Journey Force News 1998 - Steve Perry and Steve Smith leave Journey

This is an old text newsletter I received many years ago. I'm not sure of the origin.


May 7, 1998

Singer Steve Perry has announced that he is officially leaving Journey. The split comes in the wake of a January 1998 conversation between Perry and Journey keyboardist Jonathan Cain in which it was decided that, if Perry's health issues prohibited him from committing to a tour at that time, Cain and original Journey guitarist Neil Schon would reform the band with a new singer. Drummer Steve Smith has also left Journey. 

Perry became the lead singer of Journey in 1978 and, over the past two decades, sang on the group's ten platinum-plus albums including the 1996 Trial By Fire CD. Journey, with Steve Perry as vocalist, has sold more than 45 million records worldwide. Steve Perry has recently worked with David Foster and Carole Bayer-Sager in writing and recording "I Stand Alone," the principle track for the soundtrack to the animated feature film Quest For Camelot. 

Journey is currently comprised of new lead singer Steve Augeri (formerly of Tall Stories), original guitarist Neal Schon, bassist Ross Valory, keyboardist Jonathan Cain (a 1981 addition), and new drummer Dean Castranova (formerly of Bad English, an 80's "supergroup" which also featured Schon and Cain). The new Journey lineup has already recorded "Remember Me," a track for the soundtrack to the upcoming summer blockbuster film Armageddon; "Remember Me" was written by Neal Schon and Jack Blades and was produced by Kevin Shirley (who also produced Trial By Fire). The Armageddon soundtrack will be released by Columbia Records on June 30, 1998. 

Journey "Remember Me" single front cover