Ross Valory


Ross Lamont Valory is an American musician best known as the bass player for the rock band Journey from 1973 to 1985 and again from 1995 to 2020. Valory was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Journey in 2017.

Career

Ross Valory is originally from the Bay Area, growing up in Lafayette, California and attended Acalanes High School. In high school, he played clarinet, bass clarinet and guitar. His mother introduced him to jazz, particularly Dave Brubreck. He played with Frumious Bandersnatch followed by Steve Miller Band appearing on Rock Love. He was joined by guitarist David Denny, drummer Jack King and bassist Bobby Winkelman, all of whom would become members of the Steve Miller Band. In fact it was Jim Nixon, the manager of Frumious Bandersnatch, who would introduce Valory to Journey band members along with Prairie Prince from The Tubes who originally sat in on drums.
Aside from his termination from the group during the Raised on Radio album sessions and the album's supporting tour in 1986, Valory has played on all of Journey's albums to date. For Raised on Radio, he was replaced on bass in the studio by Bob Glaub on three songs, while the remaining songs were played by Randy Jackson, who also played on the subsequent tour. Though he returned to the band when they reformed in 1995, Valory was dismissed from Journey again in 2020, with Jackson replacing him once again.
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. This adds the five string depth to the songs, while allowing the quick fingering of a four-string neck. Valory recorded the Escape with an Ovation Magnum II, used a Peavey for Frontiers, and a Fender Jazz up until the Departure album..
Valory also plays keyboards and guitar.
Valory also played for The Vu, The Storm, Frumious Bandersnatch and the Steve Miller Band.

Discography

Steve Miller Band