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How Jonathan Cain’s Breakthrough Helped Spark New Journey Music

From " Faithfully " to faith, Journey 's return to new music has also brought the band's keyboardist, guitarist and composer Jonathan Cain back to some fresh tunes of his own - specifically the single "Oh Lord Lead Us."

Outside the band, Cain has immersed himself in Christian music in recent years, to the tune of five albums, including the 2017 holiday set Unsung Noel . But his faith in faith-based music was tested recently.

"I had given up on writing worship music for a while," says Cain, whose wife, Paula White, is a televangelist and author who served as an advisor to Donald Trump during his presidency. Cain contracted a brief case of COVID-19  in September that he says passed quickly. The pandemic, however, pushed him to pick up the pen and try to write again.

"I saw the fear and panic and anxiety in the society, and I said, 'It's time to write something that's positive,'" recalls Cain, who filmed the video for "Oh Lord Lead Us" last month at Red Rock Canyon in Nevada. "And God just kept at me and kept at me, so I opened my Bible one morning and there was [1 Chronicles 16:11]: 'Look to the lord for strength/Always seek his presence.' And I was like, 'Oh, yeah, that's it.' That's what triggered it. All I needed was that one scripture, and I said, 'Yeah, Lord, lead us. Lead us through this mess.'"

You can watch the exclusive premiere of Cain's "Oh Lord Lead Us" video below.

Cain adds that he was also looking for "a New Year's feeling" for the song, an arena-caliber anthem he premiered during the holiday at the City of Destiny Church in Florida, where his wife is also pastor. He recorded the track - along with others that will be part of a new EP, likely out this fall - at his own Addiction Sound Studios in Nashville, joined by Jason Derlatka, a Journey auxiliary musician who's been promoted to full-time membership in the band and is, according to Cain, "Journey's secret weapon."

He adds that he "had my hands full, going back to worship [music] and writing Journey at the same time. It was interesting that Neal [Schon]  and Narada [Michael Walden] were writing a lot of songs needing lyrics, and I was just writing them, supernaturally. I heard a song, and the lyrics were done in a couple hours." He feels it was a reward for his reengagement. "I believe my prolificacy came from being obedient to God's calling - 'Well, bring me some worship music and I will give you lyrics to the Journey album. I'll fill your head with whatever you need.' And it seemed like whatever I had to come up with, I came up with it."

The first fruits of that were heard in " The Way We Used To Be ," which came out last month and marks the first new material by Journey's latest lineup, which also includes singer  Arnel Pineda and bassist Randy Jackson, who played with the band in the mid-'80s. It emerges after Cain and Schon successfully fought off an alleged "attempted corporate coup d'etat" by former members Ross Valory and Steve Smith , which led to their firings . Cain says the drama is behind the band now, with Journey's focus firmly on the future now.

"It was sort of a shocking thing, that brothers had come to that," he says. "We had to sort it out. You get lemons, you make lemonade - what else are you gonna do? It's probably not that out of the ordinary for bands to do this kind of stuff, and it's usually based on greed or whatever. I really am glad it's behind us, and I wish everybody well, really. I have no ill will towards anyone."

Cain says the new Journey album is "close to being done," though with no release date set as of yet. There's a tentative title, which he's not revealing, and the package is being designed by Jim Welch, who worked with the band on several classic albums, including Infinity , Departure and Escape .

"It's typical Journey, I think," Cain says. "We're back to our old sound, but it's got a little bit more on the bottom end. It's got fire. It's just a little bit more edge to it. Neal's playing his butt off, and it's very driven, very cool. The songs came very interesting. I like it a lot."

Journey return to the road on July 29, with a warm-up show at Chicago's Aragon Ballroom before playing at Lollapalooza two days later. A handful of other dates are on tap, as well as a December residency at the Virgin Hotels Las Vegas (formerly the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino) and a full-scale tour in 2022.

"It's gonna be great," says Cain, a Chicago native. "It's a long time coming. I know that the fans have missed it. So have we. I think when you take something away, like what happened during [the pandemic], that purpose becomes more urgent. I think COVID taught us all how lucky we were, how fortunate our lives have been. When that purpose is taken away, we want it even more. I think we'll all enjoy life a lot more and hopefully ... appreciate each other better."

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Journey’s Jonathan Cain writes of escaping Our Lady of Angels fire, writing hits

Jonathan Cain performs with Journey during a 2017 show in Las Vegas. | Getty Images

Sometimes it’s impossible to ignore the obvious play on words because it really has been quite the journey for Jonathan Cain, the Chicago native best known for his songwriting and keyboard work with the mega-successful rock anthem band Journey.

In his new memoir “Don’t Stop Believin’,” Cain, 68, chronicles a path that includes surviving the deadly Our Lady of the Angels School fire in 1958, coming of age in the tumultuous 1960s in Chicago, co-writing such hits as “Faithfully” and “Open Arms” (and, of course, the song that gave title to the book), rediscovering his religious faith and marrying Paula White, the pastor / televangelist and longtime spiritual adviser to President Donald Trump.

Cain worked on the book, which is out Tuesday, for the better part of decade. The result is an autobiography that’s equal parts trip down memory lane, detailed recap of writing and recording of some of Journey’s biggest hits, spiritual quest — and love letter to Cain’s father.

Young Jonathan Cain (right) with his brother Tom. | Zondervan

Born as Leonard Friga to working-class Italian parents, Cain was a third grader at Our Lady of Angels and was in class on Dec. 1, 1958, when students and teachers began to smell smoke, and the classes on first floor (including Cain’s) were evacuated even before the fire alarm was sounded.

“I looked at my Mickey Mouse watch and saw it was a quarter to three,” writes Cain. “School was almost done. We were so close to leaving.”

Many of the students on the second floor never made it out. A total of 92 students and three nuns perished in the fire.

“My life was just [filled with] love, everything was fine,” Cain told me. “Until that fateful day: December 1st, 1958, when we faced evil right in the eye. … We were all destroyed by that. How could this happen next to God’s house?”

Cain returns to the subject of his faith again and again in the book. He also speaks in glowing terms of his father, who always encouraged him and even provided musical inspiration by telling his son, “Don’t stop believing,” over and over.“

“He was my hero,” says Cain of his dad. “He was an affectionate man. He’d come home and hug ya. My mother, not so much. She was the disciplinarian. But it was a good balance.”

The cover of “Don’t Stop Believin’ ” by Journey keyboardist Jonathan Cain.

By his late teens, Cain knew he wanted to be a musician. (He writes of being blown away by a local band and its live performance of a song called “Beginnings.” That band became the Chicago Transit Authority, and then simply: Chicago.)

Cain moved to California, recorded a solo album and found work as a musician — but it would be years before he found any kind of mainstream success, first as the keyboardist for the Babys (“Isn’t It Time), and then with Journey.

“By the time I was in the studio with Journey, I was from the wrong side of the tracks, I’d been through a lot of things. So the experience of recording with them still feels fresh to me,” said Cain in a recent telephone interview.

In the spring of 1981, Journey recorded “Escape,” which went on to sell nearly 10 millions copies and yield hit singles “Who’s Cryin’ Now,” “Don’t Stop Believin’ ” and “Open Arms.” In the early and mid-1980s, the group could sell out football stadiums.

But Cain struggled with his marriages and his faith. The man who wrote “Faithfully” for his first wife wasn’t always faithful. (A second marriage, which produced three children, also ended in divorce.)

“The first divorce was a crusher for me and I never really dealt with it. We lose ourselves sometimes in these painful moments, but that’s not who my dad raised. I was losing my way, if you will.

“The road messes you up. You’re floating in space, you’re not grounded, there’s no anchor. You don’t make great life decisions.

“I never thought I’d be that guy, and you look yourself in the mirror and say, ‘How am I ever going to get back to the guy I was?’ The only way I knew was to call on God and surrender to it all.”

Jonathan Cain (right) with singer Steve Perry (second from right) and the rest of Journey in 1981. | Pat Johnson

Cain says he’s in a good place with vocalist Steve Perry, who walked away from the group (“He got a point where he didn’t want the fame any more, he just wanted to live his life and be with his family”) and with guitarist Neal Schon, who was critical of Cain on Twitter and in interviews after Cain and some other members of Journey went to the White House and posed with Trump.

“We’ve hit reset,” Cain says. “Thirty-seven years, there are going to be bumps in the road and misunderstandings. That shouldn’t happen, but hey, we’re moving on.”

Jonathan Cain will sign copies of “Don’t Stop Believin’ ” at 7 p.m. May 3 at the 2nd and Charles store in Naperville. Tickets — which cover an autographed book and a photo with Cain — are $29, available at jonathancain.eventbrite.com .

The odd couple: the brotherly battles at the heart of Journey's Freedom

Given the years of mud slinging, threats, power grabs, lawsuits and general animosity, it looked like Journey’s 2011 album Eclipse might have been their last. But then Freedom arrived

It was Bruce Springsteen who finally got Journey into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. The hard-rock giants had been eligible for inclusion since the year 2000, and had the record sales (gold, platinum and diamond discs up the wazoo) and the all-pervading cultural influence (you’ve heard of Don’t Stop Believin’ , right?) to back it up. But year after year the HOF gatekeepers said no. Enter The Boss. 

“The rumour has it that Springsteen, who’s a big deal for the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, sang Don’t Stop Believin’ at a benefit with Elton John and Lady Gaga one night,” says Journey keyboard player Jonathan Cain. “He said: ‘That’s a killer tune, yeah. Journey, we should give them a shot.’ So he started championing us with the Hall Of Fame. They put us in the ballot, and the fans who voted us number one did the rest.” 

And so it was that several current and past members of Journey gathered on stage at Barclays Center in Brooklyn on April 7, 2017 for the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction ceremony. Co-founding guitarist Neal Schon was there, along with second-longest tenured member Cain. So too were original keyboard player Gregg Rolie and drummer Aynsley Dunbar, bassist Ross Valory, drummer Steve Smith and, most surprisingly of all, vocalist Steve Perry, who had seemingly turned his back on both Journey and the music industry in the late 90s. 

It was, as they say, emotional. It was also Journey, a band whose graceful power and perfectly poised music is in inverse proportion to their capacity for squabbling, in-fighting and shit-talking. The HOF induction marked the beginning of an almost comically turbulent period in which Schon and Cain had a very public falling out in 2017 over a trip to the White House. They patched things up, only to fire two long-standing band members over an ill-fated ‘coup’, instigating a potentially ruinous lawsuit. 

Oh, and somewhere in between they ditched their longtime managers for good measure. That Journey are still here after 40-odd years of that kind of behaviour is remarkable. But not as remarkable as the fact that they’ve just delivered their first new album in 11 years, Freedom . It’s a record that draws on the Journey of the past and updates it for today. It’s no Escape or Frontiers , but it certainly doesn’t disgrace itself in their company. 

“I’m always in creative mode,” says Neal Schon. “My work is never done. But I never lost hope that we’d do another Journey album. Not at all."

Even speaking separately, it’s clear that Neal Schon and Jonathan Cain have little in common other than being members of Journey. The guitarist is fast-talking and passionate, wearing his zero-tolerance approach to music industry bullshit proudly. “I said: ‘How about I wrap the fucking guitar around your neck?’” is the conclusion to one anecdote about once working with a producer who rubbed him up the wrong way. You’d imagine being in a band with him would be eventful. 

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By contrast, Cain is measured and calm, answering questions about the band’s turbulent recent history and his relationship with Schon thoughtfully. “There’s always going to be bumps in the road,” he says of the dynamic between them. “No forty-year relationship is ever not going to have them.”  

Even before those bumps in the road appeared, Schon was putting the responsibility for the lack of a follow-up to Journey’s last album, 2011’s Eclipse , squarely at Cain’s door. He claimed Cain had no interest in recording a new album. Cain doesn’t dispute that, although he says he always intended to make another Journey record – it just had to be at the right time. 

“The amount of money it takes for us to make an album in the studio is extraordinary,” says Cain. “You’re talking six or seven hundred grand. The Eclipse album had been extraordinarily expensive and I didn’t think anybody had any fun making it. It was the worst seller of everything we’ve ever done. It left a bad taste in my mouth.” 

He says it was the pandemic that shifted his attitude to new Journey music. “Covid made this album happen, a hundred per cent. I wrote a thing about a guy and girl not sure why they broke up and missing each other. It had parallels with the separation so many couples had to endure.” 

Those lyrics, hitched to “a bluesy, pissed-off loop” that Schon had come up with became the starting point for the new album and its first single, the soaring The Way We Used To Be .

Cain puts his resurgence of interest in a new Journey album down to something much higher: call it divine intervention. In the mid-2010s he became a devout born-again Christian after meeting his current wife, the conservative pastor Paula White. 

“Singing music for the Lord seems to have helped my creativity,” he says. “I gave my gift to God and it spilled over into the Journey thing. The lyrics kept flowing out of me.” 

It was Cain’s faith that indirectly caused the rift between him and Schon. Cain’s wife has been a friend of Donald Trump for two decades, and when the mogul was elected president he appointed White the chair of his evangelical advisory board – effectively his spiritual advisor. Cain says he likes Trump, a fellow golfer. “This guy is not who they say. They paint him as a villain, but it’s far from it.” 

When the then President Trump invited Cain and the rest of Journey – with the pointed exception of Schon – for a tour of the White House, he jumped at the chance. 

“I’ve never put any politics into Journey’s music,” says Cain. “I’m not going to run on stage in a ‘MAGA’ hat. It was just a tour of the White House, that was supposed to go down pretty unnoticed. Unfortunately it got noticed.” 

It certainly did, not least by Schon. What followed was a one-man Twitterstorm in which the guitarist took a flamethrower to Cain , his wife and the entity that was Journey at the time. The gist of it – and we’re paraphrasing here – was: ‘Journey isn’t and has never been a political or religious band, and by the way, Journey is my band.’

An unfortunate series of events went down,” Cain says evenly. “They chose to come against me and my wife and take it public, and it was a mistake. I stayed clear of it.” 

Cain thinks that part of the problem, and also the solution, was his memoir, Don’t Stop Believin’ , published in 2018. “I think he thought I was going to throw him under the bus in the book. But I was respectful and grateful for everything that he had been part of. It came out, he read it, go figure. Everybody has bumps in the road.”

Except that wasn’t the last bump in the road that Journey would face. By the end of the 2010s, the line-up included original bassist Ross Valory and former drummer Steve Smith, both of whom had previously done time in the band in the 70s and 80s. In March 2020, Schon and Cain fired the pair , alleging they had launched a “coup d’état” to seize control of Journey. 

Lawsuits flew both ways, sparking a full year of tiresome and costly litigation that would eventually result in an “amicable settlement”, a phrase that conjures images of gritted teeth and fingers crossed behind backs. 

“It came out of the blue,” Cain says now. “They tried to drum me and Neal out. It was unbelievable what they did. Really, really disappointing. Many, many millions were spent battling it.” 

Cain has seen his former bandmates once since the lawsuit was settled. Amusingly, he ended up in one of their Zoom meetings by mistake. “I just said: ‘Hey guys, hope you have a good life, we’ll see you down the road.’ What else can you say to someone who tried to come after you? ‘What a pain in the ass you guys were’?” 

Despite their differences, the argy-bargy with their former bandmates seems to have brought Schon and Cain closer, at least professionally. 

“In the end, he needs me as much as I need him,” says Cain. “You don’t like me or you don’t like my religion or my politics, fine. But in the end we come together to play music. That’s what it’s about.”

One of the few things that Schon and Cain seem to agree on is the nature of their relationship. “I have to look at the positive aspects of it,”says Schon. “Our relationship is more of a musical one. Jon and I have a great chemistry musically. When we get together we always come up with something that’s happening.” 

Schon is at home in Marin County, north of San Francisco. A few awards for record sales are on the wall behind him. It’s not vanity, he says of the discs, more to make his computer room look a little more lively on Zoom calls. 

“This is the only room with that stuff, all the rest is in my attic,” he says. “I don’t need to look at that every day to feel good about myself and what I’ve accomplished. I know what I’ve accomplished.” 

Like Cain, Schon hasn’t stopped making music since Journey released their last album, Eclipse , in 2011. In that time he’s released four solo albums, reunited with his old mentor Carlos Santana for 2015’s Santana IV album, and guested with the likes of Jimmy Barnes, Jason Becker and Sammy Hagar , his old bandmate in one-and-done supergroup HSAS. Schon is as open as Cain about the tensions of a few years ago, although blunter. 

“I was very vocal about it publicly,” he says. “Everybody hated that. But, you know, I’m like, I’m gonna put it out there, because I want the fans to either back me or say: ‘Man, you should shut up and go behind the doors with this.’ And there was an overabundance of people that came forward and said we support you a thousand per cent.” 

He sighs. “Bands… you get married to these guys. And like in a marriage, people can go in different directions. Bands can be difficult and challenging, but removing certain individuals…”

Ah, ‘certain individuals’. The legal entanglement with Ross Valory and Steve Smith was, he says, “an ugly thing to go through”, but indirectly it gave Schon the impetus to make a new Journey album. When he and Cain were fishing around for a new drummer to replace Smith, the guitarist suggested Narada Michael Walden. 

A respected journeyman who has played with and/or produced a list of artists that includes Santana, Jeff Beck and Diana Ross, Walden produced Schon’s last solo album, 2020’s Universe, and the two had hit it off in the studio. Schon liked the idea of making a new Journey album with him.

“Nobody was really into having new music, except for myself and, I think, Arnel [Pineda, Jouney’s vocalist since 2007],” says Schon. “Having that support [from Walden] where it wasn’t there before, there was none of this, ‘Well, I don’t know if I want to make a record.’ It was, like, ‘Let’s go, man, let’s go now!’” 

As the title suggests, Freedom covers a lot of ground musically, from the solid-gold hard rock of Together We Run to the un-Journey-like etherealness of After Glow (sung by recently returned drummer Deen Castronovo). But there’s another, deeper significance to the title. In 2020, Journey parted company with their longtime manager, industry powerhouse Irving Azoff, who took over from original handler Herbie Herbert when the band reunited in 1995. 

As Schon puts it: “I managed to get out of the clenches of the old management we were with.” He’s cautious about going into too much depth – “I’m trying to think of an easy way of putting it that you’re not going to twist” – then proceeds to go into quite a lot of depth anyway. 

It’s complicated and business heavy, but the gist of it is that Schon feels he wasn’t being given the full picture when it came to tickets and merchandise. Such was his suspicion, he started consulting car park attendants at Journey shows to get a sense of just how many people had come to that night’s gigs, and whether it tallied with what he was being told. There was a fight to be had and, Schon being Schon, he was up for it. “

I fought so hard with everybody: management and accountants and lawyers,” he says. “I was being threatened by every attorney – even my own at some times. I was gonna be sued by everybody, just to back off. They really tried scare tactics. I went: ‘Fucking bring it, man. I’ve got the goods. Just try to fuck with me.’”

The upshot was that Journey parted company with Irving Azoff in 2020. Talking about the whole episode, Schon sounds exasperated but defiant. “I love music, I love playing guitar, I’m a real musician,” he says. “But at the same time, this is going to be my fiftieth year in this band next year. The only founding member still here. I felt it was my duty to start paying attention and watch what was going on, to watch over the mothership. If someone’s gonna make billions of dollars off us, I don’t see why it shouldn’t be us.” 

The past few years haven’t just been a series of soul-sapping arguments and lawsuits. There was Journey’s induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 2017 – a long-overdue night of reunions, rapprochements and general celebration. At least that was what it was supposed to be. In reality there were a lot of what Schon calls “dynamics” going on in the build-up. 

“I refused to go without Gregg [Rolie, original Journey keyboard player], because he was there in the beginning with me, and they didn’t want him,” he says. “Two days before we were actually due to go to the event, I said I’m not showing unless Gregg comes. I stood my ground and they fucking hated me for it.” 

There was weirdness on the night too, although talking to Schon it’s not entirely clear how or what. “If you notice, certain people were in maroon suits,” he says conspiratorially. “Our manager had a maroon tie, Ross [Valory] had a maroon suit, Jon had a maroon jacket…” 

Colour-coded strangeness aside, the event provided one genuinely emotional moment for Schon, and for Journey fans too, when they were joined for their acceptance speech by Steve Perry – the first time Schon had spoken to Journey’s former singer since 2005. 

“The best part of the evening was speaking with Steve Perry in his room before we went on stage,” says Schon. “We hadn’t seen each other for many years. That was the most moving part of the evening to me. We really had a connection, and a love for one another. It was emotional, I think for both of us."

Perry‘s appearance inevitably sparked rumours ahead of the night that he might rejoin Journey for their performance at the ceremony. But it never happened, and Schon still sounds disappointed. 

“I was ready if he wanted to do it at the last second, to do Lights or something like that. I thought he would do it on the night. And he declined. You know, it is what it is.” 

And the Hall Of Fame themselves? Schon says he gave them “a bunch of guitars” to put on the walls, but they never did it. “You know what?” he says triumphantly. “I don’t really care.”

And so here Journey are, in 2022, armed with one of the best albums they’ve made since their 80s' heyday, yet still finely balanced between tiptoeing around each other and wanting to shout: “To hell with it” and stamp on each other’s feet. 

Schon says he’s ready to do another album as soon as he can. He came up with 2,500 ideas for Freedom, all of which are stored on his iPhone. 

“Are we going to wait another eleven years to do another album? I don’t think so. Do I want to do another one? Absolutely. And I’m sure we’re going to do another one after that. As long as I’m here, we’re gonna keep creating.” 

Cain is more pragmatic about another Journey album after Freedom. 

“Yeah,” he says cautiously. “I could do it if I had to. If it was put on me. It would have to warrant it. If this album is not a success, why do another one?” 

Of course, no one knows what the future holds for Journey, not even the odd couple at the centre of it all. Spats? Maybe. Bust-ups? Possibly. But smooth sailing? That would be too easy – which wouldn’t be very Journey at all. 

Freedom is out now via Frontiers .

Dave Everley has been writing about and occasionally humming along to music since the early 90s. During that time, he has been Deputy Editor on Kerrang! and Classic Rock , Associate Editor on Q magazine and staff writer/tea boy on Raw , not necessarily in that order. He has written for Metal Hammer, Louder, Prog, the Observer, Select, Mojo , the Evening Standard and the totally legendary Ultrakill . He is still waiting for Billy Gibbons to send him a bottle of hot sauce he was promised several years ago.

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He kept believin': Journey's Jonathan Cain on evangelist wife, her role with Trump, and faith

Journey keyboardist Jonathan Cain sometimes doubted that he would ever find fame and success.   

In those moments of uncertainty and insecurity, the struggling musician would call his dad for support and jot down the fatherly advice. Cain did that on the day his dad told him, "Don't stop believin', Jon.'" 

"He was my vision keeper," said Cain, 68, in a recent interview with the USA TODAY NETWORK-Tennessee. 

More: Story Behind the Song: 'Don't Stop Believin' '

More: Journey songwriter knows ‘What God Wants To Hear’

With the help of his band members, Cain would later turn his dad's words of encouragement into Journey's iconic song, " Don't Stop Believin '."

The genesis of the song, which is still belted out in bars and on karaoke stages more than 35 years later, is just one of the stories Cain recounts in a new memoir that came out May 1 and shares a name with the power ballad.

"I hope this book inspires other fathers to encourage and to nurture their kids," Cain said. "Don't be afraid to dream with your kids."

Cain's dreams are woven into the narrative of his new book that details the ups and downs of becoming a rock star, holding onto his faith and eventually meeting his current wife, evangelist Paula White, on a Southwest flight. Cain credits White, who is a  spiritual adviser to President Donald Trump , with bringing him back to his faith. 

Religion and music have intertwined throughout his life. As a young boy, Cain declared that he wanted to be a priest. But he turned to music for solace after surviving a fire at his Chicago grade school that killed 92 of his schoolmates and three nuns.  

Question: Throughout the book, y ou talk about how your faith comes and goes during the ups and downs of your life. How do you think that has affected your belief overall?

Cain: It didn't affect my belief overall. I needed to learn the discipline of staying in the word of God. What I was missing was the word. Paula brought me back to scripture and the gospel. I think that was the difference for me where we weren't so biblically trained. I think if I had one thing to do over again, I would have put God first in a lot of those instances. I seem to have got offline with God. 

More: Story Behind the Song: Journey's 'Faithfully'

Q:  What  is it like to have Paula White play such a pivotal role in your personal and spiritual life? 

Cain:  The greatest thing about Paula is she loves me as a man and she listens to my heart. It's the first time I've had a woman really understand my heart. But she didn't pastor me. I didn't get pastored by Paula. She let other men of faith pray for me. She took me to Africa and they prayed over us ... 

God just put us together. He always had this plan for us, and he has a sense of humor, amen, because he goes, 'The kid that wanted to be a priest ended up marrying a preacher. That's perfect. That's what I'm designing for you.' 

I have to go, the day I declared I would be a priest he would introduce me to a pastor and a preacher and he would win me back. I did this full circle with the lord. It just feels great to share that story.

As a believer maybe to reignite that relationship with the holy spirit, you have to put time in. God blesses us and we can't give him the time of day to pray? We spend more time on our phones than we do praying. That's what's the message of this book, hey spend some time with God. Spend some alone time with God and watch what he can do for us. 

Q: She's been the longtime minister of the president. What is it like for you to watch your wife serve in that role?

Cain: It's a calling. She's been called upon, I believe, good or bad. She's been called by the kingdom to serve. She is letting grace in the door in Washington and I've seen it, uttering the name of Jesus Christ on the mall of Washington. It's amazing. 

More: Trump's spiritual adviser, Paula White, says president is a man of repentance

We have to understand that Paula's there to minister to the president and to pray over him. She's the one he trusts for prayer and she prays over him. And, she brings mighty men of God to pray. Who are we to say the president doesn't need prayer?

That's what makes me crazy. Let's not judge. Why are we the ones throwing the stones? This is our president and with his faults, with his mistakes, with the things he says, he is our president. We are to honor the authority of our leaders. We are to honor those leaders. They've been chosen by God. 

Paula's in there doing the best she can do and taking care of his soul. Not his politics. Not his rhetoric. His soul. If he leans on her for that, that's a good thing. That is a really good thing. She brings prayer into the White House. I think it's remarkable. I applaud her tenacity and it hasn't been easy watching her get yanked around by the swamp and yet she prevails. She'll overcome. I stay in my lane on that one. 

Q:  Is there anything else you'd like to add or would want people to know? 

Cain:  I just hope people read this book and anybody that has a dream that it encourages them to go forward. That anything is possible in your life. 

There's only one unique you. And your exceptional God makes exceptions. It's never too late to return to the word. 

Reach Holly Meyer at [email protected] or 615-259-8241 and on Twitter @HollyAMeyer. 

Journey’s Jonathan Cain shares the real-life story behind ‘Don’t Stop Believin’ ‘ as band prepares for Spokane show

One of the architects of the massive hit “Don’t Stop Believin’ ” almost stopped believing in Journey when vocalist Steve Perry quit the band in 1998. Keyboardist Jonathan Cain was uncertain that the band could continue after Perry left the group. It was understandable, since Journey said goodbye to a singer with such a big set of identifiable pipes that his nickname is “The Voice.”

“Steve was the best bandleader you can have,” Cain said. “He was magical.”

If Journey failed to replace Perry, the group would have called it a day during its 25th anniversary. However, guitarist Neal Schon refused to give up, and Steve Augeri filled Perry’s role. Jeff Scott Soto followed Augeri. Neither replacement singer approximated the impact of the iconic Perry. And the band was searching for yet another vocalist in 2007. Cain once again wondered if Journey could continue.

Then Schon witnessed Journey cover band singer Arnel Pineda in 2007 belting out “Don’t Stop Believin’ ” in his native Manila via YouTube. An invitation to audition was offered.

“I was skeptical,” Cain said. “I’m a realist. I thought, this kid has never been to America. There will be blowback because of his skin color and his race. I worried about how much of this country would accept him.”

But Pineda was embraced with open arms by Journey fans. A quarter century after Perry bid farewell to Journey, the band is nearly as popular as it was during its heyday.

“We could have never have guessed this would happen,” Cain, 73, said while calling from Los Angeles. “There is life for us at this point. When I look back at all that we accomplished, it’s just amazing to take it all in.”

So Cain and the rest of Journey, which includes drummer Deen Castronovo and bassist Todd Jensen, believe. “Don’t Stop Believin’ ” isn’t just the name of Journey’s biggest hit. It’s also the advice Cain received from his father when he struggled as a musician during the ‘70s.

“ ‘Don’t stop believin’ Jon,’ is what my dad told me,” Cain said. “I wrote it down in one of my notebooks.” “Don’t Stop Believin’ ” is also the name of Cain’s memoir, which was published in 2018.

Journey, which will perform Friday at the Spokane Arena, was massive during its early ‘80s peak with Perry, who is an underappreciated arranger of the band’s many hits. When Journey was putting together songs for its breakthrough album, “Escape,” in 1981, Perry asked Cain for ideas.

“The clock was ticking on us and Steve wanted to know if there was anything in my magic notebook,” Cain recalled. “I shared with him the phrase, ‘Don’t stop believin’.”

Cain proceeds to sing the couplet, Don’t stop believin’/hold on to that feeling. It’s an enduring anthem. The chorus doesn’t arrive until the conclusion of the tune, which is rare.

“Steve came up with that idea,” Cain said. “He said, ‘Make them wait to hear it. That way they’ll always want to hear it.’ I can still hear Steve yodeling the words to ‘Don’t Stop Believin’. ”

Journey has sold 48 million albums and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2017. “I don’t know how to top that,” Cain said.

There’s often drama and unpredictability over the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Mark Knopfler blew off Dire Straits’ induction in 2018. After years of complaining that they were dismissed by the hallowed Rock Hall, Kiss accepted the hardware but surprisingly refused to perform at their ceremony in 2014. According to Cain, nobody knew what Perry would do during the night of Journey’s induction.

“I was hoping he would perform,” Cain said. “I was waiting for him to do so. He didn’t perform, but I was ready if he was up to it. On the plus side, Perry was full of grace and humility. He had a one-on-one for 15 minutes with Arnel, who came out and said, ‘My God, I met him!’ It was an amazing experience.”

Journey played “Lights,” “Separate Ways” and “Don’t Stop Believin’.” Speaking once more of the latter, Journey was ecstatic that Sopranos visionary David Chase selected the hit to cap his iconic show.

“That blew us away,” Cain said. “David Chase notified us a year before it aired. ‘I’ve chosen your song’ is what he told us.”

The members of Journey were sworn to secrecy. “We didn’t say a thing,” Cain said. “It was a feel-good song for Tony Soprano’s character. I loved the show and James Gandolfini (who played Tony Soprano).”

While on vacation in Italy in 2013, Cain was checking out of a hotel in Rome shortly before Gandolfini checked in. Just a few hours later, Gandolfini passed away in his room. “I was freaking out when I heard about it,” Cain said. “That was just too weird.”

But fans might also file Journey adding a cover band singer from halfway around the world as weird. “Who would ever guess that would work,” Cain said, “But it has worked out well.”

Pineda’s tenure with the band has almost matched Perry’s period with Journey, which was 21 years.

“We’re still going strong,” Cain said. “We have more years ahead of us.”

Don’t stop believin’, indeed.

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Journey celebrates 50th anniversary: Rock band members then and now

Journey was formed in february 1973 by neal schon, gregg rolie and herbie herbert.

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Journey recently celebrated 50 years since the band first formed.

The band's most well-remembered lead singer, Steve Perry, was spotted on a walk in Los Angeles earlier this month. The 74-year-old was the frontman and prominent songwriter for the band for 10 years alongside Neal Schon, Gregg Rolie, Ross Valory, Jonathan Cain, Aynsley Dunbar and Steve Smith.

Current members of the band include Schon, Cain, Deen Castronovo, Arnel Pineda, Jason Derlatka and Todd Jensen.

Here is what Journey band members from the Perry era are up to now as the band's 50th anniversary tour comes to a close April 25 in Palm Springs, California. 

STEVE PERRY WOWS CROWD AFTER 19 YEAR ABSENCE FROM STAGE

Steve Perry 

Steve Perry was brought on as a replacement for lead singer Robert Fleischman and was the frontman during the band's most prosperous era. (Shutterstock/SplashNews.com)

Steve Perry joined the band as a replacement for Robert Fleischman, making his debut as the frontman in October 1977. As well as acting as the band's lead singer, Perry also was one of the band's principal songwriters. He was nominated to the Songwriter's Hall of Fame in 2020.

Although fans were skeptical of Perry when he first joined the band, he was able to win fans over after the release of his first album, "Infinity," which had a much different sound than Journey had created in the past. They then began getting more radio airplay. He sang lead vocals on the albums "Evolution," "Departure," "Dream, After Dream," "Captured," "Escape," "Frontiers," "Raised on Radio" and "Trial By Fire."

Perry went solo for the first time in 1984 when he released "Street Talk," which sold over 2 million copies and featured the singles "Oh Sherrie" and "Foolish Heart." He was also featured on the 1985 benefit song, "We Are the World." He attempted to reunite with Journey. However, he was caring for his ill mother and couldn't be present for a majority of recording, and the band went on break in 1987 after its "Raised on Radio" tour.

In 1988, Perry began working on a second solo album, which he never released, eventually releasing a successful second album in 1994, called "For the Love of Strange Medicine."

Perry sang lead vocals on the albums, "Evolution," "Departure," "Dream, After Dream," "Captured," "Escape," "Frontiers," "Raised on Radio" and "Trial By Fire." (Michael Putland/Getty Images)

The singer once again reunited with his former band in 1996 to record the very successful album, "Trial By Fire," which debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard charts and went platinum by the time the year was over. To capitalize on the success of the album, a tour was planned, but it had to be postponed due to Perry injuring his hip while hiking in Hawaii.

A doctor determined his injury required surgery, but Perry was reluctant to agree to go under the knife. The decision delayed the tour longer than expected, which angered his bandmates. They eventually went on tour without Perry, and he announced his permanent exit from the band.

"I had to have a hip replacement, and the band was telling me when they thought I should do it," Perry said in an interview with MelodicRock.com in 2011. "And I said, ‘Major surgery like this is not a band decision.' I said that I would get it done, but I didn't get it done quickly enough. They just wanted to get on the road, and there was an ultimatum given to me. And I don't respond well to ultimatums."

FORMER JOURNEY FRONTMAN STEVE PERRY REVEALS WHY HE LEFT BAND AT ITS HEIGHT

Following his departure from the band, he released his "Greatest Hits + Five Unreleased" compilation album, which featured songs from his 1988 unreleased album. In 2005, Perry joined a few of his former bandmates when Journey was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In 2009, he was voted one of the ten greatest rock singers of all time, and Rolling Stone placed him at number 76 in a list of "The 100 Greatest Singers of All Time." 

Perry joined his former bandmates on stage in 2017 for the band's induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. (Kevin Mazur/WireImage for Rock & Roll Hall of Fame)

For the next few years, Perry continued singing and writing, appearing on background vocals or on stage with various bands and artists. In 2017, he appeared on stage with Journey for the first time since they were together on the Walk of Fame in 2005 to accept the honor of being inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. He did, however, opt out of performing with the band.

In 2018, Perry released another solo album, "Traces," which performed well, with a deluxe version debuting in 2019. In December 2021, he released a Christmas album, "The Season," and in 2023 he announced he would be singing background on Dolly Parton's new album.

Perry has a daughter and grandchildren but has chosen not to speak about them publicly to protect their privacy. 

Neal Schon is a founding member and guitarist for the band Journey. (Getty Images)

Neal Schon is a founding member of Journey and is the longest-serving original member of the band. Prior to helping create Journey, he was a member of the band Santana, playing guitar on the albums "Santana III" and "Caravanserai."

He briefly played with the band Azteca before founding Journey with Gregg Rolie and their manager Herbie Herbert. They initially called the band the Golden Gate Rhythm Section, however the name was changed after their roadie John Villaneuva suggested Journey.

Along with playing on the albums "Journey," "Look into the Future," "Next," "Arrival," "Generations" and "Revelation with Journey," Schon also released several solo albums, including "Late Nite," "Beyond the Thunder," "Piranha Blues," "The Calling," "So U" and "Universe."

The guitarist also produced two albums with keyboardist Jan Hammer and was a member of the supergroup Bad English. He also has fostered collaborations with Sammy Hagar as part of Hagar Schon Aaronson Shrieve and Paul Rodgers. Schon also plays guitar on Michael Bolton's album, "The Hunger.

Schon performed with his band at the 2017 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame ceremony, where Journey was being honored. (Kevin Mazur/WireImage for Rock and Roll Hall of Fame)

In 2005, Schon was present at the Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony to accept the honor of receiving a star alongside his fellow bandmates. They reunited again in 2017 when they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, where he and some of the other band members performed.

Schon is performing with Journey for the band's 50th anniversary tour, which also features Toto.

JOURNEY'S NEAL SCHON SLAMS BANDMATES OVER TRUMP MEETING

In September 2011, Schon confirmed his romance with former "Real Housewives of D.C." star Michaele Salahi, while also revealing they dated briefly in the '90s. Just a little over a year later, in October 2012, Schon proposed to her on stage while performing at a charity benefit, and the two were married in December 2013. 

Schon is married to his fifth wife, Michaele Salahi, a former "Real Housewife of D.C." (Gabe Ginsberg/Getty Images)

Schon was previously married to Tena Austin from 1976 to 1986. He was then married to Beth Buckley from 1987 to 1992, and had two children with her, Miles and Elizabeth, before splitting up. He then married Dina Gioeli from 1993 to 1999, and then Amber Kozan (from 2001-2008), with whom he has two children, Aja and Sophia. He also has a daughter named Sarah.

Gregg Rolie

Gregg Rolie was a member of Santana before forming Journey and was the lead singer on the first two albums. (Getty Images)

Gregg Rolie was a founding member of Santana before branching off to join what would become Journey. For the band's first six albums, he was the keyboardist, and he was the lead vocalist for the band's first two albums. Once Perry joined the band, Rolie sang co-lead on a few songs on various albums.

The musician chose to leave the band in 1980 and started a successful solo career. His first solo album was "Gregg Rolie," and he followed up with "Gringo" in 1987. 

"I left because I didn’t like my life anymore," Rolie told Rolling Stone in 2019. "I’ve said this a million times. And I know there’s people that say, ‘That’s not the reason.’ But I left because I was unhappy with what I was doing in my own life. I loved the management. I loved the music. I loved what we built. I just wasn’t happy, so I had to blow the horn on it and just stop it."

A few years after releasing his second album, Rolie formed another band with Steve Smith and Ross Valory from Journey in 1991 called The Storm. Rolie worked as the keyboardist for this band. The band's eponymous debut album was a huge success, reaching No. 3 on the Billboard charts. It also featured a top 10 hit, "I’ve Got A Lot To Learn About Love."

Rolie left Journey in 1980 and started a solo career before founding another band. (Getty Images)

They did not reach the same amount of success with their second album. It was shelved by their record company before finally getting released in 1996. In 1998, Rolie and a few other members of Santana reunited to form the band Abraxas Pool, ultimately releasing one eponymous album.

Also in 1998, Rolie was inducted, along with the other members of Santana, into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. He became a two-time Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee in 2017 with Journey.

In 1999, while working on an album with Ron Wikso, they formed The Gregg Rolie Band, which featured Kurt Griffey on the guitar and Wally Minko as a second keyboardist. Together, they released the album "Roots" and a live CD, "Rain Dance," in 2009.

From 2012 to 2021, Rolie toured as a member of Ringo Starr and his All Star Band, during which he sang many of the hits he is known for, including some from his time in Santana. While performing, he also recorded an album with original members of Santana in 2016, "Santana IV."

Rolie frequently appears on stage with Schon and the rest of Journey during their 50th anniversary tour. (Rob Loud/Getty Images for Journey)

Rolie reunited with Schon in 2018 to perform some charity shows and occasionally joined Journey on stage during its most recent tour.

The keyboardist married his wife Lori in 1980 after first meeting her while on a flight in 1979. The two have remained together and live in Texas. They have two children together, a son named Sean and a daughter named Ashley.

Ross Valory

Ross Valory was an original member of Journey, which he joined after forming and releasing one album with the Steve Miller Band. (Getty Images)

Ross Valory was an original member of Journey, which he joined after forming and releasing one album with the Steve Miller Band. As a bassist, he has played on all the band's albums, except 1986's "Raised on Radio" and 2022's "Freedom."

During the band's hiatus in the late ‘80s and early ’90s, Valory played on Todd Rundgren's album, "2nd Wind," and released two albums as a member of The Storm, "The Storm," and "Eye of the Storm."

He returned to playing with Journey in 1996 on the "Trial by Fire" album. Valory was kicked out of the band in 2020, and he was once again replaced by Randy Jackson, who also took over for him in "Raised on Radio."

His 2020 exit came on the heels of a lawsuit involving him and Steve Smith, filed by their Journey bandmates Neal Schon and Jonathan Cain. Schon and Cain claimed Valory and Smith attempted to take over Nightmare Productions to gain control of the Journey trademark. 

Journey's management announced the two parties came to a settlement, releasing a statement in April 2021.

Ross Valory, right, was sued by his former bandmate, Jonathan Cain, left, for trying to gain control of the band's trademark. (Gabe Ginsberg/Getty Images)

"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," the statement said. "Ross Valory and Steve Smith wish their former bandmates well and much success in the future. Journey looks forward to continuing to tour and make new music for their dedicated fans around the world." 

Valory was once married to Diane Oakes, however the marriage ended in a divorced. He later married his current wife, Mary Valory.

Steve Smith

Steve Smith replaced Aynsley Dunbar as the drummer for Journey. (Getty Images)

Steve Smith replaced Aynsley Dubar as the drummer for Journey, joining the band in 1978 and staying on until 1985. His first album with the band was "Evolutions" in 1979, and he left for the first time following 1986's "Raised on the Radio."

During the band's hiatus, he joined Valory and Rolie in the band, The Storm, appearing on their two albums. He also started a second band, Vital Information, and released several albums with them in that time, including "Vital Information," "Orion," "Global Beat," "Fiafiaga" and "Easier Said Than Done."

He returned to Journey in 1995 for a comeback album, "Trial by Fire," staying on for a few years before leaving a second time after the release of 1998's "Greatest Hits Live" album. He continued to release music with Vital Information, including "Ray of Hope," "Where We Come From," "Live Around the World" and 2017's "Heart of the City."

Smith left Journey and started his own band, Vital Information. (D Dipasupil/FilmMagic)

Smith was also a part of the jazz group Steps Ahead and can be heard playing on their albums "Live in Tokyo," "N.Y.C," "Yin-Yang" and "Steppin' Out." As a musician, he can also be heard on albums for Jeff Berlin, Frank Gambale, Henry Kaiser and Neal Schon.

In 2001, Modern Drummer magazine named Smith one of the Top 25 Drummers of All Time, and the following year he was inducted into the Modern Drummer Hall of Fame. Starting in 2007, he recorded two albums with Buddy's Buddies, a quintet made up of musicians who once played with Buddy Rich.

In 2017, Smith was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Journey. He performed with Journey during the ceremony.

Smith was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame alongside the other members of Journey. (D Dipasupil/FilmMagic)

Smith was also named in the lawsuit filed against him and Ross Valory when they allegedly tried to gain control of the Journey trademark. Like Valory, Smith was kicked out of the band at this time. 

Jonathan Cain

Jonathan Cain was a member of The Babys before he left to join Journey, taking over the position Gregg Rolie held in the band.  (Getty Images)

Jonathan Cain was a member of The Babys before he left to join Journey, taking over the position Gregg Rolie held in the band. Cain's first collaboration was on the album "Escape." He was also one of the composers of the band's longstanding hit, "Don't Stop Believin'."

JOURNEY'S JONATHAN CAIN RESPONDS TO CEASE-AND-DESIST ORDER, SAYS BANDMATE SHOULD 'LOOK IN THE MIRROR'

One of his most well-known contributions to the band was when he wrote the ballad "Faithfully," a song about what it's like to live life on the road. Cain went on to play the keyboard on the albums, "Frontiers," "Raised on Radio" and "Trial by Fire."

Prior to "Raised on Radio," Cain reunited with his former Babys bandmates and formed Bad English, releasing two albums before breaking up in the early 90s. 

Cain wrote a memoir about his experience as a member of Journey in 2018, called "Don't Stop Believin': The Man, the Band, and the Song That Inspired Generations." (Brandon Williams/Getty Images)

Along with his albums with The Babys, Bad English and Journey, Cain recorded eight solo albums, including "Windy City Breakdown," "Back to Innocence," "What God Wants to Hear," "Bare Bones" and "More Like Jesus." He has primarily focused on making Christian-based faith music since 2016.

In 2018, Cain published a memoir, "Don't Stop Believin': The Man, the Band, and the Song That Inspired Generations," about his time as a member of Journey.

Cain married his first wife, singer Tane McClure, for which he wrote the song "Faithfully" before calling it quits. 

In 1989, he married Elizabeth Yvette Fullerton, and together they had three children — a daughter Madison and twins Liza and Weston. The two divorced in 2014 after 25 years of marriage. In 2015, Cain married his third wife, a minister named Paula White. 

Jonathan married his third wife, Paula White, in 2015. (Vincent Sandoval/WireImage)

Cain and Schon are currently at odds and are in a legal battle over a shared American Express account. 

Aynsley Dunbar

Aynsley Dunbar was the second drummer for Journey, taking over for Prairie Prince. (Getty Images)

Aynsley Dunbar was the second drummer for Journey, taking over for Prairie Prince, and played a big part in co-writing their first four albums, "Journey," "Look Into the Future," "Next" and "Infinity."

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Additionally, Dunbar played drums on albums for artists such as David Bowie, Lou Reed, Herbie Mann, Mick Ronson, Nils Lofgren, Ian Hunter, Sammy Hagar and Pat Travers.

Dunbar later joined Jefferson Starship and stayed with the band for three albums, including "Freedom at Point Zero," "Modern Times" and "Winds of Change." He then joined the band Whitesnake and stayed with them for two albums, including their eponymous record, which featured hits like "Still of the Night" and "What Is Love," and the album "1987 Versions."

Throughout the mid-90s, Dunbar played with some of the era's most notable bands and artists, including Aerosmith, Queen, Metallica, Black Sabbath, Pat Travers and Van Halen.  

Dunbar was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2017, along with other members of Journey. (Mike Coppola/Getty Images)

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Aynsley has three children, Gretchen, Bibs and Taylor. In 2000, his 5-year-old son Dash died of brain cancer. 

In 2005, Aynsley and the other members of Journey were honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In April 2017, Dunbar and the band were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame for their contribution to the music industry.

Lori Bashian is an entertainment production assistant for Fox News Digital. 

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Journey’s Bassist Ross Valory Opens Up About the Band’s Saga — And His Adventurous Solo Album

By Andy Greene

Andy Greene

Ross Valory has dreamed of making a solo album ever since he started gigging around San Francisco in the late Sixties, but other projects kept getting in the way. He was in the process of amassing original songs in 1971 when the Steve Miller Band brought him into the fold to play bass on Rock Love . Later, he teamed up with ex-members of Santana to form the Golden Gate Rhythm Section. Within a few months, they changed their name to Journey .

The upside to all this is that Valory has finally been able to finish his solo LP All of the Above, which arrives April 12. “I took the energy and the focus of what I was doing on tour with Journey and began recording my own material,” he tells Rolling Stone via Zoom from his home in East Bay, California. “All of these songs have been waiting. Some of them go back decades. I wanted to finish what I started.”

Growing up in Lafayette, California, Valory heard his parents playing Nat King Cole, Bing Crosby, Perry Como, and Andy Williams around the house at a young age. He sang with a men’s chorus while in high school, competed in a cappella tournaments around the state, and learned to play clarinet, ukulele, and guitar. He didn’t pick up the bass until he was 16 and a new kid at school invited him into his soul band under the condition he learn the instrument.

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Valory has done very few interviews over the years, preferring to let his bandmates tell the story of Journey. We took this opportunity to hear the saga from his perspective, and learn all about the creation of All of the Above.

You were briefly in the Steve Miller Band prior to Journey. What was your experience like making Rock Love ? Rock Love was very experimental. Steve Miller was going through his last throes with Mercury Records. So to him, Rock Love was an obligation. It didn’t matter whether they promoted it or sold it or not. But he met his contract, so he was very experimental.

And [drummer] Jack King and I, having come from the experimental music scene of San Francisco, were very agreeable to that. So Rock Love is probably the one-off album of Steve’s career. It’s unlike anything else he did before or afterwards.

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You were a supergroup of sorts. This was a time when a lot of supergroups were forming. Known members of bands would get together and do an album project and even do a tour. But there was also a stigma attached to the supergroup thing. It was becoming very unpredictable. A lot of supergroups were getting together, they’d make an album, and then they’d split. They wouldn’t even play, or they’d do half a tour and then split up. So the supergroup idea only worked so far for us.

You guys made three records. You toured a ton. Did you start to get frustrated that the records weren’t selling better despite all the hard work? Actually, it’s quite the opposite. All three of those albums went gold, and gold in those days means 500,000 copies. The standard changed in later years to $500,000 worth of product. But for each of those three albums to sell 500,000 copies is no sharp stick in the eye. However, we were signed with a major record label who goes, “Okay, that’s fine, but let’s look at the long term here. Let’s see how we can sell more records.”

And so the band appreciably and agreeably was able to adapt, and it changed to a more popular music, song oriented, vocally oriented format, and the eventual arrival by 1978 of Steve Perry .

What’s your first memory of Steve Perry? I was in the position to actually hear the demo album that he had done with the band he had been working with prior to Journey, the Alien Project, in which the bassist had died in a car accident and the project fell apart. I had the opportunity to listen to that cassette, and I was simply amazed by it. What a voice.

Did you feel a spark the first time you played with him? Absolutely. Some of the first songs we developed were “Lights” and “Wheel in the Sky.” It was absolute magic.

“Wheel in the Sky” was partially credited to your wife at the time, Diane Valory. My now ex-wife was a part composer along with Gregg Rolie, Neal Schon, and Robert Fleischman, who briefly was in the band before Steve Perry. He began to work that song up until Perry’s involvement.

Why did Gregg Rolie leave the band? I think he just got tired of slogging it out. It was his second career after a lengthy one in Santana, and so it was time for him to bow out.

How did the addition of Jonathan Cain change the sound of the group? He completely added the magical combination that we already had with me, Neal, and Steve Perry. He had a different style of playing for sure. It solidified everything. That was obvious on Escape and Frontiers , which was some of the best work we ever did.

Were you stunned when the group suddenly scaled up into arenas and landed these giant hits on the radio? There was something that we all felt, especially with Steve Perry’s arrival. We knew that this was going to work. It was just intuitive, a gut feeling. But I must tell you, to be driving in a car and have the radio on and to hear “Wheel in the Sky” play was momentous. And then beyond that, to be performing in the larger venues and having audiences that were attuned to what we were doing and loving it was also momentous.

The tour schedule back then was pretty grueling. You went out for months and months without any breaks. Did it ever start to burn you out? I can’t say grueling, but it was certainly a lot of work. So many people have this impression of rock stars where it’s all la-dee-da and martinis by the pool. Not really. It’s a whole lot of work. And Journey was so busy from 1972 through at least 1984 or so. It was a lot of work. It can be tiring, especially for a singer.

When the group took that break after 1983 and Steve had those solo hits, did you think the band was over? No, I didn’t. But certainly people had their own solo projects that they wanted to pursue. I didn’t think it was over at the time.

How did you find out that you and Steve Smith were out of the band in 1986? Well, that was something that Herbie imparted, but it was pretty evident that the majority of the players wanted to take a different direction, a different approach in style, and that was their prerogative.

Steve Perry said later that it was a mistake and he regrets it. Well, good for him. But you can look back at all that…it’s so long ago. There’s no judgment at this point. It was probably a wrong move, but it was a short move. It was one album and one tour. There were some good songs on that album, and it did keep the band’s brand alive.

Why didn’t the band last longer? We were the first band signed to Interscope Records. They loved the album. They did pretty well promoting it. We landed a very good spot opening up for Bryan Adams for an entire tour. But then again, it was a Bryan Adams crowd, and I can’t say that the audiences were entirely tuned into the Storm and its music, but as the tour progressed, it started to really work.

Then we went back and recorded the second album and presented it to Interscope, and they said, “This is great. This is brilliant. It’s even better than the first one. But while you were away, we no longer have a promotional department for that kind of music.”

The industry decided way back then, “We don’t want to sell this. We’d rather get new bands that we can get a lot less expensively and that we can get a piece of their publishing on. And if it doesn’t work, we have not lost an investment. And if it does, we are in the money.” That’s a very cynical but accurate outlook of what the industry was at the time.

A few years later, you reunited with Steve Perry and Journey for Trial by Fire. What a pleasant surprise. What a great idea. And it was by the efforts of John Kalodner, a major exec at CBS/Sony. It’s a project that I’m very proud of with some great music. What a great occasion to bring those people back together and accomplish what we did.

It was the thing everyone wanted to see, which was the five of you back in a room together. Yeah. There was some good material with “When You Love a Woman,” Message of Love,” and “If He Should Break Your Heart.” Unfortunately, Steve was suffering from systemic arthritis that attacked his hips. He just could not continue well enough to do the subsequent tour. So the project for the five of us ended with the recording of the album and the one video for “When You Love a Woman.”

Steve Smith decided that without the original members, it would not be worth his while. But there’s another aspect there. Steve is a major jazz artist. So that’s when we brought in Deen Castronovo from Bad English. And Steve Augeri, to answer your question, I think was a great, great candidate.

You guys toured like maniacs and really built the band up again. Right. It was just reinventing ourselves. We continued to work with Steve Augeri until 2006 when his voice failed. Now I should comment about this to give perspective on why and how something like that happens. At that point, we were not flogging it as much as we were in the old days. We were paying more attention to spacing out the number of shows, especially the number of consecutive shows in a week, to give the singer a break.

There are about 18 hits that any given audience would generally like to hear. To perform all of those songs in one night, four to five nights a week, is something that not even Steve Perry could have done.

This is not to disrespect his talent and his strength in those days, but to perform all of those hits in one night, I wouldn’t want the job. It is no surprise that Steve Augeri’s voice failed. That’s a big workload.

Many fans felt Steve Augeri was lip-syncing in his final shows. Is that true? Oh, that’s not true. But that’s the old Milli Vanilli thing. Not at all.

You brought in Jeff Scott Soto after that. He’s a great singer, but maybe not quite right for that material. Jeff is a fine singer and a great entertainer, but it just was a little different. And in the process of writing new material for another album, Jeff and the other writers didn’t really fall into sync. There was not enough in common. So Jeff certainly stepped in and did what he did on short notice. What a guy.

And then suddenly the band is on Oprah and seemingly everywhere. It was just this crazy resurgence. Yes, it was. All that time and energy in building the band’s presence and validity from 1998 to around 2008, that played a big part in it. I think all the time and energy spent by all of us, including Steve Augeri, really helped. The arrival of Arnel is striking and notable, but it is really based on all the footwork we had done to work our way back into the industry.

Did you talk to Steve Perry during the band’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction? I sure did. I went and paid a little visit. He had a little room in the back. And what a pleasant experience that was. On a side note, there was a very brief soundcheck, and I was having problems hearing my own instrument. There was distortion and glitches in the system, and the soundcheck ended before I could sort that out. It was like, “I’m sorry, we’re out of time.” So the performance likewise was equally difficult for me.

That’s just the way it goes. It was like, “Gee, here it is. This is the moment, and I don’t have time to fix a problem.” That’s a distraction from the greater magic of that night.

A few years later, all these feuds erupt in the press between members of the band. You were largely on the sidelines, but it must have been painful to watch. Yeah. It was painful for everybody involved.

Do you regret visiting the Trump White House with Arnel and Jonathan? Not at all. My intention there was to privately have a VIP tour of the White House, regardless of who was sitting in the Oval Office. That’s what I wanted. It was an opportunity. I wanted to see the White House and get the special tour, which I did. It was amazing. I didn’t see any of it as a political statement or an alignment, whatever.

Do you miss the concerts and being part of the band? Of course. What an amazing experience. I am so blessed to have spent the better part of 50 years in a band that’s remarkable. All the fine players and singers that have come through the room that I had the privilege of performing with, including the current players. These are all brilliant, talented people, whether they are present in the band or not. What an experience, from this experimental fusion band into one of the top-rated popular bands. This is a band that reinvented itself twice. But to answer your question, certainly I miss it. I miss performing, and eventually I will be doing so on my own.

Tell me about the history of your solo album All Of The Above. It goes back a long time, and it does stem from all the influences I’ve taken on since childhood. I was very busy for decades with Journey and other bands. The material that I’d been writing over the years since 1970 began piling up on the back shelf and were just sitting there. Many of these songs were complete or at least a solid concepts for songs. And I decided about 10 years ago, “Why wait till I retire? Why not get started now?” So I took the energy and the focus of what I was doing on tour with Journey, and began recording my own material here in the East Bay 10 or 12 years ago.

Who plays on it with you? It begins with [keyboardist] Eric Levy. He’s an amazing talent that played in the [jazz fusion band] Garaj Mahal. He’s been performing with Night Ranger for many years. The first song we recorded together for the album was “Wild Kingdom.” And he’s the only player besides myself who appears on all the songs.

He came in, and Eric and I had put together a demo of the arrangement. Karl brought in Walfredo de los Reyes Jr., a fine Cuban-American drummer who had played with Santana before. And both of them laid down the basic tracks for that song. Eric and I worked our parts up, and then we brought in Marc Russo of the Yellowjackets and the Doobie Brothers to do the saxophone work.

What’s the oldest song on the album? “Tomland” goes back to about 1970.

Pretty amazing you’ve been working on this stuff for well over 50 years. There’s the date of inspiration or inception, and then there’s the date of recording that could be decades apart. And the order of the songs in the album is not chronological either.

It’s largely a collection of original instrumentals, but you also include a cover of War’s “Low Rider.” That was just almost willy-nilly. It just so happened that I had the availability of Les Stroud, the harmonica player who’s better known as Survivorman on television. He happened to be rolling through town. I got his harmonica parts laid down. I also had the benefit of having [drummer] Greg Errico from Sly Stone. That’s the perfect guy for that kind of song. It just all happened very, very quickly.

After all these years or being in a band, how did it feel to finally be the one calling the shots? There’s so many aspects of the project, in terms of not just writing and arranging the songs, but also publicizing it. I’m familiar with all of that, but it’s surreal because I’m doing it on my own. I’m talking to a guy from Rolling Stone right now. It’s not like this is my first rodeo, but it’s my first rodeo by myself.

Are you going to tour it? Not at this time. Right now I’m in the process of promoting the album. I’m also at the same time, in my off hours, working on the new material, so there’s this balance there. I’d love to play shows, but I am not yet equipped to do that. I would want it to be right. I would want it to be sophisticated. I would want to have the right players for the right songs in the same room at the same time.

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Are you contact with any of them? No. We’ve all moved on. That’s not to say that I couldn’t or wouldn’t. It just happens to be that way at this time. They continue to play and they will do well. I wish everyone the best.

Is it a strange thought that they’re onstage most every night with someone else playing your parts? It’s not strange anymore. It’s become something that was a long time ago. I’m immersed into something now that’s equally fulfilling to me.

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Journey keyboardist' song inspired by his wife's book, she works in the WH

With  Journey  off the road until four shows in Las Vegas the last week of the year, keyboardist  Jonathan Cain  has released a video for his solo single, " Something Greater ," which was inspired by the book  Something Greater: Finding Triumph Over Tragedy  by his wife,  Paula White.  She is a megachurch televangelist who is a spiritual adviser to  President Trump  and last week was given a White House position in the Office of the Public Liaison.

Cain said: "I'm proud of her. And you know, one thing that people don't understand, it's not about Trump, it's about God. She was called to that position and he leans on her in such a way like I've never seen anything that has to do with faith, you know, and they've had a relationship for 18 years. I got to meet him before he became President and I told him 'thank you for saving golf' 'cause I'm a golfer and I admire what he does with golf courses. And I think our President needs a lot of prayer. I think Washington needs prayer."

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About Jonathan Cain

Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame inductee and  Journey  member  Jonathan Cain  released his first solo record in 1976,  Windy City Breakdown . In 1979 he joined the band, The Babys, and in 1980 joined the rock band, Journey, rounding out the songwriting genius behind the defining album,  Escape . Cain’s signature piano, synth playing and songwriting contributions with Journey, The Babys and Bad English have earned him many  Billboard  hits, multiple Gold, Platinum and Diamond-selling records, a Star on the Hollywood walk of fame and a GRAMMY nomination. Journey was named as the fifth best band in rock history in a 2005 USA Today opinion poll, was inducted to the  Rock & Roll Hall of Fame  in 2017 and continues today, selling out major venues worldwide.

One may know of the best-selling catalog rock song in iTunes’ history (“Don’t Stop Believin’”), as well as other Journey chart toppers like, “Faithfully”, “Who’s Crying Now,” “Open Arms” and many more international hits. However, some possibly lesser known information about Jonathan Cain, is that he co-wrote all of them.

He brought the lyrics for “Don’t Stop Believin” to one of his first Journey rehearsals. In preparation for the recording sessions of the Escape album. They were something he had written in a lyric book based on what his dad had told him. In addition to being an esteemed songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, genre crossing artist and so much more, is that he is a family man. Jonathan Cain is about being a loving father, because of the love that was shown to him by his father, and ultimately, the Heavenly Father. Which he writes about in his book.

Cain released his  Rolling Stone– lauded,  Publishers Weekly -bestselling book,  Don’t Stop Believin’  in 2018 along with four new solo albums in as many years, including his current,  Billboard – featured  More Like Jesus  that  Parade  calls a “triumphant new album.” Cain wrote most of the  More Like Jesus  songs while he was on a 58-city arena/stadium tour with his Journey bandmates that played to over one million people on their last tour. Journey is preparing to start playing live again as things open back up again; Starting with Chicago festival, Lollapalooza– this July.

      As this iconic artist continues to press into his faith with inspired new music, Cain performed at the recent NCAA® Final Four® tournament,  National Day of Prayer , Creation Music Festival, Lifest and leads worship most weekends at  City of Destiny  where his wife,  Paula White-Cain , is the Senior Pastor.

Cain has further become a sought-after speaker, speaking at this years’ Prestonwood Men’s Conference, Better Man Event and more. He has also helped raise more than $500,000 for the Make-A-Wish Foundation in Tennessee, as well as lends his support to Toys for Tots, the T.J. Martell Foundation and the Emeril Lagasse Foundation, among others.

Cain is currently preparingto release the first of three singles in preparation for his upcoming worship album. This will be the sixth solo full-length album of Jonathan Cain that he recorded at his studio,   Addiction Sound Studios  in Nashville.

© 2024 Jonathan Cain.

JOURNEY's JONATHAN CAIN: 'We're Very Happy With ARNEL PINEDA'

In a new interview with Steve King of the 105.3 The Bone radio station, JOURNEY keyboardist Jonathan Cain spoke about the band's current working relationship with its longtime vocalist Arnel Pineda . Pineda was a bar and club singer working in Manila, Philippines in 2007 when he got an e-mail from JOURNEY guitarist Neal Schon who had seen videos of Pineda performing on YouTube and asked him to come to San Francisco and audition to become the band's new frontman.

"Yeah, Arnel 's 16 years celebrating — this is his 16th year [with JOURNEY ]," Cain said. "[It's] probably the longest tenure of any lead singer for the band. So, he's been crushing it for us. He's got his kids on the road with him this time, and he seems really content and happy. And we're really proud of everything he's done up to this point. And we see some years left. There's definitely still some gas in the tank. But we're very happy with Arnel . He's amazing."

Classic JOURNEY singer Steve Perry left the band in 1998 and was replaced by Steve Augeri . Jeff Scott Soto replaced Augeri in JOURNEY in December 2006 after Augeri began suffering throat problems on the road. But Soto lasted less than a year, and in December 2007, JOURNEY hired Pineda , who fronts the band to this day.

Back in August 2022, Schon was asked what it had been like to work with Pineda for the prior 15 years. He responded: " Arnel is just a gem. He's more amazing right now than he was when I first found him in Manila 15 years ago, when he was homeless and he was in dire straits. I was searching for the new singer for JOURNEY and I chose YouTube to look all over the world for the singer. When I heard his voice, I knew that he was it — with no other thought. It hit me emotionally in my heart. I went, 'That is the voice. He is the voice. I know he can do it.' And so I stuck to my guns, with a lot of resistance from many — from within the band and from management. They all thought I was crazy. I said, 'I know I'm right. So get him over here.' We got him over. And he proved that I was right again."

Neal continued: "The show we just played the other night, he sounded phenomenal through the whole show. We finally got his in-ears sorted out; we've got a great mixer in front now. It sounds like a record every night. And he's sounding phenomenal every night. And he's very excited about some of the new direction that we took that allows him to show how creative he can be without having to emulate our other albums, which is a requirement for any singer that would come into JOURNEY . It's either that or you throw away all your hits that you ever had. And what do you do? Start from ground zero again? It doesn't make sense.

"So I knew when I found Arnel that I had found a true chameleon like no other singer I've ever heard. He is amazing. I love him. He's a true warrior."

Born in the Philippines, Pineda has been fronting the legendary rockers since 2007. A vocal doppelganger for JOURNEY 's longtime vocalist Steve Perry , Arnel has helped put JOURNEY back in arenas once again. But some fans were not happy about the addition of Pineda , complaining about his ethnicity and dismissing his voice as a "copycat" of Perry .

Pineda and Perry finally crossed paths when JOURNEY and its former singer shared the stage at their induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in April 2017. While accepting the award, Steve spoke warmly about his former bandmates, as well as the man who replaced him. "I must give a shout-out to a man who sings his heart out every night, Arnel Pineda ," Perry said.

Although Pineda did not get inducted with his bandmates, he did get up and join them at the Hall Of Fame induction ceremony, singing "Don't Stop Believin'" and "Lights" .

Six years ago, Perry told SiriusXM that he didn't perform with JOURNEY at the Rock Hall ceremony because he is "not in the band. I haven't been in the band for quite some time," he explained. " Arnel 's been in the band for almost 10 years, I think. He's a sweet kid — he's a wonderful kid. He sings his heart out every night. It's his gig."

As for meeting Pineda before the induction, Perry said: "There was something endearing about the way he looked at me. He was meeting, like, a grandfather. [ Laughs ] He's got the gig. It's his gig. He's doing great."

Pineda has overcome a tremendous number of obstacles throughout his life, including the loss of his mother at a young age, homelessness and borderline starvation, making him an inspiration and providing hope for millions of people around the globe. Blessed with the ability to give back, Pineda mobilized his team to join the battle against poverty and its ensuing havoc on Philippine youth.

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Toto's Steve Lukather and Journey's Jonathan Cain's Children Trevor and Madison Wed in L.A.

The couple tied the knot in a romantic black tie wedding in Laurel Canyon after four years of dating

Melody Chiu is an Executive Editor at PEOPLE overseeing music, events and emerging content. She has been with the brand since 2009, editing, writing and reporting across all entertainment verticals. She has written cover stories on Taylor Swift, Selena Gomez, Melissa McCarthy, Blake Shelton, Jordan Turpin and Sandra Oh. The Los Angeles native graduated from the University of Southern California and has appeared on Extra! , The Talk, Access Hollywood and Good Morning America .

Trevor Lukather , the son of Toto guitarist Steve Lukather , and Madison Cain , daughter of Journey keyboardist Jonathan Cain , are united in '80s rock royalty matrimony!

The happy couple tied the knot in a romantic ceremony on Saturday at The Houdini Mansion in Laurel Canyon, Los Angeles after four years of dating.

"It's the kind of love that I dreamed about as a little girl, and words can't describe the gratitude I feel to have found him and to be his wife," Madison, a singer, model and real estate agent, tells PEOPLE.

The pair exchanged vows they wrote themselves in a ceremony officiated by family friend Dave Stroud, and celebrated with 190 guests in a romantic black tie-themed fête.

"I used to feel marriage was out of the cards for me. My parents divorced when I was 3, so I don't have any memories of them being together," Trevor, a singer-songwriter and producer, says. "[But] when you know, you know. Madison has made me the best version of myself. She is my rock in life."

Trevor, 35, said "I do" in a custom silk suit by Josh Kercher, while Madison, 29, walked down the aisle in an Estée Couture gown she bought at Panache Bridal in Pasadena, California.

"It's chic, timeless, sophisticated glamour and I just feel so comfortable and beautiful in it," she says. "I cried as soon as I put it on and knew this was the dress."

The bride wore the same necklace her mother wore on her own wedding day, and mom — who served as the couple's wedding planner with Elizabeth Fullerton Cain Designs — also designed Madison's wedding bands. Madison's engagement ring and Trevor's wedding ring, necklace and cufflinks were designed by Layna Friedman. Tomi Illic perfected Trevor's hair for the big day, while Ian Maxion took care of Madison's makeup.

For their first dance, the couple hit the floor to "In Your Eyes" by Peter Gabriel, inspired by Madison's childhood love for the movie Say Anything .

"I remember watching 'Say Anything' as a little girl with John Cusack holding the boombox, and I thought, 'I hope someday I'll find a man that would want to do that for me,'" she says. "So, to have our first dance as husband and wife to that song is pretty surreal."

Music has long been in the blood of both the bride and groom, whose fathers have been friendly since the 1970s thanks to their work in Toto and Journey (Steve also played on Jonathan's first solo record).

"As a father you have hopes and dreams for your kids. The top of that list is hoping your son or daughter finds the perfect partner to share life with," Steve Lukather, 65, tells PEOPLE. "Madison has far surpassed what I dreamt for my son Trev. She is not only so beautiful on the outside, she is even more beautiful on the inside. I adore her and welcome her and her family to ours. This is a very exciting day for both sides of our now extended family."

Jonathan Cain, 72, meanwhile, says his daughter and her new husband "truly complement and complete each other in every way."

"In a world where it seems young couples hesitate to make a commitment to each other, I am pleased as a father [that] my daughter Madison and Trev have decided to share vows and secure a covenant of love to each other in marriage," he adds. "May their example lead others the same way."

Trevor, whose new single "You Wish" is out on Friday , and Madison's paths first connected thanks to social media. Though they had mutual friends, it wasn't until Madison spotted Trevor on her Instagram Explore page that she was intrigued enough to reach out, sending him a DM inviting him and his dad Steve to see Jonathan perform in L.A.

"I saw her picture, and I was like one of those cartoon characters with the heart eyes and tongue rolling the length of the table," Trevor recalls. "I sent her a voice memo… [and] I can happily say the voice note worked. She invited me to the Journey show here in L.A. and the rest is history."

Recalls Madison: "I'll never forget being with my sister at my mom's house and my sister hearing the voice memo and saying to me, 'Ooh, he likes you!' There was just something about his voice and his smile that made me feel like I needed to meet this guy."

Trevor was immediately struck by Cain's "warm energy," and they had an immediate connection that made it feel as though they'd known one another "for many lifetimes."

"The very first moment I met him, and the first day we spent together, there was a profound magnetic pull to him, unlike anything I had ever felt before," adds Madison. "I had never felt so adored in the way he made me feel like I was the only person in the room."

Trevor proposed in October 2020 in front of close friends and family, though the couple chose to wait a beat in order to ensure that their guest felt comfortable amid the pandemic.

"I told her, 'What's two years compared to a lifetime together?'" Trevor recalls. "It worked perfectly, because I feel like it takes two years to properly plan a wedding anyway."

With help from wedding coordinator Jessica Smith-Rolph from 3 Little Birds Event Planning, their big day — which included garden roses from Terri Yang at Love Note Events — went off without a hitch. They also splashed their specially designed logo on the dance floor, thanks to their wedding runner designer Jade Renn, with The Original Runner Company.

Trevor and Madison jetted off to St. Lucia for their honeymoon after the wedding, and are now looking forward to their next chapter.

"Trev is my best friend, soulmate and love of my life," says Madison. "The unconditional love he's shown me every day has profoundly helped me grow into the woman I always wanted to be, cherishing me for all that I am in my most authentic self."

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Reporting the Truth. Restoring the Church.

Paula white-cain’s role in band journey’s finances leads to legal dispute.

• January 10, 2023
• 5:30 pm CST

In addition to serving as a spiritual adviser for former President Donald Trump, televangelist  Paul a White-Cain  is married to Journey keyboardist and contemporary Christian musician  Jonathan Cain . According to Neal Schon, the other remaining original member of Journey, the couple has been inappropriately “accessing the band’s financial resources.”

Last month, Schon’s attorney sent a cease-and-desist letter to White-Cain, demanding she “refrain…from inserting yourself in any business of the band and any legal entities used by the band.” Her involvement, it adds, “contradicts the existing agreement between Mr. Schon and Mr. Cain.”

Schon, Journey’s guitarist, has had a  contentious relationship  with Cain, who married White in 2016. (It was the third marriage for both.) Attorneys for the couple call Schon’s claim “nonsensical,” saying  he’s  the one who’s hurting the band and its reputation.

Journey’s Neal Schon Calls Televangelist a ‘National-Level Con Artist’

A letter from Schon’s lawyer dated December 12, 2022, takes issue with White-Cain being “an authorized signatory” on Journey’s bank accounts, co-owned by Schon and Cain. According to Schon’s spokesperson, the Cains also have been “obscuring information, even to the point of blocking Schon’s legitimate access to those accounts.”

The letter demanded that Paula White-Cain remove her name from the band’s bank account by Dec. 27. The Schon’s spokesperson told  The Roys Report  that White-Cain’s attorney responded by the deadline, saying that White-Cain’s name on the account was a mistake and would be removed. But her name hasn’t yet been removed, the spokesperson added.

Your tax-deductible gift helps our journalists report the truth and hold Christian leaders and organizations accountable. Give a gift of $30 or more to The Roys Report this month, and you will receive a copy of “Hurt and Healed by the Church” by Ryan George. To donate, click here .

Schon’s spokesperson paints White-Cain in an unflattering light, calling her “a national-level con artist” who prioritizes money. “As with all aspects of her life, Paula’s marriage to Cain is easily tied to access to wealth and the trappings thereof,” read the statement. “Beyond the Christian cover for Paula’s twisted aspirations for wealth and power…Paula’s outrageously exorbitant lifestyle has been showcased across the ‘faith leader’s’ social media, including extravagant gifts attributed to Cain.”

White-Cain , 56, is senior pastor of City of Destiny Church in Apopka, Florida. A teacher of the prosperity gospel, she also serves as president of Paula White Ministries and hosts the TV show  Paula Today .

Paula White-Cain’s Attorney Calls Accusations ‘Nonsensical’

Attorney Alan Gutman, who represents White-Cain, says Schon’s “entire claim” is “nonsensical.” Both Schon and Cain, he says, have “50% interests in the band’s operating entities through their personal trusts.” And because “Paula is a co-trustee of Jonathan’s personal trust,” both Paula and Jonathan “signed as the co-trustees of Jonathan’s personal trust.”

All of that has been aboveboard and “clearly described,” says Gutman, and Schon “never complained for two years.” When he did complain, Gutman adds, it “had nothing to do” with Paula’s involvement, and Schon “refuses to cooperate in any resolution.”

A spokesperson for Cain says, “Schon is just frustrated that he keeps losing in court” and “should look in the mirror when he accuses [Cain] of causing harm to the Journey brand.” Cain has characterized the behavior of Schon and his reality-TV-star wife as “bizarre.” According to the rep, “Neal and [ Michaele Salahi Schon ] recklessly spend Journey’s money until there is none left for operating costs.”

Cain and Schon have previously clashed over credit-card spending and the use of Journey’s songs at political events. After Cain performed the band’s hit song “ Do n’t Stop Believin’ ” at a Trump event last November, Schon sent Cain a cease-and-desist letter. The order said, in part: “Although Mr. Cain is free to express his personal beliefs and associations, when he does that on behalf of Journey or for the band, such conduct is extremely deleterious to the Journey brand as it polarizes the band’s fans and outreach.”

It added, “Mr. Cain has no right to use Journey for politics. His politics should be his own personal business. He should not be capitalizing on Journey’s brand to promote his personal political or religious agenda to the detriment of the band.”

Rebecca Hopkins contributed to this report. A version of this article was originally published at ChurchLeaders.com .

Stephanie Martin, a freelance writer and editor in Denver, is a contributor to ChurchLeaders.

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When Brian “Head” Welch, a guitarist in the popular nu-metal band Korn, announced he’d become a believer in 2005, many fans scoffed.

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The longtime drummer of Grammy Award-winning Christian rock band, Petra, recently fell victim to a scheme that scammed him and his wife

Opinion: Who Can Fire the Pastor?

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White and Cain are both on their third marriages.

The Apostle Paul says that church leaders should be the “husband of one wife” (1 Timothy 3.2)

This is because Christian leaders are supposed to be examples for the rest of the church to follow (1 Peter 5.3).

Regardless of the situation with the band Journey, both of them need to obey God and step down from ministry permanently.

Well, crud. There’s an old cliche, “Evil is the root of all money.” I certainly don’t want to seem judgemental but for Pete’s sake, she must have plenty of money already. Why does she give the appearance that she is up to something?

When I was in Indonesia for a few weeks in 2019, some Protestants at the seminary run by St. Demetrios Orthodox Church in Medan told us of their concern about the so-called “Prosperity (for me, maybe not for you) Gospel” and how it and what I call “Let the good times roll” church behavior are having a pernicious influence on Protestant churches there and what believers expect should happen in church. Maybe Paula White-whatever should tone down her work for a while, for the sake of Christians in those parts of the world where Christianity is a minority faith and non-sensational pastors are trying their best to teach the truth.

You ever notice how some people are just shady. I think of Paul’s comment in 2 Corinthians 4:2 Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God.

Does this story surprise me? No but I find that pull up this web site less and less often as it appears to be well on its way to being a tabloid rag designed to attract eyeballs that can be monetized.

Some Christians should read 1 Timothy 6:9-10 to get the full picture of the danger of “desiring” to be rich and once you get it. That said, those two love money and the power it has. Just the desire to be rich can take you away from the faith.

Contrary to the article, Neal Schob is the only original member of Journey left. Jonathan Cain is their second keyboardist. I used to idolize the guy but now anybody that associates themselves with the Cheeto Benito I just got no time for

All the comments reflect a nasty tone. Do your duty and delete.

If you could reason with religious people….there would be no religious people……”Spiritual Advisor”…file alongside other Oxymorons like Airline Food/Military Intelligence.

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Son of Toto’s Steve Lukather Marries Daughter of Journey’s Jonathan Cain

Earlier this month, the son of Toto  guitarist Steve Lukather married the daughter of Journey keyboardist Jonathan Cain , the rock progeny coming together in holy matrimony.

After four years of dating, Trevor "Trev" Lukather married Madison Cain at the Houdini Estate in Los Angeles on Dec. 3, per a People exclusive. The celebrity magazine published photos from the wedding, including family shots of the iconic '80s rock musicians with their newlywed children.

Trevor and Madison both work in music themselves, as People reported. Trevor is a singer-songwriter and producer; Madison is a singer, fashion model and real estate agent.

Lukather told the mag, "As a father, you have hopes and dreams for your kids. The top of that list is hoping your son or daughter finds the perfect partner to share life with. Madison has far surpassed what I dreamt for my son Trev. She is not only so beautiful on the outside, she is even more beautiful on the inside. I adore her and welcome her and her family to ours. This is a very exciting day."

Cain remarked, "In a world where it seems young couples hesitate to make a commitment to each other, I am pleased as a father [that] my daughter Madison and Trev have decided to share vows and secure a covenant of love to each other in marriage. May their example lead others the same way."

Trevor said, "I used to feel marriage was out of the cards for me. My parents divorced when I was 3, so I don't have any memories of them being together. [But] when you know, you know. Madison has made me the best version of myself. She is my rock in life." (Steve has two kids with his first wife, Marie Currie. The two divorced in the early '90s.)

Madison added, "It's the kind of love that I dreamed about as a little girl, and words can't describe the gratitude I feel to have found him and to be his wife."

Toto, at it since 1977, released the live album With a Little Help from My Friends last year. Their latest studio LP, Old Is New , came out in 2018. Journey, who formed in 1973, released the album  Freedom  this year. Cain is currently in litigation with Journey's  Neal Schon over finances . Journey and Toto will tour together in 2023 .

See Trevor and Madison's wedding photos here.

Rock Star Kids Then and Now

More from loudwire.

The pastor wife of Journey keyboardist Jonathan Cain has gone all weird for Trump, calling in angels from Africa and South America.

If you haven’t heard of Paula White-Cain, she’s a pastor/preacher who once called for “satanic pregnancies” (whatever those are) to be miscarried–and she’s Donald Trump’s spiritual advisor. Plus she’s the wife of Journey keyboardist Jonathan Cain .

She’s been calling for divine intervention to help Trump beat Joe Biden, asking for “angels from Africa and South America” to descend on America to save the country from Joe Biden. Lovely. I’ll bet that works well with the guys in Journey.

Presidential spiritual adviser Paula White is currently leading an impassioned prayer service in an effort to secure Trump's reelection. pic.twitter.com/hCSRh84d6g — Right Wing Watch (@RightWingWatch) November 5, 2020

Fortunately, Eminem and his cat have come to the rescue.

Every now and then, Twitter delivers complete gold. Trump’s spiritual advisor set to Eminem. With a dancing cat. pic.twitter.com/g3f8j6zGAP — Richard Boorman (@RichardBoorman) November 5, 2020

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is an internationally known broadcaster, interviewer, writer, consultant, blogger and speaker. In his 40+ years in the music business, Alan has interviewed the biggest names in rock, from David Bowie and U2 to Pearl Jam and the Foo Fighters. He’s also known as a musicologist and documentarian through programs like The Ongoing History of New Music.

Alan Cross has 38178 posts and counting. See all posts by Alan Cross

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Michael J. Fox and Tracy Pollan’s Relationship Timeline: ‘Family Ties’ and Beyond

Stronger than ever! Michael J. Fox and wife Tracy Pollan ‘s lasting love has helped them navigate the biggest challenges, including his battle with Parkinson’s disease .

The Back to the Future star received his diagnosis in 1991, three years after he married Pollan. While reflecting on his health journey in the trailer for his 2023 documentary, Still , Fox remembered breaking the news to his spouse.

“I told Tracy … ‘In sickness and in health,’ I remember her whispering,” the Canadian actor said in a voiceover. “No one outside of my family knew. … But all those years of hiding was shaking me awake.”

The couple met while working together on season 4 of Family Ties in 1985. Pollan played Ellen Reed, the love interest of Fox’s Alex P. Keaton. Their real-life romance officially began after they reunited on the big screen for the drama Bright Lights, Big City.

Fox and the New York native made their red carpet debut at the 39th annual Emmy Awards in 1987, where he won the trophy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series for Family Ties . He proposed later that year.

The ’80s icon put a playful spin on the frenzy that surrounded his 1988 nuptials in an essay penned for Esquire . “I got married last summer and the reviews were terrible,” Fox wrote one year after tying the knot. “Now, bad reviews I can normally handle — you put your work out there and anybody can take their shot. But Tracy and I had never conceived of our wedding as part of our oeuvre.”

Despite planning to exchange vows “as far from Hollywood” as they could get — the ceremony took place in Vermont — they couldn’t avoid the attention. “Oblivious to all the madness going on outside, Tracy and I danced the night away,” Fox gushed.

After decades in the spotlight, the duo’s love for one another only grew deeper. Fox surprised Pollan with a romantic Parisian getaway in 2011 in honor of their 23rd wedding anniversary.

“Tracy is an art fanatic, so we walked miles to gallery after gallery after gallery,” the Spin City alum exclusively told Us after the trip. “I love to see her love to do what she loves to do, which is look at art, but it wore me out!”

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The Michael J. Fox Foundation creator and Pollan — who share children Samuel, Aquinnah, Schuyler and Esmé — have remained each other’s biggest champions over the years. While accepting the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award at the 2022 Governors Awards, the Good Wife alum — who previously retired from acting — sent a special shout-out to the Inventing Anna star.

“Tracy made it clear she was with me for the duration,” he said on stage, later gesturing to his trophy. “I cannot believe I have been standing here for this long, it’s a miracle. I cannot walk and carry this thing. But I ask Tracy to once again carry the weight.”

Scroll down for a glimpse of Fox and Pollan’s romance over the years:

Credit: Danny Moloshok/UPI/Shutterstock

Michael J. Fox and Tracy Pollan's Relationship Timeline: 'Family Ties' and Beyond

Stronger than ever! Michael J. Fox and wife Tracy Pollan 's lasting love has helped them navigate the biggest challenges, including his battle with Parkinson's disease . The Back to the Future star received his diagnosis in 1991, three years after he married Pollan. While reflecting on his health journey in the trailer for his 2023 documentary, Still , Fox remembered breaking the news to his spouse. "I told Tracy ... 'In sickness and in health,' I remember her whispering," the Canadian actor said in a voiceover. "No one outside of my family knew. ... But all those years of hiding was shaking me awake." The couple met while working together on season 4 of Family Ties in 1985. Pollan played Ellen Reed, the love interest of Fox's Alex P. Keaton. Their real-life romance officially began after they reunited on the big screen for the drama Bright Lights, Big City. Fox and the New York native made their red carpet debut at the 39th annual Emmy Awards in 1987, where he won the trophy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series for Family Ties . He proposed later that year. The '80s icon put a playful spin on the frenzy that surrounded his 1988 nuptials in an essay penned for Esquire . "I got married last summer and the reviews were terrible," Fox wrote one year after tying the knot. "Now, bad reviews I can normally handle — you put your work out there and anybody can take their shot. But Tracy and I had never conceived of our wedding as part of our oeuvre." Despite planning to exchange vows "as far from Hollywood" as they could get — the ceremony took place in Vermont — they couldn't avoid the attention. "Oblivious to all the madness going on outside, Tracy and I danced the night away," Fox gushed. After decades in the spotlight, the duo's love for one another only grew deeper. Fox surprised Pollan with a romantic Parisian getaway in 2011 in honor of their 23rd wedding anniversary. "Tracy is an art fanatic, so we walked miles to gallery after gallery after gallery," the Spin City alum exclusively told Us after the trip. "I love to see her love to do what she loves to do, which is look at art, but it wore me out!" The Michael J. Fox Foundation creator and Pollan — who share children Samuel, Aquinnah, Schuyler and Esmé — have remained each other's biggest champions over the years. While accepting the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award at the 2022 Governors Awards, the Good Wife alum — who previously retired from acting — sent a special shout-out to the Inventing Anna star. "Tracy made it clear she was with me for the duration," he said on stage, later gesturing to his trophy. "I cannot believe I have been standing here for this long, it's a miracle. I cannot walk and carry this thing. But I ask Tracy to once again carry the weight." Scroll down for a glimpse of Fox and Pollan's romance over the years:

Credit: Ubu Prods/Kobal/Shutterstock

The couple started dating after meeting while on the set of Family Ties season 4. Fox proposed two years later. 

Credit: John Barrett/Shutterstock

The pair tied the knot in Woodstock, Vermont.

Credit: Dave Lewis/Shutterstock

Fox and Pollan welcomed their first child, son Samuel, in May.

Credit: Eric Charbonneau/BEI/Shutterstock

Twins Aquinnah and Schuyler joined the family in February.

Credit: Leon/Mediapunch/Shutterstock

The Stuart Little voice actor went public with Parkinson's diagnosis after learning years prior that he has the disease. Two years later, he announced his exit from Spin City.  

"I could not be more proud of the show, our cast, writers, crew, and all that we have accomplished over the last four years, yet I feel that right now my time and energy would be better spent with my family and working toward a cure for Parkinson's disease," he noted in a 2000 statement. 

Credit: Erik Pendzich/Shutterstock

Fox and Pollan welcomed daughter Esmé in November.

Credit: Paul Buck/EPA/Shutterstock

The actor recalled his "first reaction" to his Parkinson's diagnosis during an interview with Howard Stern, noting that he "was drinking alone and ... every day" amid his health scare.

He credited his wife with helping him make a lifestyle change and begin therapy. "[She asked me], 'Is this what you want? This is what you want to be?' ... Eventually, things got pretty great," Fox said. 

Credit: Greg Mathieson/Shutterstock

Fox and the Promised Land star celebrated 30 years of marriage. "His optimistic worldview about everything is just so powerful. Michael doesn't worry about the future. I'm completely the opposite," she gushed to People when asked what she admired most about her husband.

Credit: Courtesy of Michael J. Fox/Instagram

"How lucky are we?! Happy Mother's Day T. Best Mom in the world ❤️," the Doc Hollywood actor captioned an Instagram tribute to his spouse.

Credit: Courtesy of Tracy Pollan/ Instagram

Pollan shared a romantic vacation pic on the duo's 34th anniversary. "7❣️16❣️88 Favorite place, favorite person, favorite day ❣️," she wrote.

Credit: Arthur Mola/Shutterstock

The couple attended SXSW in Austin, Texas, for the premiere of Still: A Michael J. Fox Story. 

Fox wished his wife a happy birthday in a heartfelt social media tribute. “‘She showers the people she loves with love, she shows them the way that she feels,’” he gushed via Instagram on June 22 alongside a photo of Pollans. “Happy happy birthday @tracy.pollan my forever Summer girl, my love, my best friend, and the most beautiful amazing mom to our four stupendous kids. Love love love you.” 

Credit: Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images

Fox and Pollan stepped out together to attend the TIME 100 Gala at the Lincoln Center in New York City where Fox was honored with the TIME 100 Impact Award. The couple looked so happy together while they posed for pictures on the red carpet. Pollan wore a green floral dress while Fox opted for a dark colored suit.

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5 Outstanding Moody Blues Songs Featuring Late Keyboardist Mike Pinder

T he rock world is mourning the loss of The Moody Blues’ Mike Pinder. The founding keyboardist passed away on Wednesday, April 24, at age 82. Pinder was a member of the popular British group from its 1964 formation to 1978.

Pinder began playing piano and organ with The Moody Blues, along with contributing backing and sometimes lead vocals. Starting with the band’s classic second album, Days of Future Passed (1967), he became best known for playing the Mellotron, a keyboard that used tape loops to emulate sound of an orchestra or of various individual instruments.

[RELATED: Founding Moody Blues Keyboardist Mike Pinder Has Died at Age 82; Ex-Bandmates Pay Tribute]

On all of the albums he recorded with The Moody Blues, Pinder contributed one or more songs, and sang lead on select tunes. Most of the band’s hits were written and sung by either Justin Hayward or John Lodge.

In the studio, Pinder also played a wide variety of instruments on Moody Blues tracks besides the Mellotron. Pinder played the piano, organ, cello, harpsichord, celesta, synthesizer, guitar, and bass.

In commemoration of Pinder, here are five outstanding Moody Blues songs featuring the talented musician:

“Go Now” (1964)

The Moody Blues scored a major hit with one of their first singles, “Go Now,” a cover of a soul song written by Larry Banks and Milton Bennett that was first recorded in early 1964 by Banks’ ex-wife, Bessie.

The Moodies’ version, which was sung by frontman Denny Laine, was released in late 1964. The track reached No. 1 on the U.K. chart in January 1965. It also peaked No. 10 on the Billboard Hot 100. A highlight of the track is Pinder’s fluid and soulful piano solo. Mike also contributed backing vocals to the tune.

“Late Lament” (1967)

By 1967, The Moody Blues had reinvented themselves as a psychedelic pop-rock group. Their second album, Days of Future Passed , featured the band historically collaborating with the London Festival Orchestra.

Pinder wrote and sang a couple of songs on the album. Yet perhaps his most famous contribution to the record was the cosmic spoken-word interlude “Late Lament” heard at the end of the record, following “Nights in White Satin.” For the piece, Pinder recited a poem written by Moody Blues drummer Graeme Edge.

Five ensuing Moody Blues albums featured spoken-word pieces written by Edge and recited by Pinder.

“The Dream”/“Have You Heard (Part 1)”/“The Voyage”/“Have You Heard (Part 2)” (1969)

The Moody Blues’ fourth album, On the Threshold of a Dream , features a dramatic multi-part piece written by Pinder that brought the record to a close. The Edge-penned piece “The Dream,” recited by Pinder led into “Have You Heard (Part 1),” the instrumental “The Voyage,” and “Have You Heard (Part 2).”

The song suite takes the listener on a cosmic sonic journey and features philosophical lyrics about spiritual unity. “The Voyage” includes a segment inspired by classical composer Richard Strauss’ “Thus Spake Zarathustra,” famously featured in the 1969 film 2001: A Space Odyssey .

“Out and In” (1969)

“Out and In” was song featured on The Moody Blues’ fifth album, To Our Children’s Children’s Children . It was sung by Pinder and co-written by him and Lodge.

The melodic, prog-flavored tune features a soaring melody and lyrics encouraging people to take a spiritual journey by looking out into the universe and toward one’s inner self.

“Melancholy Man” (1970)

The Moody Blues’ sixth studio, A Question of Balance , included the Pinder showcase “Melancholy Man.” The mournful song is sung from the perspective of a man who understands that the world beset by trials, but has a positive view that mankind can work to make it a better place.

Although “Melancholy Man” released as a B-side of the Moody Blues hit “The Story in Your Eyes” in the U.S., it topped the French singles chart for four weeks in November 1970.

The post 5 Outstanding Moody Blues Songs Featuring Late Keyboardist Mike Pinder appeared first on American Songwriter .

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Jonathan Tetelman recalls his journey from a nightclub DJ to an international opera star

In this image provided by the Met Opera, Jonathan Tetelman portrays Ruggero in Puccini’s “La Rondine.” Tetelman has transformed from nightclub DJ to international opera star. (Karen Almond/Met Opera via AP)

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NEW YORK (AP) — Jonathan Tetelman transformed from a nightclub DJ to an international opera star, a music detour that was quite, well, operatic.

He stopped singing in 2011 and mixed music for New York’s clubbers at Webster Hall, Pacha, Greenhouse and W.i.P. These days, the 35-year-old’s gigs are at posher places such as London’s Royal Opera House and the Salzburg Festival.

His career revived by a transition to tenor from baritone, Tetelman will be featured as Ruggero in a Metropolitan Opera performance of Puccini’s “La Rondine (The Swallow)” with soprano Angel Blue, televised live to theaters worldwide Saturday. Starting April 26, he sings Pinkerton in “Madama Butterfly” opposite soprano Asmik Grigorian in her Met debut.

“I kept saying to people, ‘You know, I’m a DJ, but I’m actually an opera singer.’ And the more I said it, the more I was like: ’Am I really an opera singer?’” Tetelman recalled of his singing sabbatical.

So he gave himself six months.

“I just sold everything. I sold all my equipment. All my speakers, all my turntables — everything — and just focused,” he said.

Born in Chile, Tetelman was adopted at about 7 months and grew up in Hopewell Township, New Jersey. He got a degree from the Manhattan School of Music in 2011 and considered himself a baritone.

Tetelman moved on to the Mannes School of Music for a graduate program where he was told his upper register was his future but struggled with even audition standards. Overcome with frustration, he headed to the downtown nightlife scene in 2013.

“It just wasn’t — it wasn’t clicking. I threw it all away,” he said.

After concluding that club life wasn’t a future, Tetelman began listening to recordings of Luciano Pavarotti, Enrico Caruso, Franco Corelli and Jonas Kaufmann to understand how they used their voices. Working with Mark Schnaible and Patricia McCaffrey, a husband-and-wife vocal coach team, he began building his tenor technique in 2015.

“This young man is wildly talented,” Schnaible said.

By his mid-20s, Tetelman thought himself too old for professional training programs, so he found an agent. He sang Eisenstein in Johann Strauss II’s “Die Fledermaus (The Bat)” at the Martina Arroyo Foundation’s young artists program in 2016. He then paid a few hundred dollars to attend an open call casting audition. That led to the role of Rodolfo in Puccini’s “La Bohème” at the Fujian Grand Theatre in China in 2017.

He was hired for “Bohème” in November 2018 at the English National Opera, where all performances are in English.

Tetelman prepared by singing in “La Boheme Warhola” — an adaptation of the classic that shifts to Andy Warhol’s The Factory studio — with Pittsburgh Festival Opera at the Falk Auditorium, a 360-seat school theater. Around the same time, agent Alan Green arranged for Tetelman to take over Rodolfo for a concert performance at the Boston Symphony Orchestra’s Tanglewood Festival after Piotr Beczała withdrew to replace Roberto Alagna at the Bayreuth Festival’s “Lohengrin.”

That raised Tetelman’s profile before he headed to the London Coliseum for the revival of Jonathan Miller’s 2009 staging, a key accelerant of his career.

“The production and the theater are wonderful. ‘La Bohème’ in English is disgusting,” Tetelman recalled vividly.

A dashing 6-foot-4 with dark hair and a wide smile, he became an in-demand singer for Puccini.

“He has a very solid top. When he sings soft, which I always encourage, especially in the very intimate moments, there’s a tenderness,” conductor Speranza Scappucci said.

On the night of Tetelman’s Met debut on March 26, an audience member tossed a bouquet he caught on the fly.

“He’s certainly a very, very charismatic presence and the audiences are responding,” Met general manager Peter Gelb said.

Tetelman made his Salzburg Festival debut last summer in Krzysztof Warlikowski’s “Macbeth.” The staging opened in an obstetrician’s office with children wearing black and yellow patches warning of radiation.

“You had to be on like mushrooms or something to really understand it,” Tetelman said, quickly adding, “It was one of the most amazing experiences I’ve had. ... I think working with him was actually a really inspiring moment for me.”

Future roles include Turiddu in Mascagni’s “Cavalleria Rusticana” and a title role in Saint-Saëns’ “Samson et Dalila” along with the heavier Puccini parts of Dick Johnson in “La Fanciulla del West (Girl of the Golden West)” and des Grieux in “Manon Lescaut.” He’d like to take on Strauss’ Apollo in “Daphne” and Bacchus in “Ariadne auf Naxos” one day.

“I’m trying to book actually less and less Puccini just because I’ve booked so much,” Tetelman said.