Journey inducted into Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, but Arnel Pineda snubbed

INSTAGRAM/@YULSESSION

Arnel Pineda finally met his idol and the man he replaced, Steve Perry, right.

AS JOURNEY, the rock group, was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Friday (April 7) in Brooklyn, NY, its lead singer, Filipino Arnel Pineda, watched from back stage.
The 32nd Annual Rock & RollHall of Fame was honoring the long-lasting rock group when it was in its glory years in the 1980s, when Steve Perry was its lead singer.

The apparent snub didn't bother Pineda, who has been the group's lead singer for 10 years. In fact, he was happy to finally meet Perry, the man he replaced and who he had long admired.

"One of the sweetest hug you can ever get from one of my heroes and silent mentors," said Pineda as he shared on Instagram a photo of him embracing the music legend. "It means the world to me. Waited 35 years for this moment. Thank you Almighty God!"

Pineda also expressed his gratitude to Perry, who had nothing but warm words for him for keeping Journey's music alive. 

In his acceptance speech, Perry said: "I must give a complete shoutout to someone who sings his heart out every night, and it's Arnel Pineda. Where are you, Arnel? Arnel, I love you." 

When Journey was first informed of their Hall of Fame induction, the group's keyboardist and guitarist Jonathan Cain told Billboard that he does not think it is fair that Pineda was snubbed.

"There is no Journey without Arnel right now. He certainly has earned his stripes. He's been with us longer than any lead singer has consecutively stayed in the band. He's given us 10 years straight, not running off or doing this, doing that, just being The Guy. So that's worth something," he said.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has a long history of member induction controversies, and Pineda wasn’t the only Journey member snubbed by the organization. Original drummer Aynsley Dunbar, who played on Journey’s first four albums, was also left off of the nomination list.

Perry left the group in 1987, reportedly for health reasons. He sang again with the group in 1991 in a one-time event.

Pineda, who sounds remarkably like Perry, including the high, soaring notes. He was "discovered" doing covers of Journey in YouTuibe videos. Members of the San Francisco-based group traveled to Manila to hear the singer live. Pineda was invited to join Journey in 2007.

It was an emotional reunion when Perry joined the group to accept the honor, but when it came time for Journey to perform after their entry into the Hall of Fame, Pineda took the stage instead of Perry.

###