Steve Perry (musician)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Steve Perry | |
|---|---|
| Image:StevePerry-772215.jpg |
|
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Stephen Ray Pereira |
| Born | January 22, 1949 Hanford, California |
| Genre(s) | Rock |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, Songwriter, Record Producer |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals, bass guitar, keyboards, drums |
| Years active | 1977-present |
| Label(s) | Sony |
| Associated acts | Journey |
Stephen Ray Perry (born Stephen Ray Pereira on January 22, 1949) is an American singer and songwriter best known as the lead vocalist of the rock band Journey from 1978-1987 and 1995-1998.
Contents |
[edit] Early years
Born in Hanford, California, Perry is of Portuguese heritage. His family originally came from Ilha do Pico, Açores. Perry grew up interested in music, as his father, Ray, was a vocalist. He also counts Sam Cooke and Al Jolson among his early inspirations. The Perry family was close-knit until Ray left the family when Steve was seven. His mother later re-married, and Perry remained extremely close to her. On his twelfth birthday (January 22, 1961), Mary presented her son with a gold eighth note necklace, which he still wears for good luck.
The family moved to Lemoore, California during Perry's teen years. While in Lemoore, the young, long-haired singer continued to pursue his interest in music. He attended high school there, drumming in the marching band as well as in extracurricular bands. He attended College of the Sequoias, in Visalia, California for a short time after graduation, where he took first tenor in the choir there. Perry's mother encouraged his musical growth during this time.
Perry moved to Banta, California, a small farming town outside of Tracy, California, where he fronted the band Alien Project in his mid-twenties. He nearly gave up music when the bassist of that band, Richard Michaels, was killed in a tragic automobile accident. Filled with grief, Perry returned to Lemoore and decided not to continue his singing career, instead following in his stepfather's trade of construction, once working on a turkey farm. But at the urging of his mother, Perry answered a call from Walter "Herbie" Herbert, manager of the struggling San Francisco-based band, Journey.
[edit] Journey years
Herbert had been given a demo of an Alien Project song, "If You Need Me, Call Me," and was told that the young singer would be a great replacement for current frontman, Robert Fleischman. Fleischman had never moved under Herbert's management, preferring to maintain his previous manager and had never in fact integrated well with the band's then progressive rock style. Perry was brought on tour and to avoid alarming Fleischman was introduced clandestinely as roadie John Villanueva's Portuguese cousin and surreptitiously performed a song with Journey during a sound check in Long Beach while Fleischman was away from the stage and Herbert informed the band of the line-up change.
Perry brought a completely new pop sound to the band's music, despite grumblings from his new bandmates and fans of Journey's former progressive rock sound. He made his public debut on October 28, 1977 in San Francisco, and received a mixed reception. Perry determinedly proved the critics wrong, and won over new audiences on his first album with the group, Infinity, which included a song of his own composition called "Lights." The band's style had changed dramatically, but as Journey began to garner radio airplay and media buzz over Infinity, Perry's arrival was accepted.
He provided lead vocals on nine of Journey's albums: Infinity (1978), Evolution (1979), Departure (1980), Dream After Dream (1980, a Japanese movie soundtrack), Captured (1980, a live album), Escape (1981, which went to #1 on the Billboard charts), Frontiers (1983), Raised on Radio (1986), and Trial By Fire (1996). The single "Open Arms," from Escape, made it to #2 on the Billboard Hot 100. Perry had become the unmistakable voice of Journey throughout his time with the band. His trademark tuxedo tails also made him stand out amongst other performers.
During his tenure with Journey, Perry established himself in the music industry, singing backing vocals on several Sammy Hagar songs, including the 1980 track "Run For Your Life," and duetting with Kenny Loggins on the 1982 #17 hit single "Don't Fight It." Perry also worked with other musicians such as Sheena Easton, Clannad and Jon Bon Jovi during the height of his career.
In 1984, following the release of Frontiers and the tour supporting this effort, Perry released his first solo album, entitled Street Talk, named after the original name of Perry's earlier band Alien Project. The record was a platinum success and scored hit singles with "Oh Sherrie," written for his then-girlfriend Sherrie Swafford, and "Foolish Heart." The music video for "Oh Sherrie" saw heavy rotation on MTV. "She's Mine" and "Strung Out" were also released as singles from this project, which featured former Alien Project drummer Craig Krampf on a few tracks, guitarist Michael Landau, and future American Idol judge Randy Jackson, among others.
In 1985, Perry had a featured vocal in the famed USA for Africa all-star benefit song "We Are the World," lending his high tenor to the lines "Oh, there's a choice we're making / We're saving our own lives." He also recorded a song, "If Only For the Moment, Girl" for the We Are the World album.
Perry debated continuing a solo career or returning to Journey after the success of Street Talk. His mother said "Journey," and Steve obliged. He left his second solo album Against the Wall unfinished and instead sang on Journey's Raised on Radio album. Perry would revisit his solo project after the Raised On Radio tour but it never saw completion. Several of the songs that were recorded for Against the Wall, however, did appear much later on Perry's 1998 solo compilation, Greatest Hits + Five Unreleased.
While Steve was re-uniting with Journey, his mother became ill. The recording of Raised on Radio, which Perry was producing, was stop-and-go as he frequently returned to the San Joaquin valley to visit his family. It took a major toll on Journey to have intermittent recording sessions and a vocalist who was not with the band much of the time. Eventually, as Steve later said, he was "toast." Journey disbanded in 1987 after the Raised on Radio tour. Perry disappeared from public view for years afterward, taking a break from the music industry.
[edit] Leaving Journey
In 1994, Perry released For the Love of Strange Medicine, his second solo effort. The album enjoyed some success, partly due to the Strange Medicine world tour (supported for a short time by Sass Jordan), before being cut short by Journey's reformation.
Journey reunited with Journey's classic 1981-85 lineup in 1996 to record Trial by Fire. The album was a success, entering the Billboard charts at #3 and going platinum before year's end, but its triumph was short-lived. Before the Trial By Fire tour could begin, Perry suffered a hip injury while hiking in Hawaii and was unable to perform. Perry was diagnosed with a degenerative bone condition and a hip replacement would be required. Reluctant to rush into surgery, Perry wished to postpone the tour.
The rest of the band waited until 1998, just over two years after Perry was injured. Growing impatient and realizing the window of opportunity was closing to follow up Trial By Fire with a world tour, they issued an ultimatum to Perry that either he undergo a hip replacement soon so the tour could proceed upon his recovery or a replacement singer would be hired.[1] Perry, still hesitant to undergo surgery and now apparently angry at his bandmates' intractability made the decision to part with Journey permanently. Journey filled Perry's slot with a new vocalist, Steve Augeri, who bears a striking physical and vocal similarity to Perry, and nearly two years to the day after the album's initial release began the long postponed tour.
The tour was a mild success, but due to the long wait between the album's release and the tour's kick-off, as well as the absence of Journey's iconic frontman, fan response was somewhat muted. Interestingly, long-time Journey drummer Steve Smith resigned, reportedly because Journey without Steve Perry didn't interest him. Smith had rejoined, along with Ross Valory, to complete what Perry has referred to as the band's quintessential line-up.[1]
[edit] Post-Journey
Perry underwent successful hip replacement surgery in 1998 [1]to correct the problem he had been diagnosed with two years earlier. He released the Greatest Hits + Five Unreleased compilation album later in 1998; the unreleased tracks included an original Alien Project demo as well as selections from the abandoned Against the Wall CD. Also in 1998, Perry recorded two songs for the Warner Bros. film, Quest for Camelot, which can be found on the motion picture's soundtrack.
Journey was the subject of an episode of VH1's Behind the Music in 2001, where Perry made the controversial statement that he "never really felt like part of the band."
Perry became more involved in films thanks to a close friendship with film director Patty Jenkins and was musical consultant on her film Monster.
[edit] Recent news
More recently, Perry appeared at Journey's star ceremony on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on January 21, 2005, after previously stating it was unlikely that he would ever stand with the band again. Perry said on his website that it was a good experience, and that tensions between him and the other band members were reduced, but that his rejoining Journey is not likely going to happen.
In contrast to this statement, Perry has also stated "Never say never" when the issue of returning to Journey has been brought up, possibly speculating a return to his former band.[2][3]
Despite his acrimonious break with Journey, Perry was producer on the 2003 Greatest Hits DVD 1978-1997 as well as the 2005 package Journey Live in Houston 1981: Escape Tour, which included both a DVD video of the performance and a music-only CD of the same show. Perry has described the emotional experience of reliving the Escape tour and the entire band's history while editing the film as "a heartache"[1].
In 2005, Perry produced a track on a solo album for former Ambrosia lead vocalist David Pack, titled The Secret of Moving On. Perry also provides background vocals for "A Brand New Start," among the many songs he and Pack co-wrote shortly after the September 11, 2001 attacks. The album, released in September, 2005, includes covers of two of Pack's biggest hits with Ambrosia, "Biggest Part of Me" and "You're the Only Woman." [1]
During the 2005 baseball season, the resurgent Chicago White Sox adopted Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'" as their unofficial team anthem. As a result, Perry (an avid San Francisco Giants fan, although he has been seen at Los Angeles Dodgers games recently) was asked to attend the World Series and even travelled with the team to Houston where they swept the Astros in four consecutive games. Perry joined the players on the field and in the locker room as they celebrated their championship.[1]
In Fall 2006, Perry's two solo projects Street Talk and For the Love of Strange Medicine (both featuring previously unreleased material) plus his Greatest Hits CD were remastered and re-released.
In a Q&A posted in December 2006, Perry indicated that Sony has approached him about releasing a collection of his music videos on DVD, and that while he enjoys producing other artists he currently has no solid plans to record a new album.[4]
In early 2007, guitarist Nuno Bettencourt stated that he is writing songs with Steve Perry.
After The Sopranos finale, which used "Don't Stop Believin'" to close out, Perry argued that he deserved to find out how the show ended in order to know if his song had been used properly. Steve confirmed this on a phone interview with popular Irish DJ Ray Foley, in which he said he didn't wish the song to play over a slaughter of one or several of the main characters. The shows producers initially would not tell Perry the ending, but relented when it became clear to them that he would not give his approval without first seeing how the song was to be used.
In August 2007, Go Kart records released GuFF's album Symphony of Voices, which featured an unreleased Journey song called "I Can See It in Your Eyes" which was produced by Steve Perry. Perry also used his voice on the track.
Since Journey fired singer Jeff Scott Soto in June of 2007, many fans speculated that Perry would re-join Journey. Perry denied the rumors and speculation later that month when he posted on Fanasylum.com, saying that he has "no such plans whatsoever to rejoin Journey." On December 5, 2007, the band's official site announced that Filipino singer-songwriter Arnel Pineda is the new lead singer.
On March 30th 2008 former member's of Journey's Management Team revealed that Steve Perry had recently played them demos of new material and that his voice was as good as ever. It was further added that at this time there were no plans to "put new material out". [2]
[edit] Popular culture
 |
Trivia sections are discouraged under Wikipedia guidelines. The article could be improved by integrating relevant items and removing inappropriate ones. |
In the 1998 film BASEketball, Perry's name is used as a powerful psyche-out tactic by the main character, Coop, played by Trey Parker. Coop used this, along with some lyrics from "Oh Sherrie" (mainly shouting the iconic line: "But I should've been gone!") to psych-out Remer, played by Matt Stone, and his name was used once during the season by Coop. Remer states "no more Journey psych-outs," though it was technically not a Journey song lyric. The lyrics that Coop used were from a song on Perry's first solo album, Street Talk.
[edit] Discography
[edit] Albums
- Street Talk (1984) #12 US
- For the Love of Strange Medicine (1994) #15 US
- Greatest Hits + Five Unreleased (1998)
[edit] Singles
| Year | Song | US Hot 100 | US MSR | US A.C. | UK singles | Album |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | "Oh Sherrie" | 3 | 1 | - | 89 | Street Talk |
| 1984 | "Foolish Heart" | 18 | - | 2 | - | Street Talk |
| 1984 | "She's Mine" | 21 | - | - | - | Street Talk |
| 1984 | "Strung Out" | 40 | 17 | - | - | Street Talk |
| 1994 | "You Better Wait" | 29 | 6 | 17 | - | For The Love Of Strange Medicine |
| 1994 | "Missing You" | 74 | - | 24 | - | For The Love Of Strange Medicine |
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d e MelodicRock.com Interviews: Steve Perry -2005
- ^ Steve Perry's Biography Would he come back?
- ^ NYT Archive: Perry says "Never say never," 8/13/03
- ^ Steve Perry Q&A - Dec. 2006
[edit] External links
|
|||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by Robert Fleischman |
Journey lead vocalist 1977 – 1998 |
Succeeded by Steve Augeri |
