Bon Jovi
Bon Jovi is an American rock band formed in Sayreville, New Jersey in 1983. The band consists of singer Jon Bon Jovi, keyboardist David Bryan, drummer Tico Torres, guitarists John Shanks and Phil X, percussionist Everett Bradley, and bassist Hugh McDonald. Original bassist Alec John Such left the band in 1994, and longtime guitarist and co-songwriter Richie Sambora left in 2013.
In 1984, Bon Jovi released their self-titled debut album, and its single "Runaway" managed to reach the Top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100. In 1986, the band achieved widespread success and global recognition with their third album, Slippery When Wet, which included three Top 10 singles on the Billboard Hot 100, two of which reached No. 1: "You Give Love a Bad Name" and "Livin' on a Prayer". Their fourth album, New Jersey, was also commercially successful, featuring five Top 10 singles, including the number ones "Bad Medicine" and "I'll Be There for You". The band toured and recorded during the late 1980s, culminating in the 1988–90 New Jersey Syndicate Tour.
In 1992, the band returned with the double-platinum Keep the Faith, which included the hit "Bed of Roses". This was followed by their biggest-selling and longest-charting single "Always" in 1994. The album These Days, showcased a more mature sound. Following a second hiatus, their 2000 album Crush, particularly the lead single, "It's My Life", successfully introduced the band to a younger audience. The platinum albums Have a Nice Day and Lost Highway saw the band incorporate elements of country music into some songs, including the 2006 single "Who Says You Can't Go Home", which won the band a Grammy Award and became the first single by a rock band to reach No. 1 on the country charts. The Circle marked a return to the band's rock sound. The band further success touring, with the 2005–06 Have a Nice Day Tour and 2007–08 Lost Highway Tour ranking among the Top 20 highest-grossing concert tours of the 2000s. After releasing Because We Can in 2013, lead guitarist Richie Sambora left the band, just before a concert during the supporting tour to spend more time with family. The band released their first studio album without Sambora, This House Is Not for Sale in 2016, touring it in 2017–19. Their album 2020 was reworked to include songs inspired by the COVID-19 pandemic and George Floyd protests.
Bon Jovi has been credited with bridging "the gap between heavy metal and pop with style and ease". The band has released 16 studio albums, five compilations and three live albums. They have sold more than 130 million records worldwide, making them one of the best-selling American rock bands, and performed 3000 concerts in 50 countries in front of a total audience of 34 million people. Bon Jovi was inducted into the UK Music Hall of Fame in 2006, and the US Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2018. The band received the Award of Merit at the American Music Awards in 2004.
History
Formation and "Runaway" (1980–1983)
began performing music live in 1975, at the age of 13, playing piano and guitar in New Jersey with his first band, Raze. At 16, Jon met David Bryan and formed a band called Atlantic City Expressway. Still in his teens, Bon Jovi played in the band John Bongiovi and the Wild Ones at clubs such as the Fast Lane and opening for local acts. By 1980, he had formed another band, the Rest, and opened up for New Jersey acts such as Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes. Also in 1980, Jon recorded his first single, "Runaway" in his cousin's studio, backed up by studio musicians. The song was played by a local radio station on a compilation tape.By mid-1982, out of school and working part-time at a women's shoe store, Jon Bon Jovi took a job at the Power Station Studios, a Manhattan recording facility where his cousin Tony Bongiovi was co-owner. Jon made several demosincluding one produced by Billy Squierand sent them to record companies, though failing to make an impact. His first professional recording was as lead vocals in "R2-D2 We Wish You a Merry Christmas," which was part of the Christmas in the Stars album which his cousin co-produced.
In 1983, Jon visited a local radio station WAPP 103.5FM "The Apple" in Lake Success, New York, to write and sing the jingles for the station. He spoke with DJ Chip Hobart and to the promotion director, John Lassman, who suggested Jon let WAPP include the song "Runaway" on the station's compilation album of local homegrown talent. Jon was reluctant, but eventually gave them the song, which he had re-recorded in 1982 with local studio musicians whom he designated The All Star Reviewguitarist Tim Pierce, keyboardist Roy Bittan, drummer Frankie LaRocka, and bassist Hugh McDonald.
In March 1983, Bon Jovi called David Bryan, who in turn called bassist Alec John Such and an experienced drummer named Tico Torres, both formerly of the band Phantom's Opera. Tapped to play lead guitar for a short tour supporting "Runaway" was Bon Jovi's friend and neighbor, Dave Sabo, though he never officially joined the band. He and Jon promised each other that whoever made it first, would help out the other. Sabo later went on to form the group Skid Row. Jon saw and was impressed with hometown guitarist Richie Sambora who was recommended by fellow bassist Alec John Such and drummer Tico Torres. Sambora had toured with Joe Cocker, played with a group called Mercy and had been called up to audition for Kiss. He also played on the album Lessons, originally intended for release in 1982 with the band Message for which Alec John Such was the bassist. Message was originally signed to Led Zeppelin's Swan Song Records label, although the album was never officially released at the time. Meanwhile, WAPP, the station that had first played "Runaway" worked with WOR-TV in nearby Secaucus, NJ on a music video show, Rock 9 Videos, for a short time in 1984.
Tico Torres was also an experienced musician, having recorded and played live with Phantom's Opera, The Marvelettes, and Chuck Berry. He appeared on 26 records and had recently recorded with Franke and the Knockouts, a Jersey band with hit singles during the early 1980s.
David Bryan had quit the band that he and Bon Jovi had founded in order to study medicine. While in college, he realized that he wanted to pursue music full-time, and was accepted to Juilliard School, a New York music school. When Bon Jovi called his friend and said that he was putting together a band, and a record deal looked likely, Bryan followed Bon Jovi's lead and gave up his studies.
''Bon Jovi'', , ''Slippery When Wet'' and ''New Jersey'' (1984–1989)
Once the band began playing showcases and opening for local talent, they caught the attention of record executive Derek Shulman, who signed them to Mercury Records and who was part of the PolyGram company. Because Jon Bon Jovi wanted a group name, Pamela Maher, a friend of Richard Fischer and an employee of Doc McGhee, suggested they call themselves Bon Jovi, following the example of the other famous two-word bands such as Van Halen. This name was chosen instead of the original idea of Johnny Electric. Pamela's suggestion of the name was met with little enthusiasm, but two years later they hit the charts under that name.With the help of their new manager Doc McGhee they recorded the band's debut album, Bon Jovi, which was released on January 21, 1984. The album included the band's first hit single, "Runaway", reaching the top forty on the Billboard Hot 100. The album peaked at number forty-three on the Billboard 200 album chart. The group soon found itself opening for Scorpions in the U.S. and for Kiss in Europe.
In 1985, Bon Jovi's second album,, was released. The band released three singles: "Only Lonely", "In and Out of Love" and the ballad "Silent Night". The album peaked at number thirty-seven on the Billboard 200 and was certified Gold by RIAA. While the album did not sell as well as the band had hoped, it allowed Bon Jovi to get out on the road touring again. In May 1985, Bon Jovi headlined venues in Japan and Europe. At the end of the European tour, the band began a six-month run of U.S. tour dates supporting Ratt. In the midst of that tour, they appeared at the Texas Jam and Castle Donington's Monsters of Rock concerts in England. The band also performed at the first Farm Aid in 1985.
After two moderately successful albums, the group changed its approach and hired professional songwriter Desmond Child as a collaborator. Bruce Fairbairn was chosen to produce and, in early 1986, Bon Jovi moved to Vancouver, Canada to spend six months recording a third album. They named it Slippery When Wet after visiting a strip club in Vancouver. On August 16, 1986, Slippery When Wet was released and it spent eight weeks atop the Billboard 200. The first two singles from the album, "You Give Love a Bad Name" and "Livin' on a Prayer", both hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100. Slippery When Wet was named 1987's top-selling album by Billboard, and "Livin' On A Prayer" won an MTV Video Music Award for Best Stage Performance. The band won an award for Favorite Pop/Rock Band at the American Music Awards and an award for Favorite Rock Group at the People's Choice Awards. When Slippery When Wet was released in August 1986, Bon Jovi was the support act for 38 Special. By the end of 1986, Bon Jovi were well into six months of headline dates in arenas across America. In August 1987, they headlined England's Monsters of Rock festival. During their set, Dee Snider, Bruce Dickinson and Paul Stanley guested to perform "We're an American Band". The band ended the year having headlined 130 shows in the "Tour Without End", grossing $28,400,000.
Determined to prove that the success of Slippery When Wet was not a fluke, Bon Jovi released their fourth effort, New Jersey, in September 1988 which peaked at number one in the U.S., Canada, UK, Ireland, New Zealand and Australia. The album produced five Top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100, giving Bon Jovi the record for the most Top 10 singles spawned by a hard rock album. Two of the hits, "Bad Medicine" and "I'll Be There for You", reached number one. The album's three other singles, "Born to Be My Baby", "Lay Your Hands on Me", and "Living in Sin", reached the top ten. The video for "Living In Sin" was banned by MTV for sexual content; after the video was re-edited, MTV put it in heavy rotation. Bon Jovi mounted another worldwide tour that continued throughout 1989 and 1990. They visited more than 22 countries and performed more than 232 shows. On June 11, 1989, the band performed a homecoming concert at Giants Stadium in New Jersey. In August 1989, the band headed to the Soviet Union for the Moscow Music Peace Festival. Bon Jovi were officially sanctioned by the Soviet government to perform in the Soviet Union, and New Jersey was legally released in the USSR.
In the 1989 MTV Video Music Awards, Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora performed acoustic versions of "Livin' on a Prayer" and "Wanted Dead or Alive". While MTV Unplugged was already in development by the time of this event, its showrunners have credited the pair's performance with influencing the show to go from initially being meant only for "young, up-and-coming artists" into being a simplified showcase for the "big, stadium, electric-arena-type acts".
The exhaustion of recording Slippery When Wet and New Jersey back to back and going on highly paced world tours took its toll. By the end of the New Jersey tour, the band had 16 months of concerts under its belt. The bandmates were exhausted physically, mentally and emotionally. Following the final tour date in Mexico, and without any clear plans for their future, the members of the band simply went home. The band has since stated that there were few if any goodbyes between them. During the time they took off from the scene, members of the band retreated to [|their own projects] and showed no desire to make another album.