Neal Schon

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Neal Schon
Born February 27, 1954
Flag of United States Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma
Genre(s) AOR / Hard rock
Affiliation(s) Journey
Santana
Label(s) various
Notable guitars Signature Les Paul, Paul Reed Smith, Schon guitar
Years active 1970 - present
Official site www.schonmusic.com

Neal Schon (born Neal Joseph Schon, February 27, 1954, in Tinker Air Force Base near Oklahoma City, Oklahoma and later lived in San Mateo, California), is an American guitarist best known for his work with the band Journey.

Contents

[edit] Biography

The son of a woodwinds player, Schon himself played the oboe for many years beginning in high school. Schon first picked up the guitar at the age of 10. He joined Santana as a teenage prodigy at the age of 15. Schon had famously been asked by Eric Clapton to join Derek and the Dominos, but since Santana called him first, he decided to join Santana for the album Santana III. Schon also played in Azteca before moving on in 1973 to form Journey, a group he continues to lead today.

Schon's guitar style has been described as soulful, taking inspiration from 1960s-era soul singers such as Aretha Franklin and Gladys Knight, and blending it with fast runs.

Besides numerous albums with Journey, his work also includes a pair of albums with keyboardist Jan Hammer, short-term collaborations with Sammy Hagar (HSAS and Planet Us) and Paul Rodgers, stints with Bad English (a supergroup that featured Journey’s Jonathan Cain and Deen Castronovo and Jonathan Cain's former Babys bandmates John Waite and Ricky Phillips) and Hardline (which also featured Deen Castronovo). Even as Journey’s latest lineup plays to a still-faithful body of fans, Schon is immersed in side projects such as Piranha Blues (1999) and "Black Soup Cracker" a funk outfit that features former Prince associates Rosie Gaines and Michael Bland, and most recently Soul SirkUS with Jeff Scott Soto.

Schon can be heard on other albums including three tracks on Michael Bolton's The Hunger, with the Schon sound most recognizable on "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay".

[edit] Guitars

Schon currently endorses Gibson guitars, and has a limited edition signature Les Paul model entitled the "Neal Schon Signature Model Custom Les Paul", of which only 23 were made. He has previously employed Godin guitars on his 1995 solo album Beyond the Thunder, and more recently uses Paul Reed Smith guitars. In the late 1980s, Schon manufactured (through Jackson Guitars) and played his own line of guitars. Simply named Schon, less than 200 of these were made. A white Schon guitar can be clearly seen in the music video for the Journey song "Girl Can't Help It", as well as a gold version in the Journey videos for "I'll Be Alright Without You" and "Be Good To Yourself".

[edit] Discography

[edit] External links


Journey
Jeff Scott Soto | Neal Schon | Jonathan Cain | Ross Valory | Deen Castronovo
Steve Augeri | Steve Perry | Steve Smith | Gregg Rolie | Aynsley Dunbar | George Tickner | Robert Fleischman | Prairie Prince | Randy Jackson | Larrie Londin | Bob Glaub | Mike Baird
Discography
Studio albums: Journey | Look into the Future | Next | Infinity | Evolution | Departure | Dream After Dream | Escape | Frontiers | Raised on Radio | Trial by Fire | Arrival | Red 13 | Generations
Live albums: Captured | Greatest Hits Live
Compilations: In the Beginning | Greatest Hits | The Ballade | Time 3 | The Essential Journey | Open Arms~Greatest Hits
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