Quick Facts
Biography
Ross Lamont Valory (born February 2, 1949) is an American musician, and the bass player for the rock band Journey. He and Neal Schon are the only remaining original members of the band, although he was absent from the band between 1985 and 1995. Valory will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Journey in 2017.
Career
Aside from his termination from the group during the Raised on Radio album sessions and subsequent tour in 1986, Valory has played on all of Journey's albums. 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 future American Idol judge Randy Jackson, who also played on the subsequent tour.
Valory grew up in Lafayette, California and attended Acalanes High School.
One of the innovations that Valory uses (it is not known if he is the inventor) 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. This adds the five string depth to the songs, while allowing the quick fingering of a four-string neck.
Valory also plays keyboards and guitar.
Valory also played for The Vu, The Storm, Frumious Bandersnatch and the Steve Miller Band.