Neal Joseph Schon (born February 27, 1954, on Tinker Air Force Base near Oklahoma City, Oklahoma) is an American guitarist best known for his work with the band Journey. He is the only member to play on all of their recordings.
The son of a jazz saxophonist, Schon first picked up the guitar at the age of 5. A quick learner, he joined Santana as a teenage prodigy at the age of 15. He went to Aragon High School in San Mateo, but dropped out (with h...
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Neal Joseph Schon (born February 27, 1954, on Tinker Air Force Base near Oklahoma City, Oklahoma) is an American guitarist best known for his work with the band Journey. He is the only member to play on all of their recordings.
The son of a jazz saxophonist, Schon first picked up the guitar at the age of 5. A quick learner, he joined Santana as a teenage prodigy at the age of 15. He went to Aragon High School in San Mateo, but dropped out (with his parents' blessing) before graduating. 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 blues runs similar to B. B. King.
In addition to his five solo albums...
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