Journey

Sales have resulted in 25 gold and platinum albums, in addition to the 18-time platinum RIAA Diamond Certified, 1988's Greatest Hits album. They have had 19 top-40 singles in the US (the second-most without a Billboard Hot 100 number-one single behind Electric Light Orchestra with 20), six of which reached the top 10 of the US chart and two of which reached number one on other Billboard charts, and a number-six hit on the UK Singles Chart in "Don't Stop Believin'". In 2005, "Don't Stop Believin'" reached number three on iTunes downloads. Originally a Progressive rock band, Journey was described by  AllMusic as having cemented a reputation as "one of America's most beloved (and sometimes hated) commercial Pop/Rock bands" by 1978, when they redefined their sound by embracing pop arrangements on their fourth album, Infinity.

According to the Recording Industry Association of America, Journey has sold 52 million albums in the US, making them the 11th-best selling band. Their worldwide sales have reached over 100 million records globally, making them one of the world's best-selling bands of all time. A 2005 USA Today  opinion poll named Journey the fifth-best US rock band in history. Their songs have become Arena rock  staples and are still played on rock radio stations around the world. Journey ranks number 96 on VH1's 100 Greatest Artists of All Time. Journey was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with the class of 2017. Inductees included Steve Perry, Neal Schon, keyboardists Jonathan Cain and Gregg Rolie, bassist Ross Valory, and drummers Aynsley Dunbar and Steve Smith.

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 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, rounded out the group. Prairie Prince of The Tubes  served as drummer.

After one performance in Hawaii, the band quickly abandoned the "backup group" concept and developed a distinctive jazz fusion style. After an unsuccessful radio contest to name the group roadie John Villanueva suggested the name "Journey". The band's first public appearance came at the  Winterland Ballroom on New Year's Eve 1973 to an audience of 10,000. On the following day, the band flew to Hawaii to perform at the Diamond Head Crater to an audience over 100,000 strong. Prairie Prince rejoined The Tubes shortly thereafter; on February 1, 1974, after auditioning up to 28 drummers, the band hired British drummer Aynsley Dunbar,

who had recently worked with David Bowie and had been a member of the second iteration of Frank Zappa's Mothers of Invention. The new line-up made its debut on February 5, 1974, at the Great American Music Hall in front of Columbia Records executives, and secured a recording contract with the label. The band went on to perform at venues around the Bay Area.

Journey went into CBS Studios in November 1974 with producer Roy Halee to record its debut album,  Journey. The album was released in April 1975, entering the Billboard charts at number 138. Rhythm guitarist George Tickner left the band (and the music business to study medicine) due to the amount of heavy touring the band was doing in promoting the album, allowing Neil Schon to take on full guitar duties. The band entered the studio again in late 1975 to record Look into the Future, which was released in January 1976 and entered the Billboard Top 200 charts at number 100. The band promoted the album with a two-hour performance at the Paramount Theatre in Seattle, which later aired on the radio as touring continued to promote the album.

From May to October 1976, the band went to His Master's Wheels Studios to record its third studio album, Next, which—like its predecessor—was produced by the band. This album had a much more commercial sound, while keeping the band's jazz fusion and Progressive rock roots intact. The album was released in February and charted on the Billboard Top 200 at number 85. However, sales did not improve, and Columbia Records was on the verge of dropping the band.

I still think some of the stuff we did then was great. Some of it was self-indulgent, just jamming for ourselves, but I also think a lot of other things hurt us in the early days. It took a while for the politics to sort of shape up.
— Neal Schon

As Journey's album sales did not improve, Columbia Records requested that they change their musical style and add a frontman who would share lead vocals with Gregg Rolie. The band hired Robert Fleischman and made the transition to a more popular style, akin to that of Foreigner and Boston. Journey went on tour with Robert Fleischman in 1977, opening for bands such as Black Sabbath, Target, Judas Priest, and Emerson, Lake & Palmer. Fleischman and the rest of the band began writing and rehearsing new songs, including the soon-to-be-popular track "Wheel in the Sky".

During a performance before about 100,000 at Soldier Field in Chicago, the band was introduced to Steve Perry. Differences between Fleischman and manager Herbie Herbert resulted in Fleischman's departure from the band in September of that year.

Journey hired Steve Perry as their new lead singer on October 10, 1977. Perry made his live debut with the band at the Old Waldorf on October 28, 1977, stepping into His Master's Studios and Cherokee Studios from October to December. Herbie Herbert, the band's manager, hired Roy Thomas Baker as producer to add a layered sound approach similar to that of Baker's previously produced band, Queen.  With their new lead singer and new producer, the band's fourth studio album, Infinity, released in January 1978, peaked at number 21 on the US Billboard 200. The band embarked on the Infinity tour in support of the album, when they performed as headliners of a full tour for the first time, beginning with their topping a bill that included Van Halen and Ronnie Montrose.

According to the band's manager Herbie Herbert, tensions arose between Aynsley Dunbar and the band due to the change in music direction from the jazz fusion sound. Neal Schon reflected on the tensions: "We would talk about it, and he'd say he'd be willing to simplify things, but we'd get out there, and after five shows, he wasn't doing that at all." Aynsley Dunbar started playing erratically and talking derogatorily about the other members, which later resulted in Herbert firing Dunbar after the Infinity tour.

Dunbar was replaced by Berklee-trained drummer and Montrose member Steve Smith. Steve Perry, Neal Schon, Gregg Rolie, Steve Smith, and Ross Valory entered Cherokee Studios in late 1978 to record their fifth studio album, Evolution, which was released in March 1979, peaking at number 20 on the Billboard 200. The album, which was a milestone for the band, gave the band their first Billboard Hot 100 Top-20 single, "Lovin', Touchin', Squeezin'",

peaking at number 16, which gave the band significant airplay. Following the tour in support of Evolution, the band expanded its operation to include a lighting and trucking operation for their future performances, as the tour had grossed more than $5 million, making the band as popular as it had ever been in five years. The band later entered The Automatt Studios to record their sixth studio album, Departure, which was released in March 1980, peaking at number eight on the Billboard 200. The first single from the album, "Any Way You Want It", peaked at number 23 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1980.

Keyboardist Gregg Rolie left the band following the Departure tour to start a family and undertake various solo projects. It was the second time in his career he had departed from a successful act.  Keyboardist Stevie "Keys" Roseman was brought in to record the lone studio track, "The Party's Over (Hopelessly in Love)", on the band's live album Captured. Gregg Rolie suggested pianist Jonathan Cain of The Babys as his permanent replacement. With Cain's synthesizers replacing Rolie's organ, Cain had become the new member of the band.

With Jonathan Cain joining as the new keyboard player, the band entered Fantasy Studios in Berkeley, California, in late 1980, releasing their seventh studio album, Escape, in July 1981. Escape became their most successful album, charting at number one in the United States. The album had a clutch of hit singles, which included: "Who's Crying Now", "Still They Ride", "Open Arms", and the iconic "Don't Stop Believin'".

The band began another lengthy yet successful tour on June 12, 1981, supported by opening acts Billy Squier, Greg Kihn Band, Point Blank, and Loverboy, and Journey opened for The Rolling Stones on September 25 in Philadelphia at the JFK Stadium. MTV videotaped one of their two sold-out shows at The Summit in Houston Texas, on November 6, 1981, in front of over 20,000 fans, later released on DVD.

Following the success of the 1981 tour, the band's full establishment as a corporation, and the formation of a fan club called "Journey Force", the band released "Only Solutions" and "1990s Theme" for the 1982 Disney film, Tron. Neil Schon had also made time to work with Jan Hammer on a few albums. Journey continued touring in 1982 with shows in North America and Japan.

With millions of records, hit singles, and tickets sold, the band entered Fantasy Studios again in the middle of their 1982 tour to record their eighth studio album, Frontiers. Released in February 1983, the band's second-best selling album sold over six million copies, peaking at number two on the Billboard charts, and spawning the hit singles "Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)", "Faithfully", "Send Her My Love", and "After the Fall".

Journey began the Frontiers tour in Japan, and continued in North America with Bryan Adams as opening act. During the tour, NFL Films recorded a video documentary of their life on the road, Frontiers and Beyond, shooting scenes at JFK Stadium in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, with more than 80,000 fans in attendance.

After the Frontiers tour, the band took some time off. Lead singer Steve Perry and guitarist Neal Schon both pursued solo projects. In 1984, Steve Perry, with the help of Herbie Herbert, recorded and released his first solo album, Street Talk. Neal Schon toured briefly in 1984 with his supergroup HSAS, in support of their sole album, Through the Fire released that year on Geffen Records. When asked if Journey was over because of the selling of their properties at the end of 1984, Neal Schon commented,

"No way Journey's ending. We're all too committed to this band to ever let that happen. In fact, one of the reasons we decided to go off in separate directions for a while was to keep the band as strong as ever." Following a phone call between Jonathan Cain and Steve Perry, Journey returned to Fantasy Studios in late 1985 to record their ninth studio album, Raised on Radio, but with Perry taking the role as the album's producer. Tensions within the band were shown when Herbert and Perry fired both bass player Ross Valory and drummer Steve Smith for musical and professional differences a few months into the recording sessions for the album, though Valory later admitted he left the band on his own accord.

Bassist and future American Idol judge Randy Jackson, bassist Bob Glaub, and established drummer Larrie Londin were brought in to continue the album's recordings. Raised on Radio was released in May 1986, peaking at number four on Billboard's album chart, but underperforming compared to the band's previous two efforts. It featured five singles: The top-10 hit "Be Good to Yourself" along with "Suzanne", "Girl Can't Help It", "I'll Be Alright Without You", and "Why Can't This Night Go On Forever?".

The Raised on Radio tour began at Angels Camp, California in August 1986 and the band performed sold-out shows throughout the United States before concluding with two shows in Anchorage in early 1987, with selected dates supported by Honeymoon Suite, The Outfield, and Glass Tiger. The tour featured both Randy Jackson on bass and Mike Baird on drums, and was videotaped by MTV for a documentary that included interviews with the band members, which was called, Raised on Radio, the same as the album title.

With tensions between Steve Perry, the band, and the band's manager Herbie Herbert at an all-time high following the tour's conclusion, Perry was unable or unwilling to remain actively involved, and was tired of touring, as it was affecting his health and his vocals. Herbert had booked fifteen more shows for the tour, but Perry had declined, and told Neil Schon and Jonathan Cain that he was done with Journey.

I called Jon and Neal together. We met in San Rafael, we sat on the edge of the marina, and I just told them, "I can't do this anymore. I've got to get out for a while." And they said: "Well, what do you mean?" And I said: "That's exactly what I mean, is what I'm saying. I just don't want to be in the band any more. I want to get out, I want to stop." And I think Jon said: "Well, just take some time off, and we'll think," and I said: "Ok, fine." "And I just sort of fell back into my life. I looked around and realized that my whole life had become everything I'd worked so hard to be, and when I came back to have a regular life, I had to go find one."
— Steve Perry

The band went into a hiatus in 1987 following the conclusion of their Raised on Radio tour. Columbia Records released the Greatest Hits compilation in November 1988, which became one of the best-selling greatest-hits albums, selling over 15 million copies and continuing to sell half a million to a million copies per year. The compilation spent 750 weeks on the Billboard album charts until 2008.

While Steve Perry had retreated from the public eye, Neil Schon and Jonathan Cain spent the rest of 1987 collaborating with artists such as Jimmy Barnes and Michael Bolton before teaming up with Cain's ex-The Babys bandmates John Waite and Ricky Phillips to form the supergroup Bad English with drummer Deen Castronovo in 1988, releasing two albums in 1989 and 1991. Steve Smith devoted his time to his jazz bands, Vital Information and Steps Ahead, and teamed up with Ross Valory and original Journey keyboardist Gregg Rolie to create The Storm with singer Kevin Chalfant and guitarist Josh Ramos, (Hartline) along with Herbie Herbert as the band's manager, as he did with Journey, with Scott Boorey.

On November 3, 1991, Neil Schon, Jonathan Cain, and Steve Perry reunited to perform "Faithfully" and "Lights" at the Bill Graham tribute concert Laughter, Love & Music at Golden Gate Park, following the concert promoter's death in a helicopter accident. In October 1993, Neil Schon, Gregg Rolie, Ross Valory, Aynsley Dunbar, Steve Smith, and Jonathan Cain reunited and performed at a private dinner for their manager Herbie Herbert at Bimbo's in San Francisco, with Kevin Chalfant on lead vocals.

After the breakup of Bad English in 1991, Schon and Castronovo formed the Glam metal band Hardline with  brothers Johnny and Joey Gioeli, releasing only one studio album before his departure. Neal later joined Paul Rodgers in 1993 for live performances, alongside Deen Castronovo. In 1994, Steve Perry had released his second solo album For the Love of Strange Medicine, and toured North America in support of the album, though his voice had changed since the last time he had performed.

Steve Perry made the decision to reunite with Journey under the condition that Herbie Herbert would no longer be the band's manager. The band hired Irving Azoff, longtime Eagles manager, as the new manager for the band in October 1995. Steve Smith and Ross Valory reunited with Journey and the band started writing material for their next album, with rehearsals beginning that same month.

The band began recording their 10th studio album, Trial by Fire, in early 1996 at The Site and Wildhorse Studio in Marin County and Ocean Way Recorders, in which they recorded under producer Kevin Shirley.  It was released in late October that year, peaking at number three on the Billboard album charts. The album's hit single "When You Love a Woman", which reached number 12 on the Billboard charts, 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 number 18, "Can't Tame the Lion" reaching number 33, and "If He Should Break Your Heart" reaching number 38.

Plans for a subsequent tour ended when Steve Perry, troubled by pain while hiking in Hawaii on a 10-day break in August 1996, discovered he had a degenerative bone condition and could not perform without hip-replacement surgery, which for some time he declined to undergo, later admitting he had other physical issues. The accident resulted in the album's release date being delayed.

The band took a break following the album's release to work on solo projects, waiting for Steve Perry to make up his mind on if he wanted to tour. Neil Schon released his solo album Electric World in 1997, later creating Abraxas Pool with former Journey member Gregg Rolie, drummer Michael Shrieve, and a few former Santana members. (José "Chepito" Areas, Alphonso Johnson, and Mike Carabello) Jonathan Cain released his two solo albums, "Body Language" and For A Lifetime in 1997 and 1998, respectively.