55 Fun Facts About Journey

In which city was Journey formed in 1973?

Journey formed in San Francisco in 1973, when former Santana manager Herbie Herbert assembled ex-members of Santana, the Steve Miller Band and Frumious Bandersnatch.

What was the band originally called before it became Journey?

Herbie Herbert's group began in 1973 as the Golden Gate Rhythm Section, meant to be a backing band for established Bay Area artists, an idea dropped in favor of the band's own jazz-fusion rock.

The band's guitarist and keyboardist Gregg Rolie both came to Journey from which band?

Rolie had co-founded Santana and played Woodstock with them; the teenage Schon appeared on Santana III and Caravanserai.

Where did Journey play its first public show, on New Year's Eve 1973?

Journey debuted at San Francisco's Winterland Ballroom on New Year's Eve 1973 before about 10,000 people, then flew to Hawaii the next day for the Sunshine Festival at Diamond Head Crater.

Which British drummer, fresh from working with David Bowie and Frank Zappa, joined Journey in 1974?

Aynsley Dunbar, who had drummed for David Bowie and Frank Zappa's Mothers, replaced Prairie Prince in 1974 and stayed through Infinity before being fired in late 1978 over the band's pop turn.

On which 1978 album did Journey embrace pop arrangements and redefine its sound?

Infinity (1978), the first album with Steve Perry, brought the pop-leaning sound Columbia had demanded after threatening to drop the band; it became Journey's first platinum record.

Roy Thomas Baker was hired in 1978 to give Journey a layered sound like that of which band he had produced?

Roy Thomas Baker had produced Queen's stacked-harmony albums, and Herbie Herbert hired him for Infinity to get that layered sound; the album reached number 21 and launched a headlining tour with Van Halen opening.

Which singer fronted Journey for a few months in 1977, just before Steve Perry?

Robert Fleischman fronted Journey for several months in 1977 and shares writing credits on the 1978 album Infinity, but clashed with manager Herbie Herbert and was replaced by Steve Perry that fall.

Which previous band of Steve Perry's recorded the demo that reached Journey's manager?

Alien Project's demo reached Herbie Herbert in 1977; Perry had nearly quit music after the band's bassist, Richard Michaels, died in a car crash, and his mother urged him to return Herbert's call.

Steve Perry was born in Hanford, California, to parents who came from which islands?

His father Raymond Pereira was a singer and part-owner of a radio station; Perry is an only child.

Which fellow rock star coined Steve Perry's nickname 'The Voice'?

Jon Bon Jovi is credited with dubbing Perry 'The Voice'; Rolling Stone ranked Perry 76th on its 2008 list of the 100 greatest singers.

Hearing which Sam Cooke song on his mother's car radio at age 12 inspired Steve Perry to become a singer?

Perry said hearing Sam Cooke's 1961 hit 'Cupid' on his mother's car radio at age 12 made him decide to become a singer.

Which 1979 album gave Journey its first Billboard Hot 100 top-20 single, 'Lovin', Touchin', Squeezin''?

Evolution (1979) yielded 'Lovin', Touchin', Squeezin'', which peaked at number 16; its tour grossed more than $5 million and funded the band's own lighting and trucking company, Nocturne.

Which Berklee-trained ex-Montrose drummer joined Journey in 1978?

Steve Smith, a Berklee alumnus who had toured with Montrose, joined Journey in late 1978; he later led the jazz group Vital Information, returned for the 1996 reunion and was dismissed in 2020.

When Gregg Rolie left in 1980, he recommended a keyboardist from The Babys as his replacement; who?

Jonathan Cain, recommended by Rolie himself, came over from The Babys in 1980; his synthesizers replaced Rolie's organ and he co-wrote the album's hits, including 'Don't Stop Believin''.

How is the title of the 1981 album Escape stylized on its cover?

The cover renders Escape as E5C4P3 in a blocky, computer-style logo beside the scarab spaceship bursting from a planet; the 1981 release became Journey's best-selling studio album.

Where did Escape peak on the US Billboard 200?

It was the fifth-best-selling album of 1981, just behind Stevie Nicks's Bella Donna, and remains the band's only chart-topper.

'Open Arms', the band's biggest Hot 100 hit, sat at what position for six weeks in early 1982?

It was stuck behind the J. Geils Band's 'Centerfold' and Joan Jett's 'I Love Rock 'n' Roll'. VH1 later named it the greatest power ballad ever.

Which singer had an international hit with a cover of 'Open Arms' in 1996?

Mariah Carey's cover of 'Open Arms', from her 1995 album Daydream, was released as a single in 1996 and reached number 4 in the UK.

Which Babys singer rejected the melody that became 'Open Arms'?

John Waite passed on Jonathan Cain's ballad melody when both were in The Babys; Waite, Cain and Schon later formed Bad English, whose 'When I See You Smile' hit number 1 in 1989.

The title of 'Don't Stop Believin'' came from advice the keyboardist repeatedly received from whom?

Jonathan Cain's father ended each of his despairing phone calls home from Sunset Boulevard with 'Don't stop believing'; Cain kept the phrase in a notebook and offered it when Perry asked for a title.

'Don't Stop Believin'' was recorded at which studio?

Escape, including 'Don't Stop Believin'', was recorded at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley in 1981 with producers Kevin Elson and Mike Stone.

What is structurally unusual about 'Don't Stop Believin''?

Two pre-choruses and three verses go by before the title hook finally lands with about 50 seconds left.

Perry admits the Detroit district he sang about does not exist; what lies directly south of downtown Detroit?

Perry said 'south Detroit' simply sang better than north, east or west; he learned later that directly south across the Detroit River lies Windsor, Ontario, in Canada.

Which baseball team adopted 'Don't Stop Believin'' during its 2005 World Series run?

The 2005 Chicago White Sox made 'Don't Stop Believin'' their rallying song; Perry was invited along for the World Series and celebrated with the team on the field in Houston after the sweep.

The famous 2007 series finale of which HBO drama used 'Don't Stop Believin'' in its final scene?

'Don't Stop Believin'' played over the abrupt cut-to-black ending of The Sopranos on June 10, 2007; Perry had hesitated before approving the use, and downloads of the song jumped afterward.

Which TV cast's 2009 cover of 'Don't Stop Believin'' outperformed the original internationally?

The Glee cast's 2009 version reached number 4 on the Hot 100 and number 2 in the UK, beating the original's peaks; the song appeared in Glee's pilot and several later episodes.

'Don't Stop Believin'' closes which 1980s jukebox musical, filmed in 2012 with Tom Cruise?

Rock of Ages, the 1980s jukebox musical that ran on Broadway from 2009 to 2015, ends with the full cast singing 'Don't Stop Believin''; the 2012 film starred Tom Cruise as Stacee Jaxx.

Which 1983 album was Journey's highest-charting in the UK, reaching number six?

Frontiers (1983) reached number 6 in the UK and number 2 in the US, behind Thriller, and produced 'Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)', 'Faithfully' and 'Send Her My Love'.

The 'Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)' video, shot on a wharf in New Orleans, is infamous for what?

The 1983 clip has the band miming on imaginary instruments, air guitar and air keyboards included, on a New Orleans wharf; Perry's girlfriend Sherrie Swafford reportedly clashed with the video's model on set.

'Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)' found a new audience through which season of Stranger Things?

Stranger Things season four (2022) used a remixed 'Separate Ways' in its trailer campaign; the song had earlier featured in the 2008 film Yes Man, and peaked at number 8 in 1983.

The keyboardist began writing 'Faithfully' on a paper napkin on a tour bus headed for which city?

Jonathan Cain jotted the 'Faithfully' idea on a napkin on the tour bus to Saratoga Springs, New York, and finished it in about half an hour, writing about a 'music man' keeping a marriage together on the road.

After recording which song did Prince phone the keyboardist, worried it was too similar to 'Faithfully'?

Prince played 'Purple Rain' to Jonathan Cain by phone before its 1984 release because its chord progression echoed 'Faithfully'; Cain told him the songs were different enough and gave his blessing.

Which hit did Bryan Adams write while opening for Journey in 1983, influenced by 'Faithfully'?

Bryan Adams wrote 'Heaven' in 1983 while opening for Journey, drawing on 'Faithfully'; Journey's Steve Smith played drums on the recording, which hit number 1 in 1985.

According to Steve Perry, 'Any Way You Want It' was heavily influenced by which Irish band?

Perry said 'Any Way You Want It' grew out of touring with Thin Lizzy in 1979, when Phil Lynott's rhyming, call-and-response style rubbed off on him and Schon.

Which 1978 single was co-written by the band's short-lived 1977 singer, Diane Valory and the guitarist?

'Wheel in the Sky', the lead single from Infinity, began as a poem by Diane Valory, Ross Valory's wife, about life on the road; Robert Fleischman and Neal Schon set it to music.

Which song opens Journey's 1988 Greatest Hits album?

Journey's 1988 Greatest Hits opens with 'Only the Young', a 1985 single from the Vision Quest soundtrack; the compilation became the band's best-selling album, certified 15 times platinum.

Which future American Idol judge played bass on the 1986 album Raised on Radio and its tour?

Randy Jackson, later an American Idol judge, played bass on Raised on Radio after Ross Valory and Steve Smith were pushed out mid-sessions; Perry produced the 1986 album himself.

What condition did Steve Perry set for reuniting with the band in 1995?

Eagles manager Irving Azoff took over. The reunion album Trial by Fire reached number three and earned a Grammy nomination.

Plans to tour behind 1996's Trial by Fire collapsed after Perry discovered what while hiking in Hawaii?

Perry learned on a 1996 hike in Hawaii that he had a degenerative hip condition; he delayed hip-replacement surgery until 1998, and the band replaced him rather than wait.

Steve Augeri's first Journey recording, 'Remember Me', appeared on which 1998 film's soundtrack?

'Remember Me', Steve Augeri's first recording with Journey, appeared on the 1998 Armageddon soundtrack; Augeri beat candidates including Queensryche's Geoff Tate and stayed until 2006.

Steve Augeri stepped down in 2006 amid accusations that the band was doing what at concerts?

Augeri left in 2006 amid claims that Journey was using pre-recorded lead vocals on tour; the band cited a chronic throat infection, while former manager Herbie Herbert later insisted the tapes were real.

Neal Schon found singer Arnel Pineda on YouTube fronting a Manila cover band called what?

A fan's YouTube clips of Pineda singing Journey songs with his Manila cover band The Zoo caught Schon's eye in 2007; Pineda flew to San Francisco and auditioned over two days.

In what year was Journey inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame?

Journey entered the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on April 7, 2017, at Brooklyn's Barclays Center, inducted by Train's Pat Monahan; Steve Perry spoke but left the singing to Arnel Pineda.

Journey played the pregame show of Super Bowl XLIII in 2009 in which city?

Super Bowl XLIII was played at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa on February 1, 2009, and Journey, with Arnel Pineda, performed the pregame show; Live in Manila was recorded the next month.

Journey recorded 'Only Solutions' and '1990s Theme' for which 1982 Disney film?

Journey contributed 'Only Solutions' and the instrumental '1990's Theme' to Disney's Tron (1982), whose score was otherwise by Wendy Carlos; the band was then at the peak of its Escape-era fame.

In the 1983 Bally Midway arcade game Journey, who has stolen the band's instruments?

The game used digitized photos of the members' faces on cartoon bodies, and 'Lights' plays on the selection screen.

In Journey's first 50 years (1973-2023), which founding member never left?

Neal Schon, a founding member in 1973, played in every Journey lineup; as a teenager he turned down Eric Clapton's invitation to join Derek and the Dominos to stay with Santana.

How old was the band's lead guitarist when, in 1971, he joined the group he played in before Journey?

Neal Schon, born February 27, 1954, at Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma to a big-band musician father, was 17 when he joined Santana in 1971.

In 2020, the band fired bassist Ross Valory and its longtime drummer and sued them, alleging what?

The suit sought over $10 million and claimed the pair tried to seize control of the company they wrongly believed owned the Journey name.

Neal Schon sent Journey's keyboardist a cease-and-desist in 2022 after he played 'Don't Stop Believin'' for whom?

Jonathan Cain performed 'Don't Stop Believin'' at a Mar-a-Lago event for Donald Trump in November 2022; Schon's cease-and-desist said Cain had no right to use Journey's name for politics, and the two later sued each other over band finances.

What was the title of Journey's 15th studio album, released in July 2022?

Freedom, released July 8, 2022, was Journey's 15th studio album and its first since 2011's Eclipse, with Randy Jackson on bass and Narada Michael Walden on drums.

What was the title of Steve Perry's 1984 solo debut, which produced the hit 'Oh Sherrie'?

Street Talk (1984), named for an early name of Perry's old band Alien Project, sold more than two million copies and produced 'Oh Sherrie', a number 3 hit.

Which singer from Talisman fronted Journey for a few months in 2006-07 between Augeri and Pineda?

Jeff Scott Soto, singer of the Swedish band Talisman, stepped in when Augeri left the 2006 Def Leppard co-headlining tour, was named the official singer that December and was let go in June 2007.

Why did rhythm guitarist George Tickner leave Journey after the 1975 debut album?

George Tickner left after the 1975 debut, which peaked at number 138 on the Billboard 200, and went on to study medicine at Stanford, earning a medical degree.