The wheel in the sky will apparently keep on turning, as an agreement has been reached between Journey guitarist Neal Schon and keyboardist Jonathan Cain and fired members Ross Valory and Steve Smith.
Last year, the rhythm section went their “separate ways”: Valory and Smith were fired and were accused of attempting a “corporate coup d’état” in order to take over the Journey name and brand. They were replaced by former Journey bassist Randy Jackson and drummer Narada Michael Walden, but Valory and Smith continued to contest the firings and countersued Schon and Cain.
“The members of the band Journey who were parties to a recent lawsuit (Neal Schon, Jonathan Cain, Steve Smith and Ross Valory) are pleased to announce that they have resolved their differences and reached an amicable settlement agreement,” a statement released by Journey says.
Continuing, it says “Neal Schon and Jonathan Cain acknowledge the valuable contributions that both Ross Valory and Steve Smith have made to the music and the legacy of Journey. Ross Valory and Steve Smith wish their former bandmates well and much success in the future. Journey look forward to continuing to tour and make new music for their dedicated fans around the world.”
By the sounds of it, Valory and Smith will not be taking their seats back in the band any time soon. There have been rumblings that Journey has been recording an album with the new lineup.
Schon has even claimed that Journey will be headlining Lollapalooza 2021, if of course, the festival happens and Perry Farrell deems Journey headliner-worthy for the alt-rock fest.
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