Remember When ‘American Idol’s’ Randy Jackson Played Bass for Journey

Randy Jackson is known as one of the OG judges from American Idol, but before that time (and after) he played bass and sang for a number of other musical idols as a session and touring musician. In the 1980s these credits included violinist Jean-Luc Ponty, rock band Taxxi, sax player Kenny G, and Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards working with Aretha Franklin. Great work if you can get it, and he did.

Then there was his gig with famed rock band Journey. A little backstory is in order here.

Back in 1985 Journey were at a crossroads. They had achieved massive success in the Steve Perry era, particularly with Escape (1981) and Frontiers (1983) which went on to sell 10 million and 6 million copies, respectively. Frontman Perry told Rolling Stone in 2018 that guitarist Neal Schon and keyboardist Jonathan Cain had worked up more R&B-flavored ideas for their next album Raised on Radio, and the inference was the rhythm section was not up to snuff. Thus, at the behest of Perry, Journey dismissed bassist Ross Valory and drummer Steve Smith from the quintet, one after the other.

In a 2020 story for Ultimate Classic Rock about the split, Cain contended he and Schon were trying to make the music that Perry wanted to keep him happy and in the band. Valory and Smith said there was a power struggle going on. Manager Herbie Herbert disagreed with Perry on the firings but was overruled. “You’ll have to remember on Raised on Radio is when he had me remove Ross Valory and Steve Smith from the band,” Herbert told Melodic Rock in 2008. “Of course that was completely ridiculous, and I forced him to pay them as if they were there on the tour and everything.”

Studio musicians were brought in in 1986 for Raised on Radio. Bassist Bob Glaub recorded three tracks with Smith before they both departed. Bassist Randy Jackson and drummer Larrie Londin played on the rest of the songs. Jackson was known to Journey, having played the bass parts for “After the Fall” on Frontiers. He would go on to tour with Journey along with drummer Mike Baird, who was brought on board for concert duties. This was a rocky time for the band, and the upheaval, along with increased tension between Perry and Schon, would lead to Perry’s departure in 1987 after the tour ended.

Raised on Radio was not a bad album, but it was inconsistent. The glossier pop and pop-rock stylings worked on tracks like “Suzanne” and the exuberant “Be Good to Yourself.” At other times, it felt like a different band. And it was. Jackson is a skilled bassist who brought energy and showmanship to their live shows, but things felt different without the swing undercurrents that Smith injected into the mix.

The five-month tour did big business, selling out most of the nearly 75 shows. It was a great gig for Jackson, who certainly stood out with his flashy clothes, flattop hairdo, and colorful basses. But by the end of the trek, Perry had had enough. He and Schon were butting heads, and it is clear that the machine was not working as well as it used to. Evidently that applied to the shows as well.

In a 1987 interview with Modern Drummer, Baird explained: “Randy Jackson is a studio player, but Jonathan [Cain] and Neal [Schon] aren’t, and when you’re dealing with non-studio players who don’t have great time— not that their time is bad, but it’s not studio time—you have to learn how to deal with that live mentality.”

Former manager Herbert obviously did not like Perry too much when he did the Melodic Rock interview. He also recalled how Raised on Radio felt too much like a glorified Steve Perry record. (The singer had done a hit solo album Street Talk in 1984 and perhaps felt emboldened pushing Journey in that direction.) 

After Perry left in 1987, the band dissolved and its members went on to other projects. Jackson continued with his session work as well as getting into the world of music production A&R for Columbia Records and MCA Records. Between 2002 and 2013 he was a judge on American Idol.

The classic lineup of Journey did reunite for the 1996 album Trial by Fire which scored the No. 12 hit ballad “When You Love a Woman.” But then Perry suffered a hip injury and did not want to have surgery in a timely fashion. In the end, the band acquired a new singer, Steve Augieri, who took up the frontman mantle for many years. But Smith was not happy with this change and once again departed. Arnel Pineda has been the voice of Journey since 2007; Smith returned to the fold in 2015 to replace Deen Castronovo.

Here’s the real bizarre twist to this whole story. In 2020, Vallory and Smith were fired from Journey again for allegedly trying to take control of the band’s finances. The bassist’s replacement for the next studio album, Freedom? Randy Jackson. For his part, Jackson has never really dished about any of the situations he may have been party to during his times in the band.

Hey, a solid gig like Journey is a good paycheck. There’s no point in rocking the boat. The other members can do that.

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Photo by Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for Race To Erase MS