After more than 20 years of eligibility, Journey finally will be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame next year at an April 7 ceremony in Brooklyn, New York. The group’s longtime keyboardist, Jonathan Cain, says he was thrilled to hear the news.
“It’s a great recognition,” he tells ABC Radio. “For over 40 years Journey’s been doing this, so it’s about time.”
The Journey members that will be honored with induction are founding and current guitarist Neal Schon and bassist Ross Valory; original singer/keyboardist Gregg Rolie and drummer Aynsley Dunbar; and the musicians who joined Schon and Valory in the band’s classic lineup — Cain, lead singer Steve Perry and drummer Steve Smith.
Of course, Journey fans are hoping that Perry, who departed the group in 1998, will reunite with his old band mates at the 2017 Rock Hall ceremony. However, Cain says he doesn’t know if that will happen.
“We spoke to his lawyer [Monday] by coincidence and I thought for sure he would have some news about…but [Steve] hasn’t said anything to him,” Jonathan reveals. “I think I’m just going to leave this one up to God. He’ll figure it out, he’ll make the moves and make it happen the way it’s supposed to happen.”
Cain adds, “We tried to reach out to him but he’s going to…decide what he wants to decide, and I can’t speak for him. I can only say to the fans that he is welcome, as our brother, any time.”
Meanwhile, Cain tells ABC Radio that while Journey’s long wait to be inducted may have been due to the band’s unpopularity with music critics, he suggests that the enduring popularity of songs like “Don’t Stop Believin'” and the group’s resurgence in recent years made them hard to keep ignoring.
Read more at Journey’s Jonathan Cain “Thrilled” About Rock Hall Induction.