How often have you slept on the melodic sound of Steve Perry’s voice singing “Oh Sherrie”? You haven’t? Well, I have because that’s what true fans do.
True fans also wonder how rich their favorite artists are and spend hours searching the internet to find the answer. I’ve got you covered if you’re curious about Steve Perry’s net worth.
What Is Steve Perry’s Net Worth?
With a dazzling music career and an intelligent investment, Steve Perry accumulated a net worth of $70 million. It’s a jaw-dropping number.
It makes you wonder, doesn’t it: “What could his career have been like to build such a network?” I love that question, and you’ll love the answer even more.
How Did Steve Perry Accumulate His Net Worth?
Accumulating a sizable net worth involves building decent income streams. Let’s see how Steve Perry did that.
Music Production
Steve Perry is a famous musician whose songs have secured top spots on music charts. Like most talented artists, Perry was interested in music at an early age, especially since his father was a vocalist. Like father, like son.
Despite that interest, he didn’t consider pursuing music professionally until he heard Sam Cooke singing “Cupid” on the radio. The enchanting feeling the song left him with made him realize he wanted to have the same effect on people.
That was the moment he decided to become a singer. Of course, the world didn’t just give him his dream on a silver platter. His music journey was rough.
1. Early Music Career
Perry started his first band, Ice, in his early 20s with his 16-year-old friend Scott Mathews. The band’s dynamics were simple; Mathew co-wrote the songs and played the drums and the guitar, while Perry focused on the vocals.
They even recorded many songs at the Record Plant, thinking it was time to let the world know they existed. Things didn’t go that smoothly, though.
You see, Mathew was still in high school. So, he couldn’t dedicate as much time as Perry to the band. Plus, they struggled to find a manager and distribute their recorded songs.
No one listened to them, and the band disbanded not long afterward.
2. Pieces
Perry didn’t let Ice’s disbandment get to him and formed a progressive rock band called Pieces with Tim Bogert, Denver Cross, and Eddie Tuduri.
With a more prominent band came considerable hope to secure a record deal. Despite going at it for a year and a half, no studio wanted to sign an agreement with Pieces. Eventually, that band split, too.
3. Alien Project
Perry joined Alien Project in his mid-20s, and things went smoothly until the band’s bassist died in a car crash. He took that as a sign from the universe that he should quit pursuing music and return home.
However, when he did, his mother convinced him to return the calls of Walter Herbert, the manager of a band called Journey.
4. Journey
You might wonder: “How did this Walter Herbert know about Perry?” Do you remember Perry’s former bandmate, Mathews? He became a music producer.
Mathew showed Herbert a recording of Perry singing “If You Need Me, Call Me” and suggested he’d replace the Journey’s then-vocalist, Robert Fleischman.
Herbert wasn’t convinced but decided to try anyway. He brought Perry to perform one song with the Journey while Fleischman was away.
It was love at first hearing. Herbert realized Perry was the perfect singer for the band.
Here’s the thing: Perry didn’t let the Journey stay as it is. He added a unique pop-influenced style to its traditional progressive rock music.
At first, the band’s members weren’t keen on that change. Who could blame them? Nobody likes change. However, Perry’s first album, Infinity, surpassed everyone’s expectations.
The band garnered a lot of media buzz, and radio stations were finally playing their songs. So, they stopped complaining.
5. Rising to Fame
After establishing his name as a talented singer, Perry took the lead on eight more albums for the Journey:
- Evolution
- Departure
- Dream, After Dream
- Captured
- Escape (#1 on the Billboard Chart)
- Frontiers
- Raised on Radio
- Trial by Fire
He also collaborated with other successful artists, like Sammy Hagar and Kenny Loggings. So, he wasn’t doing half-bad.
6. Going Solo
Although his relationship with the Journey wasn’t always good, Perry considered that band his second home. And like with any home, he had to move away at one point and be independent.
So, in 1984, the world welcomed Steve Perry’s first solo album, Street Talk. It was a massive hit, selling over 2 million units and introducing one of his most famous songs, “Oh Sherrie.”
Here’s the weird part: At the peak of his career, Perry thought he was running out of music to make. So, he decided to take a break, disappearing from the public eye for years.
You know what they say, though: Music always finds a way. Perry’s passion and creativity again found their way to people’s ears. And let me tell you, he came back with a bang.
His second solo album, For the Love of Strange Medicine (1994), was an instant hit.
“You Better Wait” secured one of the top 10 spots on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Chart.
His most recent solo project was one of his more emotional works. Perry used the 10-track solo album (Traces) to express the emotional agony of losing your loved ones, and I think we can all agree that he nailed it. I must admit I shed a few tears when first listening to it.
Perry has never disclosed how much he made from his music. However, as a successful musician who sold millions of records, you can probably tell he’s not struggling for money.
Touring
Selling music records isn’t the only way musicians make money. Let’s not forget about touring. Although touring doesn’t bring in as much cash as music records, it’s heavily contributed to Perry’s wealth.
After all, hundreds of thousands of fans attend these tours. And Steve Perry, in particular, has gone on more tours than I could count.
So, I’m not exaggerating when I say he must have made millions from these shows. The best part? Perry hints that he might return to do another tour, and his fans couldn’t be more excited.
Real Estate Investments
Income streams aren’t the only factor contributing to a person’s net worth. It’s also about how they spend their money or invest it.
While Steve Perry hasn’t made that many real estate investments, the only one he made was a jackpot. He bought his home in Larkspur, California, 1980 for $215,000. Now, it’s worth $2 million. Impressive, right?
Final Thoughts
Steve Perry’s net worth reflects his talent, passion, hard work, and dedication. Most musicians would have quit when their second band failed—but not Perry.
So, whether you like his music or not, you can’t deny that the man deserves such an extensive net worth.
