Original Journey guitarist George Tickner dead at 76
The original guitarist of Journey, George Tickner, has died aged 76. The news was first released via a social media post made by another of the band’s guitarists Neal Schon. Tickner was brought into the budding pop-rock group by the late manager Herbie Herbert and contributed to the band’s first three albums before leaving to study for a PhD at Stanford University Medical School.
“Rest peacefully, Dr. George Tickner. You will be missed immensely,” Schon posted on Facebook. Adding, “Dear George … ‘Of a Lifetime’ is still one of my favourite songs ever. RIP brother God Speed,” in a separate post.
Herbert scouted Tickner during his early career run with Frumious Bandersnatch, a band from Berkeley, California. Herbert, who took on the role of road manager for the band, cut his teeth alongside Tickner and brought his friend to the next chapter.
Frumious Bandersnatch gained recognition locally, performing at large venues in the Bay Area. One notable event was their opening act for Canned Heat and the Mothers of Invention at the Fillmore Auditorium in San Francisco in February 1967.
Despite their humble success, Frumious Bandersnatch claimed fame for producing musicians who went on to bigger things. Namely, bassist Ross Valory and three other former members of Frumious Bandersnatch joined The Steve Miller Band before joining Tickner in Journey’s original lineup.
Schon and fellow Journey co-founder Gregg Rolie had previously worked with Carlos Santana for several years but noted that Tickner brought a crucially different edge to guitar playing. “He came up with chordings I have never heard,” Rolie wrote in the liner notes for Journey’s Time3 box set. “He had these massive hands, and he would de-tune his strings and come up with these voicings that nobody else could.”
Listen to ‘Of a Lifetime’ from Journey’s 1975 debut album below.
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