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Bobby - lead vocals
and harmonica
It was with Southend band Procol Harum, who shot to fame in 1967 with their No.1 hit ‘A Whiter Shade of Pale’, that Bobby became famous - as their drummer! The remainder of his long musical career however, has been as a singer and songwriter, from the original ‘Freedom’ and ‘Snafu’ in the 70’s to more recent solo albums www.angelair.co.uk.
As a committed Christian, Bobby has now found a new outlet for his talents - raising money for good causes.
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Malcolm – keyboards
Malcolm is Contract Manager for a large building company and is married with four children. He has spent many years as a church organist and can often be found on Sundays playing for Shoebury and Thorpe Bay Baptist Church www.shoeburybaptistchurch.org.uk
as well as keyboards for Journey.
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Stew - Bass guitar and
backing vocals
With a career almost as long as Bobby’s, Stew has been playing bass both professionally and semi-professionally
since 1967 and still plays a 1968 Gibson
bass that he bought in 1969! He was ‘nearly famous’ in 1972 when Island Records released a single by his band Hackensack
and they accompanied Mott the Hoople and later Free on tours of the UK. He is still playing regularly at Shoebury and
Thorpe Bay Baptist Church and with his Southend based Rock’n’Roll band
HeartBeat www.heartbeatonline.co.uk
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Journey is a seven-piece Christian ‘soft rock’ band, providing the main attraction at charity / fund raising events in Essex and since 2002 has been helping to raise thousands of pounds for community projects and overseas aid.
The band was formed by Bobby Harrison who fronts the band, singing and playing harmonica. He is accompanied by two talented girl singers who also take the lead on various numbers. Guitar, keyboards, drums and bass complete the line up for a really ‘big’ sound.
The musical style is varied and has wide appeal - soft rock from James Taylor’s ‘You’ve got a friend’ to power ballads like Chicago’s ‘You’re the inspiration’ or Diana Ross’s ‘Ain’t no mountain high enough‘ - popular classics but still carrying a Christian message - God’s love. Then there are some original songs penned by Bobby himself and an even more original treatment of ‘Amazing grace’ using the musical arrangement from The Animals’ ‘House of the rising sun’!
Jim Hamilton, Senior Pastor at Shoeburyness and Thorpe Bay Baptist Church, says - "I am delighted to recommend ‘Journey‘. The band combines professionalism and Christian commitment and their style of music is ideal for evangelistic or simply social events, appealing across a wide age range."
Journey provide all their own professional amplification equipment including stage lighting and simply require a stage area big enough for seven! They are happy to perform ‘in concert’ or in support of other fund raising activities.
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Tim - Drums and percussion
Tim started playing the drums at 11, having spent the previous 2 years grinding his parents into a submission to allow a drum kit in the house! Since then Tim has played semi-professionally in various bands and has been heavily influenced by some of the great rock drummers such as Neil Peart of Rush and Brian Downey from Thin Lizzy. Tim is employed as a barristers clerk, which is a pretty stressful job, but he says "after a tough day there's nothing quite like battering the living daylights out of a drum kit to relieve some tension!"
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Sheila - lead
and backing vocals
Sheila became a Christian at the age
of 28 and has been singing ever since! Her first experience of singing was within a worship band for about four years: after that she spent some ten years as a lead vocalist for the United Christian Gospel Choir - around fifty strong and from all different Christian denominations. For the past five years she has been one of Journey’s lead vocalists. “Singing for and about God is my passion music is one of the greatest ways in which to sooth the soul“
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Julie - lead
and backing vocals
Julie has been singing for as long as she can remember, in church and later in various church choirs. Southend’s Vineyard Church recommended The United Christian Gospel Choir to Julie where she met Sheila and stayed with the choir for eight years.
With Sheila, Julie is one of the lead vocalists on two of the choir’s later CDs.
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Roger - Guitar and
backing vocals
Roger is married to Sheila (above) and
began playing the guitar at 16 after giving
up the piano (which he says did not come naturally!). After learning the necessary three chords he joined a band to play local pubs etc. at that time earning £7/10s per gig (for the whole band!!). He gave that up to study for his accountancy exams and is now the senior partner in a local accountancy practice. After becoming a Christian he played in various worship bands, (learning at least three more chords) and has become an expert sound engineer - for The United Christian Gospel Choir, Shoebury and Thorpe Bay Baptist Church and of course, Journey
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