Journey reveal new line-up and share 'Don't Stop Believin' performance
Randy Jackson has returned to the fold
Journey have announced three new additions to their line-up following the firing of long serving bassist Ross Valory and drummer Steve Smith in March.
Neal Schon took to Twitter over the weekend to confirm that former bassist Randy Jackson has returned to the Journey fold and Narada Michael Walden drafted in as the new drummer, and Jason Derlatka joining as an additional keyboardist and vocalist.
“Ok Friends word is out! @randyjackson RJ the Big Dawg is our new Bass player again,” Neal Schon wrote.
“Narada Michael Walden is our new drummer. Multi-talented songwriter/producer, Mahavishnu Orchestra. The J Boyz will have a new strut.”
He added: “Journey is an ever-changing unstoppable force. This is a completely new chapter for us and can’t wait to get to it!”
A prolific musician and producer who has worked with a vast array of artists, Randy Jackson played bass with Journey from 1985 to 1987 and he contributed to one studio album – April 1986’s ‘Raised On Radio.’
He has also worked in music production and as A&R at Columbia Records and MCA Records, but is perhaps best known for being a longterm judge on US talent show American Idol.
The new six-strong incarnation of Journey made their debut with a socially distanced rendition of their signature tune ‘Don’t Stop Believin’ on Saturday night for the UNICEF Won’t Stop fundraiser concert.
Watch the Journey perform ‘Don’t Stop Believin’:
Neal Schon wrote on Instagram afterwards: “We were so happy to be involved with @unicef with all the amazing artists, for such a great cause 🙏🏽 thank you @merck_mercuriadis 🙌🏽welcome to our Journey family @randyjackson @officialnarada and @jason_derlatka.”
Ross Valery and Steve Smith were booted out of Journey in highly acrimonious circumstances in March for allegedly a instigating a “malicious and very ill-conceived” coup attempt to take control of the Journey name and one of their businesses Nightmare Productions.
Neal Schon and Jonathan Cain’s representatives told Rolling Stone at the time: “The Journey name is controlled by Neal Schon and Jonathan Cain. And for very good cause, they don’t want to perform with Smith or Valory anymore, they don’t want to have anything to do with them, and that’s their right.
“They’re going to go on with Journey, continue with the great success of the past and these two guys are going to get replaced.”
Valory countersued Schon and Cain last month, calling the allegations “baseless.”