Neal Schon's Collaborations: From Bad English to Schon & Hammer and Beyond

Neal Schon's Collaborations: From Bad English to Schon & Hammer and Beyond

Neal Schon, the guitarist and founding member of Journey, has collaborated with various artists throughout his career spanning over 50 years. Together with Jonathan Cain, his bandmate from Journey, they formed Bad English in the late '80s and co-wrote songs for the band's albums. Schon also worked with Paul Rodgers on tribute albums and co-wrote a song for Rodgers' solo album in 1997. His collaborations extended to artists like Joe Cocker, Gregg Rolie, Michael Bolton, and more. Recently, Schon co-wrote a song for Journey frontman Steve Augeri's album in 2022.

Following the success of Journey's album Escape, Schon teamed up with Jan Hammer to form Schon & Hammer. They released two albums together, with the second album featuring a track called "Self-Defense" co-written by Schon, Steve Perry, and Jonathan Cain. The song reflects themes of perseverance and uncertainty in challenging times.

"Self-Defense" is a notable collaboration outside of Journey for Schon and Perry, who had previously worked together on Journey's hit songs. Despite their successful partnership within Journey, "Self-Defense" remains a unique track that showcases their combined talents. Additionally, the trio of Schon, Perry, and Cain also wrote "Only the Young," which was later recorded by Scandal.

Decades later, Journey revisited "Self-Defense" for their album Generations, with Schon taking on lead vocals for the re-recorded version titled "In Self Defense." The song continues to be a testament to the enduring creative collaborations of Neal Schon and his musical peers.