Steve Perry Releases Cathartic, Healing Duet Featuring His Late Father, Ray Perry

Today, Steve Perry releases a video designed and animated by Tolga Tarhan for his heartfelt cover of Bobby Darin’s “Call Me Irresponsible,” featuring a duet with his late father, Ray Perry. Built around a tape left to him after his estranged father’s passing, the song, originally recorded by Ray as a reflection on his shortcomings, offers poignant closure as Perry confronts generational trauma and embraces forgiveness. The track comes from his extended holiday album The Season 3 that was released earlier this month via Dark Horse Records.

WATCH THE VIDEO FOR PERRY’S COVER OF BOBBY DARIN’S “CALL ME IRRESPONSIBLE” HERE

Talking about singing with his father on the duet of “Call Me Irresponsible,” Steve Perry says, “My father, Ray Perry, was a singer and when I was a child he would sing to me at bedtime. I recently found a karaoke cassette of my dad singing that he sent me back in 1993 for Christmas. The one song that touched me the most was, “Call Me Irresponsible”. His voice was lovely, but the karaoke track was not.

“Using technology, we pulled his voice off the cassette and recorded beautiful music around him. Once that was done, an unfulfilled dream of singing with my father was now possible. You see, mom and dad divorced when I was 7, and dad and I never saw much of each other after that. Singing with my father after all these years was a very emotional experience for me. His voice was just as I remembered it as a child.

“At the end of his cassette, dad says, ‘Merry Christmas, God Love Ya.’ To hear him speak again brought tears to my eyes."

EXTENDED HOLIDAY ALBUM THE SEASON 3 OUT NOW VIA DARK HORSE RECORDS

STREAM/BUY THE ALBUM HERE

The Season 3 is co-produced by Perry and engineer Thom Flowers and embodies an immaculately arranged and richly nuanced sound inspired by such time-honored holiday albums as Nat King Cole’s The Magic of Christmas. Mainly recorded at Perry’s home studio, The Season series came to life in collaboration with drummer Vinnie Colaiuta (Sting, Joni Mitchell, Frank Zappa) and Dallas Kruse (a multi-instrumentalist who also worked with Perry on his acclaimed 2018 album Traces). While most of The Season 3 encompasses an understated sonic palette—piano, strings, upright bass—each track leaves an indelible impact thanks to the soulful sincerity of Perry’s vocal work. For both artist and audience alike, The Season 3 ultimately serves as a form of emotional time travel, a direct conduit for the kind of memories that sustain the spirit and restore a sense of joyous serenity.

Steve Perry has captivated generations with the sheer power of his range and extraordinary warmth of his tone – as the latest turn in a phenomenal career that’s included landing on Rolling Stone’s 100 Greatest Singers of All Time list, fronting Journey during the band’s most massively successful era, and gaining entry into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.