Since the beginning of the rock band Journey in 1973, guitarist Neal Schon was a prominent member. His playing style, which is sometimes characterized as forceful yet melodic, has been a key factor in the band’s success.
His contributions to the songs “Don’t Stop Believin'” and “Any Way You Want It” include their recognizable riffs as well as the lengthy guitar solos from “Lights” and “Wheel in the Sky.”
The band’s biggest singles, including “Open Arms,” “Faithfully,” and “Who’s Crying Now,” were written and composed by him as well.
He is most known for being a founding member of the band Journey, but he also had a long solo career that lasted for more than 40 years.
One of the best guitarists in music history, Schon’s fame has grown even more as a result of his live performances.
Over the years, he has continuously performed on tour, frequently with an all-star ensemble of musicians. He has won many accolades for his solo work.
Conflicts and lineup changes within the act occurred toward the end of the 1980s as a result of artistic differences.
Journey took a break when the Raised on Radio Tour was over. Schon concentrated on solo endeavors like Hardline and Bad English during this time and worked with many different musicians.
Schon managed to find time in the middle of the 1990s to work on the songs that would become 1995’s “Beyond the Thunder.”
The guitarist experimented with several musical genres on the album, which included tracks that were very dissimilar to the music he created with Journey.
Schon then saw that Journey was working against him as a solo artist, limiting his ability to produce new material.
He talked about it after the release of ‘Beyond The Thunder’. It was with Gary James and he revealed that it was the time he realized the band was holding him down.
He claimed that the record was the first step toward his true goals and that he had a side with jazz influences.
Schon then stated that he was keen to experiment with other genres, such as jazz because all of Journey’s music had been rock & roll.
The guitarist claims that during his time apart from Journey, he studied various aspects of his musical abilities and observed his willingness to advance and improve. The musician also realized that he hadn’t yet reached his full potential. Speaking with Gary James, he said,
“I was in a real melancholy sort of mellow state when I did it. I wasn’t playing rock and roll. This type of stuff comes out of me when I’m away from the road and away from rock and roll for a while. Stuff I do when I’m around the house. You know, I’ve never made a record that was that mellow. There is another side of me that is going more in a jazzy vein, and that is more of a commercial version of where I’d actually like to go.
I’ve got the rock and roll thing going on with Journey and everything else I do in the rock and roll vein, but I’m interested in opening new genres for myself. The jazz format seems to be where I’m heading. I’ll always have my rock/blues roots, and I’ll always play that. It’s a thing I like to do live. But I see myself doing these other types of solo records as well. It’s a completely different thing. It’s creative for me to go somewhere completely different.”
When questioned about his statement in the liner notes, Schon responded:
“You know, I was very confused when I read it myself. I think I was trying to say that I’m finally getting a grip on all the different sides of my musical abilities and coming to terms with that, not just stifling myself and staying in one place. I’m learning that I do have the ability to grow and learn a lot more. I think what I’m saying there is I don’t feel like I’ve peaked out at all and that I have a lot of places I can go musically.”
Once Journey went on hiatus, Neal Schon understood that he still had a lot to learn and that he wanted to develop his musical abilities. Both as a solo musician and as a founding member of Journey, Schon has a distinguished career.
He has maintained his position at the top of the music world thanks to his distinctive playing style and versatility in fusing many musical styles.
Neal Schon is a well-known guitar legend with a career spanning more than four decades and a long list of accolades.
