Age, Biography, and Wiki
Steve Perry was born on January 22, 1949, in Hanford, California. As of 2025, he is 76 years old. He is the only child of Mary Quaresma and Raymond Perry, and his father was a vocalist and radio station co-owner. Perry's parents divorced when he was eight, and his mother remarried. He is of Portuguese descent and has a strong connection to his family's musical background.
| Occupation | Rock Singer |
|---|---|
| Date of Birth | 22 January 1949 |
| Age | 76 Years |
| Birth Place | Hanford, California, U.S. |
| Horoscope | Aquarius |
| Country | U.S |
Height, Weight & Measurements
While specific details about Steve Perry's height and weight are not widely documented, he is often noted for his distinctive voice and stage presence.
Journey's classic 1981–85 lineup reunited in 1996 to record Trial by Fire. The album was a huge success, entering the Billboard charts at No. 3 and going platinum before year's end, but its triumph was short-lived. Before the Trial By Fire tour could begin, Perry suffered a hip injury while hiking in Hawaii and was unable to perform. Perry was diagnosed with a degenerative bone condition and a hip replacement was required, and as he was reluctant to rush into the surgery, Perry wanted to postpone the tour. The remaining members waited until 1998, nearly 17 months after Perry's injury, before making a decision on Journey's future. Growing impatient and realizing the window of opportunity was closing to follow up the success of the Trial By Fire LP with a world tour, Journey members Jonathan Cain and Neal Schon met with Perry. They presented him with an ultimatum: If he did not undergo hip replacement surgery so the tour could proceed upon his recovery, the band would hire a replacement singer. Still hesitant to undergo surgery, and now upset at his bandmates, Perry announced that he was permanently leaving Journey. His lead vocal duties were later taken over by Steve Augeri of Tall Stories. Nearly two years after the initial release of Trial by Fire, Journey began to tour.
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Dating & Relationship Status
Perry has kept his personal life relatively private over the years. There is no public information about him being married or having a significant other as of recent.
He is an only child. Perry grew up interested in music, as his father, Raymond Perry (Pereira), was a vocalist and co-owner of radio station KNGS. Perry's parents ended their relationship when he was eight. He and his mother then moved to his grandparents' dairy farm.
On Perry's 12th birthday, his mother, Mary Quaresma, presented him with a gold eighth note pendant; Perry wears the pendant for good luck. At age 12, Perry heard Sam Cooke's song "Cupid" on his mother's car radio, and it inspired him to become a singer.
Upon returning to Lemoore, Perry decided not to continue his singing career, but at the urging of his mother, he answered a call from Herbie Herbert, manager of struggling San Francisco-based band Journey. Herbert had been given a demo of an Alien Project song, "If You Need Me, Call Me", and was told by producer Scott Mathews that the young singer would be a great replacement for then-current frontman Robert Fleischman. Fleischman had never signed with Herbert's company (preferring his previous manager) and had not fully coalesced with the band's then progressive rock style. Perry was brought on tour and to avoid alarming Fleischman was referred to as a roadie's Portuguese cousin. During a soundcheck in Long Beach, Perry surreptitiously performed a song with Journey while Fleischman was away from the stage; soon thereafter, Herbert informed the band members that Perry was the new lead singer.
In 1984, following the release of Frontiers and the tour supporting this effort, Perry released his first solo album, Street Talk. The album's title was derived from the original name of Perry's earlier band Alien Project. The record sold more than 2 million units, scoring the hit singles "Oh Sherrie", written for his then-girlfriend Sherrie Swafford and which went to No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100, and "Foolish Heart", which went to No. 18. The music video for "Oh Sherrie" was on heavy rotation on MTV. The songs "She's Mine" and "Strung Out" were also released as singles. The album featured former Alien Project drummer Craig Krampf on a few tracks, guitarist Michael Landau, and future American Idol judge Randy Jackson on bass, among others.
While Perry was reuniting with Journey, his mother became ill. The recording of Raised on Radio, which Perry was producing, was stop-and-go as he frequently returned to the San Joaquin Valley to visit his mother, who died during the production of the album. It took a major toll on Journey to have intermittent recording sessions and a vocalist who was not with the band much of the time. Eventually, Perry became exhausted from the ordeal. Journey then went into hiatus in 1987 after the Raised on Radio tour.
In 2011, Perry began a relationship with Kellie Nash, a psychologist and breast cancer survivor. He was by Nash's side as she battled a cancer recurrence, and she died in December 2012.
In a September 2018 interview, Perry said, "Things happened to me as a child that I still can't talk about – nothing to do with my parents, but things did happen. It happened to a lot of kids, as I find out... there was nowhere to talk it out, so I got to sing it out instead."
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Net Worth and Salary
As of 2025, Steve Perry's net worth is estimated to be $70 million. This figure reflects his successful career with Journey and as a solo artist, including earnings from album sales, royalties, and licensing agreements for his music in films and commercials.
Perry released a 10-track studio album, Traces, on October 5, 2018. A U.S. Deluxe Edition was released at Target and has five bonus tracks. Perry has described the album as a "cathartic" and "emotional expression" about the loss of a loved one. The record is Perry's third studio work and his first since For the Love of Strange Medicine.
In March 2019, Perry released a deluxe version of the Traces album, featuring five bonus tracks along with his first official music video in 25 years for "We're Still Here".
Career, Business, and Investments
Music Career:
- Journey: Perry was the lead vocalist of Journey from 1977 to 1998, contributing to some of the band's most iconic songs like "Don't Stop Believin'," "Open Arms," and "Faithfully."
- Solo Career: After leaving Journey, Perry released several successful solo albums, including "Street Talk" featuring the hit single "Oh Sherrie."
- Recent Work: In 2023, Perry released "The Season," a holiday album that included a duet with his late father, showcasing his continued musical output.
Stephen Ray Perry (born January 22, 1949) is an American singer and songwriter. He was the lead singer and frontman of the rock band Journey during their most successful years from 1977 to 1987, and again from 1995 to 1998. He wrote/co-wrote several Journey hit songs, including "Any Way You Want It", "Don't Stop Believin'", "Open Arms" and "Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)". Perry had a successful solo career between the mid-1980s and mid-1990s, made sporadic appearances in the 2000s, and returned to music full-time in 2018.
In 1988, Perry began to work on another solo album, Against the Wall, which he ultimately left unfinished, although several of the songs that were recorded for the album would appear on Perry's 1998 solo compilation, Greatest Hits + Five Unreleased). A year later, on April 30, 1989, at the Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View, California, Perry joined Bon Jovi to perform Sam Cooke's "Bring It On Home to Me" and the Four Tops' "Reach Out". He would also reunite with Journey at the Bill Graham tribute concert, "Laughter, Love and Music" on November 3, 1991, at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, performing "Faithfully" and "Lights". Other than those three events, however, Perry mostly disappeared from the public eye for seven years, taking a break from the music industry.
Greg Prato of AllMusic wrote: "If only one singer could be selected as the most identifiable with '80s arena rock, it would have to be Journey's Steve Perry." Prato's colleague John Franck praised Perry's as a soaring "whale of a voice". He was voted among the ten greatest rock singers of all time in a 2009 Classic Rock reader poll. Rolling Stone ranked Perry No. 76 in "The 100 Greatest Singers of All Time", lauding his "technical skills" as well as his "pure tone and passionate sincerity". Geoff Nicholls of Rhythm referred to Perry as "arguably the best singer of his generation".
Social Network
Steve Perry maintains a strong presence in the music world, though he is not as active on traditional social media platforms. His influence is evident through his continued relevance in popular culture and music.
Perry released his Greatest Hits + Five Unreleased compilation album on December 15, 1998; the unreleased tracks included an original Alien Project demo as well as selections from the abandoned Against the Wall album. Also in 1998, Perry recorded two songs for the Warner Bros. film Quest for Camelot, which can be found on the motion picture's soundtrack. During an episode of VH1's Behind the Music in 2001, Perry stated that he "never really felt like [he] was part of the band". Former manager Herbie Herbert reacted by saying, "That's like the Pope saying he never really felt Catholic."
Education
Perry attended Lamoore High School and later studied at the College of Sequoias in Visalia, California.
In his early 20s, Perry moved to Sacramento to start a band, later named Ice, with 16-year-old future music producer Scott Mathews, who co-wrote, played drums and guitar and sang. In 1972, they recorded at the Record Plant studios in Los Angeles by day while Stevie Wonder recorded his Talking Book album by night. Upon returning to Sacramento, Ice disbanded as they had no management, Mathews was still in high school, and the recordings went virtually unheard. In 1975, Perry moved to Thousand Oaks, California, where he formed a progressive rock band called Pieces with Tim Bogert (who had previously worked with Jeff Beck), Denver Cross, and Eddie Tuduri. After a year and a half, the group was unable to secure a record deal and disbanded. Perry also unsuccessfully auditioned to replace Rod Evans in Captain Beyond.
Conclusion
Steve Perry's enduring legacy in rock music is matched by his financial success, which reflects his dedication to his craft and savvy business acumen. As he continues to contribute to the music world, his net worth and influence remain strong in 2025.
