Journey

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Biography

Journey is an American rock band formed in 1973 in San Francisco by former members of Santana (band)|Santana . The band has gone through several phases; its strongest commercial success occurred between 1978 and 1987, after which it temporarily disbanded. During that period, the band released a series of hit songs, including 1981's " Don't Stop Believin' ", the top-selling catalog track in iTunes Store|iTunes history. Its parent studio album, Escape (Journey album)|Escape , the band's eighth and most successful, reached #1 on the Billboard 200 and yielded another of their most popular singles, " Open Arms (Journey song)|Open Arms ". Its 1983 follow-up, Frontiers (Journey album)|Frontiers , was almost as successful in the United States, reaching #2 and spawning several successful singles; it broadened the band's appeal in the United Kingdom, where it reached #6 on the UK Albums Chart . Journey enjoyed a successful reunion in the mid 1990s, and later regrouped with a series of lead singers.

Sales have resulted in two Gold record|gold albums, eight multi-platinum albums, and one Diamond record|diamond album (including seven consecutive multi-platinum albums between 1978 and 1987). They have had eighteen Top 40 Single (music)|singles in the US, six of which reached the Top 10 of the US Billboard Hot 100 chart and two of which reached #1 on other Billboard charts , and a #6 hit on the UK Singles Chart in "Don't Stop Believin'". Originally a progressive rock band, Journey were described by Allmusic as having cemented a reputation as "one of America's most beloved (and sometimes hated) commercial rock/pop bands" by 1978, when they redefined their sound by embracing traditional pop arrangements on their fourth album, Infinity (Journey album)|Infinity .. Allmusic . Retrieved September 2, 2010. According to the Recording Industry Association of America , Journey has sold 47 million albums in the US, making them the 28th best selling band. Their worldwide sales have reached over 80& nbsp;million albums. A 2005 USA Today opinion poll named Journey the fifth best American rock band in history. Their songs have become arena rock staples and are still played on rock radio stations across the world.

History

Formation, 1973–76

The original members of Journey came together in San Francisco in 1973 under the auspices of former Santana manager Walter Herbert (manager)|Herbie Herbert . Originally called the Golden Gate Rhythm Section and intended to serve as a Backup band|backup group for established Bay Area artists, the band included recent Santana alumni Neal Schon on lead guitar and Gregg Rolie on keyboards and lead vocals. Bassist Ross Valory and rhythm guitarist George Tickner , both of Frumious Bandersnatch , and drummer Prairie Prince of The Tubes rounded out the group. The band quickly abandoned the original "backup group" concept and developed a distinctive jazz fusion style. After an unsuccessful radio contest to name the group, roadie John Villaneuva Journey: Frontiers and Beyond video, NFL Films, 1983. suggested the name "Journey." The band's first public appearance came at the Winterland Ballroom on New Years Eve|New Year’s Eve , 1973. Prairie Prince rejoined The Tubes shortly thereafter, and the band hired British drummer Aynsley Dunbar , who had recently worked with John Lennon and Frank Zappa . On February 5, 1974, the new line-up made their debut at the Great American Music Hall and secured a recording contract with Columbia Records .

Journey released their eponym ous Journey (Journey album)|first album in 1975, and rhythm guitarist Tickner left the band before they cut their second album, Look into the Future (1976). Neither album achieved significant sales, Journey discography so Schon, Valory, and Dunbar took singing lessons in an attempt to add vocal harmony|vocal harmonies to Rolie's lead. The following year's Next (Journey album)|Next contained shorter tracks with more vocals, and featured Schon as lead singer on two of the songs.

New musical direction, 1977–80

Journey's album sales did not improve and Columbia Records requested that they change their musical style and add a frontman, with whom keyboardist Gregg Rolie could share lead vocal duties. The band hired Robert Fleischman and transitioned to a more popular style, akin to that of Foreigner (band)|Foreigner and Boston (band)|Boston . Journey went on tour with Fleischman in 1977 and together the new incarnation of the band wrote the hit "Wheel in the Sky", but fans were lukewarm to the change and management differences resulted in Fleischman leaving within the year.

In late 1977, Journey hired Steve Perry (musician)|Steve Perry as their new lead singer. Perry added a clean, tenor sound and the band became a true pop act. Their fourth album, Infinity (Journey album)|Infinity (1978), reached No. 21 on the album charts and gave the band their first RIAA certification|RIAA-certified platinum album plus hit singles " Lights (song)|Lights " (#68 U.S.) and " Wheel in the Sky " (#57 U.S.).

In late 1978, manager Herbie Herbert fired drummer Aynsley Dunbar, who joined Bay Area rivals Jefferson Starship shortly thereafter.According to Robyn Flans, "Journey" (NY: Cherry Lane Music, 1985), ISBN 0-89524-229-X; ISBN 978-0-89524-229-7, Dunbar did not approve of the new musical direction. However, Herbert contends that it was a band decision based on Dunbar's unprofessional activities offstage. He was replaced by Berklee College of Music|Berklee -trained jazz drummer Steve Smith (musician)|Steve Smith . Perry, Schon, Rolie, Smith, and Valory recorded 1979's Evolution (Journey album)|Evolution , which gave the band their first Billboard Hot 100| Billboard Hot 100 Top 20 single, " Lovin', Touchin', Squeezin' " (#16); and 1980's Departure (Journey album)|Departure , which reached No. 8 on the album charts and included the top-25 hit " Any Way You Want It ".

Journey's new-found success brought the band an almost entirely new fan base. During the 1980 Departure world tour, the band recorded a live album, Captured (Journey album)|Captured . They also recorded the soundtrack to the film Dream, After Dream while in Japan.

Keyboardist Gregg Rolie now left a successful band for the second time in his career.Flans, "Journey;" Keyboardist Stevie "Keys" Roseman was brought in to record the lone studio track for Captured , "The Party's Over (Hopelessly in Love)," Captured re-issue (2006) liner notes, p. 15, lines 8–9; Time (Cubed) liner notes pp. 11–14. but Rolie recommended pianist Jonathan Cain of The Babys as the permanent replacement. With Cain's replacement of Rolie's Hammond B-3 organ with his own synthesizers, the band was poised for a new decade in which they would achieve their greatest musical success.Flans, "Journey."

Height of popularity, 1981–83

Journey released their eighth and biggest-selling studio album, Escape (Journey album)|Escape , in 1981. The album, which has thus far sold RIAA certification|nine times platinum , went to number one on the album charts that year, and included three top-ten hits: " Who's Cryin' Now ", " Don't Stop Believin' ", and " Open Arms (Journey song)|Open Arms ". The last is Journey's highest-charting single to date, staying at No.2 for six consecutive weeks and ranking at No.34 on Billboard's 1982 year-end Hot 100. MTV videotaped one of their two sold-out shows in Houston|Houston, Texas on November 6, 1981 in front of over 20,000 fans. Journey: Live in Houston DVD, 1981.

Capitalizing on their success, the band recorded radio commercials for Budweiser (Anheuser-Busch)|Budweiser and sold rights to their likenesses and music for use in two video games: the Journey (arcade game)|Journey arcade game by Midway Games|Bally/Midway and Journey Escape by Data Age for the Atari 2600 .

This success was met with piqued criticism. The 1983 Rolling Stone Album Guide|Rolling Stone Record Guide gave each of the band's albums only one star, with Dave Marsh writing that "Journey was a dead end for San Francisco area rock." Marsh later would anoint Escape as one of the worst number-one albums of all time.

Journey's next album, 1983's Frontiers (Journey album)|Frontiers , continued their commercial success, reaching No. 2 on the album charts, selling nearly six million copies. The album generated four Top 40 hits, " Separate Ways (Worlds Apart) ", which reached #8, " Faithfully (song)|Faithfully ", which reached #12, " Send Her My Love (song)|Send Her My Love ", and " Frontiers (Journey album)|After the Fall ", both of which reached #23. By this time Journey had become one of the top touring and recording bands in the world. During the subsequent stadium tour, the band contracted with NFL Films to record a video documentary of their life on the road, Frontiers and Beyond . Scenes from the documentary were shot at JFK Stadium in Philadelphia , Pennsylvania with more than 80,000 fans in attendance.

Break-up, 1984–94

After the Frontiers (Journey album)|Frontiers stadium tour, Journey decided to take some time off. Lead singer Steve Perry and guitarist Neal Schon both pursued solo projects between 1982 and 1985. The band released two songs previously intended for Frontiers – "Ask the Lonely", on the Two of a Kind (soundtrack)|soundtrack to the movie Two of a Kind (1983 film)|Two of a Kind in 1983; and " Only the Young ", on the soundtrack to the movie Vision Quest in 1985. "Only the Young" reached No.9 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. When Journey finally returned to record their 1986 album Raised on Radio , bass player Ross Valory and drummer Steve Smith were fired from the band for musical and professional differences. Studio musicians handled the two vacant slots, including future American Idol judge Randy Jackson and established session player Larrie Londin . The album went multiplatinum, selling over two million copies. It also produced four top 20 singles, "Be Good to Yourself" (#9), "I'll Be Alright Without You" (#14), " Girl Can't Help It (song)|Girl Can't Help It ", and "Suzanne," both of which reached #17. The tour featured Jackson on bass and Mike Baird (musician)|Mike Baird on drums, and was videotaped by MTV and made into a documentary, which included interviews with the current band members and concert footage of the Mountain Aire Festival show in Angels Camp, California . But with Perry unable or unwilling to remain actively involved, the band canceled the rest of the tour and went on an extended, indefinite hiatus in 1987.

Schon and Cain would spend the rest of 1987 playing sessions for artists such as Jimmy Barnes and Michael Bolton , before teaming up with Cain's ex-Babys bandmates John Waite and Ricky Phillips , forming the Supergroup (music)|supergroup Bad English with drummer Deen Castronovo in 1988. After the collapse of Bad English in 1991, Schon and Castronovo would form the glam metal band Hardline (band)|Hardline with brothers Johnny Gioeli|Johnny and Joey Gioeli , before joining Paul Rodgers ' backing band in 1994. Cain would spend the next few years focusing on his solo career. Steve Smith devoted his time to his jazz bands, Vital Information and Steps Ahead , and teamed up with Ross Valory and Gregg Rolie to create The Storm (band)|The Storm with singer Kevin Chalfant and guitarist Josh Ramos .

Between 1987 and 1995, Columbia Records released three Journey compilations, including the 1988 greatest hits album, which remains the band's best-selling record. According to the RIAA it has sold 15 million copies in the United States to date. It continues to sell 500,000 to 1,000,000 copies per year, and as of December 2008 was the 6th best selling greatest hits package in the United States.

Reunion, 1995–97

In 1991 Perry, Schon, and Cain briefly reunited to perform "Faithfully" and "Lights" at the tribute concert for promoter Bill Graham (promoter)|Bill Graham . In October 1993, Kevin Chalfant (of The Storm) performed with Neal Schon and Jonathan Cain at a roast for manager Herbie Herbert. After that, Schon, Cain, Valory, Smith and Rolie briefly considered reuniting the band with Chalfant as lead singer. But in 1995, Steve Perry agreed to a reunion on the condition that they seek new management. Herbie Herbert was fired, and Eagles (band)|Eagles Manager Irving Azoff was retained.
In 1995 the Escape and Frontiers lineup (Perry, Schon, Cain, Valory, and Smith) reunited to record Trial by Fire (Journey album)|Trial by Fire . Released in 1996, the album included the hit single " When You Love a Woman ", which reached No.12 on the Billboard charts, ranked at No.36 on Billboard's 1996 year-end Hot 100, and was nominated in 1997 for a Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal. The album also produced three top 40 mainstream rock tracks, " Message of Love " reaching #18, " Can't Tame the Lion " reaching #33, and " If He Should Break Your Heart " reaching #38.Billboard.com Journey's trial by fire singles

Plans for a subsequent tour ended when Perry injured his hip while hiking in Hawaii in the summer of 1997, and could not perform without hip replacement surgery – which he for some time refused to undergo. In 1998, Schon and Cain decided to seek a new lead singer, at which point drummer Steve Smith left the band as well.

Lead singer replaced, 1998–present

In July 2006, Steve Augeri was dropped from the band while they toured with Def Leppard , with the official statement citing a "chronic throat infection." Augeri had been suffering from vocal attrition problems since 2003 and Journey had been accused of using pre-recorded lead vocals. The band hired singer Jeff Scott Soto from Talisman (band)|Talisman to fill in, and Soto officially replaced Augeri as Journey's lead singer in December 2006. Then, on June 12, 2007, the band announced that Soto was no longer the lead singer.

In December 2007, Journey hired Filipino people|Filipino singer Arnel Pineda of the cover band The Zoo after Neal Schon saw him on YouTube singing covers of Journey songs. Their next album, Revelation , debuted at No.5 on the Billboard charts, selling more than 196,000 units in its first two weeks and staying in the top 20 for 6 weeks.. As a Multi-Disc set (2CD) each unit within that set counts as one sale . Journey also found success on billboard's adult contemporary chart where the single " After All These Years (Journey song)|After All These Years " spent over 23 weeks, peaking at number 9. Receipts from the 2008 tour made Journey one of the top grossing concert tours of the year, bringing in over $35,000,000. On December 18, 2008, Revelation (Journey album)|Revelation was certified platinum by RIAA . The band's second album with Pineda, Eclipse (Journey album)|Eclipse , was released on May 24, 2011, and debuted at No.13 on the Billboard 200| Billboard 200 chart. Reuters. Retrieved June 6, 2011 In November, 2011, Journey released their second greatest hits compilation titled Journey: Greatest Hits: Volume 2 which features songs picked by former frontman Steve Perry (musician)|Steve Perry .

Although Pineda was not the first foreign national to become a member of Journey (former drummer Aynsley Dunbar is British), nor even the first non-white (former bass player Randy Jackson is black), the transition resulted in what Marin Independent Journal writer Paul Liberatore called "an undercurrent of racism among some Journey fans." Keyboardist Jonathan Cain responded to such sentiments: "We've become a world band. We're international now. We're not about one color."

Band members

;Current members

Neal Schon – lead guitar, vocals (1973–present)

Ross Valory – bass, vocals (1973–1985, 1995–present)

Jonathan Cain – keyboards, rhythm guitar, vocals (1980–present)

Deen Castronovo – drums, percussion, vocals (1998–present)

Arnel Pineda – lead vocals (2007–present)

;Former members

George Tickner – rhythm guitar (1973–1975)

Gregg Rolie – keyboards, harmonica, vocals (1973–1980)

Aynsley Dunbar – drums, percussion (1974–1978)

Robert Fleischman – lead vocals (1977)

Steve Perry (musician)|Steve Perry – lead vocals (1977–1998)

Steve Smith (musician)|Steve Smith – drums, percussion (1978–1985, 1995–1998)

Randy Jackson – bass, vocals (1985–1987)

Steve Augeri – lead vocals, guitar (1998–2006)

;Touring musicians

Prairie Prince – drums, percussion (1973–1974)

Mike Baird (musician)|Mike Baird – drums, percussion (1986–1987)

Jeff Scott Soto – lead vocals (2006–2007)

;Session musicians

Stevie "Keys" Roseman – keyboards (1980/ Captured studio track)

Larrie Londin – drums, percussion (1985–1986/ Raised on Radio )

Bob Glaub – bass (1986/ Raised on Radio )

;Management

Herbie Herbert (1973–1993)

Irving Azoff (1993–present)

Timeline

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In popular culture

Over the years, Journey songs have been heard or referred to in numerous films, television shows, video games, and even on Broadway. The band's songs have been covered by multiple artists and adopted by sports teams. Most notably, "Don't Stop Believin'" was heard in the final episode of The Sopranos , adapted by the television show Glee (TV series)|Glee , sung by the Family Guy cast, adopted as the unofficial anthem of the 2005 and 2010 World Series champion baseball teams, performed by Alvin and the Chipmunks|The Chipmunks in their 2008 album Undeniable (Chipmunks album)|Undeniable , and sung by the cast of the Broadway musical Rock of Ages (musical)|Rock of Ages .

Discography

1975: Journey (Journey album)|Journey

1976: Look into the Future

1977: Next (Journey album)|Next

1978: Infinity (Journey album)|Infinity

1979: Evolution (Journey album)|Evolution

1980: Departure (Journey album)|Departure

1980: Dream, After Dream (film soundtrack)

1980: Captured (Journey album)|Captured (live)

1981: Escape (Journey album)|Escape

1983: Frontiers (Journey album)|Frontiers

1986: Raised on Radio

1996: Trial by Fire (Journey album)|Trial by Fire

2001: Arrival (Journey album)|Arrival

2002: Red 13 (EP)

2005: Generations (Journey album)|Generations

2008: Revelation (Journey album)|Revelation

2011: Eclipse (Journey album)|Eclipse

Logo

After featuring the members of the band in various poses for the first three studio albums, in 1978 Journey adopted the logo of the scarab beetle, a symbol borrowed from ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs, for Infinity. The scarab was stylized to appear like a bird with very long wings. Journey albums have included the logo in various forms ever since. Their first compilation album, In the Beginning (1980), features the winged beetle. In 1981, Escape saw the scarab stylized to look like a spaceship, with the wings so neatly tucked as to be barely noticeable. The band omitted the logo from Frontiers (1983) and Raised on Radio (1986), the latter returning to the depiction of band members. Their 1988 greatest hits compilation again features the scarab. The compilation album Time3 (1991) features the spaceship scarab. Released that same year, the compilation The Ballade features a scarab on a wall of Egyptian heiroglyphs. In 1996, Trial by Fire saw the scarab as a tiny logo almost hidden on an object overwhelmed by the rest of the cover art. Greatest Hits Live (1998) has the scarab disguised as a throne. Since Arrival (2001), the scarab has returned in full force, and even, as in the case of 2002's Red 13, with long wings.

Copyright Citations

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Pop & Rock Music Artists