Journey formed in San Francisco in 1973 and hit their arena rock stride once Steve Perry took the mic in 1977. Escape (1981) — home to Don't Stop Believin' — and Frontiers (1983) are the peak of the Columbia years, and Infinity (1978) is where the run begins. Explore Journey vinyl, CDs, and reissues at Wax Trax Records.
Journey formed in San Francisco in 1973 around guitarist Neal Schon (formerly of Santana) and various Bay Area musicians. After three relatively jam-oriented early albums, the band reoriented toward arena rock with the addition of Steve Perry as vocalist in 1977 - Infinity (1978) launched their commercial peak. Jonathan Cain (formerly of the Babys) joined in 1980, replacing Gregg Rolie. Escape (1981) included Don't Stop Believin', Open Arms, and Who's Crying Now - making Journey one of the highest-selling rock acts of the early 1980s. Steve Perry departed in 1998 after extensive band tensions. Arnel Pineda has been the band's lead vocalist since 2007, after the band discovered him via YouTube performing Journey covers. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2017.
Journey's sound combines arena rock, hard rock, AOR (album-oriented rock), pop rock, and progressive rock with Perry's distinctive tenor vocal delivery (one of the foundational arena rock vocal templates), Schon's signature guitar work, and Cain's keyboard contributions. Their work has been a defining template for American arena rock across multiple decades.
Original Columbia pressings of the late-1970s and 1980s Journey catalog are widely collected. Multiple anniversary editions, audiophile reissues (Mobile Fidelity, Acoustic Sounds), and the comprehensive Columbia reissue programs have been released.
Listeners new to Journey typically start with Escape (1981) or Frontiers (1983).
