The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
KICKER Believe it: Journey to rock the Q along with Def Leppard
Journey’s keyboardist talks about his new memoir, touring with ‘Def Leppard’
Long before “Don’t Stop Believin’” was a monster hit for arena-rock act Journey, the song title was, in a way, the personal motto of keyboardist Jonathan Cain. ¶ Born in Chicago, the talented musician in short order released his first solo record in 1976, joined The Babys in 1979 and then, a year later, took his keen songwriting to Journey for the group’s defining album, “Escape,” which includes, of course, “Don’t Stop Believin’.” ¶ His 36-year tenure in Journey culminated in 2017 when the group was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Now Cain is looking back on his life with his recently released memoir. You better bet the book is called “Don’t Stop Believin’: The Man, the Band, and the Song that Inspired Generations.”
Cain’s signature piano, synth playing and songwriting contributions to Journey include “Don’t Stop Believin’,” which is the No. 1 digital catalog rock song in history, “Faithfully,” “Open Arms,” “Separate Ways” and “Who’s Crying Now.”
The News-Herald talked to Cain about the book, Journey’s tour with Def Leppard, which comes to Cleveland May 28 at Quicken Loans Arena, and what it’s like to be a Rock Hall inductee. Q Congratulations on the new book. How long has a memoir been on your radar? A I started it 10 years ago, actually. It wasn’t really until I stood on the stage with all of those guys at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony in Brooklyn that I knew how the book was going to begin. I’m really happy with the way it came out. It was worth the wait, worth the labor of love. It’s a love story to my dad. Father’s Day is coming up, so I encourage all of the fathers to read this because the way my dad encouraged me and inspired me. He saw I had a unique gift. He lifted me up and said, “You carry on with that music. It’s going to take you somewhere.” He was my vision keeper in that regard. I hope this inspires dads around the world. Q Looking back at Journey’s history, the group had hits prior to your arrival. Can you talk about what your presence brought to the group? A I look at it like divine intervention. The Lord put us together at a time to make music like that, to really celebrate our influences and to leave nothing on the table. (Then-vocalist) Steve Perry was at his peak, (guitarist) Neal (Schon) was at his peak. They had all of these hits, and they wanted to make the next move. They wanted to change the sound, tweak it some. And they asked me to help them. So I was just thrilled to be around the greatness that was Journey. In 1981, I walked in, and I knew we had the pieces. It’s like being asked to join the Golden State Warriors. Journey felt like that, an all-star lineup. Q Looking at the past four decades, Journey is the band that literally won’t stop believing. While other classic-rock groups with unknown singers tour smaller venues, you guys add karaoke singer Arnel Pineda and sell out arenas. It was the same thing with the Rock Hall. Some say Journey doesn’t deserve the nod, but last year that happened. You guys are the definition of perseverance. A We should be dead, and we managed to escape death. We’ve reinvented ourselves, and I couldn’t have done it without Neal. He was the one that had vision that this music was bigger than all of us. The star of the show was really these songs. And I bought into that. Now, Arnel has sung them for 12 years. He’s been the longest in-band singer. He’s outlasted them all as far as consistently performing year after year. Q How excited are you to be spending the summer touring with Def Leppard? A We played together 12 years ago, and it was very successful. They’re just one of the bands that has kept their edge and continued to put on great shows. We checked them out on YouTube. They sounded and looked amazing. So we thought, “Let’s co-headline with these guys.” There was no argument or beef. We worked it out, which is pretty amazing. Q Regarding Journey’s Rock Hall induction, there was hope among fans that Perry would join the band for a song or two. What happened? A I can’t speak to that. We were hoping he would sing a song at the Hall thing, but he declined, and that’s his choice. Q Finally, how has your life changed being a Rock Hall inductee? A It inspired this book, so being an author is life-changing. It’s a different thing, man. It’s an honor. And I got to donate my piano, The Whale, to the Rock Hall. My kids were miffed. They said, “How come you gave it to them?” I said, “Because it belongs there — that’s why.”