When The Voice Went Croaky

[Journey/Survivor]

I loved it. But then I didn't think it was croaky though. I love his voice and much preferred the more husky, earthy tone than some of the real early squealy stuff. Sooooo not about the range for me, much more about the delivery and vocal tone/timbre. My other favorite singers have a more smoky, soulful, rock tone too.

I largely agree with you there.

Whereas it's very impressive with the notes Perry could hit on a song like Something To Hide, at the same time I don't really care for his singing on that song. His tone on Seperate Ways on the other hand I love.

[jrnyman28]

Damage sounds so negative but I think it is valid. I think Perry made lemonade...that's all. He toook the changes in his voice and found new ways to utilize his voice to it's fullest potential. He used to sing high and clear, then he sang a little lower with an edge, then he sang a little raspier with more emotion.

[Journey/Survivor]

Haha, love threads like this, everyone's got such a way with words. I'm a late comer to the Journey fan-wagon for sure. Missed them completely during my (and theirs) formulative years. Accumulated and listened to their entire back-catalog and all the boots I could beg/borrow/trade in just the past 2 years. It IS amazing listening to the evolution of Steve's singing voice from Infinity all the way to TBF -- in one sitting, now. At the time the albums were released, however, I don't think too many fans noticed much difference. Well ... except NIG.

I'm with Deb. I don't think the later voice is croaky at all. It is just more mature, soulful. The earlier voice made him sound like a girl.

Like I mentioned in one of my other posts in this thread, I did notice the change at the time, but I think he still sounded just as good and was intentional.

I disagree about his higher range sounding like a girl. IMO he always sounded like a man, just a man with a high range.

If you want to hear a guy that sounds like a girl then listen to Geddy Lee.
That's why I much prefer Geddy Lee's vocals from their Roll The Bones album and after, Lee sounds much better with a little deeper tone than he used in his earlier Rush days.

[tammy]

I can't comment on when Frontiers came out in the 80s - I only heard it in 2004 along with all the other stuff I missed after Infinity, Evolution and some of Escape. But, I loved it immediately & loved all the other Journey albums immediately, too. SP's voice sounds amazing on all, definitely different moods & tones across them...I call Steve Perry my fave singer.
But, I do believe something happened somewhere to his voice - which could most likely be from extensive touring & age or maybe there was a botched operation, who knows? It's why I accept that he will not sing again - I'm sure he has the will, but sadly not the voice he has been known for or that he would be happy sharing with his perfectionism...I think that is why he guest features on others albums. And, you can hear his speaking voice is obviously different from earlier interviews.

Having said all that, I still want to hear him! It's more than just the voice I feel when I listen - it always has been...plus, and most important, from all I've read, he is a terrific human being...I really, really like him. I just think that his voice was a gift & he gave it away to us - he doesn't possess it anymore...but, it's the gift that keeps on giving - thank god for recordings - we still get that thrill when we listen.
Yep, I'm happily locked up without a key in the SP looney bin.

[bluejeangirl76]

Damage sounds so negative but I think it is valid. I think Perry made lemonade...that's all.

Well, we have run out and I am thirsty. Someone send a dumptruck of lemons to his house.
Or plant lemon trees in his yard. j/k

I'll settle for an autographed Minute Maid container.

[mistiejourney]

Damage sounds so negative but I think it is valid. I think Perry made lemonade...that's all.

Well, we have run out and I am thirsty. Someone send a dumptruck of lemons to his house.
Or plant lemon trees in his yard. j/k

I'll settle for an autographed Minute Maid container.

I'd settle for a shiveled up old lemon (a la Lucy and the orange from Richard Widmark's yard in "I Love Lucy"), autographed, of course.

[bluejeangirl76]

Damage sounds so negative but I think it is valid. I think Perry made lemonade...that's all.

Well, we have run out and I am thirsty. Someone send a dumptruck of lemons to his house.
Or plant lemon trees in his yard. j/k

I'll settle for an autographed Minute Maid container.

I'd settle for a shiveled up old lemon (a la Lucy and the orange from Richard Widmark's yard in "I Love Lucy"), autographed, of course.

Wasn't it a grapefruit? Damn, and I'm a huge Lucy fan, I should know that. But I think it was a grapefruit.

I can just see you, sneaking around Perry's living room, hiding behind the Lazy Boy (the chair, not the singer) with your sad little lemon, trying not to be caught... and I, Ethel, will come save you.

[Spike]

I recalled reading a couple of statements in the music press suggesting that “Little Girl” (recorded in the Departure sessions and debuting on Dream After Dream) was the first time that Steve Perry intentionally lowered his vocal range. I went hunting for the references and find that the first time that this was mentioned was during the round of publicity and interviews for Frontiers in 1983. In Record Review, April 1983, the journalist, Jon Sutherland observes:

“One thing struck me as the biggest change of direction on the new album and that was the lower tone of Steve's vocals. They weren't as high as before . . . a lot like the songs he sang on the Japanese release Dream After Dream soundtrack.”

And another reference to this appeared in Bop Magazine, December 1983:

“"Steve actually lowered his vocal range for "Dream After Dream", a single which was only released as a Japanese import," explains the same Journey spokesperson.”

When I sat down to write this, it was to refute the ‘spin’ theory about the change in Perry’s vocals as early as 1983. However, these comments, appearing when they did, does seem rather like stirring sauce into the factual pot, and had caused me to wonder.

It could also be that any damage was started prior to Perry’s Journey career. Back in 1980, he is quoted as saying:

“Before I knew what I wanted to do vocally, I used to rag my voice a lot. Trying to get that rasp in it that at the time I thought was so cool.”

(Voice Magazine, April 1980)

And damage, or at least a weakness that would be exacerbated by the exertions of performing with Journey could date that far back.

I must confess that Perry could have the remaining range of Billy-Goat-Gruff and still be able to out-sing most other vocalists. Like many of you, it’s his soul and delivery which hooked me, more than the notes or even the smoothness of his voice. However, I found the documentary evidence, although sparse, to be quite compelling in its suggestion that something was happening as early as the recording sessions for Frontiers.

Links to the full articles for those who need them:
http://www.steveperryfans.com/press/rrapr83.html - Record Review 1983
http://www.steveperryfans.com/press/bopdec83.html - Bop 1983
http://www.steveperryfans.com/press/voiceapr80.html - Voice Magazine 1980

[Liquid_Drummer]

This is spin, pure and simple.

Steve Perry sounded consistent (perhaps identical) from Infinity to Escape and you propose that it suddenly "deteroriated" or "devolved" after the Escape tour? Any evidence to verify it?

IN fact yes.. Its all in the bootlegs...

I have a few tours from 82 on my work computer. I think one is in March and one is in September and October. It happened during this period and it is obvious. Clear as a bell in March and changing vowel sounds to make it easier as well as ducking high notes here and there by saying something to pump the crowd plus a very obvious increase in rasp... In march he sounds like Escape and in Oct he sounds like Frontiers..

Overuse is the culprit here and the only reason I think that he didnt take a break was because he was feeding a bad habit. That bad habit coupled with overuse changed his voice. Any of you with 82 bootlegs take a listen to and see for yourself.

Another example is the version of Separate Ways on youtube where perry says that they wrote it two weeks prior. He still has a lot of that escape tonality to his voice. Then we have the recorded version and the difference is there for sure. Also, there was a slight weight gain during this entire period. Could it be that maybe his testosterone levels increased for some reason ? Can anyone think of any other singer who's voice when through so many changes so quickly ?

Maybe he has been lying about his age all of this time. Maybe he was really 16 when he joined Journey and his nads dropped in late 82 !!

Who the hell knows ! I have always thought that the legal NDA all the guys had to sign was part of keeping that cat in the bag...

[conversationpc]

Another example is the version of Separate Ways on youtube where perry says that they wrote it two weeks prior. He still has a lot of that escape tonality to his voice. Then we have the recorded version and the difference is there for sure. Also, there was a slight weight gain during this entire period. Could it be that maybe his testosterone levels increased for some reason ? Can anyone think of any other singer who's voice when through so many changes so quickly ?

I've had the thought before that perhaps it could've been the slight weight gain. He actually looked a little healthier with the added weight but I'm sure it probably effected his vocal chords to at least a small degree, not to mention the four straight years of grueling touring they did back then, with 100+ shows each year. I've heard the version of "Separate Ways" that you mention here and it's kinda strange, though good, to hear that "Frontiers" song done in an "Escape" voice.

[ohsherrie]

Damage sounds so negative but I think it is valid. I think Perry made lemonade...that's all.

Well, we have run out and I am thirsty. Someone send a dumptruck of lemons to his house.
Or plant lemon trees in his yard. j/k

I'll settle for an autographed Minute Maid container.

I've had this conversation so many times with so many people over so many years on so many boards that all I have left to say about it is
"Hell yeah BJG!!!

[marco17]

I didn't really get into Journey until TBF and then the Augeri period, so the change in Perry's voice wasn't as obvious to me. That said, I would have to agree that he probably damaged his voice to a point that he does not feel comfortable singing much anymore. Granted, he may just be one of these guys who felt like he went out on top, and relishes the fact that people still crave more. But, I think it's telling in the music itself. And, while certainly not the great singer Perry was, I think you saw a similar problem with Augeri losing his voice, but the situation was handled differently by the band. SP had enough control that he could tell them to change keys or stop the entire Journey machine in a second if he wanted. Augeri began to damage/lose his voice but didn't have enough cloat within the band to get them to change keys so he could sing in his more natural voice, potentially avoiding the constant straining to hit notes he naturally and consistently couldn't hit. Therefore the band had no issue moving on without him because he was nothing more than a employee to them, who couldn't do the job any longer. Maybe I am totally off base because I am not that knowledgeable about this stuff, but I think we just witnessed the demise of Augeri's voice in a more public manner then we did SP's.

[Stoneyman]

The weight gain some of you mention may have played a small part, but only because if Steve was a out of shape it would have affected his breathing and use of his diaphram to push notes. Any vocal coach will tell you that you will sing better if your are in better physical health.

I took singing lessons in high school and we used to talk about Journey and Perry a lot since my chorus teacher was a Journey fan. She used to tell me how little things like Steve's posture helped him sing. Her opinion was that Steve should have taken a break after Escape and took some treatment on his voice and rested. He may have held off the oncoming rasp for a while longer. Then again, try to tell a record company and entire Journey organization that you want to chill for a year in the middle of the biggest wave ever.

There is absolutely no question that Perry in 81 was the greatest EVER. Watch him sing Mother, Father while moving around the stage. That my friends is the best sh1t I ever saw. For me "My Perry" will always be from the ROR tour. I liked the rasp with flurries of power. It felt more emotional to me and that is what I really miss about hearing Perry sing live. I dont care about how high the notes are, or what fucking key its in. I just want to hear him sing. The delivery digs into my soul. I think one of Steve's best songs was Missing You. Piano and Steve. I believe he still could make a record like that, piano and vocal with a little strings thrown in. That will never happen because the assholes with tear him apart for not having the ability anymore. I guess it sucks when your past is the toughest act to follow. It was one hell of a legacy.

[Deb]

There is absolutely no question that Perry in 81 was the greatest EVER. Watch him sing Mother, Father while moving around the stage. That my friends is the best sh1t I ever saw. For me "My Perry" will always be from the ROR tour. I liked the rasp with flurries of power. It felt more emotional to me and that is what I really miss about hearing Perry sing live. I dont care about how high the notes are, or what fucking key its in. I just want to hear him sing. The delivery digs into my soul. I think one of Steve's best songs was Missing You. Piano and Steve. I believe he still could make a record like that, piano and vocal with a little strings thrown in. That will never happen because the assholes will tear him apart for not having the ability anymore. I guess it sucks when your past is the toughest act to follow. It was one hell of a legacy.

That is exactly how I feel..........and you explained it soooooooooo much better than I did.

[Rick]

Her opinion was that Steve should have taken a break after Escape and took some treatment on his voice and rested. He may have held off the oncoming rasp for a while longer. Then again, try to tell a record company and entire Journey organization that you want to chill for a year in the middle of the biggest wave ever.

If you read the Castles Burning interview, Herbie Herbert detailed how Perry tried to do just that.

Castles Burning Interview MS Word viewer required.

[Deb]

I agree, I'm sure all that touring did a number on his voice. His speaking voice on Behind the Music was definitely more raspy then it was when I met him, no idea why that is. I guess what I'm trying to get a feel for here is.....from some posts I'm getting: pure/clear = good, soulful/raspy = damaged? What about singers that are originally raspy (EM)? What about the extremely high notes in FTLSM like "Anyway", and the end of "Let Him Go"......did he do it often, no, but could still hit it?

How ever we describe it, all I'm saying is I prefer the more soulful vocals than the early high vocals.

I don't know if I've heard Eric Martin (don't kill me!)- but he was probably 'originally' raspy because by the time he got a record deal (and people started hearing him), he had already worked his voice over.

LOL. EM was the singer for Mr. Big (see my sig) and now, solo. And I don't think his voice sounds like that from working his voice over. Even on some early stuff before Mr. Big he's had that smoky soulful sound. Sorry but I don't see a rasp to a voice equalling damaged. Not in the least, if anything it adds depth to it. Sure, Perry may have lost a lot of range from the riggers of touring......but I dig his later vocal tone.

Her opinion was that Steve should have taken a break after Escape and took some treatment on his voice and rested. He may have held off the oncoming rasp for a while longer. Then again, try to tell a record company and entire Journey organization that you want to chill for a year in the middle of the biggest wave ever.

That is sooo very true. Bon Jovi almost split up for good after New Jersey. After two......year to 18 month long tours, JBJ was burned out and was getting steriod shots in his neck by the end of the New Jersey tour just to keep going vocally. I don't believe for a second that between record companys, management and the machines that any of these lead vocalists back then could have taken much time off at all. I remember JBJ's brother on Behind the Music saying he would come off stage sometimes like a ragdoll. And this is JBJ we are talking about so multiply that x10 as far as SP goes. Bands were pushed A LOT harder back then. With it being the hardest on the frontman.

[Liquid_Drummer]

Steriod shots ! In his neck ?!?!? I have a friend that swears up and down that Perry took estrogen shots and when he stopped his voice changed which is why it was so sudden. He is really serious. Wouldnt Perry have grown some uhhh "buds".. Aww man.. Yuck !! Man buds !! Ewww

[Gordon from Edinburgh]

What was your reaction to Perrys voice the first time you heard the Froniters album in 1983?

I wasnt around at that time so obvisuly i cant comment. No doubt most will agree that his voice was still amazing but it must of been a bit of a shock to hear the massive change in his voice, which appeared to just come out of nowhere.

I felt he chose to change it as he had been criticised for being a "crooner" - so he went for a deeper harder sound - as did the band on Edge of The Blade for example - he still soars into high territory on Separate Ways - i don't think he had a problem - i think he just showed great versatility.......

[*Laura]

The weight gain some of you mention may have played a small part, but only because if Steve was a out of shape it would have affected his breathing and use of his diaphram to push notes. Any vocal coach will tell you that you will sing better if your are in better physical health.

I took singing lessons in high school and we used to talk about Journey and Perry a lot since my chorus teacher was a Journey fan. She used to tell me how little things like Steve's posture helped him sing. Her opinion was that Steve should have taken a break after Escape and took some treatment on his voice and rested. He may have held off the oncoming rasp for a while longer. Then again, try to tell a record company and entire Journey organization that you want to chill for a year in the middle of the biggest wave ever.

There is absolutely no question that Perry in 81 was the greatest EVER. Watch him sing Mother, Father while moving around the stage. That my friends is the best sh1t I ever saw. For me "My Perry" will always be from the ROR tour. I liked the rasp with flurries of power. It felt more emotional to me and that is what I really miss about hearing Perry sing live. I dont care about how high the notes are, or what fucking key its in. I just want to hear him sing. The delivery digs into my soul. I think one of Steve's best songs was Missing You. Piano and Steve. I believe he still could make a record like that, piano and vocal with a little strings thrown in. That will never happen because the assholes with tear him apart for not having the ability anymore. I guess it sucks when your past is the toughest act to follow. It was one hell of a legacy.

Cool post,especially the last paragraph! I totally agree with every point.

[mriesenb]

[ I would still bet that his damage was from overuse (touring) and steroid usage.

This caught my attention, steroid usage? Is there any proof of this? I didn't hear about that before.

[BobbyinTN]

I noticed right away. He sounded huskier to me and almost as if it was harder to sing the higher stuff. I still love that era and he could still sing his ass off. I think the most drastic difference in Steve Perry's voices, for me anyway, was Trial By Fire. He almost sounded as if he had no breath control. I seem to remember a rumor that even in the studio he was having trouble and everything had to be pieced together.

The road killed Steve Perry's voice or at least altered it drastically. We know he can still "sing", but I think a little less touring and a little more rest would have kept his voice in better shape.

Just my opinion folks.

[mistiejourney]

Damage sounds so negative but I think it is valid. I think Perry made lemonade...that's all.

Well, we have run out and I am thirsty. Someone send a dumptruck of lemons to his house.
Or plant lemon trees in his yard. j/k

I'll settle for an autographed Minute Maid container.

I'd settle for a shiveled up old lemon (a la Lucy and the orange from Richard Widmark's yard in "I Love Lucy"), autographed, of course.

Wasn't it a grapefruit? Damn, and I'm a huge Lucy fan, I should know that. But I think it was a grapefruit.

I can just see you, sneaking around Perry's living room, hiding behind the Lazy Boy (the chair, not the singer) with your sad little lemon, trying not to be caught... and I, Ethel, will come save you.

It IS a grapefruit!

Don't forget the bearskin rug!

[brywool]

The weight gain some of you mention may have played a small part, but only because if Steve was a out of shape it would have affected his breathing and use of his diaphram to push notes. Any vocal coach will tell you that you will sing better if your are in better physical health.

I took singing lessons in high school and we used to talk about Journey and Perry a lot since my chorus teacher was a Journey fan. She used to tell me how little things like Steve's posture helped him sing. Her opinion was that Steve should have taken a break after Escape and took some treatment on his voice and rested. He may have held off the oncoming rasp for a while longer. Then again, try to tell a record company and entire Journey organization that you want to chill for a year in the middle of the biggest wave ever.

There is absolutely no question that Perry in 81 was the greatest EVER. Watch him sing Mother, Father while moving around the stage. That my friends is the best sh1t I ever saw. For me "My Perry" will always be from the ROR tour. I liked the rasp with flurries of power. It felt more emotional to me and that is what I really miss about hearing Perry sing live. I dont care about how high the notes are, or what fucking key its in. I just want to hear him sing. The delivery digs into my soul. I think one of Steve's best songs was Missing You. Piano and Steve. I believe he still could make a record like that, piano and vocal with a little strings thrown in. That will never happen because the assholes with tear him apart for not having the ability anymore. I guess it sucks when your past is the toughest act to follow. It was one hell of a legacy.

By the way, weight gain is another side effect of steroid use. That and hip problems and a wrecked voice.
All three are symptoms of steroid use. Being that steroids were prescribed heavily for singers back then, I can almost guarantee you that that is what happened to him.

[brywool]

[ I would still bet that his damage was from overuse (touring) and steroid usage.

This caught my attention, steroid usage? Is there any proof of this? I didn't hear about that before.

Hi Michael- It hasn't been admitted, but if you put everything together, it fits. THIS IS MY OPINION.
Steroids were supplied to MANY singers back then and up until that time, it hadn't been. The cumulative effects of cortisone and prednisone were not known as far as what longterm effect they'd have on vocalists. It was just "Hey, I need to tour, I need to reduce the swelling. Gimme Gimme". Then with big tours and big pressure to tour, steroids were used to reduce swelling in the throat (trust me, I just used them a few weeks ago). They won't damage you UNLESS YOU DO THEM A LOT. With Steve's heavy touring schedule and high range, you can almost bet that it was necessary for him to maintain the quality of his voice, and I would imagine (NOT BASED ON FACT but OPINION) that he did what he had to to maintain the schedule.

Weight gain, joint and hip problems, and a wrecked voice can result from over use.

Again, this is my opinion, but everything fits...
Now he suffers from "Silent Scream"

[TRAGChick]

I had a cassette of a radio-interview about "Street Talk" back in the day...

(Don't have it anyMORE, because one day my Mom THREW OUT all my SP stuff...!:roll: )

Anyway...

I remember him saying something like:

"People think that Steve Perry is just a guy, with ONE voice, who sings for Journey....that's absolutely not true.
There's many different vocal inflections I love to use....this project helped me to get away from that high, "Lyiiiing
besiiide yoooooou" type sound....I had a chance to really be GUTSY, y'know?"

[youkeepmewaiting]

I had a cassette of a radio-interview about "Street Talk" back in the day...

(Don't have it anyMORE, because one day my Mom THREW OUT all my SP stuff...!:roll: )

Anyway...

I remember him saying something like:

"People think that Steve Perry is just a guy, with ONE voice, who sings for Journey....that's absolutely not true.
There's many different vocal inflections I love to use....this project helped me to get away from that high, "Lyiiiing
besiiide yoooooou" type sound....I had a chance to really be GUTSY, y'know?"

Yeh ivelistened to that. And i understand what he is asaying and im sure he changed bitas of his voicing style of his own will but i dont buy that that is all that changed, his voice DID detoriate..but obv still amazing.

[brywool]

I had a cassette of a radio-interview about "Street Talk" back in the day...

(Don't have it anyMORE, because one day my Mom THREW OUT all my SP stuff...!:roll: )

Anyway...

I remember him saying something like:

"People think that Steve Perry is just a guy, with ONE voice, who sings for Journey....that's absolutely not true.
There's many different vocal inflections I love to use....this project helped me to get away from that high, "Lyiiiing
besiiide yoooooou" type sound....I had a chance to really be GUTSY, y'know?"

Well, he's not gonna go out and say "yeah, I f'd up my voice".
Rasp is damage. Scientifically speaking, it is. I mean, you can sing raspy as a style (McCartney on Maybe I'm Amazed, I'm Down) but Perry's was different. I guess people just don't want to imagine that he could've messed his voice up. He DID and that's why he no longer sings. Some singers can live with the rasp (Stephen Tyler, Bryan Adams). They sing in lower ranges than Steve for the most part. Steve couldn't use THAT voice in it's state for THOSE songs any longer. Again, that's why the songs were all in lower keys when he last did them.

And even Tyler paid the price. He had to back out of a tour to have surgery. During Perry's reign, I don't think the medical technology was up to speed to deal with it. It was "Well, you can go in and they'll do a surgery and you MIGHT be fixed or you might be irreparably broken afterwards. It's not a sure thing". If I was him, I surely wouldn't have gone under the knife to fix it. Now, there may be the techology to fix him, but who knows. Dammit Jim, I'm a doctor not a rock star!

... but then what do I know?

[mriesenb]

[ I would still bet that his damage was from overuse (touring) and steroid usage.

This caught my attention, steroid usage? Is there any proof of this? I didn't hear about that before.

Hi Michael- It hasn't been admitted, but if you put everything together, it fits. THIS IS MY OPINION.
Steroids were supplied to MANY singers back then and up until that time, it hadn't been. The cumulative effects of cortisone and prednisone were not known as far as what longterm effect they'd have on vocalists. It was just "Hey, I need to tour, I need to reduce the swelling. Gimme Gimme". Then with big tours and big pressure to tour, steroids were used to reduce swelling in the throat (trust me, I just used them a few weeks ago). They won't damage you UNLESS YOU DO THEM A LOT. With Steve's heavy touring schedule and high range, you can almost bet that it was necessary for him to maintain the quality of his voice, and I would imagine (NOT BASED ON FACT but OPINION) that he did what he had to to maintain the schedule.

Weight gain, joint and hip problems, and a wrecked voice can result from over use.

Again, this is my opinion, but everything fits...
Now he suffers from "Silent Scream"

I know of prednisone with regards to people gaining weight. I didn't know it's a steroid. It's used in a lot of medical treatments I think.

Does seems to make sense. I remember seeing some pictures of Perry in which I felt he looked heavy. Since he was always such a skinny man it surprised me. But maybe he
always had weight problems. He's pretty heavy now, but maybe that's just the age combined with living the good life

"Silent Scream", funny man. People here probably don't understand that joke

[brywool]

"Silent Scream", funny man. People here probably don't understand that joke

didn't know if you remembered me.

[mriesenb]

"Silent Scream", funny man. People here probably don't understand that joke

didn't know if you remembered me.

Sure dude! I replied in one of the other threads a few weeks ago, guess you overlooked that

For people who don't follow this, Byan worked with me on my last album (Shouting Silence, hence the joke above) on a song called "Call To Glory". When talking about
raspy voices... Bryan co-sang this tune with Urban Tale's Kimmo Blom who had just had a bad cold, so his voice was extremely raspy,
while normally he has this clear Perry like tenor. Now this worked well on this song, since now Bryan was the high pitched tenor

Figure Perry had a cold lasting 9 months?