Troy Smith
George Tickner, the original guitarist and co-founder of the legendary rock group Journey, has died at the age of 76. Fellow co-founder shared the heartbreaking news on his Facebook page. The cause of his death is still unknown.
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The post from Schon reads, “Journey Junkies, I have some very sad news. George Tickner, Journey’s original rhythm guitarist and songwriting contributor on their first three albums, has passed away. He was 76 years old. Godspeed, George… thank you for the music. We will be paying tribute to you on this page indefinitely.”
DateBook reports on his history with the band,
Tickner, a former member of the psychedelic rock band Frumious Bandersnatch, was a member of Journey’s original lineup in 1973, alongside Santana alum Schon, keyboardist and vocalist Gregg Rolie, bassist Ross Valory, and drummer Prairie Prince. At first called the Golden Gate Rhythm Section, they formed the band to provide backup to other Bay Area artists but quickly abandoned that idea after their first public performance at the Winterland Ballroom on New Year’s Eve 1973 for an audience of 10,000.
The band soon changed its name to Journey and secured a record deal with Columbia Records after performing a showcase at San Francisco’s Great American Music Hall on Feb. 5, 1974.
Tickner performed and co-wrote several songs — including “Of a Lifetime,” “Topaz” and “Mystery Mountain” — on Journey’s self-titled debut album released in 1975. It entered the Billboard charts at No. 138 and Tickner decided to leave the music industry behind after accepting a scholarship to study medicine at Stanford University.
https://datebook.sfchronicle.com/music/journey-george-tickner-neal-schon-18186203
Tickner will surely be missed! May he rest in peace!
