Herbie Herbert, the veteran music-industry figure who managed Journey from the band’s 1973 inception until 1993, died of natural causes Monday, October 25, at his home in Orinda, California, Variety reports. He was 73.
Early in his career, Herbert worked for famed concert promoter Bill Graham as a roadie for Santana, which is how he met co-founding Journey members Neal Schon and Gregg Rolie.
During the late 1960s, Herbert managed Frumious Bandsnatch, a psychedelic group that featured future Journey members Ross Valory and George Tickner.
Herbert helped put together Journey in 1973 and guided the band for the next two decades. According to Variety, he was involved in all aspects of their career, including overseeing recordings, the design of their logo and album covers, concerts and more.
In a 2017 interview with ABC Audio, ex-Journey frontman Steve Perry credited Herbert for bringing him into the band.
“Herbie…really is a legend,” Perry said, “and I’m actually in the band because he heard my demo tape and believed in me and told the band, ‘You gotta listen to this tape, I think this is the guy that should be the singer.'”
Interestingly, a reported personality conflict with Perry led to Herbert exiting Journey. He also managed the Steve Miller Band and co-managed acts like Roxette, Europe, Mr. Big and Enuff Z’Nuff.
In a lengthy tribute to Herbert, Schon wrote on his Facebook page, “I’ll cherish all the incredible times and trials and tribulations we experienced together. Herbie was an incredible hands on Manager and fought like a mother f***** for all of us every step of the way.”
Variety reports that a documentary about Herbert’s life is in production, and plans for a memorial celebration will be announced soon.
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