Bon Jovi

Bon Jovi

Bon Jovi Corner

Bon Jovi is a rock and roll band that was formed in New Jersey in the early 1980’s.  Bon Jovi’s music is mainly in the hard rock genre.  The band is fronted by lead singer Jon Bon Jovi and has members Richie Sambora, David Bryan and Tico Torres.  Bon Jovi’s music appears on the Island Records label.

Background

Jon Bon Jovi was born John Francis Bongiovi in Perth Amboy, New Jersey on March 2, 1962.  Jon learned to play guitar at an early age and attended Sayreville War Memorial High School.  Jon met David Bryan in high school, and the two founded a band called Atlantic City Expressway.  Jon then played in a band called John Bon Jovi and the Wild Ones.  Eventually, Jon worked at the Power Station Studios in Manhattan.  During his downtime, he recorded his own music.  Jon’s big break came with his song “Runaway” which was included by a local radio station on an album of local artists.  Soon enough the members of the band, Bon Jovi, came together.  The group released its first album, Bon Jovi in 1984.  They went on to open for ZZ Top at Madison Square Garden and appeared on the show “American Bandstand.”  It was the band’s third rock and roll album, Slippery When Wet that brought Bon Jovi international fame.  Bon Jovi then embarked on a tour following the release of Slippery When Wet.  On this tour, Jon Bon Jovi began to have vocal troubles and began working with a vocal coach.  The immediate follow-up to Slippery When Wet is called New Jersey.  New Jersey is a hard rock album that was an extraordinary commercial success.  The band embarked on a tour following the release of New Jersey as well.

In the early 1990’s, the band members separated to take a break.  During this time, Jon Bon Jovi recorded a solo album for the movie “Young Guns II” (known as “Blaze of Glory”).  During this time, Sambora also recorded a solo album that was influenced by blues music.  Bryan recorded a track for “The Netherworld.”

The band reunited in 1992 and released Keep the Faith.  After Keep the Faith, Bon Jovi released These Days.  The These Days Tour that followed in 1995 was one of the band’s largest successes, including a three night concert at Wembley Stadium.  After the These Days Tour, the band took another break.  During this time, Jon Bon Jovi filmed a number of Hollywood movies and wrote his second solo album.

The band reunited again in 1999 with newfound success.  After the attacks of September 11, 2001, Bon Jovi participated in benefit concert titled The Concert for New York City.  During the tour that followed the album Bounce in 2002, Bon Jovi was the last band to play at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia before the stadium was torn down.  In 2005, Bon Jovi participated in the Live 8 concert.  Also in 2005, Bon Jovi received the Diamond Award at the World Music Awards for selling 100 million albums.  In 2006, Bon Jovi participated in the Fashion Rocks concert to raise money for the Elton John AIDS Foundation.  Also in 2006, designer Kenneth Cole and Jon Bon Jovi announced that they have partnered to design an outerwear collection , the proceeds of which will benefit HELP USA, a national not-for-profit organization to help the homeless.

Band Members

Jon Bon Jovi performs lead vocals and plays guitar for Bon Jovi.  He is also one of the group’s songwriters.  He lives in New Jersey with his wife, Dorothea, and his four children, Stephanie, Jesse, Jake and Romeo.  Jon Bon Jovi has appeared in a number of Hollywood films including U-571, Pay it Forward and Moonlight and Valentino.  He has also guest starred on the television shows Ally McBeal and Sex & the City.  Jon is a co-owner of an Arena Football League team called the Philadelphia Soul.

Richie Sambora plays guitar and performs vocals for Bon Jovi.  He is also one of the group’s songwriters.  Before joining Bon Jovi, Sambora toured with Joe Cocker, played with a group called Mercury, had been called to audition for the band KISS and played with a band called Message.  He lives in California and is currently thought to be separated from Heather Locklear with whom has one daughter, Ava.

David Bryan plays keyboard and performs vocals for Bon Jovi.  Before joining Bon Jovi, Bryan had attended the Juilliard School in New York.  He lives in New Jersey and has three children.

Hector “Tico” Torres plays drums and other percussion for Bon Jovi.  Before joining Bon Jovi, Torres had recorded music with Miles Davis, played with Chuck Berry and recorded with Frankie and the Knockouts.  He lives in Florida with his wife and son.  

Music / Albums

Bon Jovi has the following studio albums:  Bon Jovi (1984), 7800° Fahrenheit (1985), Slippery When Wet (1986), New Jersey (1988), Keep the Faith (1992), These Days (1995), Crush (2000), Bounce (2002) and Have a Nice Day (2005).  Bon Jovi also has the following live albums and compilation albums:  Cross Road (1994), One Wild Night Live 1985 – 2001 (1981), This Left Feels Right (2003) and 100,000,000 Bon Jovi Fans Can’t Be Wrong (2004).  Bon Jovi’s songs also appear on soundtracks to many Hollywood movies.

Slippery When Wet features the hit singles “You Give Love a Bad Name,” “Livin’ On A Prayer” and “Wanted Dead or Alive.”  New Jersey features the hit singles “Bad Medicine” and “I’ll Be There For You.”  Keep the Faith includes hits such as “Bed of Roses.”  These Days contained many influences from the R&B music genre and includes the his “This Ain’t A Love Song.”  The album Crush produced the hit “It’s My Life.”  Bounce was popular, but not as successfully as Crush.  Have a Nice Day includes the hit single “Who Says You Can’t Go Home” which Jon Bon Jovi also performed as a duet with Jennifer Nettles of the country music band Sugarland.

Jon Bon Jovi also has the following solo albums:  Blaze of Glory (1990), Destination Anywhere (1997) and The Power Station Years:  The Unreleased Recordings (2001).

Awards

The band, Bon Jovi, has won numerous awards and honors including MTV Music Awards, VH1 Music Awards, a World Music Award and an American Music Award.  Jon Bon Jovi, himself, as also won individual awards and honors including a Golden Globe awards, an American Music Award, the Humanitarian of the Year Award from the Food Bank of Monmouth and Ocean Counties and an Honorary Doctorate in Humanities degree from Monmouth University in New Jersey.  Jon Bon Jovi and Jennifer Nettles were nominated for a Country Music Association Award for their single “Who Says You Can’t Go Home.”