Neal Schon, Michaele Schon and OKPOP director Jeff Moore (PRNewsfoto/Neal Schon)
Neal Schon, Michaele Schon and OKPOP director Jeff Moore (PRNewsfoto/Neal Schon)Founding Journey guitarist Neal Schon will be donating part of his personal collection of memorabilia and instruments to the Oklahoma Museum of Popular Culture, a.k.a. OKPOP, which is expected to open in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in 2020.
Schon, who was born at Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma City, announced his planned donation last week prior to Journey’s concert with Def Leppard at the BOK Center in Tulsa.
“We’re going to get a nice collection for you all,” Schon said. “I’m going to have to go through my zillion guitars and figure out which ones I’m going to ship. I’m also going to get you a giant platinum plaque with all our records on it.”
OKPOP will celebrate the creative spirit and achievements of artists who were born or reside in Oklahoma, and the influence of their work on popular culture across the globe. The museum will be built and managed by the Oklahoma Historical Society, and will be funded in large part by a $25 million grant from the state of Oklahoma.
Schon was inducted into the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame in 2013, and also was welcomed into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Journey in 2017. In addition to co-founding that band, Neal also has been a member of Santana and of the supergroup Bad English, in addition to having a prolific solo career.
Journey’s co-headlining tour with Def Leppard continues on Wednesday, July 18, in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The trek is plotted out through an October 7 show at The Forum in Inglewood, California.
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