Journey Vocalist Won't Stop Deceivin'

In 1998, when Journey hired Steve Augeri to replace vocalist Steve Perry, they gave the former Gap employee a simple instruction: Sing exactly like Perry, which he managed to do with extraordinary precision. About a year ago, fans started to notice that, at every show, Augeri's vocals were identical down to the smallest detail from. One Journey fanatic documented this apparent lip-syncing in thoroughly dork-tastic detail, complete with audio clips. When a couple radio DJs picked up the story, Augeri seemingly sang live, with disastrously croaky, off-key results. Last week, Journey put out a press release claiming Augeri was suffering from an "acute throat infection" and would be replaced by former Yngwie Malmsteen sideman Jeff Scott Soto. For those keeping track, Soto will be Journey's fourth frontman.

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Song Stories

“Weird”

Hanson | 1997

Accomplished tunesmith Desmond Child co-wrote "Weird" with the three brothers that make up Hanson. Credited for dozens of cuts, including songs by Kiss, Cher, Bon Jovi and Aerosmith, Child told Rolling Stone that "Weird" holds a special place in his heart, "because it's about being different--and I grew up poor, I grew up being Latin, I grew up being gay, and now I'm fat!" The song was included on Hanson's 1997 album Middle of Nowhere, which sold more than ten million units.

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