journey band new singer

Arnel Pineda

Who Is Arnel Pineda?

After a series of unfortunate events in his childhood, Arnel Pineda found success in Asia as the front man for the group The Zoo. In 2007, he was discovered by Journey guitarist Neal Schon, after a series of YouTube videos were posted of him covering American songs, including the famous hit, "Dont Stop Believin'." In December 2007, Pineda became the new lead singer of Journey. His is noted for having a strikingly similar sound to former Journey front man Steve Perry.

Troubled Childhood

Arnel Pineda was born on September 5, 1967, in Sampaloc, Manila, in the Philippines. Throughout his childhood, Pineda endured grave misfortune. When he was just 13 years old, his mother, who was 35 at the time, passed away after a long battle with heart disease. Her medical costs left the family in serious debt, and Pineda's father could no longer provide for Pineda and his three younger brothers, Russmon, Roderick and Joselito.

While relatives were able to take in his brothers, Pineda was left on his own. He spent the next few years homeless, often sleeping outside in public parks and scraping for any food or water that he could afford. When possible, he would stay at a friend's house, who offered him a cot outside. Eventually, Pineda was forced to quit school and take up odd jobs collecting scrap metal and bottles at the pier and selling newspapers to support his family.

Early Career

Pineda's love of music started at a young age. He began singing at just five years old, and had entered many singing contests as a child. In 1982, when he was 15, Pineda was introduced to a local band called Ijos, and was encouraged by his friends to try out as their new lead singer. He sang the Beatles' "Help" and Air Supply's "Making Love Out Of Nothing At All." Although they were concerned with his lack of training, Ijos members were wowed by Pineda's powerful voice, and took him on as the new front man of the band. One of the band member's friends even offered to pay Pineda's salary, 35 pesos a night, out of his own pocket, and Pineda was offered a tiny room to sleep under the guitarist's front stairs.

In 1986, some members of Ijos joined together to form the new pop-rock band Amo. The group found success covering songs by hit groups Heart, Queen and Journey. In 1988, they turned heads when they won the Philippines' leg of the Yamaha World Band Explosion Contest. Although they were disqualified in the finals due to a technicality, the event was broadcast on TV in Asia, widening their fanbase. The band continued performing at popular clubs and arenas around the Philippines.

In 1990, the members re-grouped yet again, under the new name Intensity Five, and re-entered the contest. The band came in as runner up and Pineda won the Best Vocalist Award. After a series of unfortunate health problems in the early '90s, including the brief loss of his voice, Pineda re-emerged in 1999 with a new solo album with Warner Brothers. The self-titled album had several hits in Asia.

After brief stints with a few different bands, Pineda found success again in 2006 with The Zoo, a band that he formed with Monet Cajipe, a guitarist/songwriter who had been in all his bands during over the previous 20 years. The Zoo performed at several popular clubs in the area and, in 2007, released an album by MCA Universal titled Zoology . Soon the band began covering songs by groups such as Journey, Survivor, Aerosmith, Led Zeppelin, The Eagles and more, with more than 200 performances uploaded to YouTube.

On June 28, 2007, Neal Schon, guitarist and member of the band Journey, saw a video of Pineda on YouTube and immediately contacted him. The band had been looking for a new lead singer, and Pineda's voice sounded strikingly similar to Steve Perry, Journey's legendary former front man. After speaking with Schon on the phone, Pineda made arrangements to fly to the United States and audition with the band in San Francisco. On December 5, 2007, Pineda was welcomed as the band's new lead singer.

Right away, Pineda went on tour with the band, performing two shows in Chile and two in Las Vegas. Both were a huge success. After a series of guest show appearances and magazine features, Pineda gained popularity within the American public. On June 3, 2008, the newly organized Journey released their first album, Revelation , which came in at No. 5 on the U.S. charts. The album was their highest charting album since Trial by Fire (with Steve Perry), and reached platinum status by October 2008.

Soon after the album's release, the band continued touring around the world with Pineda. The documentary, Don't Stop Believin': Everyman's Journey , slated to be released in 2012, will chronicle the band's "Revelation Tour," and Pineda's first years with the band.

Personal Life

When he is not on tour, Pineda resides in the Philippines with his wife, Cherry, their children, Cherub and Thea. He has two other sons—Matthew, 19, and Angelo, 13—from past relationships.

QUICK FACTS

• Name: Arnel Pineda
• Birth Year: 1967
• Birth date: September 5, 1967
• Birth City: Sampaloc, Manila
• Birth Country: Philippines
• Gender: Male
• Best Known For: Arnel Pineda is best known as the new lead singer for the rock group Journey.
• Astrological Sign: Virgo
• Nacionalities

CITATION INFORMATION

• Article Title: Arnel Pineda Biography
• Author: Biography.com Editors
• Website Name: The Biography.com website
• Url: https://www.biography.com/musicians/arnel-pineda
• Access Date:
• Publisher: A&E; Television Networks
• Last Updated: July 20, 2020
• Original Published Date: April 2, 2014

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Steve Perry Gives His Honest Opinion on New JOURNEY Singer Arnel Pineda

• August 20, 2021
• 1 minute read

During a recent conversation with SiriusXM, classic Journey vocalist Steve Perry talked about the band’s new singer Arnel Pineda , who’s been a member of the fold since 2007.

Steve reached the topic while discussing Journey ‘s 2017 Rock Hall induction, saying (via Blabbermouth ):

“When I walked out there, that was a real thrill. They had a whole worked-up thing – they had a big teleprompter, and I said, ‘F that.’ I pulled out my piece of paper. I said, ‘I got some things to talk about here,’ and I just sort of did my thing. The fans, they were so wonderful.”

Asked on why he didn’t perform at the ceremony, Steve replied:

“I’m not in the band. I haven’t been in the band for quite some time. Arnel’s been in the band for almost 10 years, I think. He’s a sweet kid – he’s a wonderful kid. He sings his heart out every night. It’s his gig.

“There was a gentleman who we recently lost named Harry, part of the management team. Harry was there with me and he said, ‘Steve, listen, I don’t know if you know, but Arnel’s running up and down the halls. He heard you’re here, backstage.’

“I said, ‘Well, where is he?’ He said, ‘I think he’s outside.’ I said, ‘Okay, I’ll come out.’ I walked out and he was there, and he comes up to me… there was something endearing about the way he looked at me. He was meeting, like, a grandfather. [Laughs] He’s got the gig. It’s his gig. He’s doing great.”

Related Topics

• Steve Perry

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49 comments

Bring Steve back, ideots

the idiot is the one who can’t spell idiot

Why couldn’t Paul Rogers be a man like Steve Perry. Paul treated Brian Howe like sh*t.

Maybe he is not as good as Arnel’s voice almost copied almost same voice of Steve Perry that’s all I can say

Savage!!!!!😂😂😂

Both ” Arnel and Steve, and add, ” Taka” the lead singer from,” One O.K. Rock” all three would put on the show of shows!

He really is an edyot…

You’re damn right😁🤪.

You re very right!

Hey Andy, Speaking of IDIOTS!!

Bring back Steve Perry to the group so that Arnel may have substitute for vocal …just like john lennon paul mc cartney combination 🙏🥰💥

Steve doesn’t want to come back. He walked and was done with band. Why don’t you go back to an old job? Idiot

Steve can’t sing anymore. How he can do the things you want?

FUNNY HE JUST CAME OUT WITH A NEW AULBUM . HE CAN’T SING. LMFAO

welll idiot steve does not want back if he did he would be sooooo your the idiot idiot

Steve knew he can’t bring back the voice where the Journey was once before..Great that he recognize Arnel as the new lead singer of the band

Lmafol, how you spell Capital I•D•I•O•T🤣🤣🤣

Before I die, I would love to see the original Steve Perry and Journey together performing we need to do

Are you kidding me? Steve Perry- what grace and dignity you bring with this. Well done. Clearly your spirit, your conscience, is every bit as beautiful as your voice. ???

Got to love a class act like Steve Perry much love and respect ?

YOU ARE ABSOLUTELY RIGHT AND i JUST MET SOMEBODY WHO MET Steve Perry AND SAID HE WAS GREAT AND HUMBLE GUY AND VERY HUMOROUS.

Well done, Steve.

Awe yes, but he’ll never ever be you❤️

Steve Perry can never be replaced!

And can never sing his song exactly the same as what he did when he was at his prime with the band… that’s why he will never want to come back because he can’t do the same thing as what he did before like what arnel do at the present.

I sew him in concert 3 years ago and he was amazing Steve you will allways be number 1 but agree with Arnel is amazing Think journey is in good hands with him I would of like to seen you perform at the rock roll hall fame cearmoney but I think you were varry kind to say this is arnel crow dosin,t want to over well him I think you made a great choice but thir will allways be 1 Steve parry and that’s you. I’m going see them again next month with billy idol I can’t wait.

No one’s trying to replace Steve. He is Steve Perry. He is Arnel Pineda. Immature ppl don’t get it.

ABSOLUTELY CORRECT, DID YOU SEE ARNEL PINEDA FACE OF APPRECIATION WHEN THEY MET BACKSTAGE AT THE AWARDS. ARNEL SHOULD HAVE BEEN DOWN ON THE STAGE DURING THE AWARDS SHOW TOO, BUT HE THOUGHT BECAUSE IT WAS FOR THE ORIGINAL GROUP ONLY. HONESTLY IT SHOULD NOT HAVE MATTER, ARNEL IS THE MAN FOR JOURNEY NOW. THERE IS ROOM FOR A NEW HISTORY MAKING MOMENT FOR TWO FRONT MEN FOR JOURNEY AND THIS WILL BRING ON TOGETHER LEGIONS OF NEW FANS FOR JOURNEY OF BOTH MEN AND EVEN THE UNDECIDED UNDER ONE UMBRELLA TO SQUASH THE DEBATE ON WHOSE BETTER.

DID YOU SEE THE REACTION OF ADMIRATION FOR STEVE PERRY FROM ARNEL PINEDA WHO COVERS STEVE PERRY MUSIC DURING HIS YOUTH AND NOBODY HAS DONE IT BETTER THAN HIM AND i HAVE TRIED MYSELF AS MY VOCALS JUST DON’T MAKE THE GRADE TO COME CLOSE TO THE LIVING LEGEND. IF JOURNEY DON’T JUMP ON A HISTORY MAKING MOMENT TO HAVE TWO GREATIST FRONTMEN TO HAVE LED JOURNEY INTO THE FUTURE SOMETHINING IS WRONG IF YOU CAN’T GET THESE TWO TO WORK TOGETHER. SEAL THE LEGACY WITH AN ENTIRE DUET OF THESE TWO ON ANOTHER REBIRTH OF JOURNEY…WE ALL NEED A NEW FRONTEIR. WE HAVE TWO SUPERHEROES FOR JOURNEY. MAKE BOTH OF THEM A LEGEND BY HAVING THE ONLY GROUP TO EVER HAVE TWO FRONTMEN ACTUALLY WORK TOGETHER. UNLIKE THE FAILURE OF VAN HALEN WITH SAMMY HAGAR AND DAVID LEE ROTH. THAT WAS OIL AND WATER MIX.

Perry isn’t coming back. Isn’t that obvious? He felt he was screwed/betrayed. Schon mentions trying to communicate with Perry, just to say hi. Perry won’t answer. Does that sound like someone who would want to return even if the offer was made?

Every time someone says “Bring back Perry!” I just shake my head.

STEVE WOULD COMEBACK IF IT WAS WORTH SAVING JOURNEY, BUT AS HE SAID IT IS ARNEL TIME TO SHINE TO CARRY JOURNEY. ARNEL HAS PROVEN HIMSELF AS THE FAN HAS APPROVED HIM MUCH BETTER THAN THE PAST REPLACEMENT WHO DID A DECENT JOB BUT NOT THE POINT WHERE THEY MATCHED OR EVEN CAME CLOSE TO STEVE VOCALS THE WAY ARNEL VOCALS SOUNDS SO ORIGINALLY CLOSE. WHY WOULD STEVE WANT TO COMEBACK UNLESS THEY INVITE HIM BACK TO PERFORM WHICH JOURNEY MEMBERS SHOULD HAVE NO PROBLEM LETTING STEVE PERFORM LIVE WHENEVER HE WANTS TO PERFORM AGAIN. IF THIS IS SO TO HAVE TWO OF THE GREATEST FRONTMEN TO REVIVE A GROUP FOR AN EVEN LONGER LONGEVITY FOR FUTURE FANS.

Journey is a great group band but who run the group is stupid. ..we filipinos dont need journey for ARNEL PINEDA..we LOVE ARNEL PINEDA with his GREAT TALENT and his GREAT VOICE n SKILL…if there is no stupidity @ journey why steve perry left the group …🤨🤔

I WANT TO SAY THAT I LOVED HIS STREET TALK SOLO MUSIC AND HIS NEWEST ONE HE RELEASING TO WHAT i HEAR STILL CLASSIC STEVE PERRY. YOU CAN RELATE TO THE WORDS HE WRITE OR SING WHAT WAS WRITTEN FOR HIM. EITHER WAY HIS MUSIC IS ALWAYS GREAT.

Why didnt axl join journey during the nevermind days?

Steve Perry is a real gentleman. I salute him for speaking his heart out.

Schon Lechon is a devil in disguise. He must change his contaminated heart and mind before the Journey becomes NOBODY LIKE HIM.

you are the only ones who think that someone will replace steve even arnel doesn’t think like that infact arnel’s favorite singer is steve perry and he never thinks that he is replacing steve, the only problem is you narrow minded journey fans.

I can’t agree more bro. , a lot of people just keep on complaining and comparing between the which is really non-sense, Steve is Steve no matter what same as Arnel. They are unique in their own way in my opinion. It’s just plain stupid a lot of fans out there keep bashing Arnel for what he is, in reality Arnel has been with the Journey longer than Steve! Since Arnel took over as the front man I think he did the Journey a big favor in joining them as they can’t find any replacement until they discover Arnel on his Youtube channel.

You are one of the greatest artists Please come back to the world The one and only…..no replica No one can ever replace you

Love always B From Canada 🇨🇦

J Cain once said Arnel is not filling in Perry’s shoes. Arnel got his own shoes that shines.

Steve Perry is one of a kind a class act and amazing performer to this day i listen to Journey when Steve Perry sang

THE ONLY SATAN IN THE GROUP IS SCHION. WHO FEELS HE CAN MAKE JOURNEY ALIVE AS IT WERE IF NOT WTHOUT HIM. THANKS TO ARNEL, SCHION WOULD HAVE BEEN IN A NURSING HOME ON ROCKING CHAIR ROCKING HIS WAY TO OBLIVION. SO WATCH UR MOUTH SCHION

People, note that, Arnel Pineda did not replace Steve Perry he replace or took over the position as the lead singer.

Steve Perry really handled that well. Arnel really admires Perry and knows that he’s a legend. Star struck. Steve Perry is not coming back to Journey and can you blame him? It’s a drama and a mess of a band.

Jrny has always been evolving their music, line up ect. Perry was okay with it till it was his turn to take a pause He could have came back after his hiking accident but he didn’t So they moved on and have done well

Steve is Steve and Arnel is Arnel, both are great singers and should not be a topic for a battle of comparison. Steve Perry is done doing Journey and he won’t be back and that’s all there is to it. The international success is just the icing on Arnel’s cake, but with or without Journey he is doing well as a recording artist with his original band “The Zoo”. That “Bring Back Steve Perry” bandwagon is just very immature and silly, to say the least.

Everyone knows that nobody could ever be a “Steve Perry” However, Arnel Pineda—- I must say that you are very impressive and I love the way you came in and Rocked every single Journey song! Arnel, you’re amazingly BLESSED with a powerhouse of a voice, a great demeanor, and swag outta this world! I definitely am super happy that Journey continues!

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Neal Schon on Journey’s ‘New Strut,’ Possible Arnel Pineda Biopic, and His New Solo LP

By Andy Greene

Andy Greene

Three years ago, Journey guitarist Neal Schon finished a solo album of instrumental tracks that mixed classic-rock covers like “Hey Jude” and “Voodoo Child” with originals he created with producer-drummer Narada Michael Walden. Since that time, Journey fired drummer Steve Smith and bassist Ross Valory after a bitter business dispute, brought in Walden and Raised on Radio –era bassist Randy Jackson to take their places, and canceled a 2020 summer tour with the Pretenders due to the pandemic.

During his forced downtime, Schon decided it was finally time to share his instrumental album, The Universe , with the world. “This has been a hellacious year,” he says. “There’s some healing music on here. I feel like it’s going to ease a lot of people’s pain and give them something new to listen to and some hope.”

Schon called up Rolling Stone to talk about The Universe (which is streaming right now), the legal battle that split Journey apart, parting ways with manager Irving Azoff, repairing his relationship with keyboardist Jonathan Cain, cutting Journey’s new album while on lockdown, his continued hopes of making peace with Steve Perry, the possibility of an Arnel Pineda biopic, and why he thinks this new lineup of Journey will lead to a whole new era for the band.

Tell me the backstory of The Universe. About three years ago, I ran into Narada Michael Walden. I said, “Narada, why don’t you write me a record?” We’d known each other forever and had jammed and played live together, but we’d never really worked together with him as a producer and me as a guitar player.

I said, “I really want to veer away from anything that sounds like Jeff Beck.” That’s because there’s only one Jeff Beck and only one Jimi [Hendrix]. But I said, “You’ve known me for a long time and you know what I like to play. What I’m hearing is a very majestic, symphonic-type blues-R&B-fusion rock album.”

He goes, “That’s the whole spectrum.” I go, “Let’s just diversify it.” And so he said, “Let me have a few days and I’ll call you when I have some tracks.” Three days later, he calls me and says, “Why don’t you come by the studio? I have some stuff to play for you.”

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Where did it go from there? I went by the studio and he had like six tracks that he had written with drums on them, keyboard bass, and voice singing the main melody of a guitar. He said, “Take this home and get comfortable with it and let me know when you’ve got it down.”

This was something new for me because I usually write my own material. I took it home, listened to it, and worked my way around it. I felt like I was going to improv my way through the melodies and add my own shtick to it.

I went into the first session with him and I started playing something from the heart where I veered away from the melody. He said, “What are you doing?” I said, “I’m just playing what it is.” He said, “No, you have to play that melody exactly like I’m singing it.” I went, “Oh. OK.” He goes, “I’m treating you like you’re a vocalist and your guitar is the vocal.”

After conforming to that, I managed to get things down very quickly on the record. We worked on it in different time periods. We got as much done as I could when I was home and then I’d go tour and come back and work with him when he was available. We finished it over the duration of about a year with three, four weeks in the studio altogether.

Let’s talk about some of the specific songs. Tell me about your version of Prince’s “Purple Rain.” There’s a clip of me on the internet playing it in the Twin Cities right after he passed [in 2016]. I get a few sections in the [Journey] set to do my own thing. And I’ve been looping for years. And so a lot of times I’ll loop some chord changes to a song and improv my way through it.

That night, I didn’t really know what I was going to do. But I felt his presence and I played the chord changes. I overdubbed one of the melodies he did on the end. I put that in there and just blew through it and the audience really came unglued. It was his hometown, but he just passed and I captured the moment.

That stuck with me and I said to my friend Gary Cirimelli, who I did the [2001]  Voice record with, “Please do me an orchestration of ‘Purple Rain.'” He did an amazing job and I actually recorded that before I started the record with Narada.

You also tackle “Voodoo Child.” Clearly you weren’t shy about taking on some of the greatest guitarists of all time. You know what? They are in my blood. I grew up with these people and I’ve been playing a long time. I’d actually been jamming with Narada before at Golden Gate Park in front of about 100,000 people. He said, “We’re going to play ‘Voodoo Child.'” I said, “Great, I know it.” I jumped onstage and we jammed for a while and the audience loved it. It actually goes back in time where I played the Crossroads Festival for Eric Clapton. It was Narada, myself, Randy Jackson, and Jonathan Cain. It’s ironic that’s what Journey has become with Arnel.

We did play “Voodoo Child” that day, too. It was a no-brainer for me. I was like, “Why don’t we jam it out and have a live jam in the studio?” That is what we did. We played live, one take. You can tell that it falls apart a little when it goes into “Third Stone From the Sun” at the end. I was lost and playing and I had to find a place to put my arm up and then everyone jumps in a few seconds later. You can tell it was a little loose and we were just finding our way through it. I felt there was some magic there and being real since it wasn’t overdubbed to death. It was just what it was.

Why did you decide to revisit the Journey song “Lights?” That was Narada’s idea. I was not sure about it. I had done, with Gary Cirimelli the year before, a little EP [ Ave Maria ] around Christmas where I had done an instrumental version of “Faithfully,” “Open Arms,” and “Can’t Help Falling in Love” by Elvis Presley. I had done it before with guitar instead of voice, but “Lights” I had never considered doing as a lead vocal on guitar. He talked me into it. I didn’t know what to think of it, but it sounded good for a guitar version. I tried to capture as many Steve Perry melodies as I could and implement them into the guitar in a soulful way. I think it came out well and people are loving it.

I like hearing vocal melodies on the guitar. Jeff Beck does it a lot, but it’s hard to pull off exactly right. Yeah. There’s something very difficult about it. I see a lot of young guitar players today that have dexterity beyond. I can comprehend what they’re doing technically, but I’m not that interested in trying to do it myself because I’ve never been a scale guy. I was listening more to horn players and vocalists.

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To convey a melody and play it very simply is not an easy task, especially when it’s a slow melody. There’s plenty of room for mistakes and loss of feel. You can lose the feel of it in two seconds flat because there’s no lyrics you’re playing along with. That actually helps you dictate the melody when you hear a singer sing. It’s all about placement, phrasing, and how the vibrato goes, where you put it. It’s complicated and it comes much easier to me as a musician than it does to other guys because I’ve always been a melody guy.

Tell me about your version of “Hey Jude” that ends the record. I had played “Hey Jude” back east in New Jersey, I believe, in some theater we were playing. I looped that one night. I played the chords first, just the ending, and then I looped the melody and had the whole audience singing the song. I went, “Wow, this could be a possible way just to end the record.” As a Beatles fan, I loved it.

What’s the status of the new Journey record? We’re deep in it. It’s coming along, man. It’s really shaping up. Narada and I have been working nonstop. Jonathan [Cain] is also working from his houses in Florida and Nashville. Arnel is working from Manila. Randy Jackson is working mostly from L.A. And it’s one of those Zoom sessions and it sounds phenomenal. It sounds like we’re all playing in the room at the same time. I actually can’t wait until we do get together and start putting the show together. The new single should be coming out mid-February.

Working remotely must have been a big adjustment at first. Yeah. It was at first. What I was really grateful for is that I’m willing to get together with Narada and work with just drums and guitar, which is something I’ve always done with drummers working on records. We’re able to map out and get things feeling right. Narada is very accomplished. He can play keyboards and bass keyboards, and we kind of fill out the tracks. And then everyone does their parts. The end result is sounding amazing.

How is Arnel doing? Arnel sounds very, very strong. I think this break has been good for him. He’s back in there, I feel, like when we first got him. His vocals sound very, very good. We’re planning on a full album release in 2021 before we get back to touring. We did book our first show of 2021. We’re going to be headlining Lollapalooza in Chicago on July 31st unless they move it. My fingers are crossed that everyone is going to get the vaccine and feel good and get back to it. I’m just so looking forward to playing with the new band. Post Malone is headlining at the same time as us about a mile away on another stage. It’ll be interesting.

How have the new members changed the band’s sound? Do you have a different groove now? You have to hear it for yourself. It still sounds very much like Journey thanks to the songwriting, my guitar playing, and the vocals. But the rhythm section is definitely a powerhouse. Narada has been known for years, and Randy Jackson is a completely monstrous bass player. Some people may not be aware of his work, but they have credentials that go way, way back. Randy and I have always been pretty in tune, and Narada and I are in tune. And now it’s coming together. It’s got a new strut to it.

There’s nothing we really can’t play. I’ve got a track I laid down with Narada the other day. I sent it to Arnel and he was freaking out. He said, “This sounds like brand-new Hendrix or Prince. Please write more of that.” And I was just messing around. It was just a jam we did and it turned out to be monstrous. We’re creating. We aren’t afraid to go to new places. It’s easy to stay safe and write where we have always been. We have a bit of that so we don’t lose everyone, but at the same token, this is a new chapter of Journey. I want to go where we have not gone before.

Why did you leave Azoff management and sign with Q Prime? It was a long time coming from myself. I had a falling out with old management and just didn’t agree with a lot of things the way they were coming down or the way that things were being treated that I was bringing up. I felt like they made it seem like I was an outcast even though this was a band that I started. Azoff actually said to me, “Why don’t you quit?” at one point. I said, “I’m not quitting. I’ve been here all my life. Why don’t you quit?”

We kind of went at it. Finally, I made the move. I said, “I don’t know what’s going to happen from here, but I feel like it’s time.” I remember that I talked to Peter Mensch over at Q Prime about a year before that, telling him that I really wanted to make a change. He said that contractually we had to get to this point before we could do anything. When we finally got to that point, I called Peter back up. He said, “This is a no-brainer. We’d love to manage you.”

I’m really happy. They understand the guitar. Cliff [Burnstein] is awesome. I’ve only talked to him a few times, but I can tell we’re on the same wavelength. I send him stuff, unfinished and finished, and I’ll crank up the guitar and he goes, “Oh, yeah. That’s it.” Then we’ll get on the phone with Jonathan [Cain], myself and him, and Jonathan will go, “Do you want the softer version?” They’ll go, “No, we don’t want the softer version. We want the heavier version.” I love the guys.

You and Jonathan Cain are clearly in a much better place than you were a few years ago. How did you patch things up? We found out that there was a lot of miscommunication that I felt was coming from management. The divide-and-conquer situation was going on. They were saying I said things that I didn’t say. I heard it had happened with other bands from guitar techs that I had been with. It was happening in the Van Halen camp between Eddie and Sammy. I was just like, “I’m seeing the same scenario.”

Once we got past all the crap and we talked everything out, we found out that a lot of it was just b.s. and we were actually good. Him and I are still very tight as songwriters. There’s still magic there. He’s still creating amazing music, even without me, but us together, we create something that really sounds like Journey.

Some fans were surprised to see him play in the house band at the White House during the RNC a few months ago. What did you think about that? You know what? I learned to just stay in my music lane through that whole fiasco. I think everyone knows my feelings about politics and religion in music. I just decided that I was going to keep my friendship with him and the music with him. We’re still creating great stuff. I got to a place where I said, “It’s a free world. Everyone has the right to do whatever they want to do.”

In a way, it’s like Mick and Keith. They are two very different people, but they come together in a band and it works. Exactly. That tension leads to great music and not agreeing … Jon and I always have been like that. We’re like bookends with all the music in between. Where we start from is two completely different places. He usually starts from music, melody, and piano. I start from a rocking track. There’s a lot of melody on the new songs we’ve been laying down. We’ve gotten very comfortable with singing on it right afterwards with Narada helping me, giving me the confidence, and so I have a lot of the melodies. I recall even in the old Journey with Steve Perry when I’d hum a few things and he’d go, “Oh, I like that.” Then he’d do his own thing to it. There’s a road map there if you aren’t afraid to put it down.

How about tour-wise? The Pretenders 2020 tour was called off. Might you go out with them in the future? I don’t know what management has planned. We love playing with the Pretenders, but I don’t know if that’s where they are going or even if they are available. I definitely enjoy playing with them. They have so many great songs. Chrissie [Hynde] was very nice. The whole band was. I felt that it was complementary to our show, even with Def Leppard. I don’t know what Peter and Cliff are thinking over at Q Prime, but I’m definitely open to that. And I love the Def Leppard guys. I’m open to that, too. But this time we have to bring our PA. [ Laughs ]

I’ve heard rumblings about a biopic about Arnel. Do you think that’s going to happen? I think it’s something that will come down. The story of me finding him on YouTube is sort of unbelievable. I remember when I first told people I had found him. They were like, “Come on, man. Did you just make this up?” It was like a Cinderella story that was too good to believe. We made the documentary [ Don’t Stop Believin’: Everyman’s Journey ] off the fact we found him in Manila, not New York or L.A., and I heard his voice and went, “This is the guy. I know it’s the guy.” Apparently Warner Bros. thinks is a great story too. I think they are going to make it. I don’t know when. I don’t believe they’ve even started. I think they are still writing the script.

Who would play you? Uh … the only meeting we had took place when we last played in Vegas. They were they talking about Joaquin [Phoenix]. That’s what this director said. [ Laughs ] I was like, “OK!” [ Laughs ]

You could play yourself, I suppose. Have you thought about that? I have not thought about that, but it’s not ruled out. I’d probably prefer not to. It’s gotta be so time consuming. At one point, I was going to try and get into some movie stuff and I was taking some acting classes. Everyone was like, “You look like a young James Caan.” This was way back in the Eighties. There were a couple of producers that were approaching me. But I went on a set and thought about it and auditioned and I was like, “Wow. This is so time-consuming. I can do four albums in the time it takes to do one movie.” I’m too impatient. I like to move quickly, so I doubt I’d be the right choice for it.

Is your Journey spinoff band Journey Through Time something that can get back on the road in the future? Fans loved seeing you back with Gregg Rolie and playing the really old songs. I was met with a lot of resistance from some of the former band members and the trademark guy that was sort of working for Journey, I’m finding out. There were many trademark issues I’ve gotten to the bottom of. I’ve cleaned everything up 1,000 percent. There were too many handshake deals and money deals and no real contracts. I was like, “OK, it’s time for all this to stop and for everyone to get treated fairly and equally.”

They were having a real problem with me using Neal Schon’s Journey Through Time, the name of the band. I don’t see why. It has been my journey from my life and the fans loved it. But to tell you the truth, I foresee us being able to do that with the new band; I foresee us being able to play in two different places. I feel like we can play these outdoor festivals with bands like Phish or for that audience and dive into the older material and play that stuff very well and take it to a new place.

Also, we can play in the 20,000-seaters or the coliseums we were doing with Pretenders and Def Leppard. I feel like it’s two different audience we can play to. The main thing is just playing longer where you can dive deeper into the older stuff and making it all work together.

Do you think you could bring Gregg Rolie into the fold at some point, at least for the jam-focused shows? We might talk about that. I’d have to see what Jonathan thought about that. But it’s not really on my plate right now. It’s something I definitely enjoyed. We were picking up speed very quickly before it was taken down. We had a whole tour that was ready to go. And then Gregg unavailable and then [drummer-vocalist] Deen [Castronovo] wasn’t available. There was a lot of politics involved.

Are you close to resolving the legal dispute with Steve Smith and Ross Valory? Unfortunately, no. [ Laughs ] We will, eventually. I have confidence that we will. It is going to be what it is. We’ve already made that choice and we’re moving on. But we’re not about to get held up, either. We’re going to start playing and ultimately we can settle this and come to a mutual agreement.

Do you ever see a day in the future where you’d play with them again? Who knows? I’ve known these guys for a long time. I didn’t agree with the way they went about business. I had been in a situation in the band with management and some of them for a long time where I felt like they were trying to make me leave. I was catching on to a lot of things that I’m getting to the bottom of now, business-wise.

I spoke with Steve Perry a few weeks ago. He says he misses playing live. As just a fan of his, are you hoping he’ll tour? I am. I was hoping he would tour when he released his record a couple of years ago. After going through the pandemic, I imagine that most everyone that has ever toured is dying to tour. I miss it so much, that energy you get from the audience that you throw back. I’m totally missing that. I’m sure everyone that has ever been onstage is missing that. I’m hoping that he would really do it. He should. He sounds in good voice and he could do it. I hope he’ll actually do it because he talked about it last time.

Are you still hoping that at some point in the future, the two of you will be able to sit down and be friends again? I’m still trying to talk to him directly on the telephone. For some reason, I don’t know if it’s him or his attorney, they do not want us to talk, or he feels uncomfortable. I’m sitting in the same place where I’m waiting to get on the phone or get together and have some coffee, but it just isn’t happening and it’s not because of myself.

It’s crazy that one rock band can get so complicated with all these feuding factions. It’s just people playing music together that a lot of people love. You know what? There’s a lot of things that get in the way, the conquer-and-divide thing. I believe that that’s been happening with him, too. When we got inducted into the Hall of Fame, I felt really connected to him again where it was emotional to see him after not seeing him for a long time. He was moved too. I felt, “Why is all this other crap happening for so long? Why did I feel like we couldn’t get together and talk?”

But at the end, it went right back to that. I watched him do the first interviews that he did. He talked very highly about myself like I’ve always talked about him and how happy he was to see me and the rest of the guys, but he said it was mainly me he was happy to see. And then all of a sudden, in all the interviews after that, after the first two where I felt like he was speaking from the heart, it took a left-hand turn and I was never mentioned again. It’s very weird, man. I felt like politics, once again, were in the way.

I guess the one constant in the whole Journey saga is you marching forward and keeping it alive. It is the ship I’ve been in from the very get-go. I’m the only guy that’s been there for every show, every record, every date. I’m the only guy. And my heart is still in it. We’re definitely moving forward and I’m happy with what I’m hearing. I’m moving. I’m going forward. I’m not going to sit in neutral and wait for things to settle out.

We’ll soon be approaching our 50th anniversary. It’s kind of mind-boggling to me, even sitting here telling you it’s been 50 years for me. It should be a great one. What I do know is that we’ve hardly spent any time abroad, but we are going to be taking this around the world and playing in countries and cities we’ve never been to before. Anytime we’ve done this before — like our first first show with Arnel [in Chile] when the audience went wild — we’d never been there before, but they went crazy. His audition was in front of 30 million people. He was scared to death. I had to push him out onstage.

I really feel like late 2021 and certainly 2022 will be a celebration of live music. I’ve got butterflies about the vibe I’m getting or what it’s going to be like when we put our show together. We’re not just going to play the same old show. We’re going to be adding a lot of new stuff. I know Randy and Narada, because I’ve jammed with them before.

It’s going to conform into a whole new thing. They aren’t afraid to try anything right on the spur of the moment onstage, which is where I’ve always been. I play by ear. If you go there, I’m going there, man. I learned to do that playing with Carlos Santana and Rolie and all the original Santana guys. I’m from that school and I love it.

I think we’ll construct a set in a way where we’ll have time for all of it and it won’t have to stay the same every night. We don’t have to conform to that. Everyone will be able to carry it and feel strongly about improvising on the spot and going with it.

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• The Woodlands

Arnel Pineda brought plenty of showmanship to Journey's Houston Rodeo night. (Photo by F. Carter Smith)

It's still good to be part of Journey. Photo by F. Carter Smith)

Journey promised that this Houston Rodeo show would not be its last time in H-Town. (Photo by F. Carter Smith)

Journey still knows how to make the bright lights seem even brighter. (Photo by F. Carter Smith)

Arnel Pineda is not Steve Perry. And that's more than all right. (Photo by F. Carter Smith)

Journey embraced RodeoHouston's grand stage. (Photo by F. Carter Smith)

Journey drew a crowd of 72,000 to NRG Stadium. (Photo by F. Carter Smith)

Journey brought plenty of nostalgia — and entertainment — to the Houston Rodeo. (Photo by F. Carter Smith)

Neal Schon opened the concert with a Jimi Hendrix-inspired “Star Spangled Banner,” leaving no question that the 68-year-old can still shred. Photo by F. Carter Smith)

Journey made the Houston Rodeo's return seem even more glorious. And fun. Photo by F. Carter Smith)

Journey is still making fans believe. (Photo by F. Carter Smith)

Journey has old stars and almost a new swagger. (Photo by F. Carter Smith)

Journey played a number of its now classic hits at the Houston Rodeo. (Photo by F. Carter Smith)

Journey and “New” Lead Singer Arnel Pineda Prove They’re as Good as Ever at Houston Rodeo — Don’t You Dare Stop Believing

When concert tees and cowboy boots mix in perfect harmony.

I f there was ever an anthem appropriate for the return of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’” has to be it. Especially for the crowd of 72,000 who mixed Journey concert tees with cowboy boots and enthusiastically sang along to every nostalgia-fueled line on this Thursday night.

The songs made famous by Steve Perry, Neal Schon and Jonathan Cain in the 1970s and 1980s still carry the same energy and emotion with lead singer Arnel Pineda, who joined the band in 2007. Add drummer Deen Castronovo back in the mix — and this Houston Rodeo show was pop-rock nirvana.

Schon opened the concert with a Jimi Hendrix-inspired “Star Spangled Banner,” leaving no question that the 68-year-old can still shred. His 2022 guitar chops are just as dynamic as they were 30-plus years ago.

The band rolled into “Stone In Love” and set the NRG Stadium crowd on fire with “Don’t Stop Believin,” adding “Escape” to the 12 song mix.

Throughout the set, Schon and Cain served as an oral anthologists, giving context to the songs  “Lights ” and “Faithfully.”

“We’re going to play a little tune from 1978 about our city by the bay. Get out your phones and light this up like a big Christmas tree,” Schon instructed. A chorus of lights quickly filled NRG. Before “Faithfully,” Cain dedicated the song to the “Guys and gals who live the rodeo life and their families.”

Outdoor Dining with Bering's

Pineda channels Steve Perry’s gravel and harmonies, but after 15 years with the band, he’s made the lead singer role his own dancing, jumping and singing throughout the concert. At the end of show, Cain made sure to remind the crowd Pineda was indeed the lead singer, calling him the “Thrilla from Manilla.”  

The Philippines-born singer also gets extra style points for donning a brown jacket and matching pants adorned with sequin clusters and colorful high-top kicks.

The mixed generational crowd got many of the favorites they wanted — including “Wheel in the Sky,” “Separate Ways” and “Anyway You Want It” — but there were some like “Lovin’, Touchin’ Squeezin’ ” and “Open Arms,” that didn’t make the Houston Rodeo cut. Regardless, this was classic Journey, high energy and full of memories. And it doesn’t seem like this will be the last Houston stop for the band.

“We’ll be back Houston. We’ll be back,” Pineda promised the cheering crowd before hopping off stage.

Let’s hope it’s soon, because there are fewer songs that illicit more joy than the first few notes of “Don’t Stop Believin.” In that moment, everyone truly is a small-town girl living in a lonely world. That’s the magic of one of rock and roll’s most iconic songs.

And a band that still has it.

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• Cast & crew
• User reviews

Don't Stop Believin': Everyman's Journey

• Episode aired Mar 8, 2013

A documentary on Arnel Pineda, who was plucked from YouTube to become the new singer for the rock & roll band, Journey. A documentary on Arnel Pineda, who was plucked from YouTube to become the new singer for the rock & roll band, Journey. A documentary on Arnel Pineda, who was plucked from YouTube to become the new singer for the rock & roll band, Journey.

• Ramona S. Diaz
• Jeffrey Dinsmore
• Lois Vossen
• Arnel Pineda
• Jonathan Cain
• 9 User reviews
• 26 Critic reviews
• 53 Metascore
• 1 win & 1 nomination

• Self - lead vocalist, Journey

• Self - lead guitar, Journey
• Self - keyboards and rhythm guitar, Journey

• Self - bass, Journey
• Self - drums, Journey
• Self - manager, Journey
• Self - Arnel Pineda's greatest fan
• Self - Arnel Pineda's wife

• (archive footage)

• Self - lead vocalist 1977-1998, Journey
• Self - Arnel Pineda's brother
• Self - lead vocalist 1998-2006, Journey
• Self - tour manager 1998-2010, Journey
• Self - stage manager, Journey

• Self - bass and vocals, Chicago

• Self - lead singer, Heart
• All cast & crew
• Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

Did you know

• Soundtracks Separate Ways (Worlds Apart) written by Jonathan Cain & Steve Perry courtesy of Jonathan Cain (as John Friga) & Steve Perry

User reviews 9

• Oct 14, 2013
• March 8, 2013 (United States)
• United States
• Official Facebook
• Official site
• ジャーニー　ドント・ストップ・ビリーヴィン
• Moises Salvador Elementary School, Manila, Philippines
• Arcady Bay Entertainment
• Defining Entertainment
• See more company credits at IMDbPro

Technical specs

• Runtime 1 hour 45 minutes

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Pop Culture Happy Hour

• Performing Arts
• Pop Culture

Silverdocs: How Journey Found A New Lead Singer And Made Friends In Manila

Linda Holmes

Arnel Pineda became the lead singer of Journey in late 2007. Silverdocs hide caption

Arnel Pineda became the lead singer of Journey in late 2007.

One of the oddest things about the story of Arnel Pineda is that it's not actually quite as odd as it might seem.

Pineda was a bar and club singer working in Manila in 2007, doing some original material but finding an audience mostly for his covers, when he got an e-mail from Neal Schon, the guitarist from Journey. Schon had seen videos of Pineda performing on YouTube and asked him to come to San Francisco and audition to become the band's new lead singer. From Journey fan to Journey member, because of YouTube.

That's the hook of Don't Stop Believin': Everyman's Journey , which opened Silverdocs on Monday night. Director Ramona S. Diaz followed Pineda and the band from the time shortly after he started rehearsing with them through their very successful 2008 tour and their – the word is a cliché, but it applies – triumphant show in Manila in March 2009 when they brought him back home a hero, the successful lead singer of an iconic American band.

There is a certain fairytale quality to all of it – the guy who was singing Journey covers when he suddenly got The Call – but really, it's not that weird. Schon didn't stumble on him accidentally or get an e-mail from someone that said "You've got to see this guy!!!"; he found Pineda while specifically searching YouTube for lead singers, because it's a not-unusual way to find musicians. Maybe he was even looking for lead singers doing Journey songs. Maybe even for lead singers doing Journey songs who sounded a lot like former lead singer Steve Perry – which Pineda surely does. Other than the fact that he was in the Philippines, Schon found his guy the way he set out to find him.

Pineda isn't quite as young as he sometimes seems in the film; he can seem like a kid, but he turned 41 during the 2008 tour. He's a stretch younger than guys like Schon, who's pushing 60, but he's not Justin Bieber being plucked from YouTube because he's never done anything. The story threatens at times to become a wacky internet novelty, but at its best, it's something a bit more satisfying than that. At its best, it's about a working singer – not a YouTube fluke, but a working, day-in-day-out singer who's been playing for years and years – can suddenly find himself jumped to the head of the line, playing to 22,000 people with musicians he's admired all his life. It doesn't have a lot to do with YouTube; the better story is about a band taking a huge risk on a completely unknown quantity because they need a guy and they found one they think will be a fit.

(As a side note, as tempting as the "Don't Stop Believin'" title is, I would have gone with a variation on "Journeyman." Just a suggestion, pun-wise.)

The best parts of the film focus on Pineda; he has a playful attitude toward his own sometimes overwhelming anxiety about the situation into which he's been thrust. He turns out to be a terrific fit for the band, despite his own comment that partly because he's "so Asian," he looks like they Photoshopped him in when Journey has photos taken. In fact, one of the guys in the band comments that bringing something a little more "international" to the "all-American" group is probably an advantage – a prediction that proves true when Pineda helps the band develop an impassioned following of Filipino-American fans in addition to the people back home in Manila. (The security team notes at one point that for some of Arnel's fans, he's "like Elvis.")

But at almost two hours, the film feels long. It comes to what seems like a natural ending at one point, and then it goes on for probably another 20 minutes. There are some background segments on the general history of Journey that don't seem to have been made with the love that went into the Pineda-era stuff, and a persistent subplot about Pineda getting colds and drinking tean — while care of the voice makes a nice tour detail — keeps coming back and back and back but never really goes anywhere.

Then there is also the problem of "Don't Stop Believin'" itself. I don't think it's a spoiler – I really, truly cannot imagine how it could be – to tell you that the film builds to the performance of that particular song. This tour happened after The Sopranos put "Don't Stop Believin'" in the spotlight but before Glee put it there again, and the closing titles of the film point out that it's now the most downloaded song written in the 20 th century. But at some point, waiting for it becomes a bit of a tease, and the build to the performance (and the holding out on playing much of that song after playing most of Journey's others that are well-known, sometimes more than once) turns into a game. I would have dropped the bomb a little sooner, just to avoid the sense of inevitability.

But the film is fun, and it's worth seeing, not because it's the tale of an internet sensation, but because it's the tale of a bunch of guys who really, really want to hear crowds scream – either again or for the first time ever. As much as it's about how a band lifted an unknown singer into a dreamlike world of screaming crowds and far more money than he'd ever known, it's also about how a band found just the right guy at just the right time to help capitalize on the surprise comeback of one of the band's most famous songs. Pineda says at one point that it's like hitting the lotto, what happened to him, but in truth, Schon hit the lotto, too. You can see the guys standing around him at certain moments, looking at him or watching him perform, realizing that he's incredibly grateful to them, but in fact, without him, they are out of luck .

There's an argument to be made that when you set out to find your new lead singer looking specifically for someone who can sing your existing hits and make them sound just like they did when your old lead singer sang them – rather than being primarily focused on a guy who can contribute to whatever your next identity is – you run the risk of essentially covering your own music. Under this theory, Pineda was originally recruited to be the lead singer of the most famous Journey cover band in the world – the one called Journey. But they have since released two albums of new material, and it seems to be a little more than that. It may even be a little more than Schon expected to find on YouTube.

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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.

[ Never miss a pop music story: Sign up for our weekly newsletter, Louder. ]

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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When and why did Steve Perry leave Journey?

Journey helped set the soundtrack for the 1970s and 1980s, with hits that are still remembered as some of the best songs ever written. However, the band couldn’t count on lead singer Steve Perry for most of their existence.

Journey was formed in 1973, a union of several experienced musicians trying to create a new sound experience. As the jazz fusion project didn’t work as well as Journey had hoped, the band was forced to experiment with new genres and invite new members. The version of Journey we all know and love began in 1977 when Perry joined as the band’s lead singer and songwriter. As the frontman, he made history, using his vocal talents to turn hits such as “Don’t Stop Believin’” and “Open Arms” into the anthems of a generation.

Though Journey’s explosive success established them as one of the biggest musical influences of the 1980s, Perry left the band in 1987. It would be the first time, but not the last, that Perry and Journey went in different directions.

Why did Steve Perry leave Journey in 1987?

In 1987, Journey was at the peak of its success. Since Perry joined the band, they released hit after hit, attracting millions of fans to their live performances worldwide. However, to fans’ despair, Perry left Journey to pursue a solo career. 

The lead singer position gave Perry the attention he needed to ensure he would succeed in his solo career. Furthermore, since Perry had creative differences with Journey, he could focus his creative energy by flying solo without making concessions or negotiating with other band members. In addition, things were somewhat tense within the band before Perry’s departure, with the lead singer firing founding bassist Ross Valory and drummer Steve Smith during the recording of 1986’s Raised on Radio — the two would return to the band in 1995. Hence, his departure wasn’t entirely shocking. Still, Perry’s absence impacted Journey.

Journey would remain popular without Perry, but they never repeated the success of their 1980s run. Likewise, Perry is mainly remembered for the songs he wrote or co-wrote for the band, not for his solo career. Unsurprisingly, though, he would rejoin the group in 1995, a new partnership that lasted only three years.

Why Steve Perry and Journey parted ways in 1998?

With Perry back in the folder, Journey launched a new studio album in 1996, Trial by Fire . The album got three charting singles and a Grammy nomination , with fans eager to see the band hitting the road again for a new world tour. The tour plans derailed after Perry’s ski accident in the same year. He needed hip surgery to get back on stage in time for the tour, which he refused to get. His Journey companions waited for him until 1998, post which they decided the band’s future was more important than the selfish decisions of a single person.

The same year Journey hired voice-lookalike Steve Augeri, forging a successful partnership until 2006. In 2007, singer Arnel Pineda became the band’s lead singer, a role that is still his. As for Perry, he showed up on a few special presentations with the team but has primarily remained in the shadows. His story is a bitter reminder that a band is bigger than its frontman, no matter how important they think they are.

Source disclaimer : The article above is partly based on the book The Untold Story of Journey by Neil Daniels.

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George Tickner, co-founder and rhythm guitarist of Journey, dies at 76

The musician co-wrote several songs on the band's first three albums before departing to get his Ph.D at Stanford University.

Emlyn Travis is a news writer at  Entertainment Weekly  with over five years of experience covering the latest in entertainment. A proud Kingston University alum, Emlyn has written about music, fandom, film, television, and awards for multiple outlets including MTV News,  Teen Vogue , Bustle, BuzzFeed,  Paper Magazine , Dazed, and NME. She joined EW in August 2022.

George Tickner, a co-founding member and the original rhythm guitarist of Journey , has died. He was 76.

His former bandmate Neal Schon announced the musician's death in an Instagram video that featured him playing guitar in Tickner's honor on Thursday. "Some smooth Strat to EZzzzzzz your soul. Prayers for George," he captioned the post. "Farewell old friend." The video was reposted in a story on Journey's official Instagram account later that day.

Schon also paid tribute to Tickner's legacy in a poignant Facebook statement. "Journey Junkies, I have some very sad news. George Tickner, Journey's original rhythm guitarist and songwriting contributor on their first three albums, has passed away," he wrote. "Godspeed, George… Thank you for the music."

Alongside a separate image, Schon added, "Rest peacefully, Dr. George Tickner… you will be missed immensely! Thank you for your incomparable contributions to Journey's early years. The reason he left Journey was to attend Stanford University on a full scholarship, earning his Ph.D. Fly free above the stars, sir… Herbie's waiting to greet you."

Representatives for Journey did not immediately respond to EW's request for more information.

Tickner founded Journey alongside Schon, Prairie Prince, Gregg Rolie, and Ross Valory (he had previously played with the latter in the psychedelic band Frumious Bandersnatch) in February 1973. The San Francisco band held their first-ever public performance at the city's historic Winterland Ballroom on New Year's Eve that year and would go on to dominate the airwaves with hits like "Don't Stop Believin'," "Separate Ways," and "Faithfully."

In addition to serving as Journey's rhythm guitarist, Tickner co-wrote and composed several songs on their first three albums, including "Of a Lifetime," "Topaz," "Mystery Mountain," "You're on Your Own," and "I'm Gonna Leave You."

Although he left the group to study medicine, Tickner remained in close contact with his former bandmates. He and Valory co-founded a recording studio called The Hive and performed together, alongside fellow Journey alum Stevie 'Keys' Roseman, in the band VTR. They released an album, Cinema , in 2005.

Tickner later reunited with Journey when the band received its star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2005.

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Judah & the Lion Announces 2024 ‘The Process Tour’

Featuring Special Guest Abe Parker

New album “the process” available may 10th, tickets available starting tuesday, april 23 with citi presale, general onsale begins friday, april 26 at 10am local on judahandthelion.com.

Today, Judah & the Lion announced their 2024 ‘The Process Tour’. Produced by Live Nation, the 17-city tour kicks off on October 4 at The Tulsa Theater in Tulsa making stops across the U.S. in Denver, Boston, Philadelphia and more before wrapping up in Nashville at Nashville Municipal Auditorium on October 26.

The band began releasing songs from The Process last year. The new material has racked up over 10 million combined global streams to date and earned spots on numerous playlists across all DSPs, including Spotify’s New Music Friday, Apple Music’s New Music Daily and Amazon Music’s Alternative Hits, with additional support from SiriusXM Alt Nation’s “Advanced Placement,” Pandora, YouTube, SoundCloud, Tidal, Audiomack and Deezer.  The band’s single, “Floating in the Night,” is at #36 at Alternative radio.  Listen to “Floating in the Night” HERE

TICKETS: Tickets will be available starting with Citi presales (details below) beginning Tuesday, April 23. Additional presales will run throughout the week ahead of the general onsale beginning Friday, April 26 at 10am local time at JudahAndTheLion.com .

PRESALE: Citi is the official card of the ‘The Process Tour’. Citi cardmembers will have access to presale tickets beginning Tuesday, April 23 at 12pm ET local time until Thursday, April 25 at 10pm local time through the Citi Entertainment program. For complete presale details visit www.citientertainment.com .

THE PROCESS 2024 TOUR DATES:

Fri Oct 04 — Tulsa, OK — The Tulsa Theater

Sat Oct 05 — Kansas City, MO — Uptown Theater

Sun Oct 06 — Omaha, NE — Steelhouse Omaha

Tue Oct 08 — Salt Lake City, UT — The Union Event Center

Wed Oct 09 — Denver, CO — Fillmore Auditorium

Sat Oct 12 — Milwaukee, WI — The Rave

Sun Oct 13 — Grand Rapids, MI — GLC Live at 20 Monroe

Tue Oct 15 — Columbus, OH — KEMBA Live!

Thu Oct 17 — Boston, MA — Citizens House of Blues

Fri Oct 18 — Silver Spring, MD — The Fillmore Silver Spring

Sat Oct 19 — Philadelphia, PA — The Fillmore Philadelphia

Sun Oct 20 — Raleigh, NC — The Red Hat Amphitheater

Weds Oct 23 – Charleston, NC – The Refinery

Thu Oct 24 — Birmingham, AL — Avondale Brewing Company

Fri Oct 25 — Atlanta, GA — Coca-Cola Roxy

Sat Oct 26 — Nashville, TN — Nashville Municipal Auditorium

ABOUT JUDAH & THE LION

Since their 2012 debut EP, Judah & the Lion have garnered wide-spread acclaim for their genre-bending music, received platinum/gold certifications and have accumulated over 910 million career streams. Six of their hit singles have gone Top 15 on Alternative radio and the band won an iHeart Music Award for Best New Alt Rock Band of 2018.

Their forthcoming album, “The Process,” (coming Spring 2024) was inspired by singer Judah Akers personal life and struggles. In looking towards going into the studio, Akers realized that he needed to be honest to be able to write music again. Inspired by Kübler-Ross’ five stages of grief, the album became a song-cycle through the stages of grief through the lens of eventual forgiveness and hope. Having navigated “The Process,” both Akers and partner in crime, mandolinist, Brian Macdonald have emerged with a record that is buoyant, impassioned and emotionally connective. The band has a reinvigorated sense of purpose with its aim to create music that resonates deeply, believing in music’s power to connect people and make them feel less alone in life’s journey.

About Live Nation Entertainment

Live Nation Entertainment (NYSE: LYV) is the world’s leading live entertainment company comprised of global market leaders: Ticketmaster, Live Nation Concerts, and Live Nation Sponsorship. For additional information, visit www.livenationentertainment.com .

MEDIA CONTACTS:

Judah & the Lion

Bobbie Gale | [email protected]

Nina Savio | [email protected]

Live Nation Concerts

Monique Sowinski | [email protected]

Navier Grimes | [email protected]

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Jelly Roll sued by Pennsylvania wedding band Jellyroll over trademark infringement

Jelly Roll is dealing with some not so sweet legal issues.

The Grammy-nominated country singer has been sued by a member of the wedding band Jellyroll for trademark infringement in a lawsuit filed in a federal court in Pennsylvania's eastern district on April 8, court records obtained by USA TODAY show.

Jellyroll band member Kurt L. Titchenell claims their band started using the moniker in 1980, before the "Wild Ones" singer was born. They first obtained a trademark in 2010 and it was renewed for another 10 years in 2019, paperwork filed in the United States Patent and Trademark Office shows.

In Titchenell's trademark complaint against Jelly Roll (born Jason Bradley DeFord), he says the band has been performing at events under Jellyroll "since at least 1980," including "two appearances at the White House for President George W. Bush and his family."

The band said prior to the rapper-turned-country singer's rise to fame, a query for the name Jellyroll on search engines such as Google would bring results back to them. Now, Google search results don't get to them until "as many as 18-20 references."

USA TODAY has reached out to representatives for Jelly Roll for comment.

Who is Jelly Roll? A look at his journey from prison to best new artist Grammy nominee

Titchenell claims in the complaint that Jelly Roll was sent a cease and desist for using the moniker but "ignored this demand" all while "knowing that it continues to irreparably harm" the band.

The country musician has been going by Jelly Roll since childhood, which he told CBS in January stems from a nickname given to him by his mother.

"To this day, my mother calls me Jelly. If somebody walked in here right now and said, 'Jason,' I wouldn't look up," he told the outlet.

Jelly Roll weight loss: Singer says he's lost around 70 pounds as he preps for 5K race

Jellyroll member says Jelly Roll's felon past has caused negative association for their band

In addition to making it more difficult for people to search for the Pennsylvania-based wedding band, Titchenell alleges Jelly Roll's "troubled past, which includes a felony conviction and imprisonment," has "caused additional harm" for possible association confusion.

Jelly Roll was formerly incarcerated for two counts of aggravated robbery and possession with intent to sell cocaine. The admitted former drug dealer is now an advocate for drug reform , particularly the fentanyl crisis.

"Fentanyl transcends partisanship and ideology. ... This is a totally different problem … I am not here to defend the use of illegal drugs," he said during a January appearance before Congress on Capitol Hill at a hearing titled "Stopping the Flow of Fentanyl: Public Awareness and Legislative Solutions."

He also noted his "unique paradox of his history as a drug dealer" who was "part of the problem" and now aims "to be a part of the solution."

Titchenell's complaint argues the band has been especially frustated as Jelly Roll plans to embark on his nationwide Beautifully Broken tour , which includes a stop in Philadelphia at a venue where the band is "well-known and has performed."

Contributing: Melissa Ruggieri, Natalie Neysa Alund and Jeanine Santucci

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Singer recounts moments he was on stage as hundreds of people were evacuated from the flying monkey in plymouth.

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A large fire on Main Street in Plymouth on Saturday evening, sparked chaos in the area as many college students and families enjoyed a night out.

The fire forced hundreds of people inside the Flying Monkey Movie House and Performance Center to evacuate. Tony-nominated singer, actor and American Idol alum, Constantine Maroulis, was performing on stage at the time, as a special guest with the band Foreigners Journey.

"It was it was quite a scene. It was something out of a movie," Maroulis told WMUR-TV.

Maroulis said he noticed the house lights had gone on — something unusual but not unheard of. However, when he saw one of the crew members gesturing to him, and then was told that there was an emergency, he said he knew he needed to act quickly.

>> Cause of fire in Plymouth that forced evacuation of The Flying Monkey under investigation

"Your instincts just kick in. You've been almost kind of preparing for this kind of a moment, your whole life and I've been through drills in the theater growing up and such, but this felt very real," Maroulis said.

He then stopped the band, and began ushering people out of the building, telling the crowd that there was an emergency, and everyone had to exit. Maroulis said he waited on stage until everyone had left the building.

"I wasn't gonna leave the stage until everyone was out of the house," he said.

Maroulis is no stranger to New Hampshire, as he told WMUR-TV that he spent a summer at the repertory theater in Portsmouth, and has played at many venues across the state, including the Flying Monkey, a venue he added he has grown to love, numerous times.

"I just love the area. I love the town. The venue is very special to me. It's this perfect Jewel Box Theater. There are so many ghosts and stories within those walls," Maroulis said.

>> See raw videos from the scene:

• Video: See intensity of flames as crews fight fire
• Video: Firefighters battle blaze at scene
• Video: Fire burns at building near The Flying Monkey in Plymouth
• Video: Scene of fire on Main Street in Plymouth
• Video: Aerial view of the damage

Ultimately, after a night that could've ended much differently, he stressed that he is simply grateful that everyone made it out safely.

Watch a Clip and Trailer for Unsung Hero, the For King & Country Biopic with Joel Smallbone

We have a clip and the trailer for Unsung Hero, based on the remarkable true story of the Smallbone family and the band For King & Country.

• Lionsgate, Kingdom Story Company, and Candy Rock present the trailer for the upcoming inspirational drama, Unsung Hero . We have an exclusive clip, too.
• The film follows the Smallbone family from Australia as they move to the US to rebuild their lives after the collapse of their music company.
• Joel Smallbone of the Christian pop band for KING + COUNTRY directs, writes, and stars in Unsung Hero , based on the remarkable true story of his family's journey.

We have an exclusive clip of the upcoming drama Unsung Hero , which features Terry O'Quinn as a father talking to his son, played by for KING & COUNTRY singer Joel Smallbone . We also have the trailer and images for this inspiring film about the Smallbone family, who hail from Australia and find themselves in a foreign land, trying to build a new life together. Unsung Hero is scheduled to be released on April 26, 2024, and you can check out the new clip above and official trailer below .

The synopsis for Unsung Hero reads as follows:

" Based on a remarkable true story , Unsung Hero follows David Smallbone as he moves his family from Down Under to the States, searching for a brighter future after his successful music company collapses. With nothing more than their seven children, suitcases, and their love of music, David (Joel Smallbone) and his pregnant wife Helen (Daisy Betts) set out to rebuild their lives. " Helen’s faith stands against all odds and inspires her husband and children to hold onto theirs. With their own dreams on hold, David and Helen begin to realize the musical prowess in their children, who would go on to become two of the most successful acts in Inspirational Music history: five-time GRAMMY Award®-winning artists for KING + COUNTRY and Rebecca St. James ."

Unsung Hero eatures Paul Luke Bonnenfant as Daniel, Daisy Betts as Helen, Kirrilee Berger as Rebecca, Joel Smallbone as David, Tenz McCall as Ben, JJ Pantano as Luke, Angus K. Caldwell as Josh, and Diesel La Torraca as Joel. You can check out the poster and more information below.

RELATED: These Are Some of the Best Movies About Musicians

For King & Country's Joel Smallbone Directs, Writes & Stars in Unsung Hero

Unsung hero.

Unsung Hero stars Joel Smallbone, one of the members of the Christian pop duo, for KING + COUNTRY . Unsung Hero is based on the experiences of their family, specifically their mother, and how she and the rest of the Smallbones emigrated from Australia to the United States and settled in the Nashville area. The recipients of numerous awards and nominations (including five Grammy Awards), for KING + COUNTRY have collaborated with some of the biggest artists in the business, including Dolly Parton, Timbaland, Tori Kelly, Lecrae, and Needtobreathe, among others.

Joel Smallbone, meanwhile, is no stranger to the movies, with the artist having starred in the crime drama Priceless back in 2016 under the direction of his brother, Ben Smallbone. He is starring in the new Christmas musical, Journey to Bethlehem , as well.

The rest of the Unsung Hero ensemble cast includes Daisy Betts ( Chicago Fire, Last Resort ), Kirrilee Berger ( One Dollar, Grown-ish ), Jonathan Jackson ( Nashville, General Hospital ), Lucas Black ( The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, 42 ), Candace Cameron Bure ( Full House, Fuller House ), Terry O'Quinn ( Lost, Resident Alien ), and Lady A singer Hillary Scott.

As well as starring in Unsung Hero , Joel Smallbone will direct the drama alongside Richard Ramsey, with the pair having also penned the script. Producers behind Unsung Hero include Justin Tolley, Josh Walsh, and Luke Smallbone.

Unsung Hero is now scheduled to open on April 26, 2024, in wide release, from Lionsgate and Kingdom Story Company.

After 4 decades in music and major vocal surgery, Jon Bon Jovi is optimistic and still rocking

PASADENA, Calif. — When Jon Bon Jovi agreed to let director Gotham Chopra follow him with a documentary camera to delve into the history of his band, Bon Jovi, he didn’t anticipate it would catch him at a major low point in his career.

The band was launching a tour, and despite doing all he could do to be vocally ready, the “Livin’ on a Prayer” singer struggled through songs and couldn’t hit the notes the way he used to.

Critics noticed and wrote about it. A review from Pioneer Press in St. Paul, Minnesota, said: “It felt like he had forgotten how to sing.”

In a recent interview with The Associated Press, Bon Jovi said the reaction at the time was “heartbreaking.” After exhausting holistic options, he saw a doctor who said one of his vocal cords was atrophying.

“This was unique. It wasn’t a nodule. The strong (vocal cord) was pushing the weak one around, and suddenly, my inabilities were just exacerbated,” said Bon Jovi. He underwent major surgery and is still recovering.

“Every day is sort of like doing curls with weights and just getting them both to be the same size and to function together.”

This year has been a turning point. In February, he performed for an audience for the first time since his surgery at the MusiCares Person of the Year benefit gala where he was also named Person of The Year. The band’s next album, “Forever” hits stores June 7, and its first single “Legendary” is out now. The four-part, “Thank You, Goodnight: The Bon Jovi Story,” debuts Friday on Hulu.

In a Q&A, Bon Jovi talks about his voice, his famous hair, the music industry and his work ethic.

Answers have been edited for clarity and brevity.

AP: The work you put in behind-the-scenes is like a quarterback in between football games. Are you still rehearsing at that intensity, and how are you now?

BON JOVI: I’m doing great. The record was easy to do. The process has been steady. Would I like it to be a light switch? Yeah. I said to the doctor, ‘I want to flip the switch and be done with this.’ It’s just not how it works. Like an athlete coming back from an ACL tear or whatever, it just takes time. The therapy is still intensive and yet I’m confident that it gets progressively better.

AP: We learn in the docuseries that your father was a barber. You've always been known for having good hair, especially in the 1980's. Does that come from your dad?

BON JOVI: Not in as much where he sat down and said, ‘I’ve got this idea.’ Really, I was a byproduct of what was the 80s. Those were my baby pictures. I love laughing at them. Now, I can jokingly at least say, ‘After 40 years of a career, I still have all my hair.’ That is a good thing. Genetics works in my favor.

AP: Do you ever think about acting again?

BON JOVI: I do, on occasion. My day job then comes back to get in the way. In truth, I’ve got a big record coming out, and I’m hoping to go out on the road, so I don’t have time for it. And I respect the craft far too much to think I’m going to walk on a set and hit my marks and call that acting.

AP: Your work ethic stands out in "Thank You, Goodnight." We see in the early days you would sleep at the music studio. Where does that come from?

BON JOVI: If you’re not going to be great, the guy that’s coming in tomorrow night is going to be better. This isn’t a career that you should take lightly. There’s a million other young guys that are waiting to take your spot. And there are no guarantees in this business...You have to win hearts in order to win people’s hard-earned dollar. If you’re asking them to stay with you for four decades, that’s a task. You better be one of the greats or else good luck.

AP: Richie Sambora is interviewed in the series. The fans love seeing him. Do you think you will ever perform together again?

BON JOVI: We never had a big falling out. He quit 10 years ago. It’s not that we’re not in contact or anything like that, but he was choosing to, as a single dad, raise his child. The door is always open if he wants to come up and sing a song. I mean, there’s many of them that we co-wrote together. That’s a great part of both of our lives. There’s no animosity here.

AP: A lot of musicians are selling their music catalog. Would you?

BON JOVI: For some, it makes sense because they need to. For some, it makes sense because they want to. I just find (Bon Jovi’s music) to be my baby, and I have no desire at this juncture in my life to ever even consider it.

AP: You're one of New Jersey's favorite sons like Bruce Springsteen. It's a point of pride for New Jersey residents that you're from there, but you moved to Florida?

BON JOVI: Part-time! My license is still New Jersey. I still vote in New Jersey.

AP: The music industry is such a singles market now. Did you ever consider just putting out some new songs and not an entire album?

BON JOVI: See, I’m the opposite. I can only put out an album. I do all I know how to do. I have to tell the complete story. It has to be the beginning, a middle and an end because that’s who and what we are.

AP: How do you describe the new album?

BON JOVI: What comes through is joy. My goal with this record was to capture joy which for these last few years has been difficult, whether it’s the dark cloud of COVID that the world experienced or my own personal journey. With this record, I think we captured joy.

New JOURNEY Band Biography 'Worlds Apart' Now Available

Time Passages has announced "Journey: Worlds Apart" , the definitive accounting of the "Don't Stop Believin'" hitmakers by award-winning journalist Nick DeRiso . A multiple columnist of the year award-winner with the USA Today network, DeRiso conducted dozens of interviews to compile a book that's not just a biography of JOURNEY — it's a backstage pass.

JOURNEY started as a dream for former SANTANA road manager Herbie Herbert , who thought he could build a blockbuster band out of the remnants of post- Woodstock SANTANA with Gregg Rolie and Neal Schon . Turns out, he could — but it would take a few albums, and the arrival of frontman Steve Perry . By the time Rolie exited at the turn of the '80s, JOURNEY was already a multi-platinum band — and they would only get bigger with the addition of Jonathan Cain from JOURNEY 's former opening act THE BABYS .

Solo projects and long periods apart slowed their momentum until Perry finally left for good in the late '90s. Then JOURNEY was faced with one of its biggest challenges: Whether and how to move forward without the singer who had redefined their sound forever on songs like "Open Arms" , "Only The Young" and "When You Love A Woman" .

The story is guided from their earliest roots by conversations with co-founding members Schon , Rolie and Prairie Prince , along with longtime Herbert confidant Pat Morrow . DeRiso then follows JOURNEY toward pop-culture superstardom through additional talks with later-era collaborators Cain , Steve Smith , Deen Castronovo , Steve Augeri and scores of producers, sidemen, label representatives and acknowledged experts like former Rolling Stone contributing editor David Wild , original MTV VJ Martha Quinn , and longtime San Francisco Chronicle music writer Joel Selvin , the latter of whom covered JOURNEY almost from the beginning.

Along the way, "Journey: Worlds Apart" emerges as the definitive look back at Journey, with deep explorations of every era, every album and every song. Pathway collaborations and key side projects complete this detailed analysis, as DeRiso speaks with John Waite , Jan Hammer , Marco Mendoza , Ron Wikso and others.

Nick DeRiso is assistant managing editor with Townsquare Media . Time Passages most recently published "Eagles: Up Ahead In The Distance" , the second in a three-book series.

Time Passages, LLC is an independent publishing based near Annapolis, Maryland.

For more information, visit www.timepassages.net .

Coming soon! Posted by Journey: Worlds Apart on  Thursday, December 7, 2023

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