During its initial 14 years between 1973-1987 Journey altered its musical approach and its personnel extensively while becoming a top touring and recording band.The only original member is guitarist Neal Schon, who had been a member of Santana back in 1971-1972.

The original band, which took part in a contest on KSAN-FM in San Francisco, featured Neal Schon, bassist Ross Valory, drummer Prairie Prince - who was replaced by Aynsley Dunbar, and guitarist George Tickner - who left after the first album.

Another former Santana member, keyboard player and singer Gregg Rolie, joined shortly afterwards. This lineup recorded Journey in 1975, the first of three moderate-selling jazz-rock albums given over largely to instrumentals.

By 1977, however, the group decided it needed a strong vocalist/frontman and hired Steve Perry. Steve took the band to new heights with the fourth album, Infinity in 1978, which sold a million copies within a year. (by this time, Dunbar had been replaced by Steve Smith.)

They released Evolution in 1979 which was also very successful, also Departure which was Rolie's last album before he was replaced by Jonathan Cain. Following a live album, Captured released in 1981, Journey released Escape , which broke them through to the top ranks of pop groups by scoring three Top Ten hit singles, all ballads highlighting Perry's smooth tenor: "Who's Crying Now," "Don't Stop Believin'," and "Open Arms." The album topped the charts and had sold nine million copies by 1996.
Then Frontiers in 1983, featuring the hit " Separate Ways," was another big success, after which Perry released a double-platinum solo album called Street Talk in 1984.

The group got back together to make a new album and Valory and Smith were no longer in the lineup. Raised on Radio released in 1986 was made by Schon, Perry, and Cain, who added other musicians for a tour. After the tour, Journey disbanded. Perry went into a prolonged period of seclusion as Schon and Cain formed Bad English with vocalist John Waite. Bad English had several hit singles, including the chart topper "When I See You Smile," before they broke up.
Perry returned to recording in 1994, releasing For the Love of Strange Medicine. Although the album went gold, it didn't do as well as previous albums.
In 1996, Perry, Schon, Cain, Valory, and Smith staged a Journey reunion, releasing the million-selling Trial by Fire , which featured the gold-selling Top 20 single "When You Love a Woman," and going on tour.
Perry and Smith left after the tour, but Journey continued, hiring a new lead singer, Steve Augeri (formerly of Tall Stories), and a new drummer, Bad English's Deen Castronovo, who made their debuts on "Remember Me," a track on the 1998 Armageddon soundtrack.

The band next re-convened in 2001. Arrival , Journey's 11th new studio album, was released in April, followed by a world tour.
In 2005 the band released a new album Generations which was done to a different style which met mixed reactions from the fans.
Neal Schon also recorded Soul Sirkus along with Jeff Scott Soto.

During the UK tour in 2006 Steve Augeri had to retire early due to ill health. Jeff Scott Soto stepped in and did a really good job considering he hwad little time to practice, but then Jeff is a true professional. In 2007 it was announced that Jeff Scott Soto would be the new lead singer, a break Jeff had well deserved and had waited a long time for. Jeff really did the band justice and as ussual gave his all, and we all thought this was the new Journey sound.

In 2007 after a brief tour, with mainly UK dates, the band were to take the rest of the year off to write some new material. Just after the end of the tour the fans were met with a shock announcement that the new lead singer hired for the 2007 tour - Jeff Scott Soto was not to sing for Journey again, why still remains a mystery. The new lead singer for 2008 will be Arnel Pineda from a band called "The Zoo", he has big shoes to fill, lets hope this change of lead singer is more permanent.