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Bon Jovi

Bon Jovi is a hard rock band originating from Sayreville, New Jersey. Fronted by lead singer and namesake Jon Bon Jovi, the group originally achieved large-scale success in the 1980s. The band has continued its success as one of the world's most successful rock acts throughout the 1990s and 2000s, selling over 120 million albums worldwide.[4]

They have also won a Grammy for best Country Collaboration for "Who Says You Can't Go Home" with Jennifer Nettles from Sugarland. They have also been nominated twice for the smash hit "It's My Life" and two songs from the album Bounce, "Misunderstood" and "Everyday".

Their numerous hits include: "Runaway", "You Give Love a Bad Name", "Livin' on a Prayer", "Wanted Dead or Alive", "Bad Medicine", "I'll Be There for You", "Keep the Faith", "Bed of Roses", "Always", "It's My Life", "Everyday", "Have a Nice Day", "Who Says You Can't Go Home" and "(You Want to) Make a Memory".

History

Formation

Jon Bon Jovi

Founding member Jon Bon Jovi began to play piano and guitar at thirteen. At that same age, Bon Jovi found his first band, called Raze. Jon was enrolled in an all-boys Catholic school St. Joseph High School in Metuchen, New Jersey but left after pleading his case to his parents that he wanted to attend public school. He went on to attend Sayreville War Memorial High School. At sixteen, Bon Jovi met David Bryan (born David Bryan Rashbaum) and found a 12-piece cover band named Atlantic City Expressway after the New Jersey highway. They played at New Jersey clubs, even though they were minors. Still in his teens, Bon Jovi played in the band John Bongiovi and the Wild Ones, playing local clubs like "The Fast Lane" and opening for known acts in the area.

By the summer of 1982, out of school and working part-time in a shoe store, Jon took a job at the Power Station Studios, a Manhattan recording facility where his cousin, Tony Bongiovi, was a co-owner. Jon made several demos (including one produced by Billy Squier) and sent them out to many record companies, but failed to make an impact.

In 1983, Bon Jovi visited the local radio station WAPP 103.5FM "The Apple" in Lake Success, New York. He spoke directly to the D.J., Chip Hobart, who suggested Bon Jovi let WAPP include the song "Runaway" on a compilation album of local homegrown talent. Bon Jovi was reluctant but eventually gave them the song on which Bon Jovi had used studio musicians to play on the track "Runaway" (originally written in 1980). The studio musicians who helped record "Runaway" were known as The All Star Review. They were: guitarists Dave Sabo and Tim Pierce, keyboardist Roy Bittan, drummer Frankie LaRocka and bassist Hugh McDonald.

The song began to get airplay in the New York metro area, then other sister stations in major markets picked up the song. Suddenly, the record labels who had passed on the demo were scrambling to find out who this unsigned artist was. WAPP was doing showcases and Bon Jovi now desperately needed a band. The soon-to-be-members of the band had crossed paths in their earlier days, but the current lineup didn't come together until March 1983. Bon Jovi gave David Bryan a call, who in turn called bassist Alec John Such and an experienced drummer named Tico Torres.

Richie Sambora in Dublin May 2006

Tapped to play lead guitar was Bon Jovi's neighbor, Dave Sabo (a.k.a. The Snake), who would later form the group Skid Row.

One night after a show, Richie Sambora found Bon Jovi backstage and told him that he should be the band's guitarist. Bon Jovi didn't think much of it but told him to learn the material and show up for rehearsal. Sambora showed up early, knew the material and Bon Jovi was impressed; in that moment, Sambora became the band's lead guitarist and a musical dynamic duo was born.

Before joining the group, Sambora had toured with Joe Cocker, played with a group called Mercy and had just been called up to audition for legendary rock act Kiss. He also played on the album Lessons with the band Message, which was re-released on CD through Long Island Records in 1995. Message was originally signed to Led Zeppelin's Swan Song Records label, although the album was never released.

Drummer 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 Frankie and the Knockouts, a Jersey band with hit singles during the early 1980s.

David Bryan was a natural recruit. He had quit the band he and Bon Jovi founded in order to study medicine. While in college, he realized he wanted to pursue music full-time and was accepted to Juilliard School, the prestigious New York music school. When Bon Jovi called his friend and said he was putting together a band and a record deal looked like it was about to become a reality, Bryan followed Bon Jovi's lead and gave up his studies.

The Bon Jovi lineup, which would not change for a decade, was:

  • Jon Bon Jovi (lead vocals, rhythm guitar)
  • Richie Sambora (lead guitar, backing vocals)
  • David Bryan (keyboard, backing vocals)
  • Tico Torres (drums, percussion)
  • Alec John Such (bass guitar, backing vocals)

1980s

Once the band began playing showcases and opening for local talent, they caught the attention of record executive Derek Shulman, who signed John to Mercury Records, part of the PolyGram company. Because John wanted a group name, Jerry Jaffe, head of A&R at PolyGram, came up with Bon Jovi, changing the spelling and rationalizing that it had the cadence of Van Halen and also seemed to make an oblique reference to AC/DC's, Bon Scott. The band didn't really like it. (Manager Doc McGhee scoffed that it made the band sound like "French ice cream"). But within a week it was adopted without much fanfare. Also, John then removed the 'h' in his first name to make it Jon.

With the help of their new manager Doc McGhee, the band's debut album, Bon Jovi, was released on January 21, 1984. The album went gold in the US (sales of over 500,000) and was also released in the UK. The group found themselves opening for ZZ Top at the Madison Square Garden (before their first album had been released), and for Scorpions and Kiss in Europe. They also made an appearance on the popular television program American Bandstand.

In 1985, Bon Jovi's second album 7800°Fahrenheit was released. While embarking on a tour opening up for Ratt, the album received a poor response by critics. The leading British metal magazine Kerrang!, who had been very positive about the debut record, called the album "a pale imitation of the Bon Jovi we have got to know and learned to love." Jon Bon Jovi himself later said it could have and should have been better. The band members, in later interviews, have said they will not perform any songs off that album anymore.

The turning point came when they brought in songwriter Desmond Child for their third album, Slippery When Wet. With Child co-writing many of their hits, the band shot to super-stardom around the world with songs "You Give Love a Bad Name", "Livin' On A Prayer", and "Wanted Dead or Alive". Bon Jovi has said the album was named after the ubiquitous highway warning signs, but Bryan has said the following about the album's title:

"During the recording of the record we frequently wound up in a striptease club where incredibly good looking girls were putting water and soap on each other. They became so slippery because of that, that you couldn't hold on to them even if you wanted to really bad. 'Slippery when wet!' one of us yelled out and the rest of us immediately knew: that had to be the title of the new album! Originally we were going to put a picture of some huge breasts, the really big ones, on the cover; but when the PMRC [a moral board chaired by Tipper Gore, wife of future Vice President Al Gore ] found out, we were in big trouble. So we made it into a very decent cover."

The album has sold in excess of 26 million copies worldwide since its release in late 1986. In 1987, the band headlined England's "Monsters of Rock" festival with Dio, Metallica, W.A.S.P., Anthrax, and Cinderella. The tour took its toll on singer Jon Bon Jovi when he began having vocal difficulties. The extremely high notes and unrelenting schedule threatened to damage his voice permanently. With the help of a vocal coach, he made it through the tour. Bon Jovi has tended to sing slightly lower pitches since then.

The next album was 1988's New Jersey. The album was recorded very shortly after the tour for Slippery, because the band wanted to prove that they were not just a one hit wonder. The resulting album is considered a fan favorite, a pop-metal masterpiece, and was a mammoth commercial success, with hit songs "Bad Medicine", "Lay Your Hands on Me" and "I'll Be There for You", which are still in their live repertoire. New Jersey was a commercial smash and became the first hard rock album to spawn five Top Ten singles. "Bad Medicine" and "I'll Be There for You" both hit number one, and "Born to Be My Baby" (#3), "Lay Your Hands on Me (#7), and "Living in Sin" (#9) rounded out the list.

New Jersey was supported by video releases such as New Jersey: The Videos and Access All Areas, as well as a massive 18-month tour, originally billed as The Jersey Syndicate Tour. In 1989, the band headlined the Moscow Music Peace Festival along with the Scorpions, Ozzy Osbourne, Mötley Crüe, and Skid Row. Despite the band achieving massive success, New Jersey almost led to the end of the band as they went straight back out on the road so soon after the heavy touring for their previous album. This constant living on the road tested the strong bond between Jon Bon Jovi and Sambora. As mentioned in Behind the Music, at the end of the tour, each band member went their own way and departed in separate jets. It was during this time that Sambora offered the lead singer position to Billy Rogers, known for his hit single with Ike Turner, "I'm Blue". However, the band made it through and took a healthy break before their next studio effort. To date, the album has sold 18 million copies worldwide.

1990s

Between 1990 and 1992, the band members went their separate ways for a while to refocus before writing and recording their next album. This time off also helped them determine where Bon Jovi would fit within the rapidly changing music scene upon their return. Jon recorded a solo album, a soundtrack to the movie "Young Guns II", more commonly known as Blaze of Glory, (in which he had an extremely brief cameo). Released in 1990, the album featured high profile guests such as: Elton John, Little Richard, and Jeff Beck, among others. The album fared well commercially, received positive reviews and quickly achieved platinum status. The title track, "Blaze of Glory", hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and earned Jon an Academy Award nomination for Best Song. That same year, however, "Blaze of Glory" was awarded a Golden Globe.

His bandmates kept busy as well. Sambora, with the help of Tico Torres and David Bryan, also released a solo album entitled Stranger In This Town, in 1991. The album had a predominant blues influence to it and featured Eric Clapton on the song "Mr. Bluesman". David Bryan recorded a soundtrack for the horror movie The Netherworld, which was the brighter part of that year after he was hospitalized with an illness due to a South American parasite. Such took a fall off of his motorcycle which injured his bass-playing hand, forcing him to develop a whole new way to hold and play his instrument.

In 1992, the band returned with the album Keep the Faith. Produced by Bob Rock, it featured more a mature sound and lyrical content. Their fans were pleasantly surprised and the album became a moderate hit amidst the rise of grunge. Singles "Bed of Roses", "Keep the Faith" and "In These Arms", all hit the Top 40 in the U.S. Other songs on the album were released as singles internationally, mainly the epic "Dry County", "I Believe", and the crowd favorite "I'll Sleep When I'm Dead." This album is also notable for being the first in a string of albums which proved more popular worldwide than in the U.S. It went double platinum in the U.S., but sold much more worldwide.

In 1994, Bon Jovi released a greatest hits album titled Cross Road, which also contained two new tracks: the hit singles "Always" and "Someday I'll Be Saturday Night", as well as an updated rendition of "Livin' on a Prayer" entitled "Prayer '94", available only on the U.S. version. The diction of 'prayer' in the new version was altered due to a mixing error, and is heard as "'rayer" on some pressings. "Always" was originally written for a soundtrack to the film Romeo Is Bleeding, but after seeing (and disliking) the movie, the band decided not to lend the song to the producers and instead released it on "Cross Road". The video for "Always" featured Carla Gugino, an actress known for her roles in several TV shows' and films such as Son In Law and actor Jack Noseworthy, best known for his role in the 2000 film U-571. "Always" spent thirty-two weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 and became one of Bon Jovi's biggest hits.The song peaked at #4 on the US charts and at #1 in countries across Europe, Asia and in Australia. The single sold very well, going platinum in the U.S.

That same year, bassist Alec John Such left the band, the first lineup change since Bon Jovi began. Hugh McDonald, who was the bassist on "Runaway", unofficially replaced Such as bassist. To this day, there is still speculation on whether Alec was fired or left on his own accord. Jon has claimed that Such was making too many mistakes onstage as a result of intoxication while performing. Such denied many of these claims in an interview soon after his departure, but later admitted there was some truth to them. Jon has made it public that there has been contact between Such and other band members recently. He even rejoined the band on stage for one song ("Wanted Dead or Alive") during their "homecoming" show at Giants Stadium in 2001. While he has not been officially replaced, Hugh McDonald has handled studio and live bass duties since then, with rumours that he had also recorded bass on previous albums. Jon said, regarding the departure of Such: "Of course it hurts. But I learned to accept and respect it. The fact that I'm a workaholic, studio in, studio out, stage on, stage off, want to be dealing with music day and night, doesn't mean everyone else has to adjust to that pace. Alec wanted to quit for a while now, so it didn't come as a complete surprise."

With the 1995 album These Days, Bon Jovi took the mature rock sound they had developed on Keep the Faith further. The record as a whole was darker and more downbeat, with some songs showing R&B influences. As a result, These Days went platinum in the U.S. and topped the UK charts. Despite critical kudos[citation needed], it spun off only one hit single in the U.S., "This Ain't A Love Song". Nevertheless, the other tracks proved to be popular European singles, including "Hey God", "Something for the Pain", "Lie to Me", and the title track. In 1996, Bon Jovi claimed in an interview with the German magazine Bravo that as a result of the overwhelming success of the "These Days" tour, the album had sold in excess of 20 million copies worldwide[citation needed].

By 1996, Bon Jovi had established themselves as a "force" in the music industry, proving much more durable than most of their '80s glam peers. At the end of the These Days Tour, the band once again decided to take a break and pursue other interests. Tico used the opportunity further pursue his passion for painting while David started writing and composing various musicals. In 1998, Richie released his second solo outing called Undiscovered Soul.

Jon had also been bitten by the acting bug. He landed lead roles in movies Little City and The Leading Man, and supporting roles in Moonlight and Valentino, Tranny Freakout!, Homegrown, and U-571, among others. While he was free between filming different movies, Jon wrote what would become his second solo album, 1997's Destination Anywhere. The album received positive reviews and was a success across Europe. It was rumored that the record company was pursuing Jon to name the record "These Days, Part 2", since the album was somewhat of a moody progression from These Days. A short movie of the same name was recorded right around the record's release, based entirely on the songs from the record and starring Jon Bon Jovi, Demi Moore, Kevin Bacon and Whoopi Goldberg. Dave Stewart of Eurythmics played guitar on the record, as well as produced some of the tracks.

Bon Jovi reunited in 1999 to record the song "Real Life" for the movie EdTV. David Bryan didn't make it to the filming of the video for the song because of a hand injury sustained in a home improvement mishap, so the band used a cardboard cutout of him for the shoot.

2000s

After a nearly three-year hiatus, during which several band members worked on independent projects, Bon Jovi regrouped in 1999 to begin work on their next studio album. Their 2000 release, Crush, enjoyed overwhelming success both in the US and overseas, thanks in part to the smash-hit single "It's My Life", co-written by famous Swedish producer Max Martin. Crush, which also produced such hits as "Say It Isn't So" and "Thank You For Loving Me", soon became the band's most successful studio album since Keep the Faith, and helped introduce them to a new, younger fan base.

The Crush Tour, which began that summer, originally encompassed only 60 or so shows and was extended due to Bon Jovi's newfound popularity, with the band remaining on tour through mid-2001. While on tour, Bon Jovi released a collection of live performances from throughout their career in an album entitled, One Wild Night: Live 1985-2001. The Crush tour was notable in that the European 2000 leg included the band headlining two nights at Wembley Stadium. These would be the final shows at the venue before it was demolished. Shortly after the terrorist attacks of September 11 2001, the band performed as part of the star-studded The Concert for New York City benefit for victims and their families. They performed an acoustic medley of "Livin' on a Prayer" and "Wanted Dead or Alive" with a stirring finale of "It's My Life".

In late 2002, Bounce hit stores. Though Bounce did not enjoy quite the level of success of its predecessor, the album did produce hit singles "Everyday" and the title track. The band went on the U.S. Bounce Tour for this album, during which they made history as the last band to play Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia before it was torn down. The band also released a promotional album through Target, featuring eight demo and live tracks.

Following the end of the Bounce Tour in August 2003, Bon Jovi embarked on what would become a unique and ambitious project. Originally intending to produce an album consisting of live acoustic performances, the band ended up rewriting, re-recording and reinventing 12 of their biggest hits in a new and much different light. This Left Feels Right was released in November 2003, with the title referring to the "left turn" of sorts that the band took in redoing the songs heard on this record.

The following year the band released a box set entitled 100,000,000 Bon Jovi Fans Can't Be Wrong, the title being an homage to Elvis Presley's 50,000,000 Elvis Fans Can't Be Wrong. The set consisted of four CDs packed with 38 unreleased and 12 rare tracks, as well as a DVD. The box set marked the sales of 100 million Bon Jovi albums and also commemorated the 20th anniversary of the release of the band's first record in 1984.

In November 2004, Bon Jovi was honored with the Award for Merit at the American Music Awards, where they performed a sneak preview of an unfinished song, "Have a Nice Day". Bon Jovi also participated in Live 8 on July 2, 2005, where they debuted the full, final version of "Have a Nice Day", alongside the classics, "Livin' on a Prayer" and "It's My Life". On August 20, 2005, the band headlined Miller Brewing Co.'s Big Brew-Ha, celebrating its 150th anniversary. The free stadium concert at Miller Park in Milwaukee included one preview song from the band's forthcoming album.

Bon Jovi's long-awaited ninth studio album, Have a Nice Day, was released in September 2005. The album topped the charts around the world, giving Bon Jovi its career-best first week sales of over 202,000 albums. "Have A Nice Day" was the first single off the new album, and debuted at radio worldwide on July 18, 2005. The second single, "Who Says You Can't Go Home", was released in the U.S. in the spring of 2006, although internationally it was the third single release after "Welcome to Wherever You Are". In the U.S. a duet version of "Who Says You Can't Go Home" with country singer Jennifer Nettles of the band Sugarland was released, and in May 2006, Bon Jovi became the first Rock & Roll Band to have a #1 hit on Billboard's Hot Country Chart[citation needed]. On February 11, 2007, Bon Jovi also finally won the elusive Grammy Award, for "Best Country Collaboration with Vocals" for "Who Says You Can't Go Home".

Bon Jovi live in Dublin, May 20, 2006

Soon after the release of Have A Nice Day, the band started gearing up for the new 2005-2006 worldwide Have A Nice Day Tour. This tour, being shorter than previous ones with only seventy-five shows originally planned, took the band to numerous stages and arenas throughout the world. During the tour, Bon Jovi performed as the headlining act at Nascar's Daytona 500 on February 19 2006. Originally it was planned for them to be the first act to perform at the new Wembley Stadium in London, however, the construction company Multiplex who were behind the stadium's rebuilding project said the completion of the stadium had been delayed until 2007. The concerts were therefore moved to the Milton Keynes National Bowl and Hull, KC Stadium with the same performance dates.[5] Following dates in Japan and Europe, Bon Jovi extended the tour and returned to the US in the summer of 2006 for a few stadium shows, including 3 sold-out shows in the band's native New Jersey at Giants Stadium. Jon Bon Jovi thanked the crowd for their support because the group had now sold out Giants Stadium eight times. On February 7, 2006, a promotional album, Live from the Have a Nice Day Tour, was released through Wal-Mart, which contained six live tracks recorded in December 2005 in Boston. Three of these tracks were released in the U.K. in June 2006 as B-sides on the single "Who Says You Can't Go Home".

On November 14, 2006, Bon Jovi were inducted into the UK Music Hall of Fame alongside James Brown and Led Zeppelin, joining music legends such as The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, U2, Madonna and Elvis Presley. They will not be eligible for the U.S. equivalent until 2009.

With the end of the Have A Nice Day Tour, Bon Jovi began to throw around ideas for their next project. Among the potential offerings were going to Nashville to record with country stars (following the success of "Who Says You Can't Go Home"), a second greatest hits CD, a new studio album, and even new movies.

In June 2007, Bon Jovi released their new tenth studio album, Lost Highway. The album debuted at number #1 on the Billboard charts, the first time that Bon Jovi have had a number one album on the US charts since the release of New Jersey in 1988. Thanks to the band's new country music fanbase, the album sold 292,000 copies in its first week on sale in the U.S., and became Bon Jovi's third US number one album. The first single from the new album was "(You Want to) Make a Memory", which debuted (and peaked) at #27 in the Billboard Hot 100, Bon Jovi's highest ever debut in the U.S. charts. The album reached Number #1 in Japan, Canada, Australia and Europe, and reached number #2 in the UK.

To promote the new album, Bon Jovi made several television appearances, including the 6th annual CMT Awards in Nashville, American Idol, and MTV Unplugged, as well as playing at the Live Earth concert at Giants Stadium[1]. Also to promote the album, the band performed ten promotional gigs in the U.S., Canada, the U.K. and Japan, a mini-tour which has unofficially been called the Lost Highway Tour by fans. As part of the 'tour', Bon Jovi were the first group to perform at London's new O2 Arena (formerly the Millennium Dome) when it opened to the public on June 24, 2007. The 23,000-seater stadium sold out within one minute of tickets being released.[6] They also played at Summerfest in Milwaukee on July 5 to a crowd that broke the Marcus Amphitheater attendance record[citation needed].

On June 6, 2007, Richie Sambora checked himself into a rehabilitation facility[7]. This meant that he was missing for a concert in Puerto Rico as well as several television appearances, with backup guitarist Bobby Bandiera taking his place. He checked out on June 13, and was present for Bon Jovi's remaining summer concerts.[8]

When questioned on American Idol, Jon Bon Jovi revealed that the band would embark on a tour beginning in January, after playing ten dates in New Jersey in the fall. According to Richie Sambora this tour would be a greatest hits tour, so it would not be in direct support of Lost Highway. However, in October 2007 the band announced the Lost Highway Tour. Starting with the New Jersey gigs, the band will then tour Canada and Japan, with other legs in Europe, Australia and America expected to follow. The Lost Highway Tour will feature Bon Jovi's first ever concert in New Zealand, and will also see them perform at the halftime show of Super Bowl XLII.[9]

Band members

Current members

with

Former members

Discography

Main article: Bon Jovi discography

Tours

Awards

References

  1. ^ http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:hifexqw5ldde
  2. ^ http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:hifexqw5ldde
  3. ^ http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:hifexqw5ldde
  4. ^ http://www6.islandrecords.com/bonjovi/theband_bonjovi_bio.php - Band profile on official website
  5. ^ http://www.bbc.co.uk/threecounties/content/articles/2006/03/31/mk_bowl_feature.shtml
  6. ^ "Bon Jovi sell out first Dome gig" - BBC News
  7. ^ "Bon Jovi guitarist goes into rehab" - BBC News
  8. ^ "Sambora Wraps Up Stay in Treatment" - Yahoo Music
  9. ^ "Bon Jovi to play one-off Christchurch show". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 2007-10-22.

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Bon Jovi.
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