Steve Perry 047

Look closer for two song lyrics and ten song titles: “Just a small-town girl” (Don’t Stop Believin’); “Now it’s your turn girl to cry” (Lovin’, Touchin’, Squeezin’) Any Way You Want It; Who’s Cryin’ Now; Wheel In The Sky; Lights; Open Arms; Faithfully; Separate Ways; Send Her My Love; Ask The Lonely; City of The Angels

The story: 

Stephen Ray Perry (born January 22, 1949) is an American singer and songwriter. He is best known as the lead singer of the rock band Journey during the periods from 1977 to 1987 and from 1995 to 1998. Perry also had a successful solo career between the mid-1980s and mid-1990s, made sporadic appearances in the 2000s, and returned to music full-time in 2018.

Perry’s singing voice has garnered acclaim from prominent musical peers and publications; he has been dubbed “The Voice”, a moniker originally coined by Jon Bon Jovi. Ranked No. 76 on Rolling Stone‘s “100 Greatest Singers of All Time”, Perry was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Journey on April 7, 2017.

In his early 20s, Perry moved to Sacramento to start a band with 16-year-old future music producer Scott Mathews, who co-wrote, played drums and guitar and sang. That band, Ice, wrote original material and were poised to “make it” in the music business. During the day in 1972 they recorded at the Record Plant studios in Los Angeles while Stevie Wonder recorded his Talking Bookalbum by night. Upon returning to Sacramento, Ice disbanded as the band had no management, Mathews was still in high school, and the recordings went virtually unheard. In 1975, Perry moved to Thousand Oaks, California, where he formed a progressive rock band called Pieces with Tim Bogert (who had previously worked with Jeff Beck), Denver Cross, and Eddie Tuduri. After a year and a half, the group was unable to secure a record deal and disbanded. Perry also unsuccessfully auditioned to replace Rod Evans in Captain Beyond.

Perry then ended up in Banta, California, outside of Tracy, California, where he fronted the band Alien Project in his mid-20s. He nearly gave up music when the bassist of that band, Richard Michaels, was killed in an automobile accident. Perry returned to Lemoore and decided not to continue his singing career, but at the urging of his mother, he answered a call from Walter “Herbie” Herbert, manager of struggling San Francisco-based band Journey.           

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Don’t Stop Believin’ was used as an anthem for patients who were being discharged from New York Presbyterian Queens Hospital and Henry Ford Health System after defeating the virus. On August 21, 2021, Journey played the song live at New York’s “We Love NYC: The Homecoming Concert”, which was scheduled to celebrate the city’s emergence from the pandemic.      

-credit wikipedia

Perry, the son of Portuguese parents, grew up in California. He was 10 years old when, during a car trip with his mother, he discovered his career path after listening to Sam Cooke on the radio, he wanted to be a singer.

While attending high school in Lemoore, California, Perry played drums in the marching band. He tried college for a while, performing in the choir, but eventually abandoned school for musical dreams. After moving to Los Angeles, he worked various jobs, singing on commercials, and serving as an engineer in a recording studio. Perry also played with different groups as a vocalist and drummer. On track to success with Alien Project, the band disbanded after the crash.

In 1977, Perry started as the vocalist for Journey, an early 70s jazz-rock group from San Francisco. With Perry, the band moved to mainstream rock and saw chart success with the first Perry album, 1978’s Infinity, about San Francisco.

Journey broke into the Top 20 with Lovin’, Touchin’, Squeezin’ on their next album, Evolution (1979). Buoyed by such hits as Open Arms, Who’s Crying Now and Don’t Stop Believin’, Escape (1981) became the band’s first No. 1 album, selling more than 7 million copies. While the band was hugely popular with music fans, many critics were less than kind.

By the early 1980s, Journey had emerged as one of rock’s top acts. Perry proved that while he may have been short in stature, he possessed one of the era’s biggest and most versatile voices. He was equally adept at ballads, such as Open Arms, and at rock anthems, such as Any Way You Want It. Behind the scenes, Perry helped write these songs and many of the band’s other hits. He penned their most enduring song, Don’t Stop Believin’, with guitarist Neal Schon and keyboardist Jonathan Cain.                                                                                     

-credit biography.com/musician/steve-perry

The artwork: 

The first print of this illustration is available for donation to non-profit silent auction – email lisafromlsu@gmail.com for details.

Digital Print on Archival Matte – Original illustration done in graphite and prisma colors: Apple Green & Grass Green for “Winds rushed through the trees” in Winds of March; Indigo Blue & True Blue for “Some were born to sing the blues” in Don’t Stop Believin’; Silver and Terra Cotta for “Made of silver not of clay” in Wheel in The Sky

Artist: Tobin Bortner of Bastrop, Texas – drawing done in August of 2021 – ©Tobin Signs/Look Closer Illustrations 

DERIVATIVE Work photo credits: Little Steve and mic from youtube_com – maxresdefault; Face from wastrending_blogspot_com – f_perry04; Jacket and tie from 660citynews_com – NYET135-108_2018_155632_hd

What you get:
$40 (36.95 + 3.05 tax)
11 x 14 Print Package with Authenticity Sheet
signed and numbered (run of 80)
Domestic Priority Mail $8 (Free shipping)