Steve's Raspy Voice ?

[STORY_TELLER]

It was me who made the Perry to Pacino comparison.

And yes, touring wreaks havoc on vocal chords. But my point for making the Perry to Pacino comparison is to show that touring alone might not have been the reason for the voice change. Pacino is not a singer, doesn't put his vocal chords to a 10th of the workout Perry did over the years, yet he suffers from the exact same issue.

The same tour schedule Perry was able to handle with Journey would have destroyed your average singer in a much short period of time. The same genetics that kept his voice going so long could very well be the same thing that was going to change it, regardless of whether he was a singer or a guy who worked on a turkey farm. Same thing with Pacino.

I'm not sure Pacino and Perry had/have the same throat problem.As I was reading your post I remembered something about Pacino's voice issues,but couldn't recall exactly what it was.So I looked up a bio.Found this.

"Pacino suffered from a throat disorder in the mid-1980s which forced him to stop smoking cigarettes. In Sea of Love, he sounded noticibly different, the beginning of his now-famous dark, owly eyes and hoarse, deep voice. He hasn't stopped smoking, but he has successfully transfered his habit to herbal cigarettes."

Right, but that doesn't mean the disorder isn't genetic in origin. As the article states, his voice didn't become that way from smoking cigarettes, rather the disorder made him stop smoking. What I'm saying is there might not be a cause and effect here. It might simply be something that was destined to happen to both Pacino and Perry, no matter what they did with their voices.

[Rockindeano]

I'll tell ya, I am listening to Blue Sky Party, a live boot from Los Angeles in 1981, and dude sounds better than pro tools. This is incredible.

[*Laura]

It was me who made the Perry to Pacino comparison.

And yes, touring wreaks havoc on vocal chords. But my point for making the Perry to Pacino comparison is to show that touring alone might not have been the reason for the voice change. Pacino is not a singer, doesn't put his vocal chords to a 10th of the workout Perry did over the years, yet he suffers from the exact same issue.

The same tour schedule Perry was able to handle with Journey would have destroyed your average singer in a much short period of time. The same genetics that kept his voice going so long could very well be the same thing that was going to change it, regardless of whether he was a singer or a guy who worked on a turkey farm. Same thing with Pacino.

I'm not sure Pacino and Perry had/have the same throat problem.As I was reading your post I remembered something about Pacino's voice issues,but couldn't recall exactly what it was.So I looked up a bio.Found this.

"Pacino suffered from a throat disorder in the mid-1980s which forced him to stop smoking cigarettes. In Sea of Love, he sounded noticibly different, the beginning of his now-famous dark, owly eyes and hoarse, deep voice. He hasn't stopped smoking, but he has successfully transfered his habit to herbal cigarettes."

Right, but that doesn't mean the disorder isn't genetic in origin. As the article states, his voice didn't become that way from smoking cigarettes, rather the disorder made him stop smoking. What I'm saying is there might not be a cause and effect here. It might simply be something that was destined to happen to both Pacino and Perry, no matter what they did with their voices.

Oh,I think Pacino was a really heavy smoker and that habit was what caused his throat disorder.
My guess is that Pacino had Vocal Polyps,while Perry might've had Vocal Nodules.The former happens to smokers,the latter to singers.
Different causes but same effects - a hoarse voice.


Vocal Polyps - A vocal polyp is a soft, benign (non-cancerous) growth, similar to a blister. A polyp usually grows alone on one vocal cord and is often caused by long-term cigarette smoking. Other causes of vocal polyps include hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid gland), gastroesophageal reflux, and continuous voice misuse. Voice polyps cause the voice to be hoarse, low, and breathy. Vocal polyps are also called Reinke's edemas or polypoid degeneration.


Vocal Nodules - Vocal nodules are benign (non-cancerous) growths on the vocal cords caused by vocal abuse. Vocal nodules are a frequent problem for professional singers. The nodules are small and callous-like and usually grow in pairs (one on each cord). The nodules usually form on areas of the vocal cords that receive the most pressure when the cords come together and vibrate (similar to the formation of a callous). Voice nodules cause the voice to be hoarse, low, and breathy.

[STORY_TELLER]

It was me who made the Perry to Pacino comparison.

And yes, touring wreaks havoc on vocal chords. But my point for making the Perry to Pacino comparison is to show that touring alone might not have been the reason for the voice change. Pacino is not a singer, doesn't put his vocal chords to a 10th of the workout Perry did over the years, yet he suffers from the exact same issue.

The same tour schedule Perry was able to handle with Journey would have destroyed your average singer in a much short period of time. The same genetics that kept his voice going so long could very well be the same thing that was going to change it, regardless of whether he was a singer or a guy who worked on a turkey farm. Same thing with Pacino.

I'm not sure Pacino and Perry had/have the same throat problem.As I was reading your post I remembered something about Pacino's voice issues,but couldn't recall exactly what it was.So I looked up a bio.Found this.

"Pacino suffered from a throat disorder in the mid-1980s which forced him to stop smoking cigarettes. In Sea of Love, he sounded noticibly different, the beginning of his now-famous dark, owly eyes and hoarse, deep voice. He hasn't stopped smoking, but he has successfully transfered his habit to herbal cigarettes."

Right, but that doesn't mean the disorder isn't genetic in origin. As the article states, his voice didn't become that way from smoking cigarettes, rather the disorder made him stop smoking. What I'm saying is there might not be a cause and effect here. It might simply be something that was destined to happen to both Pacino and Perry, no matter what they did with their voices.

Oh,I think Pacino was a really heavy smoker and that habit was what caused his throat disorder.
My guess is that Pacino had Vocal Polyps,while Perry might've had Vocal Nodules.The former happens to smokers,the latter to singers.
Different causes but same effects - a hoarse voice.


Vocal Polyps - A vocal polyp is a soft, benign (non-cancerous) growth, similar to a blister. A polyp usually grows alone on one vocal cord and is often caused by long-term cigarette smoking. Other causes of vocal polyps include hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid gland), gastroesophageal reflux, and continuous voice misuse. Voice polyps cause the voice to be hoarse, low, and breathy. Vocal polyps are also called Reinke's edemas or polypoid degeneration.


Vocal Nodules - Vocal nodules are benign (non-cancerous) growths on the vocal cords caused by vocal abuse. Vocal nodules are a frequent problem for professional singers. The nodules are small and callous-like and usually grow in pairs (one on each cord). The nodules usually form on areas of the vocal cords that receive the most pressure when the cords come together and vibrate (similar to the formation of a callous). Voice nodules cause the voice to be hoarse, low, and breathy.

Could very well be. Pacino, Perry (and their doctors) are the only one's who really know. If Perry has nodules, he has an option to try and cure it. But that assumes he has any interest in being a singer again, which I don't think he does.

[Rick]

It was me who made the Perry to Pacino comparison.

And yes, touring wreaks havoc on vocal chords. But my point for making the Perry to Pacino comparison is to show that touring alone might not have been the reason for the voice change. Pacino is not a singer, doesn't put his vocal chords to a 10th of the workout Perry did over the years, yet he suffers from the exact same issue.

The same tour schedule Perry was able to handle with Journey would have destroyed your average singer in a much short period of time. The same genetics that kept his voice going so long could very well be the same thing that was going to change it, regardless of whether he was a singer or a guy who worked on a turkey farm. Same thing with Pacino.

I'm not sure Pacino and Perry had/have the same throat problem.As I was reading your post I remembered something about Pacino's voice issues,but couldn't recall exactly what it was.So I looked up a bio.Found this.

"Pacino suffered from a throat disorder in the mid-1980s which forced him to stop smoking cigarettes. In Sea of Love, he sounded noticibly different, the beginning of his now-famous dark, owly eyes and hoarse, deep voice. He hasn't stopped smoking, but he has successfully transfered his habit to herbal cigarettes."

Right, but that doesn't mean the disorder isn't genetic in origin. As the article states, his voice didn't become that way from smoking cigarettes, rather the disorder made him stop smoking. What I'm saying is there might not be a cause and effect here. It might simply be something that was destined to happen to both Pacino and Perry, no matter what they did with their voices.

Oh,I think Pacino was a really heavy smoker and that habit was what caused his throat disorder.
My guess is that Pacino had Vocal Polyps,while Perry might've had Vocal Nodules.The former happens to smokers,the latter to singers.
Different causes but same effects - a hoarse voice.


Vocal Polyps - A vocal polyp is a soft, benign (non-cancerous) growth, similar to a blister. A polyp usually grows alone on one vocal cord and is often caused by long-term cigarette smoking. Other causes of vocal polyps include hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid gland), gastroesophageal reflux, and continuous voice misuse. Voice polyps cause the voice to be hoarse, low, and breathy. Vocal polyps are also called Reinke's edemas or polypoid degeneration.


Vocal Nodules - Vocal nodules are benign (non-cancerous) growths on the vocal cords caused by vocal abuse. Vocal nodules are a frequent problem for professional singers. The nodules are small and callous-like and usually grow in pairs (one on each cord). The nodules usually form on areas of the vocal cords that receive the most pressure when the cords come together and vibrate (similar to the formation of a callous). Voice nodules cause the voice to be hoarse, low, and breathy.

Could very well be. Pacino, Perry (and their doctors) are the only one's who really know. If Perry has nodules, he has an option to try and cure it. But that assumes he has any interest in being a singer again, which I don't think he does.

All this talk got my interest up, so I Googled pictures of vocal chords. Nasty looking stuff there. Healthy ones look like something.. can't quite put my finger on it.