As Altadena continues to rebuild its neighborhoods after the devastating Los Angeles wildfires, former JOURNEY singer Steve Perry has raised $215,00 from his legendary auction; full of music history from the rock legend’s personal archive to help raise money for the Altadena fire victims via Sweet Relief Musicians Fund. The standout item was the JOURNEY “Don’t Stop Believin'” handwritten lyrics, which went for $43,500.
Darkives Collectibles curated over 50 pieces from Perry‘s personal archives to give fans the opportunity to add never-before-available, unique, signed, graded and collectible items to their own collections. Items in the auction included handwritten lyrics from classic JOURNEY songs, Perry‘s own gold and platinum records, vintage tour merchandise, including t-shirts and tour programs, a custom JOURNEY vehicle registration plate signed by Perry, signed studio-used instruments, and signed vinyl test pressings, LPs, CDs and cassettes, all graded and authenticated in partnership with Audio Media Grading (AMG).
Highlights in the auction included one-off handwritten lyrics of the JOURNEY classics “Don’t Stop Believin'” and “Faithfully”, along with Perry‘s multi-platinum RIAA award for JOURNEY‘s “Greatest Hits”, which was presented to him for over 15 million albums sold. Both solo and JOURNEY albums and test pressings from Steve‘s personal archive were part of the auction, including his own LP, CD and cassette copies of the 1984 “Street Talk” solo album, JOURNEY‘s “E5C4P3” (Escape) and “Frontiers” album, all of which were signed by Steve before being graded, authenticated and preserved by Audio Media Grading (AMG). Auction lots also included genuine vintage merch items from the “Strange Medicine” 1994 tour, JOURNEY‘s 1981 “Escape” tour and “Street Talk” 1984 tour, including signed tour programs and genuine vintage tour shirts that have been carefully stored in the Steve Perry archive. Fans were also able to bid on a rare signed “JRNEYFAN” license plate that was thrown on stage during a show in New Jersey back in the day — a moment that stuck with Steve as a reminder of the incredible passion and energy of his fans, but he has now passed this one-off rarity on as a special piece of history to help a greater cause.
On the auction conclusion, Perry shared: “I’m truly appreciative of the incredible support for this charity auction. It means the world to me to see these personal pieces, many of which carry deep memories from different chapters of my life, find new homes while helping a cause that matters so deeply to me. I started this auction as a way to give back, and the response has been nothing short of overwhelming. I’m beyond grateful to everyone who participated, placed bids, shared the word, and supported the mission. Your generosity and kindness have turned this into something truly special. From the bottom of my heart, thank you. And who knows… maybe I’ll dig a little deeper into the vault and do this again sometime.”
Earlier this month, Perry shocked fans with the reimagined version of the legendary power ballad “Faithfully” by journey, a powerful duet with celebrated singer, songwriter, and guitarist Willie Nelson. Recorded at Ronnie’s Place in Nashville, Tennessee, and Steve‘s studio, Love Box, the track was produced by Kent Wells and Steve Perry, engineered by Joel McKenne, Kyle Dickinson and Steve Perry. Additional musicians featured on the duet include Mike Rojas on piano, James Mitchell on electric guitar, Kent Wells on acoustic guitar, Scott Sanders on steel guitar, Steve Mackey on bass, Mickey Raphael on harmonica, and Nir Z on drums.
Darkives Collectibles is a new archival memorabilia platform from Dark Horse Records, specializing in curating artist archives and giving fans the opportunity to add never-before-available, unique, signed, graded, and collectible items to their collections — all sourced directly from the personal collections of the artists themselves.
Photo credit: David Zonshine
