JOURNEY will receive the Legend Of Live award at the 2011 Billboard Touring Awards, which are presented by Showclix and are taking place November 10th at the Roosevelt Hotel in New York. The awards are part of the Billboard Touring Conference, taking place on November 9th and 10th.

Gearing up for the conference and awards - which kick off today (November 8th) in New York - Billboard.com present an extended conversation with Journey's Neal Schon. An excerpt follows:

Q: When did you first pick up a guitar?

A: "I guess I first picked up a guitar when I was 10. I played other instruments; my Dad was a jazz musician, and he was also a teacher, so he got me started pretty early. I was always surrounded by music. I played a little piano, all the woodwind instruments, he taught me some clarinet, I played some oboe. I wish I would have been playing sax, I ended up liking sax better than all of it. And it actually looked like a cooler instrument than a clarinet or an oboe.

But it turned out that I felt like playing something other than what [my Father] already played, and then I heard that twang of a guitar in the '60s, whether it was a Beatles song or The Dave Clark Five, whatever was on the radio. I heard it and I go, 'what is that? I want to know about that.' At the time I started playing, it was all about the British invasion, all of that cool stuff, whether it was Jeff Beck and [Eric] Clapton and Jimmy Page in the Yardbirds, or the Cream, Jimi Hendrix, Zeppelin, and I heard blues riffs before that. I met B.B. King when I was like 13, I met [legendary promoter] Bill Graham, and went and played with Elvin Bishop, who introduced me to B.B. back then in San Francisco at the Filmore. I had a lot of R&B; and blues background in my playing when I was very young."

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The Billboard Legend Of Live award honors groups or individuals who have made significant and lasting contributions to live music and the touring business, and acknowledges the recipients' commitment to the art of performing live and reaching fans through the concert experience. Previous award recipients include RUSH (2010), OZZY OSBOURNE (2009), THE ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND (2008), pioneering agent Frank Barsalona (2007), SIR ELTON JOHN (2006), Cellar Door Concerts founder Jack Boyle (2005) and promoter Michael Cohl (2004).

Journey remains a hugely successful touring band, having moved nearly 1 million tickets and averaging more than $600,000 a night at the box office on this year's Eclipse tour, according to Billboard Boxscore.

"I'm so honored to come to New York to represent the band for all the years and dedication that everyone's given," Journey guitarist and founding member Neal Schon says of the honor.

"Though they have sold millions of records and charted a wealth of the most beloved Billboard hits in history, most would agree that Journey's longevity has in large part been driven by their stellar live performances," said Ray Waddell, Billboard's Executive Director of Content and Programming for Touring and Live Entertainment. "From their days blowing up the Bay Area music scene to their ascent to international headlining and, today, iconic rock status, withstanding personnel changes that would bring down a lesser band, Journey's talent transcends musical trends and draws bigger crowds year after year. In short, Journey personifies a Legend of Live."

Read more at Billboard.com.