performances by Schon and Perry.

No. 33. “Patiently”

Schon memorably gave Perry a ride home after sitting in with Azteca in San Francisco, but had no idea his passenger was a singer. Five years later, Perry finally got the chance to make an impression. He stopped by Schon’s hotel the day after a Journey show in Denver, and they wrote this song.

No. 32. “The Eyes of a Woman”

Steve Smith only appeared on three Raised on Radio tracks, but that doesn’t mean he didn’t have an undeniable impact. His anticipatory rhythm builds a smart tension on the underrated “The Eyes of a Woman,” as Schon’s echoing chords surround the vocal. Perry has called this one of his favorite Journey songs, and that might be because “The Eyes of a Woman” is one of the very few here that fully recalls their Escape / Frontiers sound.

No. 31. “Suzanne”

If Steve Perry sounds a little overwhelmed on the second single from this album, there’s a reason for that. This No. 17 hit was written as a fantasy encounter with an actual crush. Perry never revealed who she was, other than to call her a “film star who also had a vocal artist career .”

No. 30. “Somethin’ to Hide”

Journey’s first attempt at a power ballad was devastatingly effective, though it arrived years before “Open Arms.” Perry’s final cry is simply astonishing.

No. 29. “Edge of the Blade”

Disappointments loom but, boy, does Side Two of Frontiers get off to a roaring start.

No. 28. “Be Good to Yourself”

A throwback rocker, “Be Good to Yourself” had little in common with the sleeker, more adult-contemporary feel found elsewhere on Raised on Radio . It didn’t make for the most representative lead single either, but manager Herbie Herbert smartly prevailed . Journey returned to the Top 10.

No. 27. “If He Should Break Your Heart”

One of the best-ever meldings of Solo Steve (verses) and Journey Steve (the rest).

No. 26. “Girl Can’t Help It”

Perry essentially took control of Journey in the run-up to this album, switching out band members for sidemen with whom he’d worked before then serving as the project’s de facto producer. That led them to some song treatments that moved well away from anything Journey had done before, or since. “Girl Can’t Help It,” one of three Top 40 singles from Raised on Radio , was the exception. This was classic Journey, spit-shined up for a new era.

No. 25. “Only Solutions”

From: Tron (1982)

Unjustly forgotten, and barely used in the film at all, the hooky “Only Solutions” would have greatly enlivened what turned out to be a letdown on Side Two of Frontiers .

No. 24. “Opened the Door”

The last song on the first album to feature Perry, “Open the Door” begins like every gorgeous, ear-wormy love song they ever hit with a few years later — but after Perry’s initial three minutes, Rolie joins in a huge vocal bridge ( “Yeah, you opened …” ), and from there Schon and company are loosened from those binding conventions. Drummer Aynsley Dunbar, on his final recording date with Journey, sets a thunderous cadence, and Schon powers the song — and this career-turning album — to its quickly elevating conclusion.

No. 23. “Faithfully”

Cain said this No. 14 power-ballad smash, written in tribute to a happily married musician’s life on the road, came to him in a dream. He wrote it in his own key, and that allowed Perry to explore a different vocal timbre. They finished the song with a memorable back-and-forth between Perry and Schon, also completely unrehearsed.

No. 22. “When You’re Alone (It Ain’t Easy)”

Perry chirps and coos his way through this winking tease of a song – that is, until about a third of the way through, when Schon provides a huge moment of release.

No. 21. “Forever in Blue”

As with “Girl Can’t Help It,” found later on our list, “Forever in Blue” represents that rare moment when the latter-day edition puts it all together again.

No. 20. “Wheel in the Sky”

The ubiquitous “Wheel in the Sky” spent eight weeks on the Billboard chart, but somehow only got to No. 57. Journey was probably too busy touring to notice: They played more than 170 cities in North America and Europe on an accompanying tour. For Perry, it an unvarnished thrill to see “Wheel in the Sky” inside a jukebox. (It was a sign back then that any up-and-comer had finally made it.) He found the single at a pizza place he was visiting with Schon in 1978, put two quarters in, and then sat back down to see the look on his bandmate’s face when their music filled the dining area. Schon didn’t get it at first. When he did, Perry remembered Schon quipping, “I love this song,” amid an uproar of laughter.

No. 19. “Walks Like a Lady”

A great example of the way Journey songs evolved in the studio. Perry brought in a rough sketch, Schon added a blues-inspired riff, then Steve Smith picked up his brushes. All that was left to complete things was Rolie’s greasy Hammond B3 groove, reportedly one of his favorites.

No. 18. “Too Late”

A delicate, beautifully conveyed song of encouragement, “Too Late” was aimed at a friend of Perry’s who had fallen into drug abuse.

No. 17. “Daydream”

An episodic triumph, “Daydream” is defined by dreamy, Jon Anderson -esque verses, rangy guitar riffs and forward-thinking keyboard asides – very much in keeping with the prog-rock pretensions of the ’70s. Unfortunately for Journey, that sound had already become decidedly passe.

No. 16. “I’ll Be Alright Without You”

Schon, who earned a co-writing credit with Cain and Perry, tried out a then-new guitar in search of a distinct sound for this song. Best known for using a 1963 Fender Stratocaster, Schon experimented with a graphite Roland 707 to see if he could get a different, more even tone. It worked: “I’ll Be Alright Without You” remains Journey’s penultimate Top 20 hit, followed by 1996’s “When You Love a Woman.” Cain, like Perry, was going through a breakup and called this track the other half of the emotions expressed in “Once You Love Somebody.”

No. 15. “Good Morning Girl” / “Stay Awhile” From: Departure (1980)

Inextricably linked by their successive appearances on Departure , these two songs showcased Perry’s dual gifts: “Good Morning Girl” was a fragile, impossibly beautiful ballad that emerged from a jam session with Schon, while “Stay Awhile” showed off his R&B chops.

No. 14. “Do You Recall”

Maybe the perfect blending of Journey’s tough early sound and Perry’s sun-flecked sense of reminiscence. Roy Thomas Baker’s familiar stacked vocals propel the bridge to untold heights.

No. 13. “Open Arms”

If you dislike power ballads, blame Jonathan Cain. He brought this seminal example of the genre to Journey after John Waite , the frontman in Cain’s former band the Babys , rejected an early version. Schon didn’t really want “Open Arms,” either. But Perry intervened, and they turned it into a soaring paean to renewal. Oh, and Journey’s highest-charting single ever.

No. 12. “Lovin’, Touchin’, Squeezin'”

From: ‘Evolution’ (1979)

A song with a real-life storyline, “Lovin’, Touchin’, Squeezin'” came to life in another Journey jam session, then went on to become their very first Top 20 hit. Rolie’s Nicky Hopkins-esque honky tonk piano rides atop a stuttering, 12/8 rhythm, building inexorably toward a cloud-bursting nah-nah-nah conclusion. Steve Smith has compared that blues shuffle to “Nothing Can Change This Love” by key Perry influence Sam Cooke. The heartbroken Perry, who’s described the writing of this song as “love justice,” again played the bass on the initial sessions. The results opened the pop-chart floodgates.

No. 11. “The Party’s Over (Hopelessly in Love)”

Journey’s transformation into sleek hitmakers is typically associated with Cain’s entry into the lineup, but it actually started with this song. “The Party’s Over (Hopelessly in Love),” a studio song Journey tacked onto a live record Cain became a member, boasts every element of the new sound that would define their ’80s era. The song came together as Perry ruminated on bass backstage at Cobo Hall in Detroit. He already had Schon’s guitar line in his head, so he sang it to him. The ideas from this rough demo where completed with an accompanying narrative that Perry described as a “situation where a person is waiting for a phone call.” The keyboard turn came courtesy of their friend Stevie “Keys” Roseman, a Bay Area musician who was working in an adjacent space at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley.

No. 10. “Stone in Love”

Schon had a tape recorder going while he fooled around with the guitar during a party at his house in San Rafael. Perry and Cain did the rest.

No. 9. “After the Fall”

Perry began this song on the bass, perhaps an early indication of the changes in store for Journey. By the time they released 1986’s Raised on Radio , Ross Valory had been replaced by Randy Jackson, later of American Idol fame. Smith departed too, but not before proving himself utterly invaluable here.

No. 8. “Only the Young”

From: Vision Quest (1985)

Another song that, had it been included, might have pushed Frontiers past Escape as Journey’s best Cain-era album. Instead, “Only the Young” appeared much later on this soundtrack, and by then Kenny Sykaluk – a 16-year-old fan suffering from cystic fibrosis – had already died after becoming the first person to hear it . “Only the Young,” which opened every concert on Journey’s subsequent tour, will be forever associated with his brave fight.

No. 7. “Still They Ride”

Cain and Schon earned co-songwriting credits on “Still They Ride,” and Steve Smith showed off an accomplished dexterity. But the final charting single from Escape , released the following year, belonged in no small part to Steve Perry. The song’s main character, Jesse, never left the town of his youth, and still drives through its darkening streets looking for some connection. If you had found yourself in mid-century Hanford, California, you might have seen a young Steve Perry doing the same thing. Of course, he’d long since left, but Hanford – where a plaque in his honor rests at Civic Park – never left him. Jesse, this dreamer who refuses to give up on his youthful reverie, was Perry’s ultimate metaphoric character.

No. 6. “Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)”

The subject of lingering ridicule because of a misguided video, “Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)” struggles to find its true voice today. But the lead single from Frontiers was a multi-week Top 10 smash in early 1983, and the perfect example of how Journey could mix in elements of R&B and blues without sacrificing modernity. “Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)” came together while they toured behind Escape and revolved around a backstage melody Steve Perry and Jonathan Cain developed on bass and keys, respectively. Such was its immediate power that the band quickly began playing “Separate Ways” on stage – even before Perry had completely learned the words.

No. 5. “Any Way You Want It”

Steve Perry and Neal Schon were in Miami for a May opening date with Thin Lizzy , when they started a rhythm-scheme exercise based on the headliner’s unique musical interplay. They had been knocked out by how the guitar and vocals went back and forth on front man Phil Lynott ‘s songs. So, Perry sang, “she loves to laugh,” and Schon responded with a riff. Perry sang, “she loves to sing,” and Schon responded again. Then, “she does everything” led into another guitar riff — just like Thin Lizzy might have. They had the makings of “Any Way You Want It,” a single that just missed the Top 20 after its release in February 1980 then gained new life that summer as part of a Rodney Dangerfield gag in the golf parody film Caddyshack .

No. 4. “Who’s Crying Now”

The initial single from Escape , a No. 4 hit, perfectly illustrates how Jonathan Cain’s new presence changed Perry’s writing style, then forever changed Journey. The first inklings of the track came to Perry as he was driving up to San Francisco on Route 99. But “Who’s Crying Now” was a song with no real direction until Cain suggested the title. They worked out a cool b-section featuring only voice and keyboard, and their very first co-written composition was completed. Inspired, Perry also fought to keep Schon’s extended guitar solo on the single.

No. 3. “Lights”

Steve Perry was trying to write an ode to Los Angeles but couldn’t quite coax “Lights” into existence. Something just did not feel right about singing “ When the lights go down in the city, and the sun shines on L.A .” So, he stuck the song in his back pocket. Then an opportunity to join Journey changed his life and changed the song. Perry previewed “Lights” for the others in August 1977 in San Bernardino, during a period when he was on the road with Journey but not yet an official member. Perry’s new adopted hometown of San Francisco led to a crucial lyrical update: “L.A.” became “the bay,” as “Lights” paved the way for a collaborative relationship that would take Perry and Schon to once-unimaginable heights.

No. 2. “Send Her My Love”

The title belonged to Jonathan Cain, who’d held tight to a single line that resonated with Perry as something said when communication completely breaks down after the end of a relationship. Schon achieved a guitar sound that Perry later described as “huge, across-the-Grand Canyon dreamy” by utilizing a Lexicon 480L echo unit. The rhythm, based on a performance by Tony Williams on an old Miles Davis record, was uniquely Steve Smith’s. But the last of four Top 40 hit from this album could only be voiced by Perry, who latched onto its theme and pushed it to a lonesome zenith.

No. 1. “Don’t Stop Believin'”

In one sense, this song will always be associated with Jonathan Cain. After all, Cain had been carrying it around as a song scrap for years before joining the band. His father said “don’t stop believin'” back in the ’70s, during a down-and-out phase after Cain lost his first record deal. He wrote the words down, finally returning to them during sessions for his first album with Journey. But Perry is the one who latched onto the idea, the one who coined the indelible phrase about “streetlight people,” the one who demanded they wait – and wait – to go into that huge chorus. He’s also the one who sang it into the hearts of generation after generation.

Nick DeRiso is author of the Amazon best-selling rock band bio ‘Journey: Worlds Apart,’ available now at all major bookseller’s websites .

You Think You Know Journey?

Next: Top 10 Post-Steve Perry Journey Songs

Paul Natkin, Getty Images

IMAGES

  1. Watch Steve Perry Reunite With Journey (And Meet His Replacement) At

    journey band steve perry replacement

  2. JOURNEY Replacement Singers

    journey band steve perry replacement

  3. The Reason These Legendary Singers Were Replaced With New Vocalists

    journey band steve perry replacement

  4. Steve Perry

    journey band steve perry replacement

  5. 25 Years Ago: Why Steve Perry Left Journey for Good

    journey band steve perry replacement

  6. Steve Perry Reunites with Journey at Rock Hall Induction

    journey band steve perry replacement

VIDEO

  1. Escape/Steve Perry /Journey

  2. JOURNEY

  3. Steve Perry SINGS This Song BETTER LIVE! #journeyband #steveperry

  4. Steve Perry Sings JOURNEY Lights EFFORTLESSLY Live in 1981! #journeyband #steveperry #acapella

  5. ONLY Steve Perry Can Sing THIS JOURNEY SONG! (Part 2) #steveperry #acapella #journeyband

  6. Journey Album Covers Montage

COMMENTS

  1. Former Journey Singer Steve Augeri Talks Replacing Steve Perry

    Before His First Gig With Journey, Steve Augeri Got So Nervous He Threw Up. The singer explains how he went from repairing toilets at the Gap to replacing Steve Perry in one of the world's most ...

  2. Steve Perry Gives His Honest Opinion on New JOURNEY Singer Arnel Pineda

    During a recent conversation with SiriusXM, classic Journey vocalist Steve Perry talked about the band's new singer Arnel Pineda, who's been a member of the fold since 2007. Steve reached the topic while discussing Journey 's 2017 Rock Hall induction, saying (via Blabbermouth ): "When I walked out there, that was a real thrill.

  3. Arnel Pineda on JOURNEY's Potential Reunion with Steve Perry and Career

    In a chat with Rolling Stone, Arnel Pineda, the frontman of the iconic band Journey, shared his thoughts on the possibility of reuniting with the former lead singer, Steve Perry. Pineda, known for his upbeat personality and powerful vocals, revealed his openness to the idea, sparking excitement among fans. Dreamy Encounter with an Icon: Arnel […]

  4. STEVE AUGERI Says It Was An 'Incredibly Daunting' Task Replacing STEVE

    Steve Augeri, who was the lead singer of JOURNEY from 1998 to 2006, reflected on his time with the legendary American rock band in a new interview with QFM96's "Torg & Elliott" radio show.

  5. Steve Perry Walked Away From Journey. A Promise Finally Ended His

    A Promise Finally Ended His Silence. On Feb. 1, 1987, Steve Perry performed his final show with Journey. In October, he's returning with a solo album, "Traces," that breaks 20 years of radio ...

  6. JOURNEY Singer Arnel Pineda Shares Feelings on Band Reuniting With

    His first replacement, Steve Augeri, was an amazing vocalist but had to leave due to health issues. Jeff Scott Soto came next, but he very quickly grew tired of being booed onstage when he was merely trying to do his job. Neal Schon found arnel Pineda singing Journey tunes on Youtube, and ultimately Neal picked him to be the next vocalist ...

  7. Watch Steve Perry Reunite With Journey (And Meet His Replacement) At

    Steve Perry reunited with Journey for his old band's induction into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame last night. Although he did end up skedaddling before the performance, it was still the first ...

  8. How Journey survived another lineup change to make its first ...

    Journey's commercial streak came to an abrupt halt in 1987, when a road-weary Perry announced he was taking a hiatus — then again after a brief reunion for the 1996 album "Trial by Fire." His replacement, Steve Augeri, fronted the band for nearly a decade before his voice gave out.

  9. Journey's Jonathan Cain shares the real-life story behind 'Don't Stop

    One of the architects of the massive hit "Don't Stop Believin' " almost stopped believing in Journey when vocalist Steve Perry quit the band in 1998. Keyboardist Jonathan Cain was ...

  10. Journey Reflects on New Album, Whether Steve Perry Could Return for

    Journey on New Album and If Steve Perry or Gregg Rolie Could Return for 50th Anniversary (Exclusive) 'Mama June: Family Crisis': Alana's Boyfriend Shocked by Legal News (Exclusive)

  11. Journey Finds Replacement Singer on YouTube

    Personally, I've always felt Journey isn't Journey without Steve Perry. And his version of "Only the Young" is still one of my favorite songs. Thanks for reading, Steven

  12. Journey's New Album, New Frontman : NPR

    In advance of Journey's new album, Revelation, which drops Wednesday, Bryant Park Project Producer Dan Pashman looks at Arnel Pineda, the band's replacement frontman.

  13. The Real Reason Steve Perry Left Journey

    He learned he needed hip surgery due to a degenerative bone condition. The band could not wait for Perry to heal, and so he was replaced by Steve Augeri and later Arnel Pineda. For years, Perry's surgery explained his reason for officially leaving Journey. But in 2018, he made a revelation.

  14. Battle of the Journey Vocalists

    Perry Vs. Pineda. In 1998, Steve Perry was dropped as the front man of the highly popular classic rock group Journey. Although it was with Perry that the band had its greatest hits in the mid-late 80's, his replacements didn't do so bad in the charts and on tour either.In 2007, after the band dropped Perry's immediate replacement Steve Augeri due to a chronic throat infection, they found ...

  15. Documentary Looks At Journey's Lead Singer Search

    It's the story of how "Journey" guitarist Neal Schon found a replacement for front man Steve Perry by searching YouTube videos, and the band's eventual integration of Arnel Pineda into its lineup ...

  16. Don't Stop Believin': Everyman's Journey

    Don't Stop Believin': Everyman's Journey: Directed by Ramona S. Diaz. With Arnel Pineda, Jonathan Cain, Neal Schon, Deen Castronovo. A documentary on Arnel Pineda, who was plucked from YouTube to become the new singer for the rock & roll band, Journey.

  17. Watch Steve Perry Reunite With Journey (And Meet His Replacement) At

    Steve Perry reunited with Journey for his old band's induction into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame last night. Although he did end up skedaddling before the performance, it was still the first time ...

  18. Why Journey's Arnel Pineda is Incomparable to Steve Perry

    Even though Steve Perry was the very reason that the band had its greatest hits and success in the mid-late '80s, his replacements did well also in the charts and even on tour. In 2007, after Perry left the group there was an immediate replacement and it was Steve Augeri, though due to a chronic throat infection, Augeri was replaced by a ...

  19. Steve Perry

    Stephen Ray Perry (born January 22, 1949) is an American singer and songwriter. He was the lead singer and frontman of the rock band Journey during their most successful years from 1977 to 1987, and again from 1995 to 1998. He also wrote/co-wrote several Journey hit songs. Perry had a successful solo career between the mid-1980s and mid-1990s, made sporadic appearances in the 2000s, and ...

  20. JOURNEY: New Documentary 'A Voice Lost...And Found' To Premiere On

    Frontman Steve Perry was dubbed "The Voice" thanks to the untouchable vocal stylings that burned up the radio waves and made him a household name. But the bigger JOURNEY became the more miserable ...

  21. Journey (band)

    Steve Smith later exited the band, citing that Journey would not be the same without Perry, and returning to his jazz career and his project Vital Information. [77] The band hired drummer Deen Castronovo, Schon's and Cain's Bad English bandmate and drummer for Hardline , to replace Steve Smith.

  22. Ranking All 81 Steve Perry Journey Songs

    Journey had never gotten higher than No. 85 on the Billboard album chart when new frontman Steve Perry walked in the door in 1977.. They went on to sell an astonishing nine million albums in the U ...