Neal Schon

Neal Joseph Schon was born at Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma, the son of Matthew and Barbara Schon. He is of German and Italian ancestry. His father was a big band musician, arranger, and composer, and played and taught all reed instruments with emphasis on jazz tenor saxophone; his mother was a big band singer. Schon started playing guitar at age 10. He attended Aragon High School in San Mateo, California, later dropping out to pursue his music career. A quick learner, he joined Santana at age 17, in 1971. Schon has said he was asked by Eric Clapton to join Derek and the Dominos, but that he joined Santana instead, performing on the albums Santana III and Caravanserai. Schon also played in the band Azteca. 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. Schon's guitar style is influenced by guitarists such as B.B. King, Albert King, Robert Johnson, Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton, Carlos Santana, Jimmy Page and Peter Green. …

Schon's first marriage was to Tena Austin in 1976. After divorcing Austin in 1986, Schon married Beth Buckley a year later. They were together for approximately five years and had two children together. In 1993 he married Dina Gioeli, divorcing in 1999. In 2001, he married Amber Kozan, with whom he had two more children. They divorced in 2008. In September 2011, Schon publicly confirmed he was in a relationship with Michaele Salahi. The two said they had dated years previously in the 1990s. 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. 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. Schon has confirmed that he has tinnitus, a constant ringing in the ears, common in musicians who have toured extensively.