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Journey (band)

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Journey

Journey is an American rock band formed in 1973 in San Francisco, California, with former members of Santana. The band has gone through several phases, but its strongest commercial success came in the late 1970s to the early 1980s. During this period, they had hits with a series of power ballads and rock songs, including "Don't Stop Believin'", "Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)", "Faithfully", "Any Way You Want It", "Open Arms", "Send Her My Love", "Wheel in the Sky", "Who's Crying Now", "Stone In Love", "Lovin,' Touchin,' Squeezin;'", and "Lights". The group enjoyed a successful reunion in the mid-1990s with a major Grammy-nominated hit, "When You Love a Woman". Sales have resulted in two gold albums, eight multi-platinum albums, and one Diamond album (including seven consecutive multi-platinum albums between 1978 and 1987). They had 19 Top 40 singles, six of which reached the Top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Their signature song, "Don't Stop Believin'", is the top-selling catalog track in iTunes history, at more than three million downloads.[1][2][3]

According to the Recording Industry Association of America, Journey has sold 47 million albums in the United States, making them the 28th best selling band. Their worldwide sales have reached over 75 million albums.[4][5] A USA Today opinion poll in 2005 asked respondents to weigh in on who they thought was the best American rock band in history; Journey came in fifth place.[6][7]

Journey has been eligible for induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame since 2000, but Gregg Rolie is the only current or former member of Journey who has been inducted — as a member of parent band Santana. Steve Perry, the band's best-known lead vocalist, has been eligible for induction as a solo artist since 2009.

History

Formation, 1973–76

Next album cover: Neal Schon, Gregg Rolie, Aynsley Dunbar, and Ross Valory

The original members of Journey came together in San Francisco in 1973 under the auspices of former Santana manager Herbie Herbert. Originally called the Golden Gate Rhythm Section and intended to serve as a 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[8] suggested the name "Journey."[9] The band's first public appearance came at the Winterland Ballroom on 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 eponymous 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,[10] so Schon, Valory, and Dunbar took singing lessons in an attempt to add vocal harmonies to Rolie's lead. The following year's 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 and 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.[4] [11]

In the fall of 1977, Journey hired 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 (1978), reached No. 21 on the album charts and gave the band their first RIAA-certified platinum album plus hit singles out of "Lights" (#68 U.S.) and "Wheel in the Sky".

Manager Herbie Herbert fired drummer Aynsley Dunbar in 1978.[12] He was replaced by Berklee-trained jazz drummer Steve Smith.[13] Perry, Schon, Rolie, Smith, and bass player Ross Valory recorded 1979's Evolution, which gave the band their first Billboard Hot 100 Top 20 single, "Lovin', Touchin', Squeezin'" (#16); and 1980's 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. 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.[14] Keyboardist Stevie "Keys" Roseman was brought in to record the lone studio track for Captured, "The Party's Over (Hopelessly in Love),"[15] 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.[16]

Height of popularity, 1981–83

Escape album cover

Journey released their eighth and biggest-selling studio album, Escape, in 1981. The album, which has thus far sold 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". The last is Journey's highest-charting single to date, staying at #2 for six consecutive weeks and ranking at #13 on Billboard's 1982 year-end Hot 100. MTV videotaped one of their two sold-out shows in Houston, Texas on November 6, 1981 in front of over 20,000 fans.[17]

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

This success was met with piqued criticism. The 1983 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, 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", which reached #2, "Send Her My Love", and "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.[8]

Break-up, 1984–94

After the 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. In 1985 the band released two songs previously intended for Frontiers--"Only the Young", on the soundtrack to the movie Vision Quest; and "Ask the Lonely", on the soundtrack to the movie Two of a Kind. "Only the Young" reached #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.[13][18] 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 ", and "Suzanne," both of which reached #17. The tour featured Jackson on bass and 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.[citation needed] 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.[19][20]

Neal Schon and Jonathan Cain teamed up with Cain's ex-Babys bandmates John Waite and Ricky Phillips, forming Bad English with drummer Deen Castronovo in 1988. 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 with singer Kevin Chalfant and guitarist Josh Ramos.

In 1988, Columbia records released Journey's 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.[21]

In 1991, the band briefly reunited to perform 2 songs; "Faithfully" and "Lights" at the tribute concert for concert promoter Bill Graham. This would later turn out to be the final time Steve Perry would perform live with the band.

Reunion, 1995–97

Between 1987 and 1995, Columbia Records released three Journey compilations. In October 1993, Kevin Chalfant (of The Storm) performed with Neal Schon and Jonathan Cain at a roast for manager Herbie Herbert.[22] After that, Schon, Cain, Valory, Smith and Rolie briefly considered reuniting the band with Chalfant as lead singer.[citation needed] But in 1995, Steve Perry agreed to a reunion on the condition that they seek new management. Herbie Herbert was fired, and Eagles Manager Irving Azoff was retained.[citation needed]

In 1995, Perry, Schon, Cain, Valory, and Smith reunited to record Trial by Fire. Released in 1996, the album included the hit single "When You Love a Woman", which reached #12 on the Billboard charts, ranked at #36 on Billboard's 1996 year-end Hot 100,[10] and was nominated in 1997 for a Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal.[23] The album also produced two top 40 mainstream rock tracks, "Message of Love" reaching #18 and "Can't Tame the Lion" reaching #33, and one top 40 hit, "If He Should Break Your Heart", at #38.[24]

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.[25][26] In 1998, Schon and Cain decided to seek a new lead singer, at which point drummer Steve Smith left the band as well.[26]

Lead singer replaced, 1998–2006

Journey in 2002: Steve Augeri, Jonathan Cain, Ross Valory, Deen Castronovo, and Neal Schon

In 1998, Journey hired drummer Deen Castronovo, Schon's and Cain's Bad English bandmate, and drummer for Hardline, to replace the now-departing Steve Smith. Journey replaced Perry with Steve Augeri, formerly of Tyketto and Tall Stories.

That same year, Journey with Steve Augeri and Deen Castronovo recorded a track for the soundtrack to the movie Armageddon called "Remember Me." The band released their next studio album, Arrival, in Japan in late 2000 and in the United States in 2001. "All the Way" became a minor adult contemporary hit from the album. In 2002, the band released a four-track CD titled "Red 13," with an album cover design chosen through a fan contest. In 2005 the band was inducted into the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and Steve Perry surprised many attendees by showing up for the event. Also in 2005, Journey embarked on their 30th anniversary tour, and released their twelfth full-length studio album, Generations, in which each band member performed lead vocals on at least one song.

Lead singer replaced again, 2006–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.[27] The band hired singer Jeff Scott Soto from Talisman to fill in, and Soto officially replaced Augeri as Journey's lead singer in December 2006.[28] On June 12, 2007, the band announced that Soto was no longer the lead singer, and said that they were looking to move in a new direction.[29]

In December 2007, Journey hired Filipino singer Arnel Pineda of the cover band The Zoo after Neal Schon saw him on YouTube singing covers of Journey songs. Journey debuted their new lead singer in February 2008 in Chile,[30][31] and released the album Revelation that June. Revelation debuted at #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.[32] Journey also found success on the billboard's adult contemporary chart where the single "After All These Years" spent over 23 weeks, peaking at number 9.[33] Receipts from that summer's tour, featuring Heart and Cheap Trick, made Journey one of the top grossing concert tours of the year, bringing in over $35,000,000.[34] And on December 18, 2008, Revelation was certified platinum by RIAA.[35][36] In 2008 and 2009, Journey recorded concert footage in preparation for a DVD release scheduled for December 2009, and Neal Schon announced that the band was spending 2009 working on a new album due out in 2010 and completing the second leg of the Revelation Tour.[37]

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 African-American), the transition was difficult for a number of fans who expressed what Marin Independent Journal writer Paul Liberatore called "an undercurrent of racism." Keyboardist Jonathan Cain responded to such sentiments: "We've become a world band. We're international now. We're not about one color."[38]

On April 19, 2010, producer Kevin Shirley announced that the band was recording their 14th studio album and the second with Pineda. It is expected to be released in early 2011. [39]

Band members

Over the years, Journey songs have been heard or referred to in numerous films, television shows, and video games. 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, sung by the Family Guy cast, and adopted as the unofficial anthem of the 2005 World Series champion Chicago White Sox.

Discography

Main article: Journey discography

See also

References

  1. ^ Paul Grein. "Week Ending Aug. 23, 2009: Over 50 And Still On Top". Yahoo Chart Watch.
  2. ^ search results
  3. ^ "The Sony Music Journey Home | The Sony Music Journey Site". Journeyband.com. Retrieved 2009-08-03.
  4. ^ "Journey @ Royal Concert Hall 05/03/07". BBC. Retrieved 2009-12-15.
  5. ^ "For The Record: Quick News On Nelly, Destiny's Child, U2, B-52's, Arcade Fire, Ramones & More". MTV. 2004-12-17. Retrieved 2009-12-15.
  6. ^ RIAA Gold and Platinum Data
  7. ^ "And the greatest American rock band ever is". Usatoday.Com. 2005-07-05. Retrieved 2009-08-03.
  8. ^ a b Journey: Frontiers and Beyond video, NFL Films, 1983.
  9. ^ Journey FAQ at Steve Lake's Journey Tribute Page
  10. ^ a b Journey discography
  11. ^ Robert Fleischman interview at The Journey Zone
  12. ^ According to Robyn Flans, "Journey" (NY: Cherry Lane Music, 1985), ISBN 0-89524-229-X; ISBN 978-0-89524-229-7, Dunbar did not get along with singer Steve Perry and did not approve of the new musical direction. However, Herbert contends that it was a band decision based on Dunbar's unprofessional activities offstage. Matt Carty's Herbie Herbert Interview, p. 6.
  13. ^ a b Steve Smith interview at The Journey Zone.
  14. ^ Flans, "Journey;" Matt Carty's Herbie Herbert Interview, p. 7.
  15. ^ Captured re-issue (2006) liner notes, p. 15, lines 8–9; Time (Cubed) liner notes pp. 11–14.
  16. ^ Flans, "Journey."
  17. ^ Journey: Live in Houston DVD, 1981.
  18. ^ Raised on Radio at Official Journey Discography
  19. ^ 2001 Herbie Herbert Interview with Matt Carty, pp. 13–14.
  20. ^ GQ Blog on men.style.com
  21. ^ "Gold & Platinum – August 03, 2009". RIAA. Retrieved 2009-08-03.
  22. ^ "Interviews: Herbie Herbert – March 2008 Interview". Melodicrock.com. Retrieved 2009-08-03.
  23. ^ Rock on the Net: 39th Annual Grammy Award Winners and Nominees for 1997
  24. ^ Billboard.com Journey's trial by fire singles
  25. ^ Behind the Music: Journey
  26. ^ a b GQ Blog on men.style.com
  27. ^ A Personal Journey Chapters Six, Seven, and Eight
  28. ^ 'Journey names Jeff Scott Soto official new lead singer' at PunkTV.ca
  29. ^ 'Journey announces departure of Jeff Scott Soto' reprinted from journeymusic.com at The Journey Zone
  30. ^ La Nacion: Journey conquistó al público viñamarino con sus clásicos
  31. ^ Emol: Journey sorprende arrasando con un show enérgico
  32. ^ Arnel Pineda confirmed the album had gone platinum in Oct. 2008 (making it the band's best selling album since Trial by Fire MelodicRock.com – Melodic News, Reviews, Interviews and Previews), although it should be clarified that as a Multi-Disc set (2CD) each unit within that set counts as one sale [1]
  33. ^ Billboard.Com
  34. ^ [2][dead link]
  35. ^ RIAA – Gold & Platinum
  36. ^ [3][dead link]
  37. ^ "Journey". Journeymusic.com. Retrieved 2009-08-03.
  38. ^ Paul Liberatore: An incredible journey for band's new frontman
  39. ^ http://www.cavemanproductions.com/cavediary.htm

Official Sites:

Reviews, Interviews, etc.:

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