Journey Induction Speeches at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

Journey's Steve Perry spoke, along with Jonathan Cain, Aynsley Dunbar, Gregg Rolie, Neal Schon, Steve Smith, and Ross Valory. They were inducted by Pat Monahan at the Barclays Center in New York City. It was the 32nd Annual Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony.

NEIL SCHON:

Thank you, Pat. This is so long time coming. I thought it would never happen, and I’m so proud to be up here with all these men. They’ve done such a great job and body of work.

This is all about you, the fans, and about the music we’ve made together. I love all you guys. And Steve Perry—you’re one of a kind, you’re one of a million.

Greg Rolie—if it wasn’t for Greg and Santana, there would be no Journey.

Herbie Herbert—thank you from the bottom of my heart for finding me after Greg picked me up in high school when I was 15. We’d go to his father’s house and jam. Soon after that I was in Santana’s band, and wow—what a trip, what a long ride it’s been. A beautiful one.

I want to thank my beautiful wife Mel. Since she’s come to me, it’s been like white light. She’s been out on tour with me the whole time, never left my side one day. I love you.

I love my children—Miles, he’s here, aspiring young guitar player, amazing guitar player, my son. I love you, Miles. Lizzy, Sarah, Sophie, and Asia.

Thank you so much. Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Irving Azoff, John Baruck—thank you guys for carrying on our legacy with us.

AYNSLEY DUNBAR:

Well, I hope I can be sort of funny as Chris Squire, but I don’t think so. This is going to be straightforward. This is an awesome honor to be here with my old bandmates, Journey.

I’d like to thank my family, my friends, my managers, my ex-wives, Zildjian cymbals and sticks, DW drums. And of course, a big thank you to all our fans for your support throughout the years.

A very humble thank you, all.

GREGG ROLIE:

Awesome. What a great night this is for me. This is my second trip here—and what a trip this has been. First Santana, Journey, Ringo Starr’s Santana IV, and now back here with Journey.

I want to thank Herbie Herbert, my manager and longtime friend from Journey, and Neal Schon for calling me while I was up in Seattle and saving me from the restaurant business.

Don’t ever do it.

To start Journey, you know, it’s just been an incredible trip for my life. I want to thank the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for inducting this band—finally.

For me, this is really about the fans. All music fans. Without music fans, this place is empty. This is really about you guys—especially Journey fans. Tonight, this is yours. But it’ll be proudly displayed in my home in Austin, Texas.

STEVE SMITH:

Rock and roll means many things to many people, as the diversity of the class of 2017 clearly illustrates.

I started out in 1963 at 9 years old as a jazz drummer. I thank my parents Bruce and Lorraine Smith for finding me an excellent private drum instructor and supporting my musical passion.

My favorite bands were the Count Basie Big Band and the Buddy Rich Big Band. It wasn’t until 1969 that I discovered rock and roll when my friend Pudge Greenhalgh from Cape Cod showed me his brother Dave’s record collection—Hendrix, Cream, Led Zeppelin. What I heard was Mitch Mitchell, Ginger Baker, and John Bonham. At that moment I could relate to rock drumming.

One of the most explosive shifts in music came in 1971 with the Mahavishnu Orchestra—John McLaughlin, Jan Hammer, Billy Cobham, Jerry Goodman, and Rick Laird. Later Narada Michael Walden stepped in. Jazz officially rocked. That fusion concept was my template for the work with Journey.

I’m grateful for my touring with Ronnie Montrose, where we were the support act for Journey in ’78, and Neal Schon noticed me. Later that year Neal, Steve Perry, Gregg Rolie, Ross Valory, and Herbie Herbert invited me to become a band member.

Thanks to my children Ian and Elizabeth, and very special thanks to my wife Diane. Thanks to Jonathan Cain for the gifted songwriting, and Arnel Pineda for keeping the legacy sound of Journey alive and moving forward.

Most importantly, thanks to our fans from around the world that have kept Journey in their hearts and on their stereos.

ROSS VALORY:

One thing you may not know is that this microphone is robotic. It’s supposed to come up and meet me where I am. Hello, microphone—don’t make me come down there!

There’s also a big red clock that says I have three minutes, but now it says I only have 37 seconds.

Steve Smith did very well with his prepared speech, worked the teleprompter very well. I’m not even going to bother. I didn’t write one.

My life has been full of music from the very beginning. A large family, two talented parents. We learned instruments, we sang. I joined choirs, played in the symphonic band. That continued all the way through high school.

Then a new kid came into town. He said, “I know who you are. You play guitar at home. We need a bass player.” I rented a bass and amp, and from that point my life in music changed.

There are many people who deserve thanks—starting with Herbie Herbert, our former creator and manager. Within five years of meeting him, we had created the beginnings of Journey.

We thank John Baruck and Irving Azoff for taking the band out of exile and putting it back on the map. We thank the fans—the hundreds of thousands who supported us. And most of all, our families, who maybe have suffered more in our absence.

Thank you, and love to my wife Mary.

JONATHAN CAIN:

Being from Chicago, I just want to thank the Cubs for winning the World Series so we could get into the Hall of Fame.

Good evening. I’d like to begin by thanking my father, Leonard, for believing in me. My mentor, my vision keeper — he prophesied success from the time I was 8 years old, after a terrible school fire. Later he said to me, “Son, don’t stop believing,” on a life-changing phone call as I struggled with my career back in the ’70s. He’s gone now. I miss you, Dad, and I love you.

Thanks to my piano teacher Rosanne Klich and Ralph Dodds from the Conservatory of Chicago, to Jerry Milam of Golden Voice Recording Studio in Pekin, Illinois, to the late Buddy Killen, who gave me my first break in Nashville in 1969.

To my brother Tom, who played drums with me in countless bands while we learned lessons together in rock and roll. To my brother Hal, who always believed in my music. To the late Wolfman Jack and the Don Kelly Organization for opening in LA and getting me started on the right path.

To all the members of The Babys for giving me a shot and allowing me to be part of the creative process. And to my brothers in Journey, for believing and trusting I could be part of shifting and sustaining a signature sound. To former bandmates Steve Perry and Dean Castronovo for helping us down the road.

To our music business family behind the scenes who worked tirelessly: the record promotion people at Sony/Columbia, the DJs and PDs at radio who gave us millions of spins, the record distributors who made sure our music made it into stores and on the shelves. To Live Nation and the local promoters.

And most of all, our faithful fans, who stood by us through the years during the ups and downs. To our wise men managers — Herbie Herbert, Irving Azoff, and John Baruck — for keeping us on track during the tough times. We shared over 40 years having blessed relationships with all of them, and I believe relationships are the key to building a brand and maintaining a presence in our music business.

Thanks to the members of the Hall who voted to honor us tonight.

Finally, I thank my three children — Madison, Weston, and Liza up there — for understanding and accepting their dad had to hit the road all those years. And to my wife Paula, who stands beside me in love and respect.

I love you all. And thanks to you, Lord, for keeping your guiding hand upon us all those years. This honor was truly worth the wait.

God bless.

STEVE PERRY:

Hello, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. You sure look good to me.

Tonight I’m going to keep my cheat sheet here, because I’ve got a lot to say.

When I was living in Los Angeles, I was looking to get a record deal, trying my very best. It was tough to get signed at those times. I would always go to the Starwood to see Journey perform, because these guys had the most amazing musical ability. I had never seen a band like that in my life.

Every time they played the Starwood Club, I had to go watch with amazement. Though their musicianship was absolutely par to none, there was one instrument flying above the entire city of Los Angeles—that was the magic fingers of Neal Schon’s guitar.

Somehow, one of my demo tapes fell into the hands of Herbie Herbert. I would not be here tonight if it was not for Herbie Herbert, because he did not have to call me. He gets tapes all the time, but there was something about that demo tape, and he called me. The next thing I knew, because of Herbie, I was writing music with Neal Schon.

The very first song we ever wrote together was Patiently. You remember that one? So I absolutely must thank Herbie Herbert for believing in me. Thank you.

Now—Aynsley Dunbar, Gregg Rolie, Steve Smith, Neal Schon, Jonathan Cain, Ross Valory—are you fucking shitting me? Any singer would give his ass for that shit. They play so well. So I want to thank them for all the music we’ve written.

Thank you, Gregg, for letting me live at your house to write that Infinity record. Thank you, Neal, for letting me live at your house. Thank you, Jonathan, for all the songs we all wrote together. Steve Smith’s amazing drums, basso profundo Ross Valory—I thank you guys so much for all the music we’ve written and recorded together. It will be forever in my heart.

I must give a complete shoutout to someone who sings his heart out every night, and that’s Arnel Pineda. Where are you, Arnel? Where are you? Well, you must be backstage. Arnel—I love you. Thank you.

I would like to thank my longtime attorney Lee Phillips. I also would like to thank my old high school R&B band, The Sullies—that’s where it all started for me. I want to thank them.

Thanks to Rob Stringer and the team at Columbia Records. To the Journey road crew—the original Journey road crew who busted their ass every night, every day, load-in, load-out, tirelessly, day after day, week after week, year after year. Herbie knows that’s true. We would not be here today if it wasn’t for them too.

I also want to send my condolences to the families of Jim McAslan, Jackie Villanueva, and recently the great Benny Collins.

Lastly, the fan Asylum was Journey’s first fan club. Herbie and Tim McQuade got together and said, “You’re going to be our fan club.” That’s what happened. Tim McQuade, Laura Beard, and Cindy Poon made it all happen for us. The fan club—Fan Asylum—was brilliant, and we thank them.

Now—speaking of fans. Speaking of fans—you’re the ones who put us here. You are the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. You put us here. We would not be here had it not been for you and your tireless love and consistent devotion. You never have stopped.

And from my heart, I must tell you—I’ve been gone a long time, I understand that. But I want you to know, you’ve never not been in my heart. I want you to know that. And I love each and every one of you.

Thank you so very much.