This past weekend, I saw two separate news stories about classic rock 'n roll bands replacing their lead singers.  Sure, that rates no more than a shrug with a lot of people, but these stories really intrigued me, largely because of how the bands found the replacements.

Journey front man Steve Perry left the band years ago.  His distinctive voice made the signature sound on hits like "With Open Arms", "Faithfully" and "Oh Sherry".  I cannot imagine listening to anyone else with a completely different sounding voice sing those songs with that band.

Apparently, I don't have to.  The rest of the band hired a new front man who sounds exactly like Steve Perry.   He's from the Phillipines where he sang in a cover band doing nearly perfect renditions of songs by Journey, the Police and others -- with a voice that sounded as much like Sting as Sting.  How does a fairly obscure cover guy come to the notice of a fairly well known American rock band?

YouTube.  Yep. YouTube.  Someone from Journey searched YouTube looking for lead singers and found one.

What are the odds of that happening?

What are the odds of it happening twice?

Last year, the lead singer of Boston ended his own life.  According to the news item, the band found his replacement, another incredible sound alike, on MySpace.  The guy is a suburban dad who sings karaoke.

I like the music of these two bands, but I don't consider myself a major league fan.  I don't know that I'd buy a ticket to see them in concert.  However, I know that each group has big followings and  have to wonder how their fans feel that they've dropped in new singers who are, technically, celebrity impersonators. 

But they aren't billed as such.  Now, they're officially the front men of these bands, but instead of putting their own stamp and signature on the songs, they have these jobs because they sound just like the original singers.

So, I wonder.  Is this legit -- or are they just one stage away from the lineup of Elvise, Cher, Tina Turner and Michael Jackson in a Vegas revue?

What do you think?