Why Journey’s iconic frontman went radio silent for 20 years
As the lead singer of Journey, Steve Perry didn’t just front a band; he provided the soaring, emotional soundtrack for an entire generation. Yet, at the absolute zenith of his powers, the man often called “The Voice” did something unthinkable: he simply vanished. Now 76, Perry’s sudden exit from the spotlight left the music industry and millions of fans stunned, marking the beginning of a silent hiatus that would stretch across nearly two decades.
Steering an Icon into a New Era
The spark for Perry’s lifelong obsession with melody was ignited at age 10, sitting in the passenger seat of his mother’s car. The moment Sam Cooke’s “Cupid” crackled through the radio speakers, something deep within the young Perry was awakened—a soulful calling that would never truly let go.
Following years of college and various stints in local outfits, a 28-year-old Perry joined Journey in 1977. He brought with him a raw, operatic tenor and an emotional gravitas that would fundamentally redefine the group’s identity.
“They were really an amazing performing band. But they didn’t have any quote ‘hit records,’ and weren’t on the radio much,” Perry reflected during a 2008 interview with GQ, recalling the band’s early iterations. At that time, Journey was respected for its complex jazz-rock fusion, but it lacked mainstream appeal. That changed the moment Perry paired with guitarist Neal Schon. Together, the duo steered the band into a golden era, meticulously blending hard rock grit with heartfelt ballads, catapulting Journey into the stratosphere of stadium-rock superstardom.
‘Oh Sherrie’ and the Price of Fame
In 1984, while Journey was operating at its peak, Perry released his first solo track, “Oh Sherrie.” The song was a tribute to his then-girlfriend, Sherrie Swafford, and became an instant classic. However, the romance was playing out against a backdrop of relentless professional pressure.
“Sherrie and I were crazy in love, I can tell you that. And it was a very tough time because the band was peaking,” Perry told the Tampa Bay Times in 2011. “If any woman out there thinks that it would be real exciting to be the girlfriend of somebody in a band like that… the truth is that it’s hard to navigate a relationship when you’re in the midst of such a ride.”
International Superstardom and the Breaking Point
By the early 1980s, Journey had become a global juggernaut. Their 1981 masterpiece, Escape, went multi-platinum, cementing Perry’s reputation as one of the greatest vocalists in rock history. With a range and tonal delivery that remained second to none, the band enjoyed a monopoly on sold-out tours and chart-topping hits.
But behind the scenes, the machinery of fame was beginning to grind Perry down. Speaking with the New York Times in 2018, the “Open Arms” singer revealed that severe burnout was the primary culprit behind his eventual retreat.
“As a vocalist,” 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.”
Journey entered a hiatus in 1987. Although the classic lineup briefly regrouped in the mid-90s, the revival was short-lived and fraught with tension.
The Injury and the Recluse
In 1996, the band released Trial by Fire, yielding the hit “When You Love a Woman.” It appeared a triumphant comeback was imminent, until disaster struck: Perry suffered a serious hip injury while hiking in Hawaii.
The injury required surgery, but Perry was hesitant to undergo the procedure. As the delay dragged on, tensions within the band reached a breaking point. Needing to tour to support the album, the band issued an ultimatum: get the surgery or the band would move on without him. Perry chose the latter, walking away from the industry and becoming a recluse for the next 20 years.
“We’d worked so hard, and we were fortunate to have such great success. But with that success came a serious schedule,” he told radio station 106.7 Lite FM. “I just hit the wall, and I started to lose my passion for singing.”
Kellie Nash: Love, Loss, and a Promise Kept
While the world wondered where Steve Perry had gone, he was navigating a deeply personal chapter away from the microphones. He found a transformative love with Kellie Nash, a psychologist who was battling terminal cancer.
“I was loved by a lot of people, but I didn’t really feel it as much as I did when Kellie said it,” Perry told the Times. “Because she’s got better things to do than waste her time with those words.”
Nash passed away on December 14, 2012, after less than two years together. Her death was devastating, yet it became the catalyst for Perry’s eventual return to the studio. Before she died, Perry made a solemn promise to her.
“She said, ‘If something were to happen to me, promise me you won’t go back into isolation. Because that would make this all for naught.’”
Welcoming the Future with ‘Open Arms’
In 2018, Perry finally made good on that promise. Ending a 24-year recording drought, he released Traces, a deeply personal solo album shaped by the textures of grief, love, and self-reflection.
“I don’t even know if ‘coming back’ is a good word,” Perry remarked days after the album’s debut. “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.”
Despite his decades of silence, Perry’s cultural footprint never diminished. Anthem tracks like “Don’t Stop Believin’” found a second life in everything from the Sopranos finale to Glee, introducing his iconic vibrato to a new generation of listeners. Consistently ranked by Rolling Stone as one of the greatest singers of all time, his influence remains a cornerstone of the genre.