Neal Joseph Schon (born February 27, 1954)[1] is an American musician and songwriter, best known as the co-founder and lead guitarist for the rock band Journey.

[8] He attended Aragon High School in San Mateo, California,[8] later dropping out to pursue his music career.

In 1973, he, Gregg Rolie and manager Herbie Herbert co-founded the Golden Gate Rhythm Section, which had later been re-named to Journey after a suggestion by roadie John Villaneuva.

[10] In addition to several solo albums and his work with Journey, Schon's work also includes: a pair of albums with keyboardist Jan Hammer,[14] short-term collaborations with Sammy Hagar (HSAS[15] and Planet Us)[16] and Paul Rodgers, stints with Bad English (a supergroup that featured Journey's Jonathan Cain and Deen Castronovo and Cain's former Babys bandmates John Waite and Ricky Phillips)[17] and Hardline (which also featured Castronovo).

Even as Journey's latest lineup plays to a still-faithful body of fans, Schon has immersed himself in side projects such as Piranha Blues (1999); "Black Soup Cracker", a funk outfit that features former Prince associates Rosie Gaines and Michael Bland; and Soul SirkUS with Jeff Scott Soto.

In addition, Schon (along with then Journey manager Herbie Herbert) also contributed to Lenny White's 1977 album Big City, specifically the instrumental jam "And We Meet Again".

On February 9, 2018, Schon played a charity show at San Francisco's The Independent, benefiting North Bay Fire Relief.

[29][30] On October 14, 2012, Schon proposed to Salahi onstage during a charity concert at the Lyric Opera House in Baltimore, Maryland, offering her an oval 11.42 carat diamond engagement ring.

[31] The couple married on December 15, 2013, in a live broadcast wedding that was held in the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco, California.