It was a family emergency that brought everything to a head, however. For one, Perry never stopped fostering a solo career that sometimes conflicted with Journey. Things were not always pleasant behind the scenes, however. From Oh Sherry to Open Arms, Journey ruled 80s arena rock.
By the 1980s, however, the doubts were laid to rest, as Journey racked up hit after hit. His 1977 debut with Journey was met with skepticism from the fans, who were used to a more prog-rock sounding band - and in fact, his new bandmates had their reservations about Perry's pop inclinations. Everyone was sold, and Fleischmann was shown the door. At the set-up for a live show, Perry was introduced to Fleischmann as the cousin of a roadie, and he jumped up to sing a song with the band during soundcheck while Fleischmann was off doing something else. Perry was brought in for a surreptitious audition for the band. Herbert heard Perry sing on the Alien Project demo and knew he had found his singer. Further, the rest of the band felt Fleischmann wasn't quite the right fit for them. Fleischmann had refused to sign a management deal with Herbert, preferring to maintain independent management. Herbert was secretly looking for someone to replace Journey's current lead singer, Robert Fleischmann. An Alien Project demo made its way into the hands of Walter Herbert, manager of a San Francisco based band called Journey. Perry disbanded the group and returned to his parents' house, determined to quit music for good and find a new direction in life.įate had other ideas for Perry.
Soon after forming the band, Alien Project's bassist - and close Perry friend - Richard Michaels was killed in a car crash. In his early 20s, Perry started a group called Alien Project. Pardon the pun, but it would be a shame if on induction night, the two camps continued to go their Separate Ways.Steve Perry fell hard for music after hearing Sam Cooke sing Cupid, but his music career almost ended before it really got started. A report from the Spokesman-Review indicates he will not, despite Schon saying the door is open and multiple attempts have been made to reach him. It remains a mystery whether he’ll join his old bandmates for the induction. Smith has since rejoined, but Perry has not. The core five reunited about a decade later to release an album, but when it came time to go out on the road for its concert tour, Perry and Smith opted out. When Journey was at its heyday, the group consisted of Perry, Neal Schon, Jonathan Cain, Ross Valory and Steve Smith, but the group disbanded in the late ‘80s. And while the turkey production industry can always use a few good workers, this is one case that worked out better in the long run. While he admitted he disliked that job, the thought of returning to music didn’t appeal to him – at first.įortunately for music fans, his mother convinced him to not give up on his dream. “It was one of those financially destitute times, and my stepdad was nice enough to give me employment at the time, which was at that turkey ranch,” Perry said. Perry would lose the desire to further pursue his music career and with expenses to meet, he entered the workforce – repairing coops at a turkey farm in California. It was revealed on an episode of VH1’s “Behind the Music,” that when the bass player of Perry’s earlier band, Alien Project, died, so did the band. But what people might not know is that Perry had been a poultry industry laborer.
Those familiar with the band likely know that Steve Perry, the once lead singer of the band, helped put Journey on the charts steadily from the late 1970s to the late 1980s through his heartfelt vocals. You can hardly turn on a classic rock or oldies station without hearing the music of Journey, so it’s easy to understand why the band has been selected to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame on April 7.
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