Randy Jackson Rejoins Journey

History seems to be repeating itself.

Back in March, Journey fired the rhythm section of Steve Smith and Ross Valory for allegedly attempting a “corporate coup d’etat” of the band. (Valory has since filed a countersuit.) Now guitarist Neal Schon has revealed that the band is back to full capacity with the addition of drummer Narada Michael Walden and bassist Randy Jackson.

“OK friends word is out!” Schon wrote on Twitter. “[Randy Jackson] the Big Dawg is our new bass player again.”

Many years before he became a judge on American Idol, Jackson replaced Valory in Journey in the mid-80s and was featured on 1986’s Raised on Radio. The news broke in part from Journey performing a socially distanced version of “Don’t Stop Believin'” for UNICEF’s “Won’t Stop” fundraiser. You can see a fan’s recording of the screen that Schon shared here:

Jackson confirmed the news on his own Instagram with a throwback photo. “Y’all vibe with Journey revival tonight? The boys are back.” The band’s summer tour with the Pretenders has been canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic, so we’ll have to wait to see Jackson back in action.

Until then, you can get a taste of old school Journey in this clip of “Raised on Radio” featuring a bass solo: