He started his musical career in "Santana", when he was only 17 years old. He later formed "Journey" - one of the most successful Hard Rock bands in the US and also the band "Bad English".
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Come read some interesting facts about the talented musician, guitarist, and songwriter Neal Schon.
1. He was born on February 27, 1954, in Oklahoma, USA. His name at birth was Neal Joseph Schon.
2. He came from a very musical family. His father was a player, producer, and composer in various "Big Bands". His mother was a singer.
3. He started playing the guitar at the age of 10 and was immediately discovered as a meteoric talent on the instrument.
4. In 1970 he received an offer to join "Derek and the Dominos" alongside Eric Clapton, but he preferred Carlos Santana.
4. In 1971, when he was only 17 years old, he joined "Santana" and recorded the excellent albums "Santana III" and "Caravanserai" with them. In 2016 he returned to the band again and recorded their 24th album "Santana IV".
5. After a brief foray into the Latin ensemble "Azteca", he formed "Journey" in 1973, together with keyboardist Gregg Rolie, whom he met in "Santana".
6. The band that started as a Rock band with Progressive influences, became one of the most prominent rock bands in the US, after the joining of singer Steve Perry.
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Schon is considered the undisputed leader of the band and one of its only two regular members, alongside bassist Ross Valory.
8. From the late'70ss the band reached insane commercial success and released a phenomenal sequence of hits like: "Any Way You Want It", "Faithfully", "Open Arms", "Separate Ways" and "Wheel in the Sky".
9. Just so you understand the magnitude of the band's success, on February 25, 2021, the song "Don't Stop Believin'" crossed the threshold of a billion listens on Spotify. More about that, read here.
10. Sean released 14 studio albums with "Journey", the latest "Eclipse" from 2011, when in 2022 the band is set to release their 15th comeback album "Freedom".
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11. With the hiatus of "Journey", Schon, together with his "Journey" friend - keyboardist Jonathan Cain, formed the band "Bad English". The band released two studio albums, the first eponymous in 1989.
12. In 1991, he formed "Hardline" together with brothers Johnny Gioeli and Joey Gioel. He was a part of the band's debut album "Double Eclipse", released in 1992. Two of the album's songs were co-written with keyboardist Jonathan Cain, Scon's friend from "Journey".
13. Schon has a glorious solo career, in which he released 10 studio albums, the first of which is "Late Nite" from 1989.
14. Neal has collaborated with many artists including singer Paul Rodgers with whom he has also released several albums.
15. His other interesting collaborations were with: "Sammy Hagar, Joe Cocker, Beth Hart," and The Allman Brothers Band.
16. In 1985 he was also part of the "Hear 'n Aid" charity project, alongside the best Heavy Metal artists.