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Journey Lead Singers In Order: History and Band Members

In this article, we delve into the captivating history of Journey, an iconic rock band that has left an indelible mark on the music industry. From their humble beginnings to their meteoric rise to fame, Journey has mesmerized audiences worldwide with their unique sound and timeless hits. Join us on a journey through time as we explore the remarkable story of this legendary band.

Formation of the Band

Journey was formed in 1973 in San Francisco, California, bringing together a group of highly talented musicians. The founding members included Neal Schon, Gregg Rolie, Ross Valory, Aynsley Dunbar, and George Tickner. With their combined musical prowess and creative vision, they set out to create something extraordinary.

Early Years and Musical Style

During their early years, Journey experimented with a fusion of rock, jazz, and progressive influences, creating a distinctive sound that set them apart from their contemporaries. Their self-titled debut album, released in 1975, showcased their musical versatility and marked the beginning of their incredible journey.

Evolution and Breakthrough Success

In 1977, Journey underwent a significant change that would forever shape its destiny. Steve Perry joined the band as their lead vocalist, injecting new energy and unparalleled vocal range into their music. This lineup change proved to be a turning point for Journey, leading to a series of chart-topping albums and unforgettable songs.

Chart-topping albums and Hit Singles

Journey’s breakthrough came in 1978 with the release of their album “Infinity,” which became a massive success. The album spawned the hit singles “Wheel in the Sky” and “Lights,” propelling Journey into the mainstream spotlight. They continued their winning streak with subsequent albums, including “Evolution” (1979) and “Departure” (1980), which produced hits like “Lovin’, Touchin’, Squeezin'” and “Any Way You Want It.”

The Iconic Album: “Escape”

In 1981, Journey released their most iconic album to date, “Escape.” This album elevated their status as rock superstars and solidified their place in music history. Featuring the mega-hits “Don’t Stop Believin’,” “Open Arms,” and “Who’s Crying Now,” “Escape” became an instant classic, captivating audiences with its emotionally charged lyrics and powerful melodies.

The Power Ballad Era

Journey’s success continued into the mid-1980s, defined by the rise of power ballads that struck a chord with fans worldwide. Songs like “Faithfully,” “Separate Ways (Worlds Apart),” and “Send Her My Love” showcased the band’s ability to create heartfelt and anthemic ballads that resonated deeply with listeners.

A Change in Direction

As the 1990s approached, Journey faced challenges and underwent significant lineup changes. Steve Perry departed from the band in 1987, leading to a period of transition as they searched for a new lead vocalist. Despite these challenges, Journey remained resilient and continued to produce music that captivated its loyal fan base.

Journey’s Enduring Legacy

Although the band’s popularity waned in the late 1990s, their music never faded from the hearts of their dedicated fans. Journey’s timeless classics continue to resonate with audiences of all ages, thanks to their emotional depth, infectious melodies, and inspiring lyrics. Their songs have become anthems for perseverance, love, and the power of music itself.

Past Journey band members include the following:

• Steve Perry (1977-1998)
• Aynsley Dunbar (1974-1978)
• Robert Fleischman (1977)
• Steve Smith (1978-1985, 1995-1998)
• Randy Jackson (1985-1987)
• Steve Augeri (1998-2006)

Current Journey band members:

• Neal Schon – Guitar (1973-present)
• Jonathan Cain – Keyboards (1980-present)
• Ross Valory – Bass (1973-1985, 1995-present)
• Arnel Pineda – Vocals (2007-present)
• Deen Castronovo – Drums (1998-present)

Lead Singers of Journey

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The Original Journey: Gregg Rolie’s Era

Gregg Rolie, a two-time Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, served as the original lead singer of Journey. He began his musical career as a co-founder and lead vocalist of Santana before joining forces with Neal Schon to form Journey. Rolie’s soulful voice and exceptional skills as a keyboardist and harmonicist contributed to the band’s early success. He showcased his talent on albums like “Journey,” “Look into the Future,” and “Next.” However, Rolie transitioned to co-lead vocals when Steve Perry joined the band in 1977.

Steve Perry: The Voice of Journey’s Greatest Hits

Steve Perry, widely recognized as the quintessential Journey lead singer, propelled the band to unprecedented heights during their most commercially successful era. Born with a gift for singing, Perry’s powerful and emotive vocals struck a chord with audiences worldwide. With Perry at the helm, Journey released a string of chart-topping albums, including “Infinity,” “Escape,” and “Frontiers.” Iconic songs like “Don’t Stop Believin’,” “Open Arms,” and “Faithfully” became anthems for a generation. Perry’s remarkable songwriting abilities and magnetic stage presence contributed to the band’s enduring legacy.

Current Lead Singer: Arnel Pineda

Following Steve Perry’s departure in 1987, Journey experienced a series of lead singer changes. Steve Augeri, known for his vocal range and stage charisma, took over from 1998 to 2006. Jeff Scott Soto briefly joined the band in 2006, leaving his mark with his distinctive style. However, it was Arnel Pineda who breathed new life into Journey as the current lead singer. Pineda’s incredible vocal resemblance to Steve Perry, coupled with his dynamic stage presence, won the hearts of fans worldwide. Since 2008, Pineda has seamlessly integrated into the band, injecting fresh energy and passion into their performances.

Journey’s Enduring Discography: Albums That Defined an Era

Over the past five decades, Journey has released a diverse and extensive discography, showcasing their musical prowess and creativity. Let’s explore some of their most iconic albums:

“ Infinity ” (1978): With Steve Perry as the lead singer, “Infinity” marked a significant turning point for Journey. It featured hit singles like “Wheel in the Sky” and “Lights,” solidifying their place in the rock music landscape.

“ Escape ” (1981): This album became a monumental success, boasting chart-topping hits such as “Don’t Stop Believin'” and “Open Arms.” “Escape” catapulted Journey to international stardom and remains one of their most beloved records.

“ Frontiers ” (1983): Building upon their previous success, “Frontiers” showcased Journey’s evolution with tracks like “Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)” and “Faithfully.” The album’s polished production and memorable hooks solidified Journey’s status as one of the biggest rock bands of the 1980s.

“ Raised on Radio ” (1986): Released during the band’s final years with Steve Perry, “Raised on Radio” featured a more radio-friendly sound and produced hits like “Be Good to Yourself” and “I’ll Be Alright Without You.” Despite tensions within the band, the album showcased their ability to create catchy, melodic rock tunes.

“ Revelation ” (2008): With Arnel Pineda as the lead singer, “Revelation” marked a new chapter for Journey. The album featured new recordings of their classic hits, reaffirming Pineda’s vocal prowess and rekindling the band’s popularity among longtime fans and a new generation.

“ Eclipse ” (2011): Continuing their musical journey with Pineda, Journey released “Eclipse,” a record that showcased their ability to evolve while staying true to their roots. The album demonstrated their enduring songwriting skills and featured tracks like “City of Hope” and “Edge of the Moment.”

“Escape & Frontiers Live in Japan” (2019): As a testament to their enduring appeal, Journey released a live album featuring their performances of the “Escape” and “Frontiers” albums in their entirety. The release showcased the band’s timeless hits in a live setting, capturing the energy and excitement of their concerts.

Journey’s Impact and Legacy

Journey’s impact on the rock music landscape cannot be overstated. With their infectious melodies, anthemic choruses, and powerful vocals, they carved out a unique sound that resonated with millions of listeners. Their music transcended generations, becoming the soundtrack to countless moments and capturing the hearts of fans worldwide.

Steve Perry’s tenure as the lead singer marked the band’s most successful period, and his distinct voice became synonymous with Journey’s sound. His emotional delivery and ability to connect with audiences elevated their songs to new heights and created an unparalleled legacy.

Arnel Pineda’s addition to the band injected new energy into Journey and allowed them to continue their musical journey. Pineda’s remarkable vocal resemblance to Perry breathed new life into the band’s live performances, earning him a dedicated fanbase and ensuring that Journey’s music lives on.

Journey’s timeless hits continue to be celebrated and embraced today. Songs like “Don’t Stop Believin'” have become cultural touchstones, appearing in films, TV shows, and sporting events, and capturing the imaginations of new generations of listeners.

Journey Band Member’s Ages

Here, is the list of all the Journey member’s ages. It seems like all of the Journey band members are above 50 and below 80.

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Complete List Of All Journey Current And Former Band Members

Feature Photo: Bruce Alan Bennett / Shutterstock.com

I first fell in love with the band Journey when I was in high school and brought the band’s album Infinity when it was first released. Their record company Columbia Records at the time heavily promoted the album. It was Steve Perry’s first recording with the band and Columbia knew they had a hit on their hands. I was blown away by Steve Perry’s voice and completely floored by how great the songs were on the record. Journey became one of the biggest bands of the seventies. They helped define the term “Stadium Rock.” The band has gone through multiple lineup changes over the years.  This article takes a look at the revolving door of musicians who have come and gone as members of the band Journey .

The Orginal Journey Band Members

Neal Schon, born on February 27, 1954, in Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma, is an American musician best known as the lead guitarist for Journey. He was one of the founding members of the band in 1973. Over the years, Schon played a significant role in shaping the band’s sound and has appeared on every Journey album to date, from their self-titled debut album “Journey” (1975) to their most recent releases. He primarily plays the electric guitar but has been known to play acoustic guitar and perform backing vocals as well. Schon co-wrote some of the band’s most iconic songs like “Don’t Stop Believin’,” “Wheel in the Sky,” and “Any Way You Want It.” Besides his work with Journey, Neal Schon has had a rich solo career and has also been a part of other bands like Santana and Bad English .

Ross Valory

Ross Valory, born on February 2, 1949, in San Francisco, California, is an American musician renowned for being Journey’s original bass guitarist. He joined the band at its inception in 1973 and contributed to albums like “Journey” (1975), “Infinity” (1978), “Escape” (1981), and many more. Valory played both the bass guitar and occasionally provided backing vocals. He was a part of Journey until he was fired from the band in 2020. Apart from Journey, Valory was involved in the Steve Miller Band and also had a side project called “The Vu.”

Gregg Rolie

Gregg Rolie was born on June 17, 1947, in Seattle, Washington, and is an American keyboardist and singer. He was a founding member of Journey and joined the band in 1973. Rolie played keyboards and was the lead vocalist on the band’s first three albums: “Journey” (1975), “Look into the Future” (1976), and “Next” (1977). He left Journey in 1980 to pursue other musical endeavors. Notably, he was a member of Santana before joining Journey and co-wrote and sang lead vocals on classics like “Black Magic Woman” and “Evil Ways.” After leaving Journey, he went on to form The Gregg Rolie Band and also joined Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band .

George Tickner

George Tickner, born on September 8, 1946, in Syracuse, New York, is an American musician who played rhythm guitar for Journey. He was among the original members when the band was founded in 1973 but left shortly after the release of the band’s self-titled debut album in 1975. Tickner contributed to the writing of some early songs but didn’t stay with the band long enough to participate in the more commercial phases of Journey’s career. After leaving Journey, Tickner largely retired from professional music to pursue a career in medicine.

Charles “Prairie” Prince

Charles “Prairie” Prince, born on May 7, 1950, in Charlotte, North Carolina, was the original drummer for Journey when the band was formed in 1973. However, he never officially recorded with the band and left before their debut album was made. He is best known for his work with The Tubes , a San Francisco-based rock band. Though his time with Journey was short-lived, Prince has had a significant career in music, working with artists like Todd Rundgren, and Jefferson Starship, and as a session musician for various other artists.

The Next Phase and Beyond

Aynsley dunbar.

Aynsley Dunbar, born on January 10, 1946, in Liverpool, England, is a British drummer known for his work with various rock and blues bands. He joined Journey in 1974, shortly after the band’s formation, and played on the albums “Journey” (1975), “Look into the Future” (1976), and “Next” (1977). Dunbar’s jazz-influenced drumming style added a unique element to Journey’s early sound. He left the band in 1978 before the band shifted to a more mainstream, commercial sound. Apart from Journey, Dunbar has had an extensive career, playing with artists like Frank Zappa, David Bowie, and Whitesnake.

Robert Fleischman

Robert Fleischman, born on March 11, 1953, in Los Angeles, California, is an American musician who briefly served as Journey’s lead vocalist in 1977. Though he never appeared on any studio albums with Journey, he contributed to songwriting and is credited with co-writing songs like “Wheel in the Sky.” Fleischman was replaced by Steve Perry later in the same year he joined. Outside of Journey, Fleischman had a solo career and was a member of other rock bands like Vinnie Vincent Invasion.

Steve Perry

Steve Perry , born on January 22, 1949, in Hanford, California, is an American singer known for his soaring vocals. He joined Journey in 1977 and quickly became the band’s iconic lead vocalist. Steve Perry played a significant role in Journey’s commercial success and was a key contributor to albums like “Infinity” (1978), “Evolution” (1979), “Escape” (1981), among others. He co-wrote and sang some of Journey’s most famous songs, including “Don’t Stop Believin'” and “Open Arms.” Perry left the band in 1998 due to health issues and to pursue a solo career, which itself has been highly successful, featuring hits like “Oh Sherrie.”

Steve Smith

Steve Smith, born on August 21, 1954, in Whitman, Massachusetts, is an American drummer. He joined Journey in 1978, replacing Aynsley Dunbar, and played on some of their most successful albums like “Evolution,” “Escape,” and “Frontiers.” Known for his technical skill, Smith left the band in 1985 but returned for various stints, the latest being from 2015 to 2020. Outside of Journey, Smith has had a rich career in jazz and has been part of his own jazz fusion band, Vital Information.

Randy Jackson

Randy Jackson, born on June 23, 1956, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, is an American musician, best known as a judge on the television show “American Idol.” He joined Journey as a bass player for a short stint during the mid-1980s and played on the 1986 album “Raised on Radio.” Jackson was part of the band’s transition towards a more pop-oriented sound during that period. Besides Journey, he has been an in-demand session musician and has produced and performed with a wide array of artists across genres.

Steve Augeri

Steve Augeri, born on January 30, 1959, in Brooklyn, New York, is an American rock singer best known for his work as the lead vocalist for Journey from 1998 to 2006. He was brought in as a replacement for Steve Perry and featured on albums like “Arrival” (2001) and “Generations” (2005). Augeri co-wrote songs for the band but had to leave in 2006 due to vocal issues. Outside of Journey, he has been involved in other bands like Tyketto and has also embarked on a solo career.

Jeff Scott Soto

Jeff Scott Soto, born on November 4, 1965, in Brooklyn, New York, is an American singer who served as Journey’s lead vocalist for a brief period from 2006 to 2007. He stepped in following Steve Augeri’s departure due to vocal issues but was in the band for less than a year. Though his time with Journey was short-lived, he did perform live with the band during that period. Outside of Journey, Soto has a prolific career, having been a part of bands like Yngwie Malmsteen’s Rising Force and Talisman, as well as a successful solo career.

Deen Castronovo

Deen Castronovo, born on August 17, 1964, in Westminster, California, is an American drummer and vocalist. He joined Journey in 1998, replacing Steve Smith, and contributed to albums like “Arrival” (2001), “Generations” (2005), and “Eclipse” (2011). Besides playing drums, Castronovo also performed backing and some lead vocals during his time with the band. He left Journey in 2015 amidst personal issues. Beyond Journey, he has played with bands like Bad English and Hardline and is known for his work in various other musical projects.

Narada Michael Walden

Narada Michael Walden, born on April 23, 1952, in Kalamazoo, Michigan, is an American musician, producer, and songwriter. He joined Journey as a drummer in 2020, replacing Steve Smith. Known for his diverse skill set across genres, Walden has a rich career outside of his time with Journey. He’s a multi-Grammy Award-winning producer and has worked with a myriad of artists including Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, and Aretha Franklin.

Arnel Pineda

Arnel Pineda, born on September 5, 1967, in Sampaloc, Manila, Philippines, is a Filipino singer and songwriter. He became the lead vocalist for Journey in 2007, discovered by Neal Schon through YouTube videos of Pineda covering Journey songs. He made his studio debut with the band on the 2008 album “Revelation” and has remained with the band since. Outside of Journey, Pineda had been a part of several bands in the Philippines and has a solo career as well.

Jason Derlatka

Jason Derlatka, born on September 8, 1972, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is an American keyboardist, vocalist, and composer. He joined Journey in 2020 as a touring keyboardist and background vocalist. Though he hasn’t been featured on any studio albums with the band yet, he brings a wide range of musical experience to Journey. Derlatka has worked extensively in television, composing music for series like “House” and “Parenthood.”

Todd Jensen

Todd Jensen, born on October 19, 1965, in Portland, Oregon, is an American bassist. Though he never officially recorded with Journey, Jensen was involved as a touring member following Ross Valory’s departure in 2020. Known for his versatility, he has played with various artists and bands spanning multiple genres, including David Lee Roth, Ozzy Osbourne, and Alice Cooper.

Complete List Of All Journey Current And Former Band Members article published on Classic RockHistory.com© 2023

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Journey Band Members Over the Years

In 2005, the band (along with original members Schon and Valory) marked its 30th anniversary with the release of its 23rd album,  Generations  and an anniversary tour, at times featuring some of the many former members of the group. In December 2006, Jeff Scott Soto replaced Steve Augeri as lead vocalist. Soto had been filling in for several months after Augeri was sidelined with a chronic throat infection. Soto was replaced a few months later by Arnel Pineda , vocalist for a Filipino cover band who was hired as a result of a video he posted on YouTube.

The band has been on a journey as it has evolved from past members including Steve Perry to its current members. 

Past Journey band members include the following:

• Steve Perry (1977-1998)
• Aynsley Dunbar (1974-1978)
• Robert Fleischman (1977)
• Steve Smith (1978-1985, 1995-1998)
• Randy Jackson (1985-1987)
• Steve Augeri (1998-2006)

Current Journey band members:

• Neal Schon - guitar (1973-present)
• Jonathan Cain - keyboards (1980-present)
• Ross Valory - bass (1973-1985, 1995-present)
• Arnel Pineda - vocals (2007-present)
• Deen Castronovo - drums (1998-present)

Fun Facts About Journey

• Journey music has been part of the animated TV shows South Park and Family Guy, and movies Caddyshack and BASEketball.
• The group received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2005 and was inducted into the San Francisco Music Hall of Fame in 2003.
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Arnel Pineda

Who Is Arnel Pineda?

After a series of unfortunate events in his childhood, Arnel Pineda found success in Asia as the front man for the group The Zoo. In 2007, he was discovered by Journey guitarist Neal Schon, after a series of YouTube videos were posted of him covering American songs, including the famous hit, "Dont Stop Believin'." In December 2007, Pineda became the new lead singer of Journey. His is noted for having a strikingly similar sound to former Journey front man Steve Perry.

Troubled Childhood

Arnel Pineda was born on September 5, 1967, in Sampaloc, Manila, in the Philippines. Throughout his childhood, Pineda endured grave misfortune. When he was just 13 years old, his mother, who was 35 at the time, passed away after a long battle with heart disease. Her medical costs left the family in serious debt, and Pineda's father could no longer provide for Pineda and his three younger brothers, Russmon, Roderick and Joselito.

While relatives were able to take in his brothers, Pineda was left on his own. He spent the next few years homeless, often sleeping outside in public parks and scraping for any food or water that he could afford. When possible, he would stay at a friend's house, who offered him a cot outside. Eventually, Pineda was forced to quit school and take up odd jobs collecting scrap metal and bottles at the pier and selling newspapers to support his family.

Early Career

Pineda's love of music started at a young age. He began singing at just five years old, and had entered many singing contests as a child. In 1982, when he was 15, Pineda was introduced to a local band called Ijos, and was encouraged by his friends to try out as their new lead singer. He sang the Beatles' "Help" and Air Supply's "Making Love Out Of Nothing At All." Although they were concerned with his lack of training, Ijos members were wowed by Pineda's powerful voice, and took him on as the new front man of the band. One of the band member's friends even offered to pay Pineda's salary, 35 pesos a night, out of his own pocket, and Pineda was offered a tiny room to sleep under the guitarist's front stairs.

In 1986, some members of Ijos joined together to form the new pop-rock band Amo. The group found success covering songs by hit groups Heart, Queen and Journey. In 1988, they turned heads when they won the Philippines' leg of the Yamaha World Band Explosion Contest. Although they were disqualified in the finals due to a technicality, the event was broadcast on TV in Asia, widening their fanbase. The band continued performing at popular clubs and arenas around the Philippines.

In 1990, the members re-grouped yet again, under the new name Intensity Five, and re-entered the contest. The band came in as runner up and Pineda won the Best Vocalist Award. After a series of unfortunate health problems in the early '90s, including the brief loss of his voice, Pineda re-emerged in 1999 with a new solo album with Warner Brothers. The self-titled album had several hits in Asia.

After brief stints with a few different bands, Pineda found success again in 2006 with The Zoo, a band that he formed with Monet Cajipe, a guitarist/songwriter who had been in all his bands during over the previous 20 years. The Zoo performed at several popular clubs in the area and, in 2007, released an album by MCA Universal titled Zoology . Soon the band began covering songs by groups such as Journey, Survivor, Aerosmith, Led Zeppelin, The Eagles and more, with more than 200 performances uploaded to YouTube.

On June 28, 2007, Neal Schon, guitarist and member of the band Journey, saw a video of Pineda on YouTube and immediately contacted him. The band had been looking for a new lead singer, and Pineda's voice sounded strikingly similar to Steve Perry, Journey's legendary former front man. After speaking with Schon on the phone, Pineda made arrangements to fly to the United States and audition with the band in San Francisco. On December 5, 2007, Pineda was welcomed as the band's new lead singer.

Right away, Pineda went on tour with the band, performing two shows in Chile and two in Las Vegas. Both were a huge success. After a series of guest show appearances and magazine features, Pineda gained popularity within the American public. On June 3, 2008, the newly organized Journey released their first album, Revelation , which came in at No. 5 on the U.S. charts. The album was their highest charting album since Trial by Fire (with Steve Perry), and reached platinum status by October 2008.

Soon after the album's release, the band continued touring around the world with Pineda. The documentary, Don't Stop Believin': Everyman's Journey , slated to be released in 2012, will chronicle the band's "Revelation Tour," and Pineda's first years with the band.

Personal Life

When he is not on tour, Pineda resides in the Philippines with his wife, Cherry, their children, Cherub and Thea. He has two other sons—Matthew, 19, and Angelo, 13—from past relationships.

QUICK FACTS

• Name: Arnel Pineda
• Birth Year: 1967
• Birth date: September 5, 1967
• Birth City: Sampaloc, Manila
• Birth Country: Philippines
• Gender: Male
• Best Known For: Arnel Pineda is best known as the new lead singer for the rock group Journey.
• Astrological Sign: Virgo
• Nacionalities

CITATION INFORMATION

• Article Title: Arnel Pineda Biography
• Author: Biography.com Editors
• Website Name: The Biography.com website
• Url: https://www.biography.com/musicians/arnel-pineda
• Access Date:
• Publisher: A&E; Television Networks
• Last Updated: July 20, 2020
• Original Published Date: April 2, 2014

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Who Sang the Most Journey Songs? Lead Vocal Totals

Journey will always be associated most closely with Steve Perry . Over the years, however, they've actually had a total of six frontmen. Four other members, including stalwart Neal Schon , have also taken a turn at the mic.

Gregg Rolie (1973-80) was the group's first singer, though his role quickly diminished when Perry arrived in 1977. Over the next 20 years, Perry would take Journey to unprecedented commercial heights, though it ultimately became an off-and-on relationship: Journey were inactive from 1987-91 and then again until 1995.

A pair of those other lead singers, Robert Fleischman (1977) and Jeff Scott Soto (2006-07), didn't last long enough to do much in the recording studio. Journey also had a second Steve as their singer – Steve Augeri (1998–2006) – before settling in with Arnel Pineda , their longest-tenured frontman, in 2007.

Which one sang the most Journey songs? We dove into their official catalog to find out, focusing on officially released new songs, including B-sides, soundtrack recordings, bonus tracks and a live song that appeared only on 1981's Captured . We stayed away from re-recordings and in-concert versions of earlier songs, as well as the leftover demos that dotted Journey's expansive Time3 box set, since those don't count as original material.

Journey (1975)

Gregg Rolie - 5: "Of a Lifetime," "In the Morning Day," "To Play Some Music," "In My Lonely Feeling/Conversations" and "Mystery Mountain"

Journey debuted with co-founder Gregg Rolie firmly entrenched as their frontman, but this self-titled debut also made room for two lengthy fusion-rock instrumentals – "Kohoutek" and "Topaz." The former, co-written by Rolie and Neal Schon, became an in-concert staple for years. Still, these musical flights of fancy ultimately cut into Rolie's lead-vocal totals, as did Journey's subsequent decision to showcase other singers.

Look Into the Future (1976)

Gregg Rolie - 8: "On a Saturday Nite," "It's All Too Much," "Anyway," "She Makes Me (Feel Alright)," "You're on Your Own," "Look into the Future," "Midnight Dreamer" and "I'm Gonna Leave You"

The best effort from the pre-Perry lineup is also Rolie's most consistent showcase, with a most-ever eight vocals. Look Into the Future found the band in an appropriately forward-thinking mood, as it took a more song-oriented approach. That said, Journey still unleashed an eight-minute title track – the longest song they'd ever recorded – and the titanic closing song , "I'm Gonna Leave You."

Next (1977)

Gregg Rolie - 5: "Spaceman," "People," "Here We Are," "Hustler" and "Next" Neal Schon - 2: "I Would Find You" and "Karma"

Rolie began sharing the mic well before Steve Perry arrived, as guitarist Neal Schon takes over for two of his four career lead vocals. They also returned to instrumentals, including "Nickel and Dime" – which manager Herbie Herbert consistently described as the uncredited inspiration for Rush 's "Tom Sawyer." It was a sign of things to come: Rolie continued with Journey for five more releases, but never had another solo vocal.

Infinity (1978)

Steve Perry - 10: "Lights," "Feeling That Way" (with Rolie), "Anytime (with Rolie), "La Do Da," "Patiently," "Wheel in the Sky," "Somethin' to Hide," "Winds of March," "Can Do" and "Opened the Door" Gregg Rolie - 2: "Feeling That Way" (with Perry) and "Anytime" (with Perry)

The addition of Perry shifted the vocal focus decisively, as Rolie's total makes clear. Within just two albums, the new guy almost eclipsed Rolie for career lead songs. In fact, Journey would release eight more records – including a movie soundtrack and a live project – before anyone not named Steve Perry sang another note. Fans responded by sending Infinity to the edge of the Top 20, a best-ever finish at the time.

Evolution (1979)

Steve Perry - 10: "Too Late," "Lovin', Touchin', Squeezin'," "City of the Angels," "When You're Alone (It Ain't Easy)," "Sweet and Simple," "Lovin' You Is Easy," "Just the Same Way" (with Rolie), "Do You Recall," "Daydream" and "Lady Luck" Gregg Rolie - 1: "Just the Same Way" (with Perry)

They switched out a member, as former Ronnie Montrose drummer Steve Smith took over for Aynsley Dunbar, but otherwise kept apace with a huge musical shift. This album confirmed Journey's move from hard-rocking jam band to multi-platinum pop stars: "Lovin', Touchin', Squeezin'" from Evolution became their first Top 20 hit single.

Departure (1980)

Steve Perry - 12: "Any Way You Want It," "Walks Like a Lady," "Someday Soon" (with Rolie), "People and Places" (with Schon), "Precious Time," "Where Were You," "I'm Cryin'," "Line of Fire," "Departure," "Good Morning Girl," "Stay Awhile," "Handmade Love" Gregg Rolie - 1: "Someday Soon" (with Perry) Neal Schon - 1: "People and Places" (with Perry)

Rolie shares the mic one last time on the utterly gorgeous "Someday Soon," but this album's No. 8 finish had everything to do with Perry's turn on the radio favorite "Any Way You Want It." Like both of its predecessors, Departure sold 3 million copies – an impressive figure, but also one that indicated a commercial plateau. Journey issued two place-keeping projects, including a movie soundtrack and a concert recording, while plotting their next move.

Captured (1981)

Steve Perry - 2: "Dixie Highway" and "The Party's Over (Hopelessly in Love)"

This live document celebrating Journey's early years included two previously unreleased songs, both featuring Perry at the mic. Rolie had already exited by the time Captured arrived, so "The Party's Over" – a new studio addition – featured a different keyboardist: Stevie Roseman later worked with Schon and Valory on solo projects.

Escape (1981)

Steve Perry - 10: "Don't Stop Believin'," "Stone in Love," "Who's Crying Now," "Keep On Runnin'," "Still They Ride," "Escape," "Lay It Down," "Dead or Alive," "Mother, Father," "Open Arms"

Keyboardist Jonathan Cain came over from the Babys to give Journey another creative voice, but he didn't possess the vocal chops of his predecessor. Steve Perry continued to dominate every subsequent Journey album he appeared on. Together, however, they found another commercial gear as the career-making Escape sold as many copies in the U.S. as Infinity, Evolution and Departure combined.

Frontiers (1983)

Steve Perry - 10: "Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)," "Send Her My Love," "Chain Reaction," "After the Fall," "Faithfully," "Edge of the Blade," "Troubled Child," "Back Talk," "Frontiers," "Rubicon"

Journey entered a period of stops and starts. The next trio of albums all sold very well. In fact, they scored the band's highest-ever chart position in the U.K. with Frontiers . But success can sometimes be a double-edged sword: Their subsequent total of nine platinum awards in the states only equaled what Escape had done all by itself. Under enormous pressure, Journey's most successful lineup fracturing along the way.

Raised on Radio (1986)

Steve Perry - 11: "Girl Can't Help It," "Positive Touch," "Suzanne," "Be Good to Yourself," "Once You Love Somebody," "Happy to Give," "Raised on Radio," "I'll Be Alright Without You," "It Could Have Been You," "The Eyes of a Woman" and "Why Can't This Night Go On Forever"

Now trimmed to a core trio of Jonathan Cain, Steve Perry and Neal Schon, Raised on Radio  featured drummer Steve Smith on only three of its 11 tracks – and didn't include co-founding bassist Ross Valory at all. The project ended up producing four Top 20 singles, becoming the fourth of five consecutive Top 10 Journey albums, but a lengthy split followed.

Trial by Fire (1996)

Steve Perry - 15: "Message of Love," "One More," "When You Love a Woman," "If He Should Break Your Heart," "Forever in Blue," "Castles Burning," "Don't Be Down on Me Baby," "Still She Cries," "Colors of the Spirit," "When I Think of You," "Easy to Fall," "Can't Tame the Lion," "It's Just the Rain," "Trial by Fire," and "Baby I'm a Leavin' You"

Journey reformed a decade later with their Escape / Frontiers -era lineup intact, scoring a No. 12 hit with the Grammy-nominated "When You Love a Woman." Unfortunately, the good times wouldn't last: Perry elected not to take part in a companion tour. Journey decided to move on without him.

Arrival (2000)

Steve Augeri - 15: "Higher Place," "All the Way," "Signs of Life," "All the Things," "Loved by You," "Livin' to Do," "World Gone Wild," "I Got a Reason," "With Your Love," "Lifetime of Dreams," "Live and Breathe," "Nothin' Comes Close," "To Be Alive Again," "Kiss Me Softly" and "We Will Meet Again."

Journey found a new guy who could manage the old songs in concert, and he was even named Steve. At the same time, tracks like "All the Way" showed Augeri could maintain the band's now-signature pop-rock sound. "Higher Place" even recalled some of their proggier early moments. But fans apparently weren't sold, as Arrival became the first Journey album not to at least go gold since 1977's Next .

Red 13 (2002)

Steve Augeri - 4: State of Grace," "The Time," "Walkin' Away From the Edge" and "I Can Breathe"

This is a tour-de-force EP for Augeri, who got to show off his vocal prowess on songs that delve into Journey's career-spanning penchant for jam-band excursions, melodic rock, hard-rocking blues and soaring balladry. ("Walkin' Away From the Edge" was co-written by an uncredited Geoff Tate from  Queensryche .) The only knock is that those four things happen over the course of just four songs.

Generations (2005)

Steve Augeri - 8: "Faith in the Heartland," "The Place in Your Heart," "Butterfly (She Flies Alone)," "Believe," "Knowing That You Love Me," "Out of Harms Way," "Better Together" and "Beyond the Clouds" Neal Schon, 1: "In Self-Defense" Deen Castronovo, 1: "A Better Life" Jonathan Cain - 1: "Every Generation" Ross Valory - 1: "Gone Crazy"

The underrated Augeri ends his time in Journey with an album where everybody – literally everybody , even bassist Ross Valory – gets a turn at the mic. Augeri managed to eke out a minor hit with "Faith in the Heartland," but only drummer Deen Castronovo really stands out among the others on Generations . Adding insult to injury for Augeri: This is Journey's worst-charting U.S. album ever.

Revelation (2008)

Arnel Pineda - 9: "Never Walk Away," "Like a Sunshower," "Change for the Better," "Wildest Dream," "After All These Years," "Where Did I Lose Your Love," "What I Needed," "What It Takes to Win," "Turn Down the World Tonight"

Stuck in a commercial dive, Neal Schon turned to YouTube to find Augeri's replacement. Arnel Pineda, a big-voiced Filipino unknown, ended up becoming Journey's longest-tenured singer. But not before being asked to redo a whopping 12 previously recorded songs on Revelation , including the very-recent "Faith in the Heartland." He fared much better on the originals, finally pushing Journey back to platinum-selling status.

Eclipse (2011)

Arnel Pineda - 11: "City of Hope," "Edge of the Moment," "Chain of Love," "Tantra," "Anything Is Possible," "Resonate," "She's a Mystery," "Human Feel," "Ritual," "To Whom It May Concern" and "Someone"

Eclipse initially rose to No. 13 on the album chart before everybody realized it lacked enough of the signature ballads that pushed Journey to out-sized fame in the '80s. Still, Pineda showed he could go toe-to-toe with a resurgent Schon on a series of songs that recalled the furious energy of Journey's earliest recordings. The album ends, appropriately enough, with an instrumental.

Soundtracks, B-Sides and Bonus Tracks

Steve Perry - 10: "Destiny," "Sand Castles" and "Little Girl" from 1980's 'Dream, After Dream'; "Natural Thing" (b-side, 1981's "Don't Stop Believin'"); "La Raza del Sol" (b-side of 1982's "Still They Ride"); "Only Solutions" from 1982's 'Tron'; "Ask the Lonely" from 1983's 'Two of a Kind'; "Liberty" (bonus track from 1983's 'Frontiers'); and "Only the Young" from 1985's 'Vision Quest'; "I Can See It in Your Eyes" from 1996's 'Trial by Fire' Steve Augeri - 1: "Remember Me" from 1998's 'Armageddon' Deen Castronovo, 1: "Never Too Late" from 2005's 'Generations' Jonathan Cain - 1: "Pride of the Family" from 2005's 'Generations' Arnel Pineda - 1: "Let It Take You Back" from 2008's 'Revelation'

Dream, After Dream was a forgotten, mostly instrumental 1980 soundtrack that included Rolie's final studio work with the group, but the three tucked-away vocals were all reserved for Perry. "Little Girl," the rare moment that tried to connect their updated pop sound , was later included as a bonus track on an expanded reissue of Departure . "Only the Young," "Ask the Lonely and "Only Solution," key songs recorded during sessions for Frontiers , ended up on contemporary soundtracks instead. "I Can See It in Your Eyes" was a Japanese-only bonus track from Perry's finale with Journey. Augeri actually made his Journey debut on the soundtrack for Armageddon . Castronovo and Cain's songs were extras attached to Generations . "Let It Take You Back" was a bonus cut on Pineda's first album.

Journey Solo Albums Ranked

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Anthemic arena rock outfit who achieved huge success in the 1970s and '80s thanks to musical prodigy Neal Schon and smooth tenor Steve Perry.

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Journey Band History

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Journey Quick Facts Up Front

Gregg rolie, steve perry, jonathan cain, steve smith, ross valory, journey (1975); look into the future(1976); next (1977), infinity (1970), evolution (1979); departure (1980), dream, after dream (1980), escape (1981), raised in radio (1986), trail by fire (1996), arrivals (2000), revelation (2008), freedom (2022).

• Early Days Journey in their Fusion Days: Journey - Full Concert - 03/30/74 - Winterland (OFFICIAL) 
• Arguably the Best Group Lineup Performing During the Escape Tour: Journey - Don’t Stop Believin’ (from Live in Houston 1981: The Escape Tour) 
• A Recent Performance with Schon at the Helm. Pineda’s Vocal Performance is Stunning: Journey Live @ Lollapalooza Chicago 2021 

The Journey Lawsuit & Replacements

Did journey sell out.

The glorious days of arena rock would not be as memorable without Journey. There could not be a better name for a band that went through many changes, successes, and failures and almost single-handedly rose the power ballad to the charts.

Journey’s band history is the epitome of 80s rock and the clashes between some of the most extraordinary rock musicians of the time.

Like all Journey fans, the first songs I heard were Steve Perry’s lead emotional ballads. He was the perfect singer for the ideal backing band. Yet, listening years later as a musician, I understood that it was not Steve Perry’s or Neal Schon’s Journey; the group’s creative chemistry made it all happen. Apart from the most commercially relevant period, Journey was and still stands strong. This bio might introduce you to some aspects and periods of the band that are now almost forgotten.

Journey Members You Should Know

The lineup changes are crucial to Journey’s band history. Nowadays, with only Neil Schon left as a founding member, we need to go back to the early days to understand who wrote and played the songs that made them famous.

All lineups were made up of the top rock musicians of each era. Not all, though, contribute as much as others. 

Neil George Joseph Schon (born February 27, 1954, in Oklahoma) is the band’s guitar player, founding member, and occasional songwriter.

Born in a musical family, Schon soon became a child prodigy after starting playing guitar at ten and being recruited by Santana at age 17. By the time he started Journey, he had experience playing in one of the best bands in the world and was fluent in jazz, rock, and Latin music.  

Neal Schon is one of the most melodic guitar players of all time. He essentially shifted my perspective of a rock solo to a musical piece that tells a story rather than a power shred, which he occasionally tastefully adds. 

Schon was always the leader behind the scenes, taking a significant say in all the band’s important decisions and even personally firing and replacing members. As a solo artist, he released nine albums and founded the bands “Hardline” and “Bad English.”

Gregg Alan Rolie (born June 17, !947, in Washington) is a founding member and journey original keyboard player and vocalist. As a Santana band member, Rolie was already a senior musician by the time Schon joined. He arguably shared with Santana the same success as with Journey, singing and playing in some of their biggest hits.

He formed Journey in 1973 and co-wrote the band’s first six albums before being replaced by the pressure of Steve Perry’s musical choices.

Rolie was as essential as Schon in creating the “Journey Sound” with signature Hammond, piano sound, and a bed of synths that backed the band’s rock groove. 

Rolie is one of the most prolific musicians ever, with a successful solo career after his time with the band. He founded with Journey’s ex-member “The Storm.” He was part of Ringo Star’s “All Starr Band.”

Steve Ray Perry (born January 22, 1949, in Hanford, California) was Journey’s lead singer, frontman, and main songwriter in their most successful years.

Perry’s exceptional vocal range and affinity for writing ballads and pop songs gave Journey what they needed to become the biggest arena rock band in the world. His musical beginning, though, was unsuccessful, with many failed attempts, sometimes even from misfortunes.

Manager Herbert picked up one of Perry’s demos while he had returned to working on his family’s farm and called him to perform with the band while Rober Fleischman was already hired as a singer. One song performed during soundcheck with the band sealed his place as frontman.

Perry undoubtedly came at the right time in the right band to change it all for Journey. The mental cost of fame and several misfortunes, the last a degenerative bone disease, forced him out of the band. 

Jonathan Leonard Friga (born February 2, 1950, in Chicago, Illinois) was Journey’s most prolific keyboard player, coming in to replace Rolie and helping write the band’s most successful material.

Cain is a multi-instrumentalist who made a name for himself with the band “The Babys.” which opened for Journey. His ability to write with Perry was what convinced the singer to replace the already prolific Rolie.

Cain turned the already well-tuned Journey rhythm section into a hit-power ballad maker. Unlike Rolie, Cain’s signature is more straightforward melodic piano intros that laid the bed for tunes such as “In My Arms” or “Don’t Stop Believing.”

He was part of “Bad English” and recently started publishing Christian Rock records while serving as a Worship leader with his wife. 

Steve Bruce Smith (born August 21, 1954, in Whitman, Massachusetts) was Journey’s drummer through their most prolific years and is widely considered one of the best musicians to ever sit behind a kit.

Smith is one of the most recorded drummers in history, having played sessions for virtually every top charting artist. He was voted five times in a row No.1 All-around Drummer from Modern Drummer magazine and inducted into the Modern Drummer Hall of Fame.

The session legend was part of three different Journey Lineups, part of Journey member’s spin-off group “The Storm,” and led his jazz-fusion groups.

Ross Lamont Valory (born February 2, 1949, in San Francisco) is a founding member of Journey and the bass player in two different lineups.

Like the other founding members, Valory played with a legendary group before forming Journey. He was part of Frumious Bandersnatch and later Steve Miller Band. He holds a special place in Journey’s history, playing in all but one studio record. Even when he was not part of the band, he was hired to write and record bass tracks.

Valory is a master bass player who uses his variation of a “Nashville Tuning,” Where the 4-string bass is tuned to B-E-A-D. He continued his career in the 90s with “The Storm,” like most original Journey members.

Journey started as the most accidental Supergroup ever in a time when the notion was still new. Ex-member of Santana and Steve Miller members got together to form their prog rock, jazz fusion band called “The Golden Gate Rhythm Section.”

The mastermind behind much of Journey’s career was their manager Herbier Herbert who previously managed Santana. 

The band would perform as a backing band for Bay Area artists, with Schon and George Tickner on guitar, Rolie on Keyboards and vocals, Valory on bass, and Prairie Prince on drums. The latter would be replaced by Aynsley Dunbar around the same time Tickner quit.

The early “Journey” never achieved commercial success, mostly due to their previous musically complex influences and the lack of a strong frontman. Roli was an excellent keyboard player and vocalist, but his old-style appeal was not what the band needed to relate to young audiences.

As a band, Journey has evolved and changed more than most. It sounds like a different band from the 1st to their 14th studio album. I’ll detail most of their stunning discography according to their impact on the band and rock music.

The first 3 Journey albums are a musical treat for every sophisticated rock lover. The complex compositions, delicate songwriting, and individual chops of members are three key elements that made them. There are no weak songs in any of them, yet there are not many memorable ones.

The Debut album is the ex-Santana and Steve Miller Band members having fun. The prog style might be their favorite thing to do, but as prog rock was slowly going off the charts, rock audiences needed something else.

From the first to the third album, the experimentation leaves off more place for catchy tracks. With Roli at the creative front and Herbert at the back, the band seemed to tone down their fusion influences to achieve success finally.

Commercially none of the albums did exceptionally well, and most of the band’s time was spent touring and trying to promote them.

As a guitar player and prog rock freak, I love early Journey sometimes more than the Steve Perry one. I find Neal Schon’s best guitar performances when some glimpses of jazz fusion are put in the mix.

Not to say that his later solos were less iconic, but later I found he would mainly “serve the songs” while the guitars made the song on the early Records. The same can be said about every lead instrument.

Depending on your background and taste, you could either love this version of Journey or, like many new fans, skip the three albums entirely. If you belong to the second group, I will encourage you to listen to the first song from the Debut Album, “Of a lifetime, “and you might change your mind.

The Much Needed Lead Singer 

The musical chemistry, management, and inspiration were there for Journey, but their image and performances lacked the strong crowd-pleasing frontman. Behind the Keyboards, singing lead vocals, Roli did his part musically, but not stylistically.

The band’s first singer, hired with Herber’s suggestion, was glam rocker Robert Fleischman. With a high register and great stage presence, Fleischman toured successfully with Journey in 1977 until Steve Perry replaced him after he sang one in soundcheck with the band on the same tour.

Perry not only performed flawlessly exciting songs but managed to bond immediately with Neil Schon in writing their first songs together. The band changed direction and with that also their drummer. Session ace Smith replaced Dunbar, who was unhappy with the new pop direction of the band.

The first album with Perry as lead vocalist launched the band to commercial success reaching No. 21 on Billboard. “Infinity” marks the band’s change in musical direction, with Queen’s producer Roy Thomas Baker directing the shift.

The album is strong in every aspect. The songwriting, production, intent, and musicianship are top-notch. It combines the band’s collected materials and Perry’s melancholic songwriting over the years. His voice added character to the virtuoso band that needed it. My favorite song from the album is “Wheel in the Sky,” written by Fleischman and the band before Perry joined in. Perry’s voice, though, I think, does it more justice.

It starts with Neil Schon’s classically influenced guitar part and develops to a hard rock tone with a country riff. The mixture of different genres is, I think, what makes all individuals of the band shine.

The two songs that better defined the band’s musical direction were the power ballads “Lights” and “Patiently.” Slow-tempo emotional tracks with a solid vocal melody that builds up to guitar solos and live encores. Both tracks are now legendary and staples of the band’s live shows.

The following two Journey studio albums saw the band’s rise to fame, each doing better than the previous. They were headlining tours and festivals and having crowds resonate massively with their songs for the first time.

Both albums continued where “Infinity” left off, merging Perry’s now-proven hit songwriting skills with the band’s musicianship. The new frontman was now contributing to all the songs and indirectly dictating the band’s sound. Not all songs are great, though; most lack memorable hooks and fade compared to the hits.

My favorite of the two albums is “Departure.” There’s a spice more of prog rock in that album which I think brings out the best of the band. After all, the band was not originally an Arena rock act. 

“Any way you want” and “Loving’, Touchin’, Squeezin;” are widely known tracks. My favorites are the less popular “Do You Recall” and “I’m Cryin,” which Perry and Rolie co-wrote.

The next record was a musical spin-off as a soundtrack album. Beyond all expectations, the band produced the most musically intricate prog rock album of their career. 

It’s arguably the most polarising album of Journey’s catalog, yet one the band truly enjoyed making. The all-star band of virtuoso musicians couldn’t wait to stretch the musical muscles once again as in the old days. The result is fantastic prog rock, yet not one you would most likely hear on the radio.

I adore the compositions and musicianship on all the songs, especially the 8-minute opening track “Destiny.” In true prog fashion, extended instrumentation and solos weren’t missing.

It’s not an album for everyone, but those who like it, love it.

Rolie leaving the band in favor of Jonathan Cain might have consisted of one of the best musicians on earth, but it gave them the best-selling album of their career . The album almost single-handedly created the 80s sound. 

The album starts with the band’s epic rock anthem, “Don’t Stop Believin’.” The song was started by Perry and Schon and later finished by Cain, who added the piano hook and hook. As Cain relieves in an interview, those were the three words his dad told him when he wanted to quit music.

The song is today the best-selling catalog track of the digital era. It’s now beyond a rock anthem to a pop culture hit. Journey’s “Free Bird” in a sense.

Cain brought in the catchy hooks and memorable piano parts and perfectly completed Perry’s ideas. The ballad “Open Arms” they wrote together differed from previous ones. It was more delicate, straightforward, catchy, and singable. After some struggles in getting it through Schoun skeptical reception of the song, it became a fan favorite.

Journey – Open Arms (Official Video – 1982)  

The song that moves me the most is “Mother, Father.” Perry recorded the vocals in one mesmerizing take. What’s more impressive is that it is probably the hardest Journey song to sing. 

“Espace” paved the way for the next charting album in 1983, “Frontiers.” It produced hit songs and anthems and delivered on the success of the previous albums.

Success and Downfall

Journey waited three years to release an album for the first time in their career. The continuous touring and fame were starting to kick back. Schon and Perry had also released their solo records capitalizing on Journey’s Success.

Perry, at this time, dominated the band’s musical direction completely. According to him, only Schon and Cain were suited for the band as he fired Roos Valory and, slightly later, Steve Smith. As he declared in an interview, he thought it was the best decision at the time, but he regrets doing it.

His mental health was also deteriorating as the rise to fame alienated him from the rest of the world. 

Replacing both members with session musicians gave the trio more control over the songs. Perry himself took up the role of producer for the album. “Raised In Radio” is a successful attempt to top the charts through their hit song formula, but the lack of team effort is felt. 

I think the album is too poppy and sacrifices the musical input of Valory and Smith for attempted hooks. There are undoubtedly hit songs such as “Girl, I Can’t Help It” and “Be Good To Yourself,” yet it’s not an album I can enjoy listening to back to back like the rest. 

Commercially it did well, as expected. The band knew how to write hit songs and what the audience wanted by this time. Listening to it now, It feels like Perry’s rushed attempt to stay on top of the game and even outdo himself. 

Disbandment and Attempted Comeback

The problems with Perry’s control over the band and continuous isolated life lead to him wanting to stop everything. After his last show with the band in February 1987, he left the band and stopped Journey for almost ten years.

Perry never released an official statement, and some still wonder if the animosity between members was the main cause of his leaving. The fact that he released music after leaving the band makes me think he still wanted to make music on his own, in less frantic terms.

One thing is for sure; Journey couldn’t keep up their successful streak without Perry, so each went separate ways. 

In 1995 the band reunited again at Perry’s request to fire current manager Herbert for the well-known Irving Azoff, which staged the Eagles’ comeback some years prior. 

Journey was back, and a long-awaited successful album came shortly after. All members had amassed material during the years, so a musically rich album was bound to come.

“Trial by Fire” is my favorite Journey album after “Escape,” as it delivers the quality you’d expect from a great comeback. The hit song “When You Love a Woman” was surely meant to be a hit, but it’s not formulaic in any way.  

Valory and Smith back on the band brought back the original backbone of the group. Putting this album back to back with its predecessor, you will notice the difference the rhythm section had in Journey after a few tracks. It gives character to songs having individual doing their thing and not hired guns.

I wish it had some more elements of hard rock, but that might be just the nostalgia from the days of “Don’t Stop Believin’.”

This album is the last Perry contribution as he was diagnosed unexpectedly with a bone condition and was unwilling to undergo surgery to continue touring.

Modern Journey

Journey is still touring and releasing albums today, with only Schon remaining an original band member. He calls the shots about the music direction and often replaces members.

After Perry distanced himself from music, the band moved on and recruited Steve Augeri as frontman, with drummer Deen Castronovo as occasional lead vocalist. Augeri was the perfect vocalist for Journey, who needed the same high-pitched power Steve Perry had.

Of the two albums Journey released with Perry, the first one is the only one that somehow matched the previous albums’ quality. It’s not the band’s most creative work, yet it’s an album with the pure Journey sound almost intact.

The album is instrumentally great but lacks strong songwriting. Augeri contributed to some  songs, yet his role as the newcomer was to sing, according to Schon and Cain’s writing.

The song “World Gone Wild” is my favorite of the whole album, showing off Augeri skills at best and some great guitar work by Schon.

Commercially it did well, considering that arena rock was not the most popular genre of the early 2000s. I think that part of the merit goes to the fans’ curiosity and joy of having another Journey album.

The next album with Augeri, “Generations,” was the band’s least successful record after having him fired.

Ariel Pineda replaced Augeri in a dream story of Schon recruiting him after watching his Journey Covers on YouTube. The album was the band’s last big commercial success, even though the era of rock bands topping the charts was gone.

In true Journey style, Cain delivers a hit power ballad. “After All These Years” is just as good as any of the band’s legendary ballads and is only penalized by the rise of pop and dance music. I love how the band switched to a hard rock style for this record, flexing some fast-paced tempo grooves after a while.

Pineda seemed to be a bigger creative force than Augeri and an equally experienced live frontman. The live shows with the classic hits were and still are the band’s main focus, accumulating ridiculous amounts from the tour.

Having survived a pandemic, lawsuit, and personnel changes, Journey released their new record in more than a decade. Years of accumulated creativity resulted in an arena rock juggernaut. 

Cain and Schon were in charge of the production, while drummer Narada, a prolific songwriter and singer, helped write and co-produce much of the material. It starts with the power ballad “Together We Run” and the expected melodic Cain piano intro.

Listening to album after ten other Journey pop-rock records can be too much if you’re not a die-hard fan. I would have preferred a more Prog rock Journey record as that always brings new sounds.  

Notable Performances

Early days journey in their fusion days:   journey – full concert – 03/30/74 – winterland (official)  .

Arguably the Best Group Lineup Performing During the Escape Tour: Journey – Don’t Stop Believin’ (from Live in Houston 1981: The Escape Tour)  

A Recent Performance with Schon at the Helm. Pineda’s Vocal Performance is Stunning: Journey Live @ Lollapalooza Chicago 2021  

Changes in band members always come with legal issues when rights to songs are on the table. In the 80s, they maintained a good balance between members. Primarily due to solid management from Herbert, things were kept quiet.

Valory and Smith were fired from the band in 2019 after attempting to own one of the band’s corporate entities. According to the two, Perry gave them the right to hold that part of the business. Schon and Cain considered this an attempt to squeeze more money even when they were not playing. 

Journey did write beautiful songs, yet the term’ corporate rock’ started to haunt them as each charting album chased the next big thing. The bad reputation arena rock gets from rock fans sometimes comes from the many attempts to write hits and please the crowd.

My stand as a rock fan with a taste from Beatles to modern metal is that Journey didn’t sell out in the sense of chasing money. Their style evolved, sometimes in search of a bigger fanbase, but still, they delivered nongeneric hits.

They developed a successful style that pushed them to recreate the success repeatedly. The members’ egos, management pressures, and fans’ high expectations had their parts.

Answer : One roadie, John Villanueva, suggested the name after failed attempts, including a radio contest involving the fans to find a proper name. 

Answer : Journey had six lead singers in the band from the 70s to today. 

Answer : Arena rock is considered any rock genre that can fill a stadium on a one-night event. In the mid-70s and 80s, it took a slightly different meaning, becoming a synonym for successful commercial rock bands who were best known for Power Ballads. Arena rock bands deliver great spectacles with massive crowds and often have predictable, straightforward music to resonate with as many people as possible.

• Journey (band) – Wikipedia
• Journey Documentary (Behind The Music)
• Don’t Stop Believin’: Everyman’s Journey HD
• Journey – Raised On Radio (1986 Tour Documentary)
• Journey Music
• Journey (band)  
• Journey’s Neal Schon says he and Steve Perry are ‘in a good place’ before band’s 50th anniversary
• Journey Biography, Songs, & Albums | AllMusic
• Journey – The Brilliant Band Members, Stories & Struggles | Eagle 106.5
• Journey: Band Members and History      

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

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.

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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.”

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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 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.

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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.

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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.

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Journey is an American rock band that formed in San Francisco in 1973, composed of former members of Santana and Frumious Bandersnatch. The band members Neal Schon (guitar), Ross Valory (bass) and Gregg Rolie (keyboards) hired singer Steve Perry in 1977 and embarked on a more popular direction. Journey went through another line-up change when Jonathan Cain replaced Rolie, ahead of recording their 1981 album Escape. The LP sold twelve million copies worldwide and featured the songs Who’s Sorry Now and Don’t Stop Believin’, which itself had a curious sales afterlife having only reached the giddy height of 62 in 1982, became a hit again in 2009 due to its use in the US television programme Glee. Steve Perry left Journey in 1998, and Arnel Pineda took over lead vocals in 2007. Image: Marion Curtis/Starpix/Shutterstock

JOURNEY Songs stats

Journey albums stats, journey news.

Official Singles Chart

DON'T STOP BELIEVIN' JOURNEY

WHO'S CRYING NOW JOURNEY

BE GOOD TO YOURSELF JOURNEY

WHO'S CRYING NOW {1989} JOURNEY

DIGITAL EP JOURNEY

SEPARATE WAYS (WORLDS APART) JOURNEY

Official Albums Chart

ESCAPE JOURNEY

FRONTIERS JOURNEY

EVOLUTION JOURNEY

• Peak: 100 ,

RAISED ON RADIO JOURNEY

TRIAL BY FIRE JOURNEY

REVELATION JOURNEY

DON'T STOP BELIEVIN' - THE BEST OF JOURNEY

GREATEST HITS JOURNEY

ECLIPSE JOURNEY

FREEDOM JOURNEY

Official Singles Chart Update

Please note, the data displayed for this chart reflects the title's midweek position only, peak positions on this chart also relate to midweek chart positions. Official Singles Chart Update data available on officialcharts.com goes back to October 2014.

Official Singles Sales Chart

Official singles downloads chart, official albums chart update.

Please note, the data displayed for this chart reflects the title's midweek position only, peak positions on this chart also relate to midweek chart positions. Official Albums Chart Update data available on officialcharts.com goes back to October 2014.

Official Scottish Albums Chart

Official albums sales chart, official album downloads chart, official physical albums chart, official record store chart, end of year singles chart, end of year albums chart, official rock & metal albums chart.

The data displayed for this chart goes back to 1994, however we hope to be able to offer deeper historic information at a future point

Official Rock & Metal Singles Chart

OPEN ARMS JOURNEY

FAITHFULLY JOURNEY

Official Independent Albums Chart

GENERATIONS JOURNEY

LIVE IN CONCERT AT LOLLAPALOOZA JOURNEY

The data displayed for this chart goes back to 1997, however we hope to be able to offer deeper historic information at a future point

Official Music Video Chart

GREATEST HITS 1978-1997 JOURNEY

2001 JOURNEY

LIVE IN TOKYO JOURNEY

LIVE IN MANILA JOURNEY

DON'T STOP BELIEVIN - EVERYMAN'S JOURNEY JOURNEY

ESCAPE & FRONTIERS JOURNEY

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Journey would have been huge in the UK if Radio 1 had bothered to play their records. It took them over 20 years give Don't stop believin' some airplay.

Mandisa remembered. Fans, music industry, friends pay tribute to 47-year-old singer

Grammy-award winning musician and "American Idol" alum Mandisa was found dead at her Nashville home on Thursday.

The 47-year-old Christian singer dazzled audiences when she hit the stage of "American Idol" in 2005 and made it through to the final nine. From there she released her debut album, but dealt with pain from the loss of a beloved friend and having a personal crisis of faith. Her journey through heartache and depression to finding her faith again inspired many that were going through similar situations.

"Mandisa was a voice of encouragement and truth to people facing life’s challenges all around the world," was written on an Instagram post announcing Mandisa's death.

Since the news of her death, family, fans and friends in and out of the music industry, have paid tribute to the singer.

What happened to Mandisa?

On Friday, The Media Collective, Mandisa's rep, issued this statement confirming her death, but did not disclose how the songstress died.

"We can confirm that yesterday Mandisa was found in her home deceased. At this time we do not know the cause of death or any further details. We ask for your prayers for her family and close-knit circle of friends during this incredibly difficult time."

Mandisa's story and journey to 'Overcome' touched many

Mandisa crisis of faith was an inspiration not only for an album, but inspired others who were going though hardship. Fans shared their stories on the Instagram post announcing her death.

"I’m devastated 💔💔💔 Overcomer help me healed when I loss my daughter at 16. She gave hope even when she didn’t have any to give herself. Mandisa is truly one of God’s Devine. I hope she finally has the peace she struggled so long to find. We have truly really loss one of God’s truest and purest creatures… I love you now and forever on Mandisa. God speed on your journey to heaven….," wrote user keishacraftsmith.

Mourning her loss: TobyMac remembers Mandisa after Christian singer's death, 'I know her battle is over ...'

Other's shared how her music and writing helped them through some of the toughest times in their lives. Actress Candace Cameron Bure shared broken heart emojis under the post, while Christian rap artist Wande offered condolences.

Fellow Christian musician and friend Colton Dixon, shared memories of being on the road with Mendisa and Toby Mac.

"Mandisa is the sweetest, kindest soul that  @anniedixon__  and I have met on the road. After hearing she went to be with the Jesus last night I was reflecting this morning on the times we had together," Dixon wrote.

Singer and songwriter Matthew West paid tribute to his longtime friend and collaborator with lyrics from their song "Only the World", stating that they "hit differently" now that Mandisa was gone.

"I am so incredibly saddened to hear about the loss of my friend Mandisa. I will always cherish the memories of times we spent together hosting award shows, going on tour, and most of all helping her tell her story in the songwriting room," West also wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Good Morning America anchor Robin Roberts also paid tribute to the late singer.

"My heart is heavy hearing about Mandisa. Incredibly blessed that she was there my first day back on ⁦ @GMA ⁩ following my long medical leave. Her beautiful music & spirit lifted me and countless others," Roberts wrote on X.

Fellow musician Don Moen provided a statement to The Tennessean, saying Mandisa was not only a powerhouse of a talent, but that she also possessed a genuinely kind spirit.

"We ministered together several times, she sang background vocals on my album 'Thank You Lord' and joined me on several tours," the statement read. "On one particular tour, notes kept appearing in everyone's bunk on the bus or in their instrument cases. These were encouraging messages like: 'You are blessed and highly favored,' or 'You're such a blessing on this tour.' Only at the end of the tour did we discover it had been Mandisa. Whether behind the scenes or center stage, her presence always brought joy and hope.

Where was Mandisa from?

Mandisa was born in California, but her home was in Tennessee.

She graduated Fisk University in Nashville in 2000 and was a member of the famed Fisk University Jubilee singers. She called Tennessee home after her graduation, through her "American Idol" tenure, a Grammy win, multiple albums and until her death on Thursday.