Steve Perry has joined forces with Irish folk group The High Kings for their new single
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Steve Perry has made a surprise guest appearance on a new single from the Irish folk group The High Kings, The Streets Of Kinsale, which is released today. Watch the animated video here.
Talking to Classic Rock, the reclusive former lead singer of Journey has also confirmed rumours of a duet with country superstar Dolly Parton on Parton’s upcoming rock album, said to be titled Rock Star. The pair worked together on a new version of Journey’s Open Arms.
Perry became involved with The High Kings through a friendship with the song’s writer, Glen Power, drummer of Irish group The Script.
“I thought the song was beautiful and the more I listened to it the more fascinated I became, so I went to my home studio and started stacking some vocal harmonies against what was already there,” Perry tells Classic Rock. “The band really loved the results, so I ended up singing on the master-track.”
“When we heard what Steve had done to our song, I had to sit down,” says Darren Holden from The High Kings. “In the studio we zoned out everything else and just listened to Steve’s wall of sound. It was so astonishing my jaw hit the floor; there were tears in my eyes. It’s something that only Steve can do with that tone that the world loves and knows.”
Based on separate sides of the Atlantic band and singer are yet to meet face to face but although Perry isn’t planning to make stage cameos with The High Kings when they tour America, the way he did with the US alternative band Eels in 2014 – his first time onstage as a lead singer in 19 years – it’s something that he won’t rule out.
“You never know,” smiles Steve. “But it’s a good idea and I do love the guys. Darren’s voice is scary. If it were to happen, I might be a bit intimidated.”
“Oh, come on Steve – seriously?” responds Holden. “But we would love to have Steve to sing with us at some point. Who wouldn’t?”
Having kept a very low profile since leaving Journey for the second time in 1998, Perry is in no hurry to follow up his fourth solo album, 2021’s Christmas set The Season. However, he was thrilled to record with Dolly Parton for her album which is reported to feature the likes of Paul McCartney, Steven Tyler, Stevie Nicks, John Fogerty, Nikki Sixx, REO Speedwagon’s Kevin Cronin and pop singer Pink.
“I’ve still got so much [of my own new] music backed up in my studio, but the truth is that I’m a bit lazy,” Perry admits with a mild chuckle. “Right now, I’m only doing things that I can really emotionally connect with. Anything else, I kind of pull away from.
“The duet between Dolly and I on Open Arms has just been mixed by Chris Lord-Alge and it sounds great,” he reveals. “Dolly told me she had always loved the song and wanted to sing it on an album. Open Arms has been recorded many, many times down the years, but, honestly, she killed it. Dolly is singing her tush off.”
The High Kings play this evening (April 28) at the Talbot Hotel in Tipperary, Ireland, before embarking on a tour of Australia and New Zealand next month. The band's UK and Ireland schedule runs throughout June, with US shows in July.
(Source: www.loudersound.com)
