Steve Perry: 16 Magazine October 1981

STEVE PERRY - WHAT NATIONALITY? I'm curious about rock singer Steve Perry. Can you tell me what nationality he is, and if he reads his fan mail?

Kris Mathieson
San José, CA

Dear Kris,
That's a good question - although I was born in Hanford, California (not too far from you, I see), my family background is Portuguese. In fact, before I was born, our name was Perrera, not Perry! As for the other question, I do indeed read my fan mail and I try real hard to answer it all personally.

ANY PETS? I really like the newest Journey-man Jonathan Cain and I wanted to know if he has any pets since I'm an animal lover myself.

Sharon Segal
Binghamton, NY

Dear Sharon,
Join the club - I love animals too, especially dogs. My best friend is a beautiful German shepherd named Nero who's got a special claim to fame - if you throw him a frisbee he'll catch it in his mouth! By the way, thanks so much for the compliment!

WHO IS JOURNEY I'm confused. There have been so many personnel changes in Journey it's hard to keep up with them. Could you please tell me who the original members of the group were and who's in it now?

Rick Streeter
Boise, Idaho

Dear Rick,
This is Neal Schon speaking. You're right - we have done a lot of switching around! As one of the two remaining original Journey members, I'll answer that question for you. journey started out with me on guitar, Gregg Rolie on keyboards, Aynsley Dunbar on drums, Ross Valory on bass, George Tickner on rhythm guitar and for a very short while we had lead singer Robert Fleischman. Ross is still with us but everybody else (except me!) has been replaced and now there's lead vocalist Steve Perry, drummer Steve Smith and keyboardist Jonathan Cain.

A JOURNEY LEADER? Can you help me? My brother and I fight about Journey all the time. He says Steve Perry is their leader and I say he isn't. Does Journey have a leader?

Steven Cleven
Pittsburgh, PA

Dear Steven,
Hi, this is Ross Valory and maybe I can help you and your brother out. Journey's been around for quite some time, but we've never been known as a band with a leader. We've got a pretty democratic organization here and each one of us counts as much as the other. When we perform, we do so as a unit - a smooth rock ensemble dedicated to the best music there is.

JOURNEY'S FOREIGN LP Is it true that Journey has an album out in Europe that we can't get? What's it called? How can I get a copy?

Wanda Mortimer
Syracuse, New York

Dear Wanda,
This is Steve Perry and the album you're talking about is the movie soundtrack album we did over in Japan. It's called Dream After Dream and marks Journey's first venture into soundtracks. The film kind of dictated what the music should be - the story is sort of a Japanese folk tale about a guy and a couple of girls - and we not only did the music, but the sound effects too! The album should be available in import stores here, and maybe it will even be released in America as well.

MR. VALORY REGRETS? Ross Valory always looks as though he's really into his music when he's playing guitar on stage. It's easy to see he loves what he does, but does he ever think about other things he might have done?

Bart Bohannon
St. Louis, Mo

Dear Bart,
I suppose when I look back on it, my life might have taken different directions. For example, just in the field of music, if I'd have only listened to my family and kept up those piano lessons, I'd have been a lot better off now. Oh, I can fiddle around, but not like a serious student of the piano. Of course, there's the whole other side of me too, the one who could have been a pretty decent biologist or oceanographer. I'm still very interested in science and scientific advancements - I'm working to make my home in the San Francisco Bay area entirely self-sufficient! - and I read about them whenever I can. Of course I love my music, and when it comes right down to it, I'm glad I made the choices I did!

EMBARRASSING MOMENT FOR JON? I know that Jonathan Cain used to be with The Babys and even recorded his own album a long time ago. Since he's been around so much, I'm hoping he can tell me the most exciting thing that's happened to him, and maybe the silliest too? Thanks.

Myra Water
Springfield, Mass,

Hi Myra,
You sure seem to know an awful lot about my career! Thanks for being such a fan. Now, let me think . . . I'd have to say that playing in New York's Madison Square Garden was a very exciting moment in my career. As for the silliest? Well, there was that time in Detroit when I was on stage, tripped over a monitor and proceeded to fall flat on my backside! Boy, was I embarrassed, Myra!! Hope that answers your questions.

STEVE SMITH OFF-STAGE Steve Smith is just the cutest thing when he plays the drums for Journey - I just love to watch him! Can you tell me what he likes to do when he's not working?

Rona Lee Yang
Cleveland, Ohio

Dear Rona.
You say the sweetest things! To tell the truth, my life off-stage isn't all that exciting. Mostly I'm working with the group, traveling with them, or involved in one of our many on-the-road ball games. When I go off by myself, I swear I wind up playing drums again - I really love those things! - or reading or just talking with friends. Boring, isn't it?

JOURNEY BY ANY OTHER NAME? I'd like to know if Journey was always called Journey. Also, why did Gregg Rolie leave and how long was he with the group?

Victor Ravis
Houston, Tx

Dear Victor,
This is Neal and since I founded Journey with Gregg I'm going to answer your questions. Gregg and I were part of a group called Santana for about eight years when we left and formed a studio band called the Golden Gate Rhythm Section. By 1973, we decided not to simply play for other people, so we changed the band's name to Journey, and set off to make it on our own. Gregg stayed with us for seven years and then decided to go off last year to work on solo projects and produce other groups. Hope that clears things up!