Born in Hanford, California, I am of Portuguese heritage (my parents are from the Azores islands of Portugal). I grew up interested in music, as my father, Ray Pereira (who later changed our last name to Perry), was a vocalist. On my twelfth birthday, my mum presented me with a gold eighth note necklace, which I still wear for good luck. When I was ten years old, I heard Sam Cooke's song "Cupid" on my mum's car radio. This inspired me to become a singer.
My family moved to Lemoore, California, during my teen years. I attended high school there, drumming in the marching band as well as in extracurricular bands. I attended College of the Sequoias, in Visalia, California for a short time after graduation, where I took first tenor in the choir there. My mum encouraged my musical growth during this time.
I ranked number 76 in Rolling Stone Magazine's "100 Greatest Singers of all Time." I have a high-tenor-low-bass voice. Queen guitarist Brian May said in a 2007 interview "Perry is a truly luminous singer, in my opinion — a voice in a million".
