Founding Journey guitarist Neal Schon celebrates his 70th birthday on Tuesday, February 27. The talented musician launched his career when he joined Santana when he was just 16 years old.
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Schon contributed to the Santana III (1971) and Caravanserai (1972) albums before he and singer/keyboardist Gregg Rolie left the group and co-founded the band that became Journey.
Journey began as a jazz-flavored prog-rock outfit, but with the addition of Steve Perry as lead singer in 1977, the band began moving in a more commercial rock direction. The group has gone through many lineup changes in its 50-year history, but the one constant has been Schon, whose mix of soaring melodicism and fiery shredding has forged a bridge between prog rock, hard rock, and arena rock.
Here’s a look at just few of Schon’s memorable guitar highlights with Journey.
“Wheel in the Sky” (1978)
A highlight from Journey’s fourth studio album, Infinity (1978), “Wheel in the Sky” was the band’s first single ever to chart on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at No. 57. Schon co-wrote the song with Robert Fleischmann, who was Journey’s frontman for a few months in 1977, and bassist Ross Valory’s then-wife, Diane.
“Wheel in the Sky” is driven by a rambling Schon riff that gives the tune an almost Southern rock vibe, before it reaches the soaring anthem-like chorus sung by Perry. Schon’s melodic blues-infused solo continues the roots-rock feel, while building to an intense aural climax.
“Any Way You Want It” (1980)
Journey’s joyous and rocking hit appeared on the 1980 studio effort Departure, the group’s first album to break into the Top 10 of the Billboard 200. The song, which peaked at No. 23 on the Billboard Hot 100, was co-written by Schon and Perry.
The track features two solos by Schon that both are heard during the latter half of the tune. Schon’s second solo leads in to the song’s finale and builds in intensity as he plays over Perry’s vocal outro.
“Don’t Stop Believin’” (1981)
No list of Schon highlights would be complete without “Don’t Stop Believin’,” arguably one of the greatest arena-rock anthems of all time. The track, which was co-written by Schon, Perry and keyboardist Jonathan Cain, appears on Journey’s Diamond-certified 1981 album Escape. While Perry’s vocals and the tune’s inspirational lyrics certainly are a major reason for the song’s enduring popularity, Schon’s soaring melodic solo certainly lift the track into another stratosphere.
Schon first grabs the listener’s attention with a repetitious arpeggiated riff that gets faster and faster as it leads into the second verse. Interestingly, Schon’s soaring solo, which features the melody of the song’s chorus, is played before Perry sings the actual chorus, and that only appears at the end of the tune.
“Don’t Stop Believin’” peaked at No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100, but the track has gone on to be certified 18-times platinum by the RIAA.
“Who’s Crying Now”
“Who’s Crying Now” also was featured on Escape. The song, which was co-written by Perry and Cain, was a No. 4 hit on the Hot 100. Although Schon isn’t credited as a songwriter, his tasteful solo perfectly captures the mournful mood of the tune’s relationship-gone-bad theme.
“Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)” (1983)
“Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)” appeared on Journey’s 1983 album Frontiers, and peaked at No. 8 on the Hot 100. Co-written by Perry and Cain, the track kicks off with Schon’s staccato power chords.
Later in the song, Schon delivers a solo that starts with a simple melody, then explodes into a machine-gun barrage of notes.
Journey’s 2024 Tour Plans
Schon’s and Journey’s current lineup kicked off a 50th anniversary tour on February 9 in Biloxi, Mississippi. The North American outing, which features opening act Toto, is mapped out through an April 29 show in Bridgeport, Connecticut.
Later in the year, Journey will be teaming up with Def Leppard for The Summer Stadium Tour. The expansive North American trek will run from a July 6 concert in St. Louis through a September 8 performance in Denver. Cheap Trick, the Steve Miller Band, and Heart also will perform on select dates.
Tickets to Journey’s 2024 concerts are available now via various outlets, including StubHub.
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