Gregg Rolie
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Gregg Rolie (born June 17, 1947 in Seattle, Washington) is an American keyboardist, organist, and singer, who is one of the founding members of the bands Santana, Journey, The Storm, and Abraxas Pool, as well as his current Gregg Rolie Band. He is also known to have played with a group called William Penn and his Pals, circa 1965, playing at least one high school dance at Serra High School in San Mateo, California. [1]
Rolie joined with Carlos Santana and others at the end of 1966 to form the Santana Blues Band, which was later shorted to Santana. With Santana he was part of their first wave of success, including an appearance at the Woodstock Music and Art Festival and several hit albums. However persistent differences with Carlos Santana as to musical direction led Rolie to leave the band at the end of 1971. He went home to Seattle, opening a restaurant with his father, which didn't go very well.
Rolie was then recruited in 1973 to join a new band with ex-Santana guitarist Neal Schon; this became Journey. Starring in a lineup that featured Schon, Aynsley Dunbar, Steve Smith, Steve Perry, and Ross Valory, he produced music for such albums as the self-titled Journey, Look into the Future, Infinity, and Departure. Towards the beginning of the band's history, he was the lead vocalist and keyboardist, but when Steve Perry came into the picture he became a backup vocalist and keyboardist. Gregg Rolie and Steve Perry sang co-lead vocals on several Journey songs.
After leaving Journey in 1980, Gregg released several solo albums and formed The Storm in 1991 with Steve Smith, Ross Valory, Josh Ramos and Kevin Chalfant, whose voice resembles that of Steve Perry. In the late 1990s, Rolie and Neal Schon formed Abraxas Pool, which had a less successful career than The Storm.
Rolie is in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Santana.
| Journey |
| Jeff Scott Soto | Neal Schon | Ross Valory | Deen Castronovo | Jonathan Cain |
| Steve Perry | Steve Smith | Mike Baird | Randy Jackson | Gregg Rolie | Aynsley Dunbar | Robert Fleischman | George Tickner | Prairie Prince | Steve Augeri |
| Discography |
|---|
| Studio albums: Journey | Look into the Future | Next | Infinity | Evolution | Departure | Dream After Dream | Escape | Frontiers | Raised on Radio | Trial by Fire | Arrival | Red 13 | Generations |
| Live albums: Captured | Greatest Hits Live |
| Compilations: In the Beginning | Greatest Hits | The Ballade | Time 3 | The Essential Journey | Open Arms~Greatest Hits |
