The only constant factor was guitarist Neal Schon 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 . The results were immediately felt on the fourth album, Infinity (1978), which sold a million copies within a year, Evolution (1979) was similarly successful, as was Departure . 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) Raised on Radio (1986) was made by Schon, Perry, and Cain.The band received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on January 21, 2005. Seeking a frontman, they found him in Arnel Pineda, a Filipino vocalist that they discovered after seeing him perform on YouTube. Pineda made his debut with the band in 2008, the same year that Journey released Revelation. Fueled by the adult contemporary hit After All These Years, Revelation was a surprise hit that wound up going platinum. Journey returned in the summer of 2011 with Eclipse, a concept album that saw the band tie together its progressive rock beginnings with its e80s arena rock peak.
