In 1996, arena rock superstars Journey put the band back together to record their tenth studio album, Trial by Fire. Shortly after the release of this reunion album lead singer and signature voice, Steve Perry injured himself while training for what was to be a high energy road show. With Steve Perry unable to perform, the Trial by Fire tour became "the tour that never happened". Imagine if Steve Perry had never injured himself on that fateful day. What would the Trial by Fire tour look like?

Flash forward to the present. TRIAL BY FIRE is born out of the hearts of five seasoned North Carolina - based musicians who have decided to answer that question. It is their vision to bring that 1996 tour to Journey fans across the country; to embrace the sound and visuals of the Steve Perry era of Journey.

Prepare to let TRIAL BY FIRE take you back to an earlier day when lighters were held high, and you couldn't help but sing along to such powerful choruses as “Don’t Stop Believin’”, “Wheel in the Sky”, “Lights”, "Separate Ways" and "Faithfully"
Ernie Shepherd Lead Vocals

Ernie has been a Journey fan since he was 10 years old. It has always been a dream of his to stand on a stage and sing the classic songs made famous by his favorite singer Steve Perry. Ernie also loves Soul music made famous in the 60's...Sam Cooke, Otis Redding and Marvin Gaye are big influences. Ernie's favorite part of the show is getting to meet the people that come out to support the band. Ernie is originally from Boston MA, but proudly calls North Carolina home.
Choosing a Favorite Journey Album is hard for Ernie because they each bring him to a time in his life that he holds dear. If you had to press him he would most likely say Raised on Radio for its soulful overtones. His Favorite song to sing live is Faithfully.

Dan Cummins Lead Guitar
Dan Cummins is a veteran of the NC music scene, having played in several acts of varying genres over the years. After growing up on the coast of North Carolina, Dan has been in the triangle area ever since college, where he earned a BA in music from UNC. He is dad to two wonderful children and one very large dog.
Inspired by his musical parents to pick up the guitar and drums as a teenager, Dan shares equal passion for both writing and performing. Dan was a founding member of the Chapel Hill-based hard rock band DELOREAN from 2003-2008, which released 2 independent LP's during that time. He was/is a key member of the Durham-based cover/party band HICKORY SWITCH from 2013-2017, which became AIRTIGHT ALIBI in 2018. An avid songwriter/producer, Dan has released two self-produced solo rock albums "LEVIATHAN" (2012) and "STORM" (2016).
As for what brought him to Trial By Fire, Dan has been a die-hard Journey fan for many years, and counts Neal Schon as one of his key guitar influences. Dan lives for being onstage, saying "Playing great songs with great friends in front of a great crowd is just about an unbeatable experience. Every night is an adventure." His favorite Journey album would be a tie between Escape and Frontiers.

Don McCray Keyboards and Vocals
Don was born and raised in Virginia's Shenandoah Valley and started learning piano and keyboards at age seven. He has played in bands for over 40 years (What?!?!), playing everything from classic rock to country to R&B and beach music, and enjoys it all. When Don isn't playing music, he listens to a wide variety of artists such as Blackberry Smoke; Kansas; Asleep at the Wheel; Alan Jackson; The Allman Brothers; Lynyrd Skynyrd; Brad Paisley and many more.
Don is a gear fanatic who is always looking for that next great piece of equipment that will make his rig "perfect." He has almost reached nirvana with his current rig: a Yamaha S70XS and Roland Jupiter-80 and -- when stage space permits -- a Hammond XK-3c organ and Neo Ventilator pedal.
Don loves playing Journey music and working to find just the right sounds to use for each song. His favorite Journey album is probably Raised On Radio, which includes Girl Can't Help It, Be Good to Yourself, and I'll Be Alright Without You. That said, if Don had to pick a favorite Journey song to play it would probably be Still They Ride from the Escape album, because Neal Schon's guitar work on it is so melodic and soulful.

Rich Barefoot Bass Guitar and Vocals
Rich Barefoot has been playing bass since 1981. He has been a member of several well known bands around the Charlotte area, most notable are Crosswind and Superglide.
His musical influences are John Deacon of Queen and Geddy Lee of Rush. His favorite Journey songs to listen to and play are Mother Father and Ask The Lonely. Rich’s favorite Journey Album is Departure.

Kevin Lynch Drums
Kevin was born and raised in Greensboro NC but has called Randleman NC home since 1996. A graduate of UNCG School of Music, class of 1990. Kevin has played in several country/rock bands such as Kry Havok, Buster Knome, Sunset Renegades, and Karolina Rose. Kevin was also the fill-in drummer for Kevin Green at Carolina Opry in Myrtle Beach and Christmas on Broadway in NYC.
Kevin's playing style has been described as Rock/ Progressive. by joining Trial by Fire Kevin is excited about the challenge of performing these timeless songs with musicians that have mutual respect for one another.
His musical inspirations are Neil Peart, Simon Phillips, and Tommy Aldridge.
His favorite Journey song is "Escape"