14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- San Francisco Chronicle
Steve Perry sings Journey's ‘Faithfully' for the first time in 30 years — with Willie Nelson
In a rare return to the music of his former band, Steve Perry has re-recorded Journey 's 1983 power ballad 'Faithfully,' this time as a duet with country music legend Willie Nelson.
The track marks Perry's first time singing the song in three decades and celebrates the 40th anniversary of Farm Aid, the nonprofit Nelson co-founded to support family farmers.
The collaboration was produced remotely, with Nelson recording at Ronnie's Place in Nashville and Perry at his own studio, Rock the Box, in Los Angeles.
The duet features an ensemble of veteran session musicians, including Mike Rojas on piano, James Mitchell on electric guitar and Nelson's longtime harmonica player Mickey Raphael. An animated video by Patrick Atkins accompanies the release.
'No one has a voice or vocal phrasing anything like Willie Nelson,' Perry said in a statement. 'Singing this duet with Willie has been something I've always wanted to do. After recording 'Faithfully' with Journey, I always felt it would be a great song for Willie too. What a wonderful experience it was to finally sing with Willie. I'm so proud of what we have accomplished together.'
Nelson, echoing the sentiment, called the collaboration 'a meaningful experience.'
'It was a pleasure to collaborate on this song,' he added. 'I'm proud that we could create something meaningful and use it to give back through Farm Aid.'
Journey recruited Perry as its operatic lead singer in 1977 under threat of getting dropped by Columbia Records, and went on to sell nearly 100 million albums globally. But Journey's commercial streak came to an abrupt halt in 1987 when a road-weary Perry announced he was taking a hiatus from the band — then again after a brief reunion from 1995 to 1998.
Perry, who last toured in 1995, has made only sporadic public appearances in the years since.
He gave a speech during the band's 2017 induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame but did not sing.
While he has released solo material — including 2018's 'Traces' and 2021's holiday album 'The Season' — he has largely avoided revisiting Journey's catalog until recently, beginning with a rendition of 'Open Arms' with Dolly Parton in 2023.
The new version of 'Faithfully' is available now on streaming platforms, with all proceeds benefiting Farm Aid.
