American rock veterans Journey have achieved much since they formed 44 years ago – hit songs that have become staples in the rock canon, worldwide record sales of 90 million and regular global tours.

But one accolade has eluded them all these years – a place in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

That long wait will finally come to an end in April when the band are inducted into what is arguably rock’s most hallowed club.

Speaking ahead of the band’s concert at The Star Theatre tonight, guitarist and founding member Neal Schon says the induction has been a long time coming.

“We could have been up for it 17 years ago,” the 62-year-old says in a telephone interview from Tokyo, where the band played several arena shows.

“When it didn’t happen, I just moved it out of my mind, like this is never gonna happen, for whatever reason.”

The loyal support from their fans is a lot more important to him, he says, but getting the induction was “icing on the cake”.

While songs such as Don’t Stop Believin’, Faithfully and Open Arms became some of the biggest rock hits of the 1980s, Journey went through a resurgence in recent years, thanks to the use of their songs in contemporary pop culture.

Don’t Stop Believin’, for example, was used prominently in popular television series such as Glee and The Sopranos, exposing their music to a new generation of fans.

“Our audiences are getting younger. I look out every night, no matter where we are. I see three and four generations of age groups out there and I see a lot of young people.

It’s really awesome for a band that’s been around as long as we’ve been.”

While Journey have never been critics’ darlings, Schon reckons that their songs have wide and lasting appeal because they sing about universal subjects.

“They are love songs and there’s a lot of love in the world, even though on the news, you look and go ‘what is happening?’.

“But I think that lyrical content about hope, love and faith will stand true in so many nations.”

Over the years, the band’s line-up has been fluid, and Schon and bass player Ross Valory, 68, are the only members left from the original line-up, which first came together in San Francisco in 1973. The band went on a hiatus in 1987 and reunited in 1995.

Singer Steve Perry, who joined in 1977 and sang on the band’s biggest hits, left in 1998.

The band are now fronted by Filipino singer Arnel Pineda, former singer of a Journey cover band whom they discovered on YouTube.

The band also comprise drummer Steve Smith, who joined in 1978, and keyboardist Jonathan Cain, who joined in 1980.

In a press conference held at SPH News Centre yesterday, Pineda, 49, says his life changed “from black to white” after he joined Journey 10 years ago.

“Back in the Philippines, I was trying very, very hard just to get noticed as a local recording artist. I tried for 25 years, nothing happened, until Neal found me on YouTube. That’s changed the whole game for me. They changed my life for good.”

Schon has history with another member of rock royalty – Latin rock band Santana, who were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998.

He played in the band led by guitar icon Carlos Santana in the early 1970s before forming Journey.

His music career recently came full circle when he played on Santana’s album released last year, Santana IV. It was the first time in 45 years that Schon and Santana, 69, recorded together.

Schon says: “They were one of the biggest bands in the world when I was touring with them as a kid and it was quite an experience.

“To re-circle after all these years and come back to the beginning again for me was really special.”

Besides Journey’s 14-album discography, the prolific guitarist has also released nine solo albums, as well as with other popular rock acts such as Bad English, who were active in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

With plans to record a new song as well as a residency in Las Vegas later this year, Schon is confident there is no end in sight for Journey.

“Journey is not done, it will never be done for me. I have some new places I want to go with the band. I don’t foresee Journey as ever being over. I see us continuing to grow and move on to new places.”

BOOK IT / JOURNEY LIVE IN SINGAPORE

• WHERE: The Star Theatre
• WHEN: Today, 8pm
• ADMISSION: $108 to $188 from Sistic. Go to www.sistic.com.sg or call 6348-5555

dinohadi@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on February 10, 2017.
Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.

Singer Tom Jones said he and Priscilla Presley, the ex-wife of Elvis Presley, “have been friends for a long time”.

His comment came in a report in The Sun on Wednesday, which cited a source as saying the two are in an early relationship and are “courting”.

“She’s a lovely lady. We do enjoy our nights out together,” said Jones, 76, after he and actress Presley were seen arriving for dinner together in a Rolls-Royce at a Hollywood restaurant last month.

His spokesman also said the couple “have known each other for many, many years”.

Friends say Presley, 71, has put a smile back on Jones’ face after the death of his wife Linda, 75, from cancer last April.

This article was first published on February 10, 2017.
Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.

NEW YORK – Gospel legend Aretha Franklin says she is retiring from recording music, but only after a final album this year that will feature Stevie Wonder.

The singer, who has been recording music since she was a child in her preacher father’s church in Detroit, turns 75 next month and said she wants to spend more time with her grandchildren.

“This will be my last year,” Franklin told Detroit television station WDIV this week.

Franklin said she will soon head to a studio in the city to record a final album with fellow Detroit music great Stevie Wonder producing several tracks.

While describing the move as retirement, Franklin said she was open to performing a limited number of concerts.

“I feel very, very enriched and satisfied with respect to where my career came from, and where it is now,” Franklin said.

“I’ll be pretty much satisfied, but I’m not going to go anywhere and just sit down and do nothing. That wouldn’t be good either.”

Franklin, who has won 18 Grammys, is best known for the vocal power behind her feminist-tinged cover of Otis Redding’s Respect.

In recent years, she has cancelled a number of concerts.

Last year, she said that doctors had ordered her not to perform due to an unspecified condition and separately pointed to problems with her back-up band for scrapping a small tour.

She is scheduled to perform in April in New York to open the Tribeca Film Festival which will premiere a documentary on Clive Davis, the celebrated record executive who helped revive her career in the 1980s by orienting her to pop music fans.

Franklin in 2015 sang Amazing Grace before Pope Francis as he visited Philadelphia for the massive Festival of Families.

Electronic musicians Daft Punk are to open their first pop-up shop in Los Angeles, featuring archive pieces including clothing, art, photography and the robot helmets the band is known for, according to an online statement.

The shop, hosted by the Maxfield Gallery in West Hollywood, will be open from February 11 to 19 and was announced this week by the band on its Facebook and Instagram pages.

Band members Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo released their first single as Daft Punk in 1994, and have had hits with “Around the World”, “Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger” and “Get Lucky.”

The band is known for its distinctive look and sound, blending technology and visuals including robot helmets and sequined suits.

“Part trip into the Daft Punk archives and part shopping experience, the pop-up will take place at a unique architectural space Maxfield has established in West Hollywood CA,” the statement said.

Maxfield designers have also created a range of items for sale, as well as official Daft Punk merchandise from New Era caps to K-Way jackets.

Toys will also feature, made by Medicom, the company behind the figurines made for the 2010 film Tron: Legacy, whose soundtrack was written by the duo.

The Daftpunk.com website currently sells branded merchandise including an official yo-yo made by Russell, an “Around the World” Frisbee made by Wham-O and a custom edition Fisher Bullet Space pen.

The Maxfield store was founded by Tommy Perse in 1969 and has recently featured collections from brands including Vetements, Alaïa and Kanye West’s clothing line Yeezy.

LOS ANGELES – Katherine Jackson, the 86-year-old mother of late pop star Michael Jackson, has won a restraining order against a nephew she accuses of bullying her, getting information on her bank accounts and other emotional abuse.

Trent Lamar Jackson, a 52-year-old nephew on husband Joe Jackson’s side of the family, worked as a driver for the 86-year-old Jackson family matriarch.

A lawyer for Katherine Jackson said in court documents filed in Los Angeles Superior Court this week that she was afraid of her nephew and fears he will use credit cards and other financial information about her for his personal gains.

“Mrs. Jackson has to hide in her closet to speak to her kids so she can speak freely,” the court papers said.

“Trent bullies Mrs. Jackson into submission.”

“She has had enough, her health is fragile and she is tired of being frightened,” the documents said.

A Los Angeles Superior Court judge on Wednesday issued a temporary restraining order against Lamar Jackson and ordered him to move out of the guest house at Katherine Jackson’s home in Calabasas, near Los Angeles, and stay at least 100 yards (meters) away from her.

A court hearing on the matter has been scheduled for March 1.

Lamar Jackson could not be reached for comment.

Michael Jackson, one of Katherine Jackson’s 10 children, died in 2009 at age 50 of an overdose of the anesthetic propofol.