Stephen Ray Perry (born Stephen Ray Pereira on January 22, 1949) is an American singer and songwriter best known as the lead vocalist of the Rock Band Journey from 1978-1987 and 1995-1998.

Early years

Born in Hanford, CA, Perry is of Potuguese heritage. His family originally came from Ilha do Pico, Açores. Perry grew up interested in music, as his father, Ray, was a vocalist. He also counts Sam Cooke and Al Jolson among his early inspirations. The Perry family was close-knit until Ray left the family when Steve was seven. His mother later re-married, and Perry remained extremely close to her. On his twelfth birthday (January 22, 1961), Mary presented her son with a gold eighth note necklace, which he still wears for good luck.

The family moved to Lemoore, CA during Perry's teen years. While in Lemoore, the young, long-haired singer continued to pursue his interest in music. He attended high school there, drumming in the maching band as well as in extracurricular bands. He attended College of the Sequoias, in Visalia, CA for a short time after graduation, where he took first tenor in the choir there. Perry's mother encouraged his musical growth during this time.

Perry moved to Banta, CA, a small farming town outside of Tracy, CA, where he fronted the band Alien Project in his mid-twenties. He nearly gave up music when the bassist of that band, Richard Michaels, was killed in a tragic automobile accident. Filled with grief, Perry returned to Lemoore and decided not to continue his singing career, instead following in his stepfather's trade of construction, once working on a turkey farm. But at the urging of his mother, Perry answered a call from Walter “Herbie” Herbert, manager of the struggling San Francisco-based band, Journey.

Journey years

Herbert had been given a demo of an Alien Project song, "If You Need Me, Call Me," and was told that the young singer would be a great replacement for current frontman, Robert Fleischman.. Fleischman had never moved under Herbert's management, preferring to maintain his previous manager and had never in fact integrated well with the band's then progressive rock style. Perry was brought on tour and to avoid alarming Fleischman was introduced clandestinely as roadie John Villanueva's Portuguese cousin and surreptitiously performed a song with Journey during a sound check in Long Beach, CA while Fleischman was away from the stage and Herbert informed the band of the line-up change.

Perry brought a completely new pop sound to the band's music, despite grumblings from his new bandmates and fans of Journey's former progressive rock sound. He made his public debut on October 28, 1997 in San Francisco, and received a mixed reception. Perry determinedly proved the critics wrong, and won over new audiences on his first album with the group, Infinity, which included a song of his own composition called "Lights." The band's style had changed dramatically, but as Journey began to garner radio airplay and media buzz over Infinity, Perry's arrival was accepted.

He provided lead vocals on nine of Journey's albums: Infinity (1978), Evolution (1979), Departure (1980), Dream After Dream (1980, a Japanese movie soundtrack), Captured (1980, a live album), Escape (1981, which went to #1 on theBillboard Charts), Frontiers (1983), Raised On Radio (1986), and Trial By Fire (1996). The single "Open Arms," from Escape, made it to #2 on theBillboard Hot 100. Perry had become the unmistakable voice of Journey throughout his time with the band. His trademark tuxedo tails also made him stand out amongst other performers.

During his tenure with Journey, Perry established himself in the music industry, singing backing vocals on several Sammy Hagar songs, including the 1980 track "Run For Your Life," and duetting with Kenny Loggins on the 1982 #17 hit single "Don't Fight It." Perry also worked with other musicians such as Sheena Easton, Clannad and Jon Bon Jovi during the height of his career.

In 1984, following the release of Frontiers and the tour supporting this effort, Perry released his first solo album, entitled Street Talk, named after the original name of Perry's earlier band Alien Project. The record was a platinum success and scored hit singles with "Oh Sherrie," written for his then-girlfriend Sherrie Swafford, and "Foolish Heart." The music video for "Oh Sherrie" saw heavy rotation on MTV. "She's Mine" and "Strung Out" were also released as singles from this project, which featured former Alien Project drummer Craig Krampf on a few tracks, guitarist Michael Landau, and future American Idol judge Randy Jackson, (which also played a stint with Journey on the bass) , among others.

In 1985, Perry had a featured vocal in the famed USA For Africa all-star benefit song "We Are The World," lending his high tenor to the lines "Oh, there's a choice we're making / We're saving our own lives." He also recorded a song, "If Only For the Moment, Girl" for the We Are The World album.

Perry debated continuing a solo career or returning to Journey after the success of Street Talk. His mother said "Journey," and Steve obliged. He left his second solo album Against The Wall unfinished and instead sang on Journey's Raised On Radio album. Perry would revisit his solo project after the Raised On Radio tour but it never saw completion. Several of the songs that were recorded for Against The Wall, however, did appear much later on Perry's 1998 solo compilation, Greatest Hits + Five Unreleased.

While Steve was re-uniting with Journey, his mother became ill. The recording of Raised On Radio, which Perry was producing, was stop-and-go as he frequently returned to the San Joaquin Valley to visit his family. It took a major toll on Journey to have intermittent recording sessions and a vocalist who was not with the band much of the time. Eventually, as Steve later said, he was "toast." Journey disbanded in 1987 after the Raised On Radio tour. Perry disappeared from public view for years afterward, taking a break from the music industry.  Perry said in an interview later that he went a good year and a half to two years without listening to any music at all.

Leaving Journey

In 1994, Perry released For The Love Of Strange Medicine, his second solo effort. The album enjoyed some success, partly due to the Strange Medicine world tour (supported for a short time by Sass Jordon), before being cut short by Journey's reformation.

Journey reunited with Journey's classic 1981-85 lineup in 1996 to record Trial By Fire. The album was a success, entering the Billboard charts at #3 and going platinum before year's end, but its triumph was short-lived. Before the Trial By Fire  tour could begin, Perry suffered a hip injury while hiking in Hawaii and was unable to perform. Perry was diagnosed with a degenerative bone condition and a hip replacement would be required. Reluctant to rush into surgery, Perry wished to postpone the tour.

The rest of the band waited until 1998, just over two years after Perry was injured. Growing impatient and realizing the window of opportunity was closing to follow up Trial By Fire with a world tour, they issued an ultimatum to Perry that either he undergo a hip replacement soon so the tour could proceed upon his recovery or a replacement singer would be hired.Perry, still hesitant to undergo surgery and now apparently angry at his bandmates' intractability made the decision to part with Journey permanently. Journey filled Perry's slot with a new vocalist, Steve Augeri, who bears a striking physical and vocal similarity to Perry, and nearly two years to the day after the album's initial release began the long postponed tour.

The tour was a mild success, but due to the long wait between the album's release and the tour's kick-off, as well as the absence of Journey's iconic frontman, fan response was somewhat muted. Interestingly, long-time Journey drummer Steve Smith resigned, reportedly because Journey without Steve Perry didn't interest him. Smith had rejoined, along with Ross Valory, to complete what Perry has referred to as the band's quintessential line-up.

Post Journey

Perry underwent successful hip replacement surgery in 1998 to correct the problem he had been diagnosed with two years earlier. He released the Greatest Hits + Five Unreleased compilation album later in 1998; the unreleased tracks included an original Alien Project demo as well as selections from the abandoned Against The Wall CD. Also in1998, Perry recorded two songs for the Warner Bros film, Quest For Camelot, which can be found on the motion picture's soundtrack.

Journey was the subject of an episode of VH1's Behind The Music in2001, where Perry made the controversial statement that he "never really felt like part of the band."

Perry became more involved in films thanks to a close friendship with Film Director Patty Jenkins and was musical consultant on her film Monster.