Gettin' To Know: Journey

Journey, for me, is one of the best bands ever. And one of my personal favorites.

While I have been growing up to most of their music, I haven't been a fan of Journey music until a college buddy of mine reintroduced me to the band, and we'd wear out this Greatest Hits tape playing it over and over again.

My love for Journey only grew when I got into radio- and got a good idea of how the audience responded to certain Journey songs. In the Philippines, the ballad "Open Arms" would probably be the most popular- thanks to heavy airplay on love song-oriented stations. But for me, and probably for several others, our favorites would be the classic "Don't Stop Believing".

Also cool: "Send Her My Love", "Girl Can't Help It", "I'll Be Alright Without You", "When You Love a Woman", "Wheel In The Sky", "Who's Crying Now", "Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)"- I was just rattling off great songs from the top of my head.

Here's all you need to know about Journey, penned by All Music Guide writer William Ruhlmann:

During their initial 14 years of existence (1973-1987), Journey altered their musical approach and their personnel extensively while becoming a top touring and recording band. The only constant factor was guitarist Neal Schon (born February 27, 1954), a music prodigy who had been a member of Santana in 1971-1972. The original unit, which was named in a contest on KSAN-FM in San Francisco, featured Schon, bassist Ross Valory, drummer Prairie Prince (replaced by Aynsley Dunbar), and guitarist George Tickner (who left after the first album). Another former Santana member, keyboard player and singer Gregg Rolie, joined shortly afterward. This lineup recorded Journey (1975), the first of three moderate-selling jazz-rock albums given over largely to instrumentals.

By 1977, however, the group decided it needed a strong vocalist/frontman and hired Steve Perry (born January 22, 1949). The results were immediately felt on the fourth album, Infinity (1978), which sold a million copies within a year. (By this time, Dunbar had been replaced by Steve Smith). Evolution (1979) was similarly successful, as was Departure (after which Rolie was replaced by Jonathan Cain).

Following a live album, Captured (1981), Journey released Escape, which broke them through to the top ranks of pop groups by scoring three Top Ten hit singles, all ballads highlighting Perry's smooth tenor: "Who's Crying Now," "Don't Stop Believin'," and "Open Arms." The album topped the charts and sold millions. Frontiers (1983), featuring the hit "Separate Ways," was another big success, after which Perry released a double-platinum solo album, Street Talk (1984). When the group got back together to make a new album, Valory and Smith were no longer in the lineup and Raised on Radio (1986) was made by Schon, Perry, and Cain, who added other musicians for a tour.

Following the tour, Journey disbanded. Perry went into a prolonged period of seclusion as Schon and Cain formed Bad English with vocalist John Waite. Bad English had several hit singles, including the chart-topper "When I See You Smile," before breaking up. Perry returned to recording in 1994, releasing For the Love of Strange Medicine. Although the album went gold, it was a commercial disappointment by previous standards. In 1996, Perry, Schon, Cain, Valory, and Smith staged a Journey reunion, releasing the million-selling Trial by Fire, which featured the gold-selling Top 20 single "When You Love a Woman," and going on tour. Perry and Smith opted out of the reunion after the tour, but Journey continued, hiring a new lead singer, Steve Augeri (formerly of Tall Stories), and a new drummer, Bad English's Deen Castronovo, who made their debuts on "Remember Me," a track on the 1998 Armageddon soundtrack. The band next reconvened in 2001. Arrival, Journey's 11th new studio album, was released in April, followed by a national tour. The band received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on January 21, 2005. That same year they released a new album, Generations, and embarked on their 30th anniversary tour. Shows on the tour stretched over three hours long and were divided into two sets -- one focusing on pre-Escape material, the other on post-Escape material. The archival release Live in Houston 1981: The Escape Tour appeared on both DVD and CD in 2006.

Visit the AllMusicGuide for more on Journey, as well as your favorite artists. Read more about Journey on their official website, or on their entry on Wikipedia.

Need to know your favorite artists a little bit more? My Thoughts In Stereo brings you Gettin' To Know- featuring some of the most remembered and most iconic music acts of all time.

Cheers, everyone!