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After 20 Long Years Away, Steve Perry Finally Joins Journey Onstage

photo credit: rockaxis.com.co

Reunited And It Feels So, So Good

We’ve spent the last 20 years hoping, praying, pleading – even appealing to Steve Perry directly through the likes of Journey guitarist Neal Schon and even Carlos Santana to rejoin Journey, if only for a little while. As news of Journey’s induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame came to light late last year, the possibility of a Steve Perry reunion was closer to us than it had ever been but the former Journey frontman’s famed reticence when it came to anything related to his old band forced us to be realistic and prepare for the very real possibility that he wouldn’t show for Journey’s big moment.

Against all odds, however, Steve was there for Friday night’s festivities , just as excited to reunite with his former friends and bandmates as he was gracious to the legions of fans who propelled Journey to the top of the food chain and into rock and roll legend.

While Perry ultimately decided against performing with Journey and left the honor to current singer Arnel Pineda – who got his wish and finally met his idol for the very first time Friday night – his acceptance speech reflected a lifetime’s worth of love and gratitude to his bandmates as he gushed about their respective talents and thanked them individually and by name for “all the music we’ve written and recorded together.” Lastly, for the Journey fans who stopped believing that Steve heard them and cared, he had this to offer:

“You put us here,” he said. “We would not be here had it not been for you and your tireless love and consistent devotion. You never have stopped. I’ve been gone a long time, I understand that, but I want you to know that you’ve never not been in my heart.”

What a magical night! There’s no indication that Steve will ever be involved with Journey again, but who knows? It’s been an impossible year full of impossible events, and to forget that anything is possible would be absolutely foolish. Congratulations, Journey!

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Neal Schon Says Journey Will Play Stadiums for 50th Anniversary, Doesn’t Rule Out Steve Perry Return

The year 2023 will be a big one for Journey , who will celebrate their 50th anniversary as a band and in a rather significant way — guitarist Neal Schon has suggested the group will play stadiums next year in what is still quite a secretive operation. And he didn't rule out the return of two classic members either.

His comments came in an interview with  Entertainment Tonight , which also touched on Journey's new album Freedom and their Las Vegas residency shows which feature a symphony orchestra. Schon even laughed a bit when he was asked how many times Journey rehearsed with the orchestra before opening night and replied, "One day."

The interview then put the focus on the future and what lies ahead beyond the Vegas gigs as Journey prepare to celebrate 50 years as a band. "We're going back into stadiums with someone I can't really talk about right now," commented Schon, playing things close to the vest while managing to tease what appears to be quite a massive forthcoming announcement.

The guitarist was also asked about the likelihood of singer Steve Perry and keyboardist Gregg Rolie, who split with the group in 1998 and 1980, respectively. "You know, I think that those two guys were a big part of the band and I think if [it] permits - the city permits - the fans would overall love it," says Schon, though it's uncertain exactly what he meant in regards to the city permits — perhaps securing stadium locations and complying with local noise ordinances, but that remains unconfirmed.

Schon didn't rule out the return of either member and those comments follow recent remarks where the guitarist claimed he and Perry are "talking and getting to know each other again" but cautioned that they "are not trying to get together musically again."

Earlier this year, in May, the lone remaining Journey founder told UCR , "We’re going to celebrate the 50th anniversary and then celebrate it again in ‘24,” Schon tells UCR. “It’s my 50th year with Journey and I’m the only original member left there. You know, Jon [Jonathan Cain] is 40 years with us. Deen [Castronovo] has a good two decades and Arnel [Pineda] is now 15 years, the longest run of any singer [with Journey]."

He even has his eyes on sharing the bill with Carlos Santana and revealed in that same conversation, "I talked to Carlos and I talked to his manager about it the other day. He says Carlos definitely wants to do some stuff. I said, what about the latter part of ‘23? We could possibly go from big arenas in Europe to stadiums and finish out ‘23 in the stadiums, in South America and all of that."

Journey Interview With  Entertainment Tonight

11 bands that never reunited with their classic singer, 22 bands that thrived with their second singer, more from loudwire.

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Steve Perry Walked Away From Journey. A Promise Finally Ended His Silence.

By Alex Pappademas

• Sept. 5, 2018

MALIBU, Calif. — On the back patio of a Greek restaurant, a white-haired man making his way to the exit paused for a second look at one of his fellow diners, a man with a prominent nose who wore his dark hair in a modest pompadour.

“You look a lot like Steve Perry,” the white-haired man said.

“I used to be Steve Perry,” Steve Perry said.

This is how it goes when you are Steve Perry. Everyone is excited to see you, and no one can quite believe it. Everyone wants to know where you’ve been.

In 1977, an ambitious but middlingly successful San Francisco jazz-rock band called Journey went looking for a new lead singer and found Mr. Perry, then a 28-year-old veteran of many unsigned bands. Mr. Perry and the band’s lead guitarist and co-founder, Neal Schon, began writing concise, uplifting hard rock songs that showcased Mr. Perry’s clean, powerful alto, as operatic an instrument as pop has ever seen. This new incarnation of Journey produced a string of hit singles, released eight multiplatinum albums and toured relentlessly — so relentlessly that in 1987, a road-worn Mr. Perry took a hiatus, effectively dissolving the band he’d helped make famous.

He did not disappear completely — there was a solo album in 1994, followed in 1996 by a Journey reunion album, “Trial by Fire.” But it wasn’t long before Mr. Perry walked away again, from Journey and from the spotlight. With his forthcoming album, “Traces,” due in early October, he’s breaking 20 years of radio silence.

Over the course of a long midafternoon lunch — well-done souvlaki, hold all the starches — Mr. Perry, now 69, explained why he left, and why he’s returned. He spoke of loving, and losing and opening himself to being loved again, including by people he’s never met, who know him only as a voice from the Top 40 past.

And when he detailed the personal tragedy that moved him to make music again, he talked about it in language as earnest and emotional as any Journey song:

“I thought I had a pretty good heart,” he said, “but a heart isn’t really complete until it’s completely broken.”

IN ITS ’80S heyday, Journey was a commercial powerhouse and a critical piñata. With Mr. Perry up front, slinging high notes like Frisbees into the stratosphere, Journey quickly became not just big but huge . When few public figures aside from Pac-Man and Donkey Kong had their own video game, Journey had two. The offices of the group’s management company received 600 pieces of Journey fan mail per day.

The group toured hard for nine years. Gradually, that punishing schedule began to take a toll on Journey’s lead singer.

“I never had any nodules or anything, and I never had polyps,” Mr. Perry said, referring to the state of his vocal cords. He looked around for some wood to knock, then settled for his own skull. The pain, he said, was more spiritual than physical.

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As a vocalist, Mr. Perry explained, “your instrument is you. It’s not just your throat, it’s you . If you’re burnt out, if you’re depressed, if you’re feeling weary and lost and paranoid, you’re a mess.”

“Frankly,” Mr. Schon said in a phone interview, “I don’t know how he lasted as long as he did without feeling burned out. He was so good, doing things that nobody else could do.”

On Feb. 1, 1987, Mr. Perry performed one last show with Journey, in Anchorage. Then he went home.

Mr. Perry was born in Hanford, Calif., in the San Joaquin Valley, about 45 minutes south of Fresno. His parents, who were both Portuguese immigrants, divorced when he was 8, and Mr. Perry and his mother moved in next door to her parents’. “I became invisible, emotionally,” Mr. Perry said. “And there were places I used to hide, to feel comfortable, to protect myself.”

Sometimes he’d crawl into a corner of his grandparents’ garage with a blanket and a flashlight. But he also found refuge in music. “I could get lost in these 45s that I had,” Mr. Perry said. “It turned on a passion for music in me that saved my life.”

As a teen, Mr. Perry moved to Lemoore, Calif., where he enjoyed an archetypally idyllic West Coast adolescence: “A lot of my writing, to this day, is based on my emotional attachment to Lemoore High School.”

There he discovered the Beatles and the Beach Boys, went on parked-car dates by the San Joaquin Valley’s many irrigation canals, and experienced a feeling of “freedom and teenage emotion and contact with the world” that he’s never forgotten. Even a song like “No Erasin’,” the buoyant lead single from his new LP has that down-by-the-old-canal spirit, Mr. Perry said.

And after he left Journey, it was Lemoore that Mr. Perry returned to, hoping to rediscover the person he’d been before subsuming his identity within an internationally famous rock band. In the beginning, he couldn’t even bear to listen to music on the radio: “A little PTSD, I think.”

Eventually, in 1994, he made that solo album, “For the Love of Strange Medicine,” and sported a windblown near-mullet and a dazed expression on the cover. The reviews were respectful, and the album wasn’t a flop. With alternative rock at its cultural peak, Mr. Perry was a man without a context — which suited him just fine.

“I was glad,” he said, “that I was just allowed to step back and go, O.K. — this is a good time to go ride my Harley.”

JOURNEY STAYED REUNITED after Mr. Perry left for the second time in 1997. Since December 2007, its frontman has been Arnel Pineda, a former cover-band vocalist from Manila, Philippines, who Mr. Schon discovered via YouTube . When Journey was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame last April, Mr. Pineda sang the 1981 anthem “Don’t Stop Believin’,” not Mr. Perry. “I’m not in the band,” he said flatly, adding, “It’s Arnel’s gig — singers have to stick together.”

Around the time Mr. Pineda joined the band, something strange had happened — after being radioactively unhip for decades, Journey had crept back into the zeitgeist. David Chase used “Don’t Stop Believin’” to nerve-racking effect in the last scene of the 2007 series finale of “The Sopranos” ; when Mr. Perry refused to sign off on the show’s use of the song until he was told how it would be used, he briefly became one of the few people in America who knew in advance how the show ended.

“Don’t Stop Believin’” became a kind of pop standard, covered by everyone from the cast of “Glee” to the avant-shred guitarist Marnie Stern . Decades after they’d gone their separate ways, Journey and Mr. Perry found themselves discovering fans they never knew they had.

Mark Oliver Everett, the Los Angeles singer-songwriter who performs with his band Eels under the stage name E, was not one of them, at first.

“When I was young, living in Virginia,” Mr. Everett said, “Journey was always on the radio, and I wasn’t into it.”

So although Mr. Perry became a regular at Eels shows beginning around 2003, it took Mr. Everett five years to invite him backstage. He’d become acquainted with Patty Jenkins, the film director, who’d befriended Mr. Perry after contacting him for permission to use “Don’t Stop Believin’” in her 2003 film “Monster.” (“When he literally showed up on the mixing stage the next day and pulled up a chair next to me, saying, ‘Hey I really love your movie. How can I help you?’ it was the beginning of one of the greatest friendships of my life,” Ms. Jenkins wrote in an email.) Over lunch, Ms. Jenkins lobbied Mr. Everett to meet Mr. Perry.

They hit it off immediately. “At that time,” Mr. Everett said, “we had a very serious Eels croquet game in my backyard every Sunday.” He invited Mr. Perry to attend that week. Before long, Mr. Perry began showing up — uninvited and unannounced, but not unwelcome — at Eels rehearsals.

“They’d always bust my chops,” Mr. Perry said. “Like, ‘Well? Is this the year you come on and sing a couple songs with us?’”

At one point, the Eels guitarist Jeff Lyster managed to bait Mr. Perry into singing Journey’s “Lights” at one of these rehearsals, which Mr. Everett remembers as “this great moment — a guy who’s become like Howard Hughes, and just walked away from it all 25 years ago, and he’s finally doing it again.”

Eventually Mr. Perry decided to sing a few numbers at an Eels show, which would be his first public performance in decades. He made this decision known to the band, Mr. Everett said, not via phone or email but by showing up to tour rehearsals one day carrying his own microphone. “He moves in mysterious ways,” Mr. Everett observed.

For mysterious Steve Perry reasons, Mr. Perry chose to make his long-awaited return to the stage at a 2014 Eels show at the Fitzgerald Theater in St. Paul, Minn. During a surprise encore, he sang three songs, including one of his favorite Eels tunes, whose profane title is rendered on an edited album as “It’s a Monstertrucker.”

“I walked out with no anticipation and they knew me and they responded, and it was really a thrill,” Mr. Perry said. “I missed it so much. I couldn’t believe it’d been so long.”

“It’s a Monstertrucker” is a spare song about struggling to get through a lonely Sunday in someone’s absence. For Mr. Perry, it was not an out-of-nowhere choice.

In 2011, Ms. Jenkins directed one segment of “Five,” a Lifetime anthology film about women and breast cancer. Mr. Perry visited her one day in the cutting room while she was at work on a scene featuring real cancer patients as extras. A woman named Kellie Nash caught Mr. Perry’s eye. Instantly smitten, he asked Ms. Jenkins if she would introduce them by email.

“And she says ‘O.K., I’ll send the email,’ ” Mr. Perry said, “but there’s one thing I should tell you first. She was in remission, but it came back, and it’s in her bones and her lungs. She’s fighting for her life.”

“My head said, ‘I don’t know,’ ” Mr. Perry remembered, “but my heart said, ‘Send the email.’”

“That was extremely unlike Steve, as he is just not that guy,” Ms. Jenkins said. “I have never seen him hit on, or even show interest in anyone before. He was always so conservative about opening up to anyone.”

A few weeks later, Ms. Nash and Mr. Perry connected by phone and ended up talking for nearly five hours. Their friendship soon blossomed into romance. Mr. Perry described Ms. Nash as the greatest thing that ever happened to him.

“I was loved by a lot of people, but I didn’t really feel it as much as I did when Kellie said it,” he said. “Because she’s got better things to do than waste her time with those words.”

They were together for a year and a half. They made each other laugh and talked each other to sleep at night.

In the fall of 2012, Ms. Nash began experiencing headaches. An MRI revealed that the cancer had spread to her brain. One night not long afterward, Ms. Nash asked Mr. Perry to make her a promise.

“She said, ‘If something were to happen to me, promise me you won’t go back into isolation,’ ” Mr. Perry said, “because that would make this all for naught.”

At this point in the story, Mr. Perry asked for a moment and began to cry.

Ms. Nash died on Dec. 14, 2012, at 40. Two years later, Mr. Perry showed up to Eels rehearsal with his own microphone, ready to make good on a promise.

TIME HAS ADDED a husky edge to Mr. Perry’s angelic voice; on “Traces,” he hits some trembling high notes that bring to mind the otherworldly jazz countertenor “Little” Jimmy Scott. The tone suits the songs, which occasionally rock, but mostly feel close to their origins as solo demos Mr. Perry cut with only loops and click tracks backing him up.

The idea that the album might kick-start a comeback for Mr. Perry is one that its maker inevitably has to hem and haw about.

“I don’t even know if ‘coming back’ is a good word,” he said. “I’m in touch with the honest emotion, the love of the music I’ve just made. And all the neurosis that used to come with it, too. All the fears and joys. I had to put my arms around all of it. And walking back into it has been an experience, of all of the above.”

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Journey's Neal Schon Is Reconnecting With Steve Perry: 'We're Talking'

By Andrew Magnotta @AndrewMagnotta

July 7, 2022

After years of keeping their distance, Journey founder and guitarist Neal Schon and former singer Steve Perry have been steadily reconnecting.

But don't expect a reunion to come from it.

Asked by Vulture to recount one of his favorite memories with Perry, Schon revealed that the former songwriting partners are still making them.

"We were very, very tight," Schon said. "We're talking and getting to know each other again — though not trying to get together musically again, but he's learning who I am now, through a portion of our business that I'm kind of controlling now."

Schon could be referring to the saga that resulted in the 2020 departures of longtime Journey bassist Ross Valory and drummer Steve Smith , but he didn't go into detail.

He continued that he has "great memories of when Steve and I first met," and that the two were like brothers in the early years of their partnership in Journey. While the two have only just begun confabulating again, Schon confirms that the band's 2017 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction was essentially the beginning of this new stage in their relationship; it got them in the same room again.

"During that induction, when certain individuals went up and took a really long time with their speeches, there are a few pictures that you can find where I'm talking into Steve's ears and he's laughing like hell," Schon noted. "Some people like to feel like they're more important because they have to talk longer. Or they feel like they don't get the attention they need so they want to talk longer. So, that's my long way of saying that I hope that [Steve and I] can become even better friends in the future."

Perry, who began writing and recording music again in 2018 after 25 years in hiatus, has been guarded publicly about his relationship with his former Journey bandmates. He explained in one 2018 interview that he didn't believe having a relationship with Schon could happen without stirring up rumors of a reunion with Journey .

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Steve Perry Reunites with Journey at Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony - But Does Not Perform

Journey fans have stopped believing in a reunion performance.

The American rock band was joined by former lead singer Steve Perry at Friday evening’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction ceremony at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.

Perry, 68, was there with former bandmates Neal Schon, Jonathan Cain, Steve Smith and Ross Valory, along with current lead singer Arnel Pineda, who was not included in the band’s honor.

Train’s Pat Monahan inducted them with kind words. “Tonight I’m here to live out a life-long dream, to induct the heart of San Francisco music into the rock hall,” he said before nah nah nah-ing part of “Lovin’, Touchin’, Squeezin’.”

“To Steve Perry, you’re one of a kind. You’re one in a million,” Schon complimented Perry, who returned the favor by mentioning “the magic fingers of Schon’s guitar.”

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In addition, Perry thanked the fans: “You put us here. We would not be here had it not been for you and your tireless love and consistent devotion. You never have stopped. I’ve been gone a long time, I understand that, but I want you to know that you’ve never not been in my heart.”

Though attendees and fans rejoiced at the Journey reunion on stage, many were disappointed when Perry did not participate in the band’s three-song performance - “Separate Ways,” “Lights” and “Don’t Stop Believin'” - that even featured early era members and the night’s inductees, Aynsley Dunbar and Gregg Rolie.

After the induction, Perry did not join the rest of the band to meet the press backstage.

But a bit of good news: Perry and Pineda had their first-ever meeting. “It means the world to me.. waited 35 years for this moment,” Pineda captioned a photo of the pair hugging it out.

#Journey #RockHall2017 pic.twitter.com/ZoPbQFgBUj - Chris Longo (@east_coastbias) April 8, 2017

One of the sweetest hug you can ever get from one of my heroes and silent mentors..it means the world to me..waited 35 years for this moment..thank you Almighty God!! #TheVoice #StevePerry #oneofthemostmemorable #maximumblessings Thank you so much Mr Steve Perry for your priceless words and graciousness.. @taratogs @curachalang @yulsession @journeymusicofficial You made it happen @yulsession Thank you for making this Fateful and Blessed Meeting with THE VOICE #StevePerry #youwillalwaysbetheOne #zhofallangngfezlak #mayey A post shared by arnel c. pineda (@arnelpineda2007) on Apr 7, 2017 at 5:25pm PDT

A well deserved standing ovation for Steve Perry. @JourneyOfficial #RockHall2017 pic.twitter.com/lPi23ePQeX - Janine H McElhone (@janinehalsey) April 8, 2017

INot even Siri knows why #StevePerry didn39;t sing. LOL. :) pic.twitter.com/zMNCyDRjN8 - Kimberly Tweets (@Kimberlys_Tweet) April 8, 2017

#RockHall2017 With all that’s going on in the world today, all I want to hear is #TheVoice #StevePerry sing once again w/ @JourneyOfficial pic.twitter.com/DTVnDRzJPy - John Galt Junior (@JohnGaltJunior3) April 8, 2017

Dammit #StevePerry ! Really wanted to hear you tonight - Northern Lala (@NorthernLala) April 8, 2017

I was mentally preparing myself in hopes #StevePerry would sing tonight. Going to go cry myself to sleep now. #WhyStevePerry #RockHall2017 - Tara (@TaraElizabeth24) April 8, 2017

Hours before the start of the ceremony, a rep for Journey told Entertainment Weekly , “We have just spoken with Steve Perry’s manager and he confirmed to us that he will NOT be performing tonight.”

Perry last performed with Journey back in 1991, but sang on their 1996 studio album, Trial By Fire . He officially left the band in 1998; since 2007, Pineda has done vocals for the group.

The Rock Hall also inducted Joan Baez, Electric Light Orchestra, Yes, Tupac Shakur, and Pearl Jam.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction ceremony will be broadcast on HBO April 29 at 8:00 pm ET/PT.

This article was originally published on PEOPLE.com

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The Day Steve Perry Played His Last Show With Journey

Steve Perry performed his last show with Journey on Nov. 3, 1991, at an all-star concert to honor late promoter Bill Graham. The show came almost five years after Perry's  last full concert with the band , on Feb. 1, 1987.

The reunited group got together to pay tribute – along with other artists who got their start in the San Francisco scene, including  Carlos Santana , the Grateful Dead  and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young  – in Golden Gate Park. Graham died in a  helicopter crash  on Oct. 25.

Journey hadn't played together since the end of their Raised on Radio  tour, and even though their performance at the Graham tribute was brief – less than 10 minutes, and featuring "Faithfully," "Lonely Road Without You" and "Lights" – it was a welcome return for fans who had been waiting for the moment since Perry retired from the group, which broke up following the singer's departure.

Following a 1994 solo album, Perry reunited on record with Journey for 1996's Trial by Fire album, which reached the Top 20 and spawned a trio of hit singles. The band was all set to tour in support of the record, but after Perry injured himself in a hiking accident, the tour was canceled and Perry left for a second and final time .

Watch Steve Perry's Final Performance With Journey

Journey continued with new singers, while Perry remained mostly quiet over the next 20 years, only making occasional appearances to sing "Don't Stop Believin'" with San Francisco Giants fans or onstage with the indie-rock band Eels .

Journey were among the artists inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2017, but Perry declined to perform with the group onstage. He finally returned to solo work a year later with Traces .

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Ex-JOURNEY Singer STEVE PERRY Was 'Emotionally Stunned' By 'Don't Stop Believin'' Achievement

Former JOURNEY singer Steve Perry has reacted to the news that the band's timeless rock anthem "Don't Stop Believin'" has officially been declared the "Biggest Song Of All Time" by Forbes . According to the RIAA ( Recording Industry Association of America ),the hit rock song likely heard by everyone around the world is now an 18-times-platinum-certified single.

Earlier today (Wednesday, March 20), Perry shared a link to the Forbes article and he included the following message: "When this 'Don't Stop Believin'' , 'The Biggest Song of ALL Time' article came out yesterday {3/19/24}I was so emotionally stunned. To be part of such a moment as this made me reflect on my parents. By that I mean, though I lost them both years ago, I was so happy for them because they are truly the reason this is happening. My dad was a singer and both of them were very musical. So on behalf of my Mom and Dad, I thank every one of you for so many years of support."

JOURNEY co-founder and lead guitarist Neal Schon was one of the musicians who commented below Perry 's post on Instagram , writing: "That's great Steve . God Bless. I myself reflect on the great time we had writing this song. Respectfully Neal Schon ".

You've heard "Don't Stop Believin'" literally everywhere since the 1980s: on the radio of every car you've ever owned, at every major sporting event you've attended in the last 20 years (including a live performance by the band at this year's NFC Championship Game between the Detroit Lions and San Francisco 49ers ),sung by Tom Cruise , Alec Baldwin and Mary J. Blige in the film "Rock Of Ages" , and covered by the cast of the TV show "Glee" . You heard it and then stared at a black screen in horror for a full 10 seconds wondering whether your DVR wasn't set to record the full episode, and then had it running through your head while you argued with friends over whether Tony Soprano got whacked in the diner or not.

Released in October 1981 for JOURNEY 's seventh studio album "Escape" through Columbia Records , "Don't Stop Believin'" quickly became the band's signature song. Critical acclaim was instant, with Billboard praising the "fluid guitar and vocal." AllMusic declared "Don't Stop Believin'" a "perfect rock song" and an "anthem", featuring "one of the best opening keyboard riffs in rock." Schon wrote the instantly recognizable bass line, and keyboardist and rhythm guitar Jonathan Cain had kept the song title from encouragement his father gave him as a struggling musician living on Sunset Boulevard. Decades after its release, the song became the best-selling digital track from the twentieth century, with over seven million downloads.

In a 2009 interview with CBC 's "Q" cultural affairs show, Perry said he always thought "Don't Stop Believin'" had potential as a single. It was always a hit with live audiences, though it didn't get great radio play at the time it was issued, he said.

"When we were doing the song in 1981, I knew something was happening, but honestly, when I saw it in the film 'Monster' with Patty Jenkins , I started think, 'Oh my goodness there's really something.'"

He added: "The lyric is a strong lyric about not giving up, but it's also about being young, it's also about hanging out, not giving up and looking for that emotion hiding somewhere in the dark that we're all looking for. It's about having hope and not quitting when things get tough, because I'm telling you things get tough for everybody."

Current JOURNEY singer Arnel Pineda , who has been fronting the band for 17 years, told CBS News in 2012, "Even before I discovered 'Don't Stop Believin'' , it has been my motto — you know, to never stop believing in myself. The life that I've gone through, all those hardships, I never stopped believing that someday there is something magical that will happen in my life."

In 2020, at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, "Don't Stop Believin'" became a rallying call for patients recovering from COVID-19 at two hospitals in New York and Michigan. The 1981 hit was being played at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, Michigan and the New York-Presbyterian Queens Hospital during celebrations for patients prevailing over the coronavirus.

Perry reunited with JOURNEY for the first time in years as they were inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in April 2017. The iconic singer appeared onstage with his former bandmates as they each gave speeches, but did not perform with the group later in the event.

Perry 's final full concert with JOURNEY took place in early 1987. He later rejoined his bandmates for a brief performance in 1991 to honor late concert promoter Bill Graham . He also appeared with JOURNEY when they received a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame in 2005.

JOURNEY will team up with DEF LEPPARD for a 2024 stadium concert tour of North America. The 23-city tour opens July 6 at Busch Stadium in St. Louis and concludes September 8 at Coors Field in Denver. The opening act for most of the tour dates will be fellow Rock And Roll Hall Of Famer Steve Miller and his band. Two other Rock Hall inductees will alternate as opening acts for the seven shows Miller is not playing — CHEAP TRICK and HEART .

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Steve Perry (@steveperrymusic)

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The Real Reason Steve Perry Left Journey

For years, Journey singer Steve Perry used to wear a necklace of a gold musical eighth-note. In 2018, he explained to Rolling Stone it was a gift he received from his mom when he was 12 years old.

"She always believed in me. I wore it for years and years, but hung it up in May of 1998, just after the band and I legally split and I had a complete contractual release from all my obligations to the band and label."

Perry fronted Journey to its greatest commercial success in the '80s, catapulting the band to arena rock stardom through the likes of "Open Arms" and "Don't Stop Believin'." However , by 1987, even with the triumph of Raised by Radio tour, the band was greatly fractured and went on hiatus for nearly ten years. 

As time heals all wounds, Perry reunited in the mid-90s with bandmates Jonathan Cain, Ross Valory, and Steve Smith. Now under the management of Irving Azoff, Journey released Trial by Fire. The Recording Industry Association of America certified the album platinum and the Recording Academy nominated one of its hit singles, "When You Love a Woman," for a Grammy.

Through pain, Steve Perry came back to music

Just before tour arrangements could be made, Perry collapsed while on a hike. He learned he needed hip surgery due to a degenerative bone condition. The band could not wait for Perry to heal, and so he was replaced by Steve Augeri and later Arnel Pineda .

For years, Perry's surgery explained his reason for officially leaving Journey. But in 2018, he made a revelation. Ahead of the release of his solo album Traces , Perry admitted his actual motive.

"The truth is, that I thought music had run its course in my heart," Perry said. "I had to be honest with myself, and in my heart, I knew I just wasn't feeling it anymore."

Perry , in soul and spirit, was tired. But like any true rockstar, he could not be away from the limelight too long. Traces allowed Perry to find music again. In a promise to his late girlfriend Kellie Nash, who died in 2012 from breast cancer, this was the moment he stopped isolating himself from the world. 

"I found myself with not only just a broken heart but an open heart," Perry told Billboard . "And from that came rock and roll."

Music | Will Steve Perry reunite with Journey? Here’s…

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Music | Will Steve Perry reunite with Journey? Here’s Perry’s answer

Musician Steve Perry attends the City Of Hope Spirit Of Life Gala Honoring Rob Light on September 19, 2013 in Playa Vista, California. (Michael Kovac/Getty Images for City of Hope)

Singer Steve Perry attends the screening of "Five" at Skylight SOHO on September 26, 2011 in New York City. (Jason Kempin/Getty Images)

A 1987 photo of the rock group Journey. From left, are: Steve Perry, Jonathan Cain, Neal Schon. (AP Photo)

Steve Perry works the crowd during the San Francisco Giants World Series victory parade through downtown San Francisco, Calif., on Friday, Oct. 31, 2014.

Steve Perry, the former lead vocalist of the rock band Journey, leads the crowd in the song "Lights" between innings during Game 4 of the San Francisco Giants National League baseball championship series against the St. Louis Cardinals at AT&T Park in San Francisco, Calif., on Wednesday, Oct. 15, 2014. (Doug Duran/Bay Area News Group)

(L-R) Courtney Phillips, Steve Perry, Marla Phillips and Camille Phillips attend the Beverly Hills Bar Association's Entertainment Lawyer of the Year Dinner at Beverly Hills Hotel on April 16, 2014 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Jerod Harris/Getty Images)

(L-R) Tracy Chapman, 2014 Beverly Hills Bar Association's Entertainment Lawyer of the year L. Lee Phillips and Steve Perry attend the Beverly Hills Bar Association's Entertainment Lawyer of the Year Dinner at Beverly Hills Hotel on April 16, 2014 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Jerod Harris/Getty Images)

Steve Perry attends the US Premiere of DreamWorks Pictures "Need For Speed" at The TCL Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles, CA on Thursday, March 6, 2014. (Eric Charbonneau/AP Images)

Singer Steve Perry and guest arrive at the Lifetime and Sony Pictures Television premiere screening "Five" at Skylight SoHo on Monday, Sept. 26, 2011 in New York. (AP Photo/Evan Agostini)

Many Bay Area music fans have long hoped that former Journey lead singer Steve Perry would someday join his old band onstage again.

Now, the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer — who left the multiplatinum-selling group in the late ’90s — has addressed that topic in an interview with Tracy Smith for “CBS Sunday Morning” that airs Oct. 7.

So, is there any chance that Perry will reunite with Journey?

“I can only answer that question with the truth: that I love going forward. I love going to the edge of what’s next,” Perry reportedly tells Smith in the interview.

Does that leave the door open for a reunion with Journey? It’s hard to say based on that response. But it’s got to give hope to fans that Perry didn’t just come right out and crush the idea completely.

Then again, Journey is very much in his past, and the reason he is doing interviews now is because he has a new album. A solo album.

Perry also addresses in the interview why he walked away from Journey in the first place. Part of the problem was that he was “nursing a bad hip,” which his “bandmates were urging him to get it fixed so they could keep going,” according to a news release.

But there was more to the situation than just his hip.

“It was really your heart, not your hip,” Smith says in the interview.

“It was really my heart,” Perry responds.

Yes, his heart just wasn’t in it. So, he went back home to Hanford, California, and just kind of hung out.

“I stopped singing,” Perry tells Smith. “Completely, Tracy, I swear.”

He’d end up falling in love with psychologist Kellie Nash, who Perry credits with getting him interested in making music again.

Nash, who was undergoing treatment for late-stage breast cancer at the time they met, died in 2012. “Nash, Perry says, made him promise he wouldn’t go back into isolation when she passed,” according to the news release. “He mourned for two years and began recording again.”

Perry released his third CD, “Traces,” on Oct. 5. It’s his first solo effort since 1994’s “For the Love of Strange Medicine.” No word on whether any concert dates are planned.

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Journey reunited with long-term frontman Steve Perry at their recent induction to the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, but their original lead vocalist, Gregg Rolie, has also revealed that he and lead guitarist Neal Schon have been discussing working together again.

The two Journey co-founders previously worked together on Santana’s 2016 album, Santana IV , while Schon is due to appear on Rolie’s forthcoming solo album. During an interview with Radio.com ahead of the induction ceremony, Rolie hinted at the possibility of them working together in the context of Journey.

The topic initially came up when Rolie was asked why he didn’t jam with Journey when they played a show with Santana last year. “Well, I’m not quite sure, other than there’s a couple of guys; I’m not in the band,” he said in response. “Neal wanted me to do that, and I wanted to do it, and I think it would be tremendous for fans, but there was a couple guys that voted no.”

He elaborated further, saying, “And so that’s the way it went. I think it’s a shame. People would’ve loved to have seen everybody on the stage gelling together. That’s what I got into doing this for, and having it be otherwise is kind of silly. I don’t know the reasoning. I don’t care about it. If that’s what it is, that’s what it is. Neal and I will do more stuff, and that’s really where it’s at. Remember, between [former Santana manager] Herbie Herbert and Neal Schon, that’s who started this band. It’s always been Neal’s band.”

Rolie concluded the interview by saying, “I love playing with him [Schon], I always have. I’ve known him since he was 15. I got him into Santana, for God sakes. So he and I have crossed paths so many times, and we’re older and kinder, so we’ll see what happens.”

26 Comments

Chris Hammond

April 29, 2017 at 6:46 am

Totally awesome for Gregg Rolie to hook up with Journey, Neal AND the other members. I know that each member has a vote, everybody should be mature enough to let this happen. Seems like the only threat would be to Jonathan Cain??? The only other would be If Steve Smith has a beef w/Gregg???

Josephine R

July 6, 2019 at 3:20 am

Mr. Rollie I loved what you did in Journey I do love your singing. However you are no Steve Perry. I loved what Steve brought to Journey and were he took Journey. I Love were Arinal is taking Journey. All of you are are so Bless with a gift that only God could have given. During that time you all needed one another. You all still do. No one is greater than another.. Look where you all have been! Steve Perry as well; his path was for time and for always. He well always remain in time. He is timeless. He was meant to do what he did for a season. Now his return will be timeless as I said . He only needs to come out on stage not even sing. He was born for this. God had other plans for him. Mr. Rolie he still has wonderful plans for you listen for it. If you think where you’ve been is all that. You have see nothing yet. Even at this of your life God has his hand on you your music and everything you do in it. I will be listening for Journey, Steve Perry and many others from our time period. I just love music form those that put their heart into music. I want to repeat this so you’ll hear me; because you need to. There are not many Steve Perry’s is this world. Why God choses send them into the world only He knows. Steve Perry is one of a kind. He was sent to Journey for a season. Has you God put it upon his heart to stop. I want you to know I have been praying for Journey for a very long time. Also many other Artist I make it my business to keep you all in prayer. I know that being in TV business over a decade I see a lot. Sometimes more than I care to. Being a Producer it’s no easy when I see who had a gift and who thinks they do and doesn’t. I see it all the time. Some times while I’m recording. I have do what I got to do.Well on I pray you receive this. I email this with a lot of respect. Josephine

synthonaplinth

July 27, 2019 at 5:16 pm

First you say ‘However, you are no Steve Perry’, then you go on to say that ‘No one is greater than another’.

You might want to change one of those comments.

April 29, 2017 at 9:21 am

No doubt Cain. He always looks like he is irritated about something. Maybe he should leave the band and go do his Christian Misic.

April 29, 2017 at 9:24 am

No doubt Cain. He always looks irritated about something.

ElectricFrank

April 29, 2017 at 1:05 pm

Bring the guy back that was replaced by Steve Perry on vocals . Great move

Ed Olsiewicz

April 29, 2017 at 4:00 pm

Honestly I love Journey, but the first three albums are Progressive Rock Classics. I still listen to them at least once a week.

April 29, 2017 at 6:55 pm

That would be Great!Greg and Neal… the icing on the cake would be to get Steve to join you guys.. and to see the MAGIC again… Give us some Blue’s and Soul Again.. Congratulations again to All you guys… thanks for the MAGIC music!

April 29, 2017 at 7:23 pm

Original four piece journey reuniting playing material off of the first three albums would be a dream gig. I would travel thousands of miles to see this.

February 10, 2018 at 11:46 pm

That show happened last night (2/9/18) in SF. Neal Schon, Greg Rolie, Dean Castronovo, and Marco Medoza played for 3+ hours, covering tons of material from the first three Journey albums and the first three Journey with Steve Perry albums when Rolie was still in the band. Amazing show. Check out some of the vids on YouTube.

April 30, 2017 at 1:09 am

I’d love to see that reincarnation of Journey…Schon, Rollie, Dunbar and Valory…wondering who said no…me thinks it was probably Cain…

April 30, 2017 at 4:16 am

I would love to see all the originals back together for a reunion tour.Its time guys!

April 30, 2017 at 7:20 am

How come Steve Perry didn’t perform tonight?

Journey Fan

April 30, 2017 at 9:25 am

Jonathan Cain likes to portray himself as being a good Christian. He even recently released a Christian rock cd. But the guy is all about the almighty dollar these days. He no doubt does not want to share band profits with a sixth member, and his ego is too fragile to be willing to share the stage with another keyboardist of high reputation. Pretty un-Christian-like traits if you ask me. Cain needs to either dedicate himself to continuing to move Journey foreword, or step aside. No more halfheartedly being in Journey. Work on new Journey music or step aside for someone who wants to work.

Roman Picco

April 30, 2017 at 12:59 pm

both keyboardist bring entirely different skills and sounds, plus being that Perry can’t sing like he used to any assistance from Rolie in the vocal department could only help. How awesome would it be to have both Cain and Rolie in the band, Cain also can double up on guitar where needed. The sum of all these attributes could only make Journey even better and truely a super group!

August 25, 2017 at 6:29 am

Here comes the bullshit about the fact that Steve Perry can not sing the way he use to sing! This is not true! He is older now,but his voice still beautiful and perfect like always! He is a great singer and he does not need any help from anybody to sing! Stop making stupid comments like that! Love to see how you can sing any of his songs! Try to do what he does with his voice! If you do well you can perhaps pass this kinda judment!

July 6, 2019 at 1:05 pm

Roman Steve Perry is one of a kind, I repeat one of a kind. This man has something most Artist donor have. He still has his voice class, one thing he doesn’t care what people think. Amen to that he real like you & me. He knows he human. He will always be timeless because of his voice & because of the way he relates to his fans people in central. God not only gave him a voice; He gave him a very special gift to know when to stop . Move on where I want you to go. We’ll revisit music shy. God is not done with Steve Perry Roman not by far. All he has to do is walk on stage not sing the crowd will go wild. This is another gift God has given this man. If he chooses to tour I for one will go see him. If he chooses not to; that’s alright by me. Don’t say he can’t sing with out assistance. Everyone has been judging this man enough already. Let him live has God intents him to. He don’t have that right. May peace be with you. Josephine

Mr P's R&R Riot

April 30, 2017 at 6:59 pm

And the crap continues to fly . They’re not getting any younger . Better get while the gettin’s good .

May 1, 2017 at 2:29 am

That’s probably why Steve Perry is out of all this. Congrats to Steve Perry and Journey for the RRH of F induction!

May 1, 2017 at 3:01 am

The irony is that Rolie recommend Cain to replace him since Journey was going in a more pop direction and Cain had co-written a bunch of hits for the Babys. Now Cain has turned into a big baby…

June 9, 2017 at 12:14 am

Arnel pineda has given 10 years to journey and I for one dont want to see him replaced by Steve or Greg they are the ones that left and Arnel has given his all! As long as he is included Im all for it yes Neal you’ve made it clear its your band but dont forget the ones that have stood beside you thru the years your fans and their fans have been loyal!

July 27, 2017 at 4:50 pm

I BELIEVE CAIN IS THE ONE WHO GOT RID OF STEVE BY GOING THERE AND TELLING STEVE TO COME BACK NOW OR ELSE. DO IT NOW OR WE WILL REPLACE YOU. HOW DARE HE THE LITTLE HYPOCRITE. AND NEAL WENT ALONG WITH IT..THIS IS A GREAT DISAPPOINTMENT TO ME FROM NEAL WHO PERRY WAS GREAT FRIENDS WITH. STEVE HAD A MEDICAL PROBLEM. I KNOW OF THE BITCH’IN PAIN HIP SURGERY IS. BITCH’EN I TELL YOU. AT THAT TIME I HAD MINE I WONDERED HOW OUR TROOPS COULD BE SO TERRIBLE WOUNDED IN THE FIELD AND SURVIVE THE PAIN BEFORE GETTING MEDICAL HELP. I BELIEVE THE PAIN ALONE COULD KILL A MAN.. THERE’S ONLY SO MUCH A MAN CAN TAKE. I’M TALKIN ANYONE WOULD AND THERE WOUNDS ARE HUGE! I LOVE STEVE SO MUCH FOR DOING WHAT WAS RIGHT FOR HIM. HE GAVE UP SO MUCH BUT THE EYES TRULY ARE THE MIRROR TO THE SOUL AND I COULD SEE LONELINESS, HURT, SORROW MANY TIMES IN HIS EYES FROM HIS PICTURES AND HIS MUSIC. BUT WHEN HE LAUGHS ….THE SUN IS IN THAT LAUGH AND I JUST WANT TO HUG HIM. HIS BEST LOOK, WHEN HE’S AT GIANTS GAME IN HIS CAP AND HIS LUMBER JACK SHIRTS. HE LOOKS LIKE A KID. I LOVE THIS MAN. HE TRULY IS A NICE MAN. I JUST FEEL IT! GO STEVE!

August 25, 2017 at 6:39 am

PJ i really respect and love your comment! This is what I really think about Steve Perry! I first heard him singing when I was 8 years old and my brother kept listen to his music throughout the years and I just felt in love with his voice and the lyrics on each song that he did sing! He really can show his feeling with his voice and with his eyes! His smile is just like a child smiling! I really admire his work and as well his beautiful personality! Big hug to you B

January 24, 2018 at 3:13 am

If Ross was the other holdout, I know an easy to get along with 53-year-old bass player who is clean, straight, and healthy, can play Journey’s stuff and sing some backings.

Alan Arnold

June 10, 2018 at 10:44 pm

I just hope they include Aynsley Dunbar in the reunion. His drumming is what gave the original Journey the progressive sound that was so awesome. One of the best rock drummers of our time…. amazing track record and helped elevate Journey as well. http://Www.aynsleydunbar.com

December 5, 2018 at 11:17 am

No matter how hard you try You and the rest will never be the Greatest rock band again (without Steve) yourjust another retro band that old and done!! Steve Perry is was always will be Journey and his awesome Solo albums prove it they stand on they’re own! Texas

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Watch Journey, Steve Perry’s Heartfelt Rock Hall of Fame Speeches

• By Rolling Stone

Rolling Stone

The most anticipated moment of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ceremony came when former Journey vocalist Steve Perry appeared alongside his ex-bandmates for the first time since a 2005 Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony. 

Although he didn’t sing with them (and hasn’t since a one-off event in 1991), Perry did stand with them at the podium to deliver an induction speech. If this moment didn’t lead to an actual reunion performance, it’s hard to imagine that anything will. But even without Perry, Journey is still able to pack arenas all over the world, largely due to their current singer, Arnel Pineda. Read the band’s speech below, including Steve Perry ‘s warm words for replacement vocalist Pineda.

Neal Schon:  Everyone did such a good job. Incredible work. So proud of you. This is all about you, fans…I love all you guys. Steve Perry, you are one in a million! [Applause] Santana, there would be no Journey without You; if it wasn’t for you, there would be No Journey. [Former Journey manager] Herbie Herbert, thank you from the bottom of my heart, for finding me after Gregg was picking me up in high school when I was 15. Soon after that, I was in the Santana group.

Wow, what a terrific, long ride it’s been. It’s been a beautiful one. I want to thank my beautiful wife, Michaele. Since she’s come to me, it’s been a white light and I just feel great. Never left my side one day! Delighted. It’s been seven years. She’s been on tour with me the whole time. I love you. I love my children, Miles! He’s here. An aspiring young guitar player. I love Miles. Lizzie, Sarah, Sophie, and Aja. Thank you so much! Rock n Roll Hall of Fame ! Thank you, you guys! 

Aynsley Dunbar: Good evening. Well, I hope I can be sort of funny as Chris Wyatt, but I don’t think so. This is going to be straightforward. This is an awesome honor to be here with my own bandmates, Journey. I would like to thank my family, my friends, my managers, my ex-wives … And of course, a big thank you to all our fans for your support throughout the years. A very humble thank you.

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Gregg Rolie: What a great night this is for waiting. This is my second trip here. And what a trip this has been. First Santana, Journey, Ringo Starr and back here with Journey. I want to thank Herbie Herbert, my manager and longtime friend through Journey. And Neal Schon, for calling me while I was up in Seattle and saving me from the restaurant business. Don’t ever do it. Just start Journey. And you know, it’s been an incredible trip for my life. I want to thank the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for inducting this band kindly. But also, for me, this is really about the fans. All of you. Without music fans, this place is empty. There’s nobody here! This is really, for me, this is really about all you guys, especially Journey fans for me. This is your award, but it will be proudly displayed in my home in Austin, Texas.

Steve Smith:  Rock and roll means many things to many people, as the diversity of the Class of 2017 clearly Illustrates. I started out in 1963, at nine years old, as a jazz drummer. I thank my parents Bruce and Lorraine Smith for finding me an excellent private drum instructor and supporting my musical passion. Back then, my favorite bands were the Count Basie Big Band and the Buddy Rich Big Band. It wasn’t until 1969 that I discovered rock and roll, when my friend Pudge Greenhalgh, from Cape Cod, showed me his brother Dave’s record collection.

He played me Jimi Hendrix, Cream and Led Zeppelin. What I heard was Mitch Mitchell, Ginger Baker and John Bonham; at that moment I could relate to rock drumming and rock music.

Disc jockey Alan Freed — a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee — once said, “Rock and Roll is really swing with a modern name. It began on the levees and plantations, took in folks songs, and featured blues and rhythm.” He said this in the 1950s. Now that we live in a global community, more influences have been added to, and will be added to, the definition of what is rock and roll.

For me, one of the most explosive shifts in musical direction came in 1971 with the creation of the Mahavishnu Orchestra with John McLaughlin, Billy Cobham, Jan Hammer, Jerry Goodman and Rick Laird. With drummer Billy Cobham, and a couple years later, Narada Michael Walden stepping into the Mahavishnu Orchestra, jazz officially rocked! In many ways, that funk-rock, jazz-fusion drumming concept was the template for my work with Journey.

I’m grateful for my touring with Ronnie Montrose where we were the support act for Journey in early 1978 and talent scout Neal Schon noticed what I bringing to rock and roll. Later that year, Neal, Steve Perry, Gregg Rolie, Ross Valory and Herbie Herbert invited me to become a Journey band-member, and it’s been an educational and rewarding ride!

Pearl Jam, Rush, Journey Members Cover Neil Young at Rock Hall All-Star Jam

Thanks to my children Ian and Elizabeth for keeping me in their hearts while I was away on long tours. And very special thanks to my wife Diane. We have been sharing our lives for the last 24 years, I love you dearly. Thanks to Jonathan Cain for the gifted song-writing and Arnel Pineda for keeping the legacy sound of Journey alive and moving forward. And a most important thanks to our fans from around the world that have kept Journey in their hearts and on their stereos. 

Ross Valory: One thing that you may not know is that this microphone is robotic. It’s supposed to come up and meet me where I am. Hello, microphone! Don’t make me come down there! Well, I know you’re really helpful, but you’re really not because there’s a big red clock that says I have three minutes, right? But then it says I only have 37 seconds. I also must say that Steve Smith did very well with his prepared speech. He worked the Teleprompter very well. I’m not going to even bother. I didn’t like mine. But I’ll start from the top and say that there’s a few things that were said earlier that I will repeat because their names deserve to be repeated. My life has been full of music from the very beginning. From the time I could hear. From the time they swabbed my ears out in the maternity ward, there was music everywhere. A large family, two talented parents who shared music with us, we learned from piano, ukulele, guitar. We all sang. As soon as I could, I was in a church choir, the school choir.

As soon as it was allowed, I could play an instrumental in symphonic band and so that continued all the way through high school. The family had a great variety of music to hear and be exposed to – anywhere from Miles Davis to Mozart, from Handel   to Fats Domino, from Glenn Miller to Dave Brubeck.

So somewhere in there, I thought, “That’s where my world was,” until a new kid came into town when I was a sophomore in high school. He goes, “Hey, I know who you are. I know you play in the symphonic band, whatever you play, guitar at home. And we need a bass player. I’m starting to deal with a bunch of your friends, and since you’re a guitarist, you can learn these parts very easily. Why don’t you get your mom to go down to the local music store, grab a bass, get an amplifier, we’ll make some change and have some fun?” I said, “OK.”

So, from that point, the life of music for me changed entirely, and here we are tonight. If that’s one booking, this could be the other one. If nothing else happens for me in music, this could be the best that it gets. There are many other people who I believe deserve this, and I’ll start by talking about someone I met in high school within one year of starting rock & roll. His name is Herbie Herbert. He is our former creator/partner/manager. And within five years of meeting him, we had created the beginnings of Journey with Gregg Rolie and Neal Schon. And we all know, or maybe need to know, that he put the blood, sweat and tears and all his energy into seeing this band succeed, and we are here to thank Herbie Herbert for that. 

But that, you know, we’re still here! What is happening? How have we continued? For the last 20 years, our current manager, John Baruck, and took a band out of exile and put them back on the map. We have him to thank. And then there’s all the fans, the hundreds of thousands of fans that have supported us for years. Thank you for this. All of you who have founded us, encouraged us, pushed us. They, our friends, deserve a piece of this award. And last but not least, out family members who maybe have suffered in our absence and given us hope, given us encouragement. Our family members. Yes. Our parents. My parents. And last but not least, the family who, and the love of my wife, Mary, who has understood and accepted this guy who goes away with the circus every year. Thank you so much.

Jonathan Cain: I just want to thank the Cubs for winning the World Series! I’d like begin by thanking my father and mother for believing in me. … from the time that I was eight years old and after, he later said to me, “Son, don’t stop believing.” On a life-changing phone call, as I started with my career back in the Seventies. He’s gone now. I miss you, dad and love you. Thanks to … Ralph Dodds, from the conservatory of Chicago, Jerry Milo … and to the late Buddy Killen, who gave me my first break in Nashville in 1969.

To my brother Tom who played drums with me in countless bands while we learned lessons together in rock & roll. To my brother Hal who always believed in my music. To the late Wolfman Jack and Don Kelly organization for opening doors and getting us started on the right path. To all the members of the Babies . To my brothers in Journey, for believing and trusting I could be part of it, or shifting and sustaining signature sound. To former band mates Steve Augeri and Deen Castronovo. To our music business family behind the scenes who work tirelessly, the record promotion people …   The DJs who gave us millions of spins. To the record distributors, who made sure our music made it to stores and on the shelves.

To Live Nation and the local promoters and most of all, our faithful fans who stood by us through the years. During the ups and downs. To our wise managers, Herbie Herbert and John Baruck, for keeping us on track during the tough times. We shared over 40 years having blessed relationships with all of you. And I believe relationships are the key to building a ramp and maintaining a presence in our music business. Thanks to the members of the Hall who voted to honor us tonight. Finally, I thank my three children, Madison, Weston and Liza for their understanding and accepting their dad had to hit the road all those years. And to my wife, Paula, who stands beside me with love and respect. I love you all. And thanks to you, Lord, for keeping your guiding hand on us all those years. This honor was truly worth the wait. God bless.

Steve Perry:  Hello, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame! You sure look good to me tonight. I’m going to keep my cheat sheet here because I’ve got a lot to say. I’m going to start with, when I was living in Los Angeles, I was looking to get a record deal, trying my very best. It was tough to get signed at those times. And I would always go to the Starwood to see Journey perform cause these guys have the most amazing musical ability. I’ve never seen a band like that in my life. So every time they’d go to the Starwood Club, I had to go watch with amazement. Though their musicianship was absolutely par to none, there was one instrument that was flying about the entire city of Los Angeles. That was the magic fingers of Neal Schon’s guitar! Somehow, one of my demo tapes fell into the hands of Herbie Herbert. I would not be here tonight if it was not for Herbie Herbert. Because he did not have to call me. He gets tapes all the time. But there’s something about the demo tape, and he called me. And the next thing I knew, because of Herbie, I was writing music with Neal Schon. And the very first song we ever wrote together was “Patiently,” you remember that? So, I absolutely must tell you, I must thank Herbie Herbert for believing in me. Thank you. 

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Aynsley Dunbar, Gregg Rolie, Steve Smith, Neal Schon, Jonathan Cain, Ross Valory. Are you fucking shitting me? Any singer would give his ass for that shit. They played so well. So, I want to thank them for all the music we’ve written. Thank you, Gregg for letting me live at your house to write the Infinity record. Thank you for letting me live at your house, Neal Schon. Thank you so much, Jon, for all the songs that we all have written together. Steve Smith’s amazing drums. Basso profundo, Ross Valory. Alright, guys, I thank you so much for all the music we’ve written and recorded together. It will be forever in my heart.

I must give a complete shout out to someone who sings his heart out every night, and it’s Arnel Pineda. Where are you, Arnel? Where are you?He must be backstage. To Arnel, I love you. Woooo! Hi Arnel! Thank you. I’d like to thank my longtime attorney, Lee Philips. I also would like to thank my old, high school R&B band. It was called The Sullies and it’s kind of where it all started for me. I would like to thank them. Thanks to Rob Stringer and the team at Columbia Records.

The Journey road crew. The original Journey road crew. Who busted their ass every night, every day. Load in, load out. Tirelessly. Day after day. Week after week. Year after year. Herbie knows that’s true. We would not be here today if it wasn’t for them, too. And also, I would like to send my condolences to the families of the members of Jim McCandless, Jackie Villanueva and recently, the great Benny Collins. Lastly, Fan Asylum was Journey’s first fan club. Herbie and Tim McQuaid got together and said, “You’re going to be our fan club; this is going to be great.” That’s what happened. Tim McQuaid, Lora Beard and Cyndy Poon made it all happen for us. So the fan club – Fan Asylum, was brilliant. I want to thank them.

Now, speaking of fans [applause], speaking of fans! You’re the ones who put us here! You are the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame! You put us here! We would not be here had it not been for you and your tireless love and consistent devotion. You never have stopped. And from my heart, I must tell you, I have been gone a long time, I understand that. But I want you to know, you’ve never not been in my heart. I want you to know that. And I love each and everyone of you. Thank you so very much!

The complete tale of prog rock legends Yes in a seven-minute animated video.

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What Happened To Steve Perry's Daughter? The Truth About The Journey Members Personal Life

• Journey's Perry, known for his music, had a hidden personal life, including a daughter who was kept out of the public eye.
• Despite being private, photos surfaced of Perry's daughter Shamela, hinting at the singer's private fatherhood.
• Perry found love in late Kellie Nash, inspiring his music comeback after years of isolation and personal struggles.

Steve Perry’s life in public mostly revolved around his music during the peak years of his career. The veteran rocker made a name for himself as the revered frontman of the iconic band Journey. However, away from his musical prowess and success, Perry had a complicated music career with Journey and a personal life that included a daughter with whom he had a strained relationship.

For the longest time, fans had no idea that the singer could have fathered a child because he was never married. Steve Perry had his personal reserve against marriage , and he made it public. However, the star made headlines in 2018 when he shared that he had a daughter, although he refused to speak further about her. This article will take a look at who Steve Perry’s daughter is, her life, and his personal life outside of fame.

A Look Into The Private Life Of Steve Perrys Daughter

Steve Perry caught fans of his 80s rock music off guard in 2019 when he revealed in an interview that he fathered a child. The Journey lead rocker made his reveal while speaking with American journalist Dan Rather. The news was even more surprising because it came out years after Perry decided to return to the music world. During the eye-opening interview, the music star briefly spoke about his grown daughter’s life, adding that he was also a grandfather.

The “After All These Years” singer, however, relayed that he was not willing to divulge more information about his daughter’s life as he preferred to keep her identity hidden. He further told the interviewer that her privacy was of the essence. Steve Perry stated:

I do have a child, but in the essence of protecting her, I kinda don't want to get into that...and I have grandchildren too."

The Reason Steve Perry Decided To Leave His Journey Band Members

However, the identity of Steve Perry’s only daughter appeared to surface in 2016 after eagle-eyed fans spotted and photographed her during a family outing. On Facebook, a fan page dedicated to Steve Perry showed two snapshots of the young lady and her family . Describing her as Shamela in the caption, the fan page presented the singer’s daughter looking happy with her children at an amusement park. The second image was an up-close photograph of Shamela posing with her superstar dad. The caption read:

Steve has a daughter and two grandsons. Her name is Shamela. No one knows what his grandsons names are because he protects them from public life

According to Tuko, Steve Perry welcomed his daughter with a woman he briefly dated in the 90s. The short-lived romance was private, leading up to their daughter’s birth. This ultimately led the former lovers to raise their child away from the limelight. It was also amid his fatherhood journey that Steve Perry noticeably drew away from the spotlight.

Since then, there haven't been any other public sightings caught on camera or shared on the internet. It is safe to say that the musician upheld his penchant for privacy at that time. It is noteworthy that he also hit a rough patch with his former bandmates around the same time. After decades of retreating to a very private life, Steve Perry reemerged in 2018, bearing a comeback album titled "Traces."

Steve Perry Is Still Making Millions From Journey, Even Though He Quit The Band In 1998

What happened to Steve Perry? During the years, he was missing in action, the Journey lead vocalist channeled a spiritual life and became enlightened on theological matters . Speaking to Rolling Stone in 2018, Perry opened up on how he learned to become open-minded about religions, although he did not actually become religious.

Steve Perry's career profile and net worth per Celebrity Net Worth:

Inside Steve Perry's Personal Life And Relationship

The Rock and Roll Hall of Famer got his big break alongside other members of Journey in the late 1970s after introducing music fans to their electrifying rock sound. Perry was known for his unique singing style, and it earned him a moniker from Jon Bon Jovi. Between his body of work with Journey and his solo career, Perry was known as "the Voice." Many years later, his evergreen music and name were immortalized in Billboard's Top 50 list of best rock singer band lead vocalists of all time.

During the years of his peak stardom, part of Steve Perry's love life played out in public, particularly his memorable relationship with Sherrie Swafford . The duo was known as one of the IT couples in the 1980s, and as a sign of his love, Perry dedicated his hit song, "Oh Sherrie" to her. The song came off his first solo album "Street Talk," which was released in 1984.

However, their romance did not stand the test of time due to Steve Perry's busy lifestyle. The singer was always on the road, doing so many tours, that this eventually drove a wedge between them. Following their breakup, Sherrie Swafford retreated from the spotlight until 2013, when Marc Tyler Nobleman of Nobelamania blog caught up with her. Swafford revealed to him that she had become an esthetician with a love for animals and yoga. She revealed that she never got married, but unlike Steve Perry, she never had kids.

Is Steve Perry Still Feuding With The Rest Of Journey?

Steve Perry found love again in 2011 when he met the late Kellie Nash . She was a cancer survivor at the time, and they hit it right off from the start. During an interview with the New York Times, Perry revealed that his relationship with her was the greatest thing that ever happened to him. The lovers were together for one year and a half before Nash passed on in 2012.

What became of Steve Perry's career after exiting Journey? On her deathbed, Kellie Nash made the Dream After Dream singer promise he would never retreat to isolation again. This ultimately geared his return to the music world. Steve Perry never had a wife due to how he witnessed the failed marriages of some of his friends, but it is safe to say that he experienced life-changing and wholesome romances.

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A singing janitor from indiana got an america's got talent golden buzzer with his unbelievable voice, share this article.

This is what  America’s Got Talent is all about.

On Tuesday’s premiere episode of the 19th season, Richard Goodall stole the show. The middle school janitor from Indiana stepped up to the mic and told the judges he was going to sing.

Then, in the original key of the song (which is wild because Steve Perry’s voice is extremely high!), he performed Journey’s Don’t Stop Believin’ a nd nailed EVERY. SINGLE. NOTE.

It’s incredible. And sure enough, he got himself a Golden Buzzer courtesy of Heidi Klum, which means we’ll see more of him. And that’s a really good thing.

Watch this. It’s amazing:

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Shy Janitor Richard Goodall Crying After Getting Heidi's Golden Buzzer Is So Emotional

Richard Goodall had never been on a plane before, but that didn't stop him from chasing his dreams on AGT Season 19.

America’s Got Talent is a place for people with immense talent, but with sometimes limited access to a grand stage to showcase it. Perhaps no one embodied that more than Season 19 premiere superstar, Richard Goodall. 

How to Watch

Watch America’s Got Talent Tuesdays at 8/7c on NBC and next day on Peacock . 

The humble janitor from Terre Haute, Indiana closed out the premiere episode by kicking the already high talent bar up another notch with a vocal performance you simply had to hear to believe. In fact, it was so good it earned one of the coveted Golden Buzzers from a Judge who was just as moved by his song as everyone in the crowd. 

How Richard Goodall made it to AGT

Before he took the stage, Goodall noted he grew up loving music and listening to it endlessly as a kid. When he got older, he needed money so he took a job as a janitor at a middle school just three blocks from where he lived. To pass the long hours, he would often belt out some jams in the hallways, much to the delight of the students. 

RELATED:  Where You Can Watch AGT 19 This Season

Eventually, he believed them when they told him he had talent, which prompted Goodall to get on a plane for the first time in his life and audition for AGT  19 — and it's a good thing he did! 

What song did Richard Goodall sing for his AGT  audition? 

When he took the stage to answer some of Simon Cowell’s preliminary questions, it was clear to anyone watching that Goodall was shy and a little nervous to perform in what was doubtlessly his biggest crowd ever.

However, all nerves seemingly fell away when he hit the first note of Journey’s 1981 classic “Don’t Stop Believin’.” The Judges and the audience were shocked to hear this quiet janitor suddenly hit the song’s notes with the talent of a seasoned professional singer. It didn’t take long before the crowd was on its feet, with some even being moved to tears.

Heidi Klum awards Richard Goodall her first Golden Buzzer of the season

Perhaps Cowell said it best (and most matter-of-factly) when he told Goodall he was his hero. 

“That was special, genuinely special,” he added. “I think America is going to love you.” 

Sofia Vergara agreed, saying: “I mean that was spectacular, that was fun. This was an amazing surprise. I think you are perfect to come to AGT because you made our night.”

Howie Mandel told the singer he “cleaned up” and called him “amazing” before speculating that all his students watching at home were probably screaming for him. 

However, it was Heidi Klum who gave the highest praise in the form of one of her two Golden Buzzers of the season. 

RELATED:  Heidi Klum's Got Talent: Watch the AGT Judge Yodel a German Son

“Richard, Richard, Richard, you knocked me off my feet,” she said. “I mean we all had the best time with you up on that stage. I really feel something with you up there and I hear you up there… and now, this is what I’m going to do for you, because I love you.” 

With that, she pressed her Golden Buzzer and instantly moved Richard to tears. 

“I’ve never even been on plane,” he said as golden confetti rained down on him. “This was not on my radar to come to California, this was a dream come true.”

After coming up on stage to hug him, Klum accompanied Goodall backstage where he called his fiancée to tell her the good news. While she was clearly proud of him, it was clear she wasn’t surprised his smooth voice earned him a Golden Buzzer. 

Watch all-new episodes of America’s Got Talent, airing Tuesdays at 8/7c on NBC and streaming the next day on Peacock .

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AGT : Season 19 Kicks Off with 2 Golden Buzzers and an 'Amazing Surprise' from an Indiana Janitor of 23 Years

"I know how lucky I am. And I’m not taking any of this for granted," janitor Richard Goodall tells PEOPLE after winning Heidi Klum's Golden Buzzer on the May 28 episode

Trae Patton/NBC

Warning: this post contains spoilers from the season 19 premiere of  America's Got Talent .

America's Got Talent  is back in action — and the season 19 contestants came ready to compete!

On the May 28 premiere, fans were treated to an exciting episode filled with impressive dance acts, comedians, magicians and even a 2-year-old mathematician.

But the most emotional moment came at the end of the episode when Indiana janitor Richard Goodall took the stage and ended up scoring one of judge Heidi Klum 's Golden Buzzers.

"Golden Buzzer [winners] are an elite group of people. I never in a million years expected to be in that class," Richard, 55, tells PEOPLE exclusively. "And I still can’t believe Heidi did that!"

In his intro package, Richard — or, "Mr. Richard" as he's affectionately called by the kids at the middle school he works at — said he's from Terre Haute, Indiana and has lived there his entire life.

"I was that kid up in my bedroom with the Radio Shack stereo," he said. "My favorite thing was just to sit up and listen to my music, and I just belt it out. Eventually, I was like, I gotta find me a job. So I become [sic] a janitor at Chauncey Rose Middle School, which is only three blocks away from my house."

Richard has been working at the school for 23 years but always had a passion for singing.

"I'm not a fancy person. I take out the trash. I wipe off the tables, I sweep the floors. I'm just having fun and I'm trying to make people happy," he explained. "The kids would hear me sing and they tell me that I I've got talent. That's why I'm here, that's why I got on a plane."

"When I took off from Indianapolis, I felt that front wheel come off the ground and you have this floating [feeling], you're no longer stable. And that's what this whole experience is like right now," he continued. "It's a good off-balance but until you actually do something, you don't know if it's right for you or not."

After arriving on stage and introducing himself to Heidi and fellow judges  Howie Mandel ,  Simon Cowell and  Sofia Vergara , Richard began singing a powerful rendition of "Don't Stop Believin'" by Journey . It was a moment that took nearly everyone by surprise, especially because Richard's voice had a similar sound and pitch to that of former Journey frontman Steve Perry .

"Richard, you are my hero! Cause that was special, genuinely special. I think America is gonna love you," Simon said, as Sofía added, "That was spectacular, that was fun, this was an amazing surprise. You were perfect to come to AGT ."

In true Howie fashion, he joked: "Maybe it's because you've been doing it for 23 years, but you just cleaned up! I would imagine that every kid who's ever been in a school with you is just screaming."

But it was Heidi who said Richard "knocked me off my feet" with his performance.

"We all had the best time with you up there on that stage. I really, really feel something when I see you up there and hear you up there, and now this is what I'm gonna do for you because I love you," she said before pressing her buzzer, prompting gold glitter to come falling from the ceiling.

Richard was moved to tears by the moment, later telling the cheering crowd, "I've never even been on a plane. This was not on my radar to come to California. It's just a dream come true."

Speaking to PEOPLE after winning the Golden Buzzer, Richard says the song's title was a perfect representation of his journey up until this point.

"I tried out for AGT in 2009 and didn’t make it past the first round in Chicago... But like the song says, 'Don’t stop believing!' How can I tell the kids that and not reach for dreams too?" he says. "The songs I love to sing are timeless, and they give everyone hope. That’s what I really want to do, just give people hope [and encourage them to] never give up."

As for whether he thinks he can win the whole competition, Richard says he has "no expectations" but "that definitely doesn’t mean I’m not going to give it everything I’ve got."

"I’m a normal person who does regular things for people. My singing, I have done mostly every year in our schools. Anytime they have asked me to sing I did it," he adds. "To this day, I know how lucky I am. And I’m not taking any of this for granted."

In addition to Richard, the May 28 premiere also saw host  Terry Crews  give out one of his Golden Buzzers to Zimbabwean comedian Learnmore Jonasi.

"Backstage, you were telling me that you were taking 14-hour bus trips to go perform for five minutes and then having to take 14-hour bus trips back home," he said before pushing his buzzer. "Brother, you will never have to go back home again because you are here with us!"

Speaking to PEOPLE about the moment at the AGT season 19 premiere, Crews said he couldn't "wait for the world to see" his Golden Buzzer-winning act.

"I'm so proud," he said. "It's one of the best feelings in the world knowing you're changing someone's life instantly. It's literally better than money because if you give someone that endorsement — the thing that they need to continue their dreams, not only continue it, but actually put it in front of billions of people — it's fantastic!"

Never miss a story — sign up for  PEOPLE's free daily newsletter  to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

America's Got Talent  airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET on NBC.

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