Journey’s Steve Perry goes from turkey farm to rock hall

You can hardly turn on a classic rock or oldies station without hearing the music of Journey, so it’s easy to understand why the band has been selected to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame on April 7.

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Steve Perry, second from left, is not only the former lead singer of the rock band Journey, he is also a former turkey farm worker. | Photo courtesy of Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
Steve Perry, second from left, is not only the former lead singer of the rock band Journey, he is also a former turkey farm worker. | Photo courtesy of Rock & Roll Hall of Fame

You can hardly turn on a classic rock or oldies station without hearing the music of Journey, so it’s easy to understand why the band has been selected to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame on April 7.

Those familiar with the band likely know that Steve Perry, the once lead singer of the band, helped put Journey on the charts steadily from the late 1970s to the late 1980s through his heartfelt vocals. But what people might not know is that Perry had been a poultry industry laborer.

It was revealed on an episode of VH1’s “Behind the Music,” that when the bass player of Perry’s earlier band, Alien Project, died, so did the band. Perry would lose the desire to further pursue his music career and with expenses to meet, he entered the workforce – repairing coops at a turkey farm in California.

“It was one of those financially destitute times, and my stepdad was nice enough to give me employment at the time, which was at that turkey ranch,” Perry said.

While he admitted he disliked that job, the thought of returning to music didn’t appeal to him – at first.

Fortunately for music fans, his mother convinced him to not give up on his dream. And while the turkey production industry can always use a few good workers, this is one case that worked out better in the long run.

Will Perry be present at induction?

When Journey was at its heyday, the group consisted of Perry, Neal Schon, Jonathan Cain, Ross Valory and Steve Smith, but the group disbanded in the late ‘80s. The core five reunited about a decade later to release an album, but when it came time to go out on the road for its concert tour, Perry and Smith opted out.

Smith has since rejoined, but Perry has not. It remains a mystery whether he’ll join his old bandmates for the induction. A report from the Spokesman-Review indicates he will not, despite Schon saying the door is open and multiple attempts have been made to reach him.

Pardon the pun, but it would be a shame if on induction night, the two camps continued to go their Separate Ways.

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