Interviewing The Legends: Journey

Monday, June 24, 2024

FORMER JOURNEY BASSIST ROSS VALORY RELEASES DEBUT SOLO ALBUM ‘ALL OF THE ABOVE’ ZOOM SPECIAL EVENT ON INTERVIEWING THE LEGENDS WITH RAY SHASHO!

R O S S

V A L O R Y

FORMER

J O U R N E Y

BASSIST

RELEASES RIVETING DEBUT SOLO ALBUM

‘ALL OF THE ABOVE’

FEATURING

Steve Smith (Journey)

Greg Errico (Sly and the Family Stone)

Neal Schon's (Journey/Santana) son Miles

Prairie Prince and Michael Cotton (The Tubes)

Marc Russo (The Doobie Brothers)

Co-produced by Eric Levy and Jacob Stowe

ZOOM SPECIAL EVENT

ON INTERVIEWING THE LEGENDS

WITH RAY SHASHO

Ross Valory always had pieces of music tucked away that he had written, although songwriting contributions to Journey slipped away after the first three “experimental” albums. As an original member of the multi-platinum juggernaut of “Don’t Stop Believin’” fame, bassist Valory concentrated on shaping the rhythm section and contributing his baritone vocals to the background blend.

In 1995, VALORY began sorting through his files and polishing up some of his old notes. In between Journey tour dates, he pulled together a tight-knit group of collaborators and slowly began to finish what he started. After a lifetime in music, the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer scrupulously etched his first solo album, All of the Above, released in April this year.

From the Latin-fired intensity of “Wild Kingdom” to the romantic “No One Wins a War,” the partying homage to War on “Low Rider,” or the brilliant reprise of Santana’s “Incident of Neshabur,” the debut album by Ross Valory presents an evolved artist fully in command of his vision, a lifetime of experience behind the project, augmenting his core associates with guest musicians such as Gregg Errico of Sly & the Family Stone, acclaimed drummer Steve Smith, and saxophonist Marc Russo (Yellowjackets, The Doobie Brothers).

The nine tracks on the album represent the full maturity of Valory’s musical gifts, cutting a broad swath through the instrumental territory the music travels. He plays keyboards, guitar, and, of course, many basses in a display of cultivated virtuosity across a palette far broader than could be found in his work with Journey. He is stepping out from behind his bass and, for the first time in his more than half-century as a professional musician, representing his vision and his compositions.

Valory, who spent most of his life as a member of Journey, has no regrets. He counts his blessings at having spent an amazing career with a remarkable group of musicians who succeeded beyond their wildest dreams. Valory brings a lifetime in music to his solo excursions. All of the Above, a true labor of love, represents a culmination of his experience, at the same time as it points to the future. “Whatever came into my ears and brain came out in various ways,” he said. “I have been revisiting material that has been piling up over the years off and on and carrying it forward.”

PURCHASE

THE DEBUT SOLO RELEASE

ROSS VALORY

Entitled

ALL OF THE ABOVE

available at amazon music

FOR MORE INFORMATION

ABOUT

ROSS VALORY

VISIT

https://www.rossvalory.com/

Official website

https://www.facebook.com/rvalory/

Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/rvalory/

Twitter

https://www.youtube.com/@rossvalorybass

YouTube

https://www.instagram.com/rossvalory.official/

Instagram

https://open.spotify.com/artist/73CVbGmyBU3ihyLH5BdFx1

Spotify

https://music.apple.com/ca/artist/ross-valory/1724775387

Apple Music

ROSS VALORY

Discography

Solo

All of the Above (2024)

With Steve Miller Band

Rock Love (1971)

With Journey

Journey (1975)

Look into the Future (1976)

Next (1977)

Infinity (1978)

Evolution (1979)

Departure (1980)

Dream, After Dream (1980)

Captured (1981)

Escape (1981)

Frontiers (1983)

Trial by Fire (1996)

Arrival (2001)

Red 13 (2002)

Generations (2005)

Revelation (2008)

Eclipse (2011)

Escape & Frontiers Live in Japan (2017)

With Todd Rundgren

2nd Wind (1991)

With The Storm

The Storm (1991)

Eye of the Storm (1996)

With The V.U.

Phoenix Rising (2000)

ROSS VALORY

APPEARS

JUNE 25TH 2024

ON INTERVIEWING THE LEGENDS

WITH RAY SHASHO

THE ROCK STAR CHRONICLES

BOOK TRAILER

BOOK REVIEW

-By Literary Titan (5) STARS

The Rock Star Chronicles by Ray Shasho, is a splendid book written by a music enthusiast who has poured their heart and soul into it. It’s a story of a boy who loved rock music, and his obsessive passion of it earned himself the name Rock Raymond. He went to school but instead was schooled in all matters of music while his peers were buried chin-deep in coursework. He then became a radio DJ and has now compiled a book on all interviews he held with Rock gods who raided the airwaves back in the 70s and 80s. It’s a compilation of interviews with outstanding vocalists, legendary guitarists and crazy drummers in the rock music scene. Each interview gives a reader an in-depth view into their personal lives and the philosophies that guide their lives which all serve to humanize these great icons. For readers who are old enough to call themselves baby boomers this book will bring old memories back to life. Millennials, on the other hand, may think of this book as a literal work of the Carpool Karaoke show.

The Rock Star Chronicles is a book I didn’t know I was waiting for. To come across a book that will talk me into trying something new. One brave enough to incite me to venture into new frontiers. This book made me a believer- I am now a bona fide Rock and Roll music fan.

Ray Shasho masterfully gets the interviewees talking. He smartly coaxes answers from them with crafty questions designed to get a story rolling out of them. The artists talk about diverse issues ranging from music, politics, and their social engagements. Having been on the music seen all his life, Ray Shasho knows the buttons to press, how to get them comfortable about talking about their lives.

The book’s cover is befitting of its subject matter with the leather look offering a royal background to the golden letter print. It speaks to how high a level rock music holds in the pecking order- arguably, modern music as we know it has originated from blues and rock music. The second noteworthy thing is the use of high-definition pictures to reference the musician being interviewed in every sub-chapter. This ensures that the book is for both original rock and roll lovers and aspiring new ones. Together is makes for a refreshing and consistently enjoyable read.

I recommend this book to rock music enthusiasts, aspiring musicians wondering what it takes and all readers curious to learn new things by going back in time.

https://literarytitan.com/2020/05/03/literary-titan-book-awards-may-2020/

Gold Award Winner