Ross Valory

Ross Lamont Valory (born 1949)^[1] is an American musician who is best known as a founding member of the rock band Journey.^[2] He was the bassist for the band from 1973 to 1985 and again from 1995 to 2020.^[2] Valory was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Journey in 2017.^[3]

Ross Valory
Valory performing in 2008
Background information
Born	Ross Lamont Valory (1949-02-02) February 2, 1949 (age 76) San Francisco, California, U.S.
Genres	Rock
Occupation	Musician
Instrument(s)	Bass guitar, vocals
Years active	1966–present
Labels	Columbia, Sony, Frontiers, Oid Music
Formerly of	Frumious Bandersnatch, Steve Miller Band, Journey, The VU, The Storm, Todd Rundgren, Sy Klopps Blues Band

Early life

Ross Valory was born on February 2, 1949, in San Francisco, California.^[4] He attended Acalanes High School in Lafayette, California.^[5] In high school, he played clarinet, bass clarinet and guitar.^[6] His mother introduced him to jazz, particularly Dave Brubeck.^[7]

Career

Valory began his career playing with the band Frumious Bandersnatch before joining the Steve Miller Band in the early 1970’s.^[8] Valory released one album with the group.^[9] In 1973, Valory and fellow Frumious Bandersnatch member George Tickner joined with Neal Schon and Santana’s Prairie Prince and Gregg Rolie to form Journey.^[10]

Through 2011, Valory played on all of Journey's albums, except 1986's Raised on Radio.^[11] Though he returned to the band when they reformed in 1995,^[12] Valory was dismissed from Journey again in 2020, with Jackson replacing him once again on the album.^[13]

One of Valory's techniques is to string a four-string bass with the bottom four strings of a 5-string set. Thus, instead of the usual E-A-D-G arrangement, his bass is strung as B-E-A-D, which he calls Nashville Tuning.^[14] This adds the five string depth to the songs, while allowing the quick fingering of a four-string neck. Valory recorded Escape with an Ovation Magnum II, used a Peavey and a Steinberger for Frontiers, and a Fender Jazz up until the Departure album.^[15]

Valory also played for The V.U., The Storm,^[16] and the Steve Miller Band.^[17]

On January 17, 2024, Valory announced his forthcoming debut solo album All Of The Above and released a video for its first single "Tomland", featuring Prairie Prince on drums and Miles Schon (son of Journey's Neal Schon) on guitar.^[18]

Discography

Solo

• All of the Above (2024)

Steve Miller Band

• Rock Love (1971)

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)

Todd Rundgren

• 2nd Wind (1991)

The Storm

• The Storm (1991)
• Eye of the Storm (1996)

The V.U.

• Phoenix Rising (2000)