10 Musicians Who Decided To Quit Huge Bands

Out of all the progenitors of hair metal, Journey holds a special place on throwback playlists to this day. For as many ballads that have come out in the ‘80s, Steve Perry’s voice was perfect for the time, with a tone that sounded like it was completely purified. The idea of Journey continuing without him may have been unthinkable, but time had other plans for one of rock’s greatest hitmakers.

After some time away from the band, Perry breathed new life into the band on the album Trial by Fire, but things took a turn for the worse once he started getting in shape for the tour. When out jogging through the mountains, Perry started to feel pain in his hip and ended up requiring medical attention immediately. With a tour already booked, the band postponed some shows until Perry could recuperate, but his health concerns never ended up getting better.

As the band kept waiting, pianist Jonathan Cain eventually called Perry and asked him what was happening. After a few minutes, Cain told him that the band needed to move forward, to which Perry replied that there was no way he would come back if they decided to move on without him. Though the band carried on with singers like Steve Auguri and Arnell Pineda, the voice that won the hearts of millions had fallen silent.