Remembering When Journey Hired (And Fired) a Lead Singer Before He Could Contribute Much to the Band in 1977

We can break the career of the legendary band Journey into several different eras. There’s the early part where they focused on a somewhat proggy fusion style. Of course, there’s the Steve Perry era when the band rose to ridiculous heights. And then there’s the post-Perry era, where a bunch of Perry soundalikes have helped the band keep the brand afloat with the occasional studio album and copious touring. But what about the Robert Fleischman era?

Well, it’s hard to call it an era when it lasted less than a year. Here’s a look back at Journey’s brief stint with Fleischman as their lead singer.

Looking for Lead Vocals

When Journey formed in 1973, they originally intended to serve as a kind of Wrecking Crew backing band for acts in the Bay Area of California. But then they nabbed their own record deal. Gregg Rolie, who played keyboards, took over as the band’s main vocalist on their early albums.

The band released three albums from 1975 to 1977. They developed a reputation as an impressive outfit in terms of their instrumental virtuosity, led by the thrilling guitar work of Neal Schon. Journey toured constantly and gained notoriety on the West Coast.

But they also watched as bands like Boston and Foreigner thrived on the radio with melodic, song-focused rock. Band manager Herbie Herbert wanted to see his band succeed on that level. To make that happen, he decided, the band would need a dedicated lead singer and frontman. The search was on.

A Brief Stint

The gig went to Robert Fleischman. Previously the head of an LA-based band called Shatterminx, he had put out his shingle looking for a new position as either a solo artist or a frontman. Herbert hired him to lead Journey, telling him that he’d be expected to take the band in more of a pop-rock vein as lead singer while contributing as a songwriter.

Fleischman got right to work in the latter vein. He started writing with several different band members. Perhaps his most notable contribution was in writing the lyrics to “Wheel In The Sky”, which would become a concert staple for the band and one of the first songs that gained them a modicum of mainstream airplay.

In addition, Rob Fleischman headed out on tour with Journey. Fans of the band’s more instrumental-based approach weren’t always happy to hear the new style. Nonetheless, Fleischman didn’t think there was too much amiss. Little did he know that his time with the band was drawing to a sudden end.

Pivoting to Perry

There have been conflicting reasons cited as to why Rob Fleischman’s tenure with Journey ended so quickly. Fleischman felt that Steve Perry was preferred because he had better industry connections that would help the band in the long run. Herbie Herbert claimed that Fleischman was simply a bit too demanding.

Whatever the case, Fleischman met his replacement under the most awkward of circumstances. Steve Perry was sitting backstage when the band played in Chicago. He was introduced to Fleischman as a relative of one of the band’s stage crew. In actuality, he was there to do a live audition with the band.

Steve Perry took over as Journey’s lead singer in time for the recording of their 1978 album Infinity. In fact, that’s him singing the studio version of “Wheel In The Sky”, the song that Rob Fleischman helped to birth in his brief stint as the frontman of a soon-to-be-famous band.

(Photo by Paul Natkin/Getty Images)