If you're a classic rock fan, when you hear the name Neal Schon, you most likely think of Journey. Schon co-founded the band in 1973 and is the...
If you're a classic rock fan, when you hear the name Neal Schon, you most likely think of Journey. Schon co-founded the band in 1973 and is the only member to have participated on all of its albums and tours. The group has sold over 75 million albums worldwide, and is still playing arenas in 2018; its 58-city co-headlining tour with Def Leppard kicks off in May.
But Journey has been only one part of Schon’s career and legacy. Before Journey, Schon played in Santana, having joined the group at the age of 15. When Journey was on break, Schon was part of Bad English, which had a number one hit with "When I See You Smile." After Bad English's breakup, he was the lead guitarist and producer behind Hardline, which charted with "Takin' Me Down." Schon's discography also includes two albums with Miami Vice composer Jan Hammer, a full-length effort with Soul SirkUS, and assorted collaborations with Sammy Hagar, Joe Cocker, The Allman Brothers Band and Michael Bolton.
Beyond the aforementioned tour alongside Def Leppard, 2018 also brings Neal Schon's Journey Through Time. Taking place on February 9, 2018 in San Francisco, Schon will be regrouping with original Journey and Santana member Gregg Rolie—as well as Marco Mendoza and former Journey member Deen Castronovo—for an intimate performance to benefit North Bay Fire Relief. This will be the first time that Schon and Rolie have performed together in two decades, and promises to feature rarely-performed songs from the Journey catalog.
Guitar World recently sat down with Schon to discuss the benefit show, how he got his start in the business and how he ended up with working with Yngwie Malmsteen.
One of the things I find most interesting about you is that you first