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Jon Bon Jovi
Jon Bon Jovi in 2009
Jon Bon Jovi in 2009
Background information
Birth nameJohn Francis Bongiovi, Jr.
Also known asJon Bon Jovi
GenresRock, hard rock, heavy metal, country rock
Occupation(s)Musician, songwriter, actor, philanthropist
Instrument(s)Vocals, guitar, piano, harmonica, percussion, trumpet, horn, trombone
Years active1980–present
LabelsIsland, Mercury
Websitebonjovi.com

Jon Bon Jovi (born John Francis Bongiovi, Jr.; March 2, 1962) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and actor, best known as the founder, occasional rhythm guitarist, and lead singer of rock band Bon Jovi, which was named after him. Throughout his career, he has released two solo albums and eleven studio albums with his band, which to date have sold over 120 million albums worldwide. Тhe band was declared the second richest band for 2011, behind U2, earning an approximate $125 million income.[1] In addition, Jon Bon Jovi is one of the majority-owners of the Philadelphia Soul, a team playing in the Arena Football League. In 2010, President Barack Obama named Jon Bon Jovi to the White House Council for Community Solutions.

As a solo artist, Bon Jovi has received numerous awards for his work, including a Golden Globe and an Academy Award nomination for his solo hit, "Blaze of Glory". He was awarded an honorary Doctorate of Humanities from Monmouth University in 2001. He campaigned for Al Gore in the 2000 Presidential election, John Kerry in the 2004 Presidential election, and Barack Obama in the 2008 Presidential election.

He was ranked 31st in the Hit Parader's top Metal vocalists of All Time.[2]

Early life

Jon Bon Jovi was born John Francis Bongiovi Jr. in Perth Amboy, New Jersey, the son of two former Marines, barber John Francis Bongiovi, Sr. and florist Carol Sharkey. He has two brothers, Anthony and Matthew.[3] His father was of Sicilian and Slovak ancestry and his mother was of German and Russian descent.[4][5] He has stated that he is a blood relative of Frank Sinatra.[6] He spent summers in Erie, Pennsylvania, with his grandparents as a newspaper salesman.[7] As a child, Bon Jovi attended St. Joseph High School, in Metuchen, New Jersey, during his freshman and sophomore years.[8] He later transferred to Sayreville War Memorial High School in Parlin, New Jersey.[9]

Bon Jovi spent most of his adolescence bunking school to opt for music activities instead, and ended up playing in local bands with friends and his cousin Tony Bongiovi, who owned the then famous New York recording studio, The Power Station. As a result, his academic records displayed less than spectacular achievements and poor grades. By the time he was 16, Bon Jovi was playing clubs. It was not long before he hooked up with keyboardist David Bryan (real name: David Bryan Rashbaum), who played with him in a ten-piece rhythm and blues band called Atlantic City Expressway. Bon Jovi also performed with bands called The Rest, The Lechers and John Bongiovi and the Wild Ones.

Music career

Early career

When he was seventeen, Bon Jovi was working sweeping floors at his cousin Tony Bongiovi's recording studio. In 1980, when Meco was there recording Christmas in the Stars: The Star Wars Christmas Album, Bongiovi recommended Bon Jovi for the song "R2-D2 We Wish You A Merry Christmas." This became his first professional recording (credited as John Bongiovi).[10] He left in 1983 when he got a record deal.[11]

Bon Jovi recorded a song, Runaway, one of a few songs John wrote during his bus travels from Sayreville to The Power Station. He went to several record companies, including Atlantic Records and Mercury (PolyGram), but they all turned him down.

He visited major rock station WAPP 103.5FM "The Apple" in New York City. He spoke directly to the promotion director John Lassman, who accepted the song "Runaway" for inclusion on the station's compilation album of local homegrown talent. Bon Jovi was initially reluctant to have it included but eventually gave them the song on which Bon Jovi had used studio musicians to play on the track. The studio musicians who helped record "Runaway" – known as The All Star Review – were guitarist Tim Pierce, keyboardist Roy Bittan, drummer Frankie LaRocka, and bassist Hugh McDonald.

Runaway became a local hit on the charts. Along the way, Mercury gave Bon Jovi a recording contract in 1983, and to promote Runaway, Bon Jovi called up Richie Sambora, David Bryan, Tico Torres and Alec John Such and formed a band. After Bon Jovi claimed he wanted a group name (and rejecting "Johnny Lightning"), one of the group suggested "Bon Jovi", slightly changing the spelling of Jon's last name.

Bon Jovi

Main article: Bon Jovi

In October 1984, Bon Jovi supported the group Kiss at the Queens Hall in Leeds.

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). In 1985, Bon Jovi's second album 7800°Fahrenheit was released, and though the response weaker, it proved to be a fan favorite. 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 on this and future albums the band shot to super-stardom around the world with songs such as "You Give Love a Bad Name", "Livin' On A Prayer", and "Wanted Dead or Alive".  The album has sold in excess of 28 million copies worldwide since its release in late 1986.[12]

During their 1986-1987 tour, Jon's attempt to give it his all during live shows (plus the tour's exhausting schedule) greatly strained his vocal cords. In the band's Behind The Music special, he notes that his vocal cords were given steroids to help him sing. With the help of a vocal coach, he was able to continue doing the tour. Contrary to popular belief, Bon Jovi did not have voice damage during the New Jersey Syndicate Tour. However by the time of the recording of Slippery When Wet, Bon Jovi could no longer reach the extreme high notes heard across some of the songs in his first two albums.

Jon Bon Jovi in the Netherlands on May 26, 2006

The next album from Bon Jovi was New Jersey released in 1988.  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 a fan favorite and a mammoth commercial success, with hit songs such as "Bad Medicine", "Lay Your Hands on Me" and "I'll Be There for You", which are still nightly stalwarts in their live repertoire.

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 almost destroyed the strong bond between the band members. Sambora is noted on the albums as co-writer for many songs, yet he resented the lack of attention that was heaped on Jon alone.  As mentioned in VH1's Behind the Music, the band members note that at the end of the tour, each band member went their separate way, even departing in separate jets after the tour ended in Guadalajara, Mexico in early 1990.

Between 1990 and 1992, members of Bon Jovi went their separate ways after the very rigorous two year New Jersey Tour, which exceeded 200 shows on 5 continents.  This time off also helped them determine where Bon Jovi would fit within the rapidly changing music scene upon their return.

In 1992, the band returned with the album Keep the Faith. The album was released in November 1992. Produced by Bob Rock, the album signified an ending to their early metal roots in previous albums and introduced a more "rock n roll"-driven groove to the album. Much more complex, lyrically and musically, the album proved that Bon Jovi could still be a viable band in 90's, despite the industry's and audience's growing affinity for Grunge.

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". Always spent six months on the Top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 and became one of Bon Jovi's all-time biggest hits. The song peaked at #4 on the U.S. 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 and only lineup change since Bon Jovi began.  Hugh McDonald, who was the bassist on "Runaway", unofficially replaced Such as bassist.

Their sixth studio album These Days was released in June 1995 to the most critical acclaim that the band had ever received. With the 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 than the usual Bon Jovi flare.  By 1996, Bon Jovi had established themselves as a "force" in the music industry, proving much more durable than most of their 80's glam peers.

After another lengthy hiatus of nearly three years, 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 all around the world, 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", helped introduce Bon Jovi to a new, younger fan base.

In late 2002, Bounce, the band's follow-up to Crush, hit stores.  Though Bounce did not enjoy the level of success of its predecessor, the album did produce hit singles such as "Everyday" and the title track.

Bon Jovi singing 'Bed Of Roses' in Montreal on November, 2007

Bon Jovi's ninth studio album, Have a Nice Day, was released in September 2005. "Have A Nice Day" was the first single off the new album and the second single from the album "Who Says You Can't Go Home", was released in the U.S. in the spring of 2006. 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 made history by becoming the first Rock & Roll Band to have a #1 hit on Billboard's Hot Country Chart.  On February 11, 2007, Bon Jovi also won a Grammy Award, for "Best Country Collaboration with Vocals" for "Who Says You Can't Go Home".

In June 2007, Bon Jovi released their 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.

On April 6, 2009, it was announced that the Tribeca Film Festival will screen a Bon Jovi documentary called When We Were Beautiful. The film follows the band on the Lost Highway Tour during 2008. The film is directed by Phil Griffin and will be the centerpiece of the festival and is considered a work-in-progress.In November 2009, Bon Jovi released their latest studio album The Circle.

Solo career

Jon Bon Jovi recorded a solo album, a soundtrack to the movie Young Guns II (in which he also appeared for less than a second), more commonly known as Blaze of Glory. Released in 1990, the album featured high profile guests such as: Elton John, Aldo Nova, Little Richard, and Jeff Beck, among others. The album fared well commercially and received very positive reviews and quickly achieved double 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, but he did not win the award. That same year, however, "Blaze of Glory" was awarded a Golden Globe.

Jon wrote what would become his second solo album, 1997's Destination Anywhere. The album received very 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 producing some of the tracks. That year Jon Bon Jovi earned a BRIT Award for Best International Male and also won a MTV Europe Music Award for Best Male.

In 1998, Jon Bon Jovi joined Luciano Pavarotti in his then annual charity concert "Pavarotti and Friends" in Italy.

Other ventures

Acting career

Jon Bon Jovi is a credited actor in the movies Moonlight and Valentino, The Leading Man, Destination Anywhere, Homegrown, Little City, No Looking Back, Row Your Boat, Vampires Los Muertos, U-571, Cry Wolf, and National Lampoon's Pucked. He also had a supporting role in the movie Pay It Forward, where he played Helen Hunt's abusive ex-husband. His TV series appearances include Sex and the City, 30 Rock, Las Vegas, The West Wing, and an extended stint on Ally McBeal as a plumber who was Ally's boyfriend for a short period of time. He also had a brief, uncredited role in the 1990 film Young Guns II.[13] On January 24, 2011 it was confirmed that Jon will be cast in the film New Year's Eve as a successful rock star who is connected with the character of Katherine Heigl.

Presenting

He was guest star on American Idol in May 2007, during the show's "Rock Week" in which the contestants all performed his or his band's songs. On October 13, 2007 Jon hosted the third episode of the 33rd season of Saturday Night Live. He guest starred on American Idol again on May 12, 2010, during the results show that would reveal the top three contestants.

Personal life

During a stop in Los Angeles on the New Jersey tour in 1989, Bon Jovi secretly took a trip to Las Vegas, where he married his high school sweetheart, Dorothea Hurley (born September 29, 1962) on April 29, 1989, at the Graceland Wedding Chapel in Las Vegas, Nevada. Together they have four children: Stephanie Rose, Jesse James Louis, Jacob Hurley and Romeo Jon. Bon Jovi maintains a strong family foundation to this day.[11]

In 2004, he became founder and primary owner of the Philadelphia Soul of the Arena Football League. He appeared in several television commercials for the league, typically with John Elway, Hall of Fame quarterback for the Denver Broncos. The AFL will be returning in 2011, but Jon will no longer be part owner of the Soul.[14]

In 2011, Bon Jovi expressed interest in purchasing 15% of the Atlanta Falcons for 150 million dollars.[15]

He is also a supporter of Australian soccer team, Melbourne Heart FC.

Charitable work

Bon Jovi has worked on behalf of the Special Olympics, the American Red Cross, the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, Habitat for Humanity, Project H.O.M.E., The Jon Bon Jovi Soul Foundation (formerly the Philadelphia Soul Charitable Foundation), and other groups.

He has been named the first Founding Ambassador of the Habitat for Humanity Ambassador program as part of the international-nonprofit organization’s new advocacy outreach initiative. Bon Jovi has been raising awareness with Habitat for Humanity since 2005 when he provided the funds to build six homes in Philadelphia and built the homes alongside the homeowner families, as well as with members of his Philadelphia Soul Arena Football Team (now non existent). The construction site also served as the video shoot location for his band’s single, "Who Says You Can’t Go Home". In 2006, Bon Jovi made a $1 million donation to build 28 Habitat homes in Louisiana in partnership with low-income families on the hurricane-stricken coast. In July, 2007, Bon Jovi announced a project that will rehabilitate a block of 15 homes in north Philadelphia.[16][17] During an appearance on the Oprah Winfrey Show in 2005, the band donated $1 million to the Angel Network foundation.[18][19]

The Jon Bon Jovi Soul Foundation (formerly the Philadelphia Soul Charitable Foundation) was founded in 2006 and exists to combat issues that force families and individuals into economic despair. Through the funding and creation of programs and partnerships, they support innovative community efforts to break the cycle of poverty and homelessness.[20]

He is one of 21 artists singing on "Everybody Hurts", a charity single organized by Simon Cowell in aid of the 2010 Haiti earthquake.[21]

Political activism

As a Democrat, Bon Jovi toured extensively on behalf of Presidential candidate John Kerry in 2004, appearing at and playing acoustic sets (with Richie Sambora) at rallies for the Kerry-Edwards ticket throughout the United States.[11] Bon Jovi also played as a part of the Live Earth concert at the Meadowlands in 2007, and was introduced by former Vice President Al Gore. In 2008, Jon Bon Jovi supported Barack Obama for President, even holding an exclusive fundraiser at his home for him; he also played a 2009 Manhattan fundraiser for now Secretary of State Clinton to lessen some of her $6.3 million dollar campaign debt. On Sunday, January 18, 2009 Bon Jovi performed a duet at the Obama Inauguration Concert of the Sam Cooke classic "A Change is Gonna Come" with Bettye LaVette.[22] On June 4, 2009 Bon Jovi performed an acoustic benefit show for democratic Gov. Jon Corzine at the NJPAC in Newark, New Jersey.[23]

On June 24, 2009, Jon Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora and Andy Madadian recorded a musical message of worldwide solidarity with the people of Iran. The handwritten Persian sign in the video translates to "we are one".[24]

On 15 December 2010, Bon Jovi was appointed by Barack Obama to the new White House Council for Community Solutions. Bon Jovi's efforts with his own The Jon Bon Jovi Soul Foundation in recent years have resulted in creative public/private partnerships as well as more than 260 units of affordable housing for low income individuals and families.[citation needed] In addition to providing advice to the President on solving specific community needs, the White House Council for Community Solutions has been tasked with three key functions: enlisting leaders in the non-profit, private, and philanthropic sectors to make progress on key policy goals; providing strategic input and recommendations to help the federal government promote greater innovation and cross-sector collaboration; and honoring and highlighting those making a significant impact in their own communities.[25]

Filmography

Year Film Role
1990 Young Guns II Long haired corpse in coffin
1995 Moonlight and Valentino The Painter
1996 The Leading Man Robin Grange
1997 Destination Anywhere John
Little City Kevin
1998 Homegrown Danny
No Looking Back Michael
Row Your Boat Jamey Meadows
2000 U-571 Lieutenant Pete Emmett
Pay It Forward Ricky McKinney
2001–2002 Ally McBeal Victor Morrison (10 Episodes)
2002 Vampires: Los Muertos Derek Bliss
2005 Cry Wolf Rich Walker
2006 National Lampoon's Pucked Frank Hopper
The West Wing Himself
2010 30 Rock Himself
2011 New Year's Eve[26] Unspecified Role

Awards

Discography

Studio albums

Year Album details Peak chart positions Certifications
(sales threshold)
US CAN UK AUS NZ JAP SPA GER AUT SWI SWE
1990 Blaze of Glory - Young Guns II

3 — 2 2 3 4 — 4 1 4 1
  • US: 2× Multi-Platinum
  • CAN: 2× Platinum
1997 Destination Anywhere

  • Released: June 17, 1997
  • Label: Mercury Records
 31 6 2 4 34 2 1 1 1 1 7
  • CAN: Platinum
  • ITA: Platinum
"—" denotes releases that did not chart

Compilation albums

Year Album
2001 The Power Station Years: The Unreleased Recordings
  • Released: September 18, 2001
  • Label: Mercury Records

Solo singles

Year Single Peak chart positions Album
US US Rock CAN AUS NZ UK IRE GER SWI AUT NL SWE
1990 "Blaze of Glory" 1 1 1 1 1 13 3 16 5 2 16 3 Blaze of Glory
"Miracle" 12 20 6 8 6 29 20 47 20 — 65 15
1991 "Never Say Die" — — 86 60 — — — — — — — —
"Dyin' Ain't Much of a Livin'" — — — — — — — — — — — —
1992 "Levon" 37* 27 — — — — — — — — — — Two Rooms
1994 "Please Come Home for Christmas" — — — — — 7 + 6 + — — — — — A Very Special Christmas 2
1997 "Midnight in Chelsea" 27* — 3 17 — 4 13 9 5 8 16 49 Destination Anywhere
"Queen of New Orleans" — — 40 40 — 10 27 66 50 — 40 41
"Janie, Don't Take Your Love to Town" 48* — 18 — — 13 — 38 — 40 61 —
"Ugly" — — — — — — — 75 41 39 — —
2010 "Everybody Hurts" (as part of "Helping Haiti") 121 — 69 28 17 1 1 16 16 — — 25 Charity single
* Airplay/Radio & Records Chart, "—" denotes the single failed to chart or not released
  • + "Please Come Home for Christmas" was originally credited as a solo recording by Jon Bon Jovi when included on the Christmas compilation A Very Special Christmas 2 in 1992, but when released as a single in UK, Ireland and Europe in 1994 it was released as a Bon Jovi single under the band name. The cover artwork of the single was a still from the musicvideo of Jon Bon Jovi and Cindy Crawford and the same Bon Jovi logo as was used on the albums Keep the Faith and Cross Road and the singles taken from them.

Guest singles

Year Single Artist US Country Album
1998 "Bang a Drum" Chris LeDoux 68 One Road Man

With Bon Jovi

Main article: Bon Jovi discography

References

  1. ^ Forbes http://www.forbes.com/pictures/eeel45ehmg/2-bon-jovi-125-million. {{cite news}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  2. ^ List of Hit Parader's top Metal vocalists of All Time
  3. ^ Jon Bon Jovi biography (1962-)
  4. ^ Jon Bon Jovi: How I became a poster boy for marriage - Features, Unsorted - Independent.ie
  5. ^ Nikkhah, Roya (December 30, 2007). "Jon Bon Jovi: New hair, old roots". The Daily Telegraph. London.
  6. ^ SPIN Magazine, May 1998, p. 22
  7. ^ As he said when he came to a sold-out (over 15,000) Veterans Stadium in 1988
  8. ^ Jon Bon Jovi remarks American Music Awards, November 14, 2004. "In the fall of 1977, I was just another sophomore at St. Joseph's High School in New Jersey." [dead link‍]
  9. ^ Bon Jovi pays surprise visit to his old school Sentinel, March 23, 2006. "Students chat with Sayreville class of '80 grad-turned-rock-star."
  10. ^ TheForce.Net - Jedi Council - Interviews | Meco
  11. ^ a b c Mitchell, Ben (2008-07-01). "The Q Interview - Jon Bon Jovi". Q. pp. 78–88.
  12. ^ Thompson, Bronwyn (2008-01-29). "On a steel horse Bon Jovi rides to top of the charts". Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 2008-06-04.
  13. ^ Young Guns II (1990) - Full cast and crew
  14. ^ http://cbs3.com/local/philadelphia.soul.arena.2.1752486.html [dead link‍]
  15. ^ http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=6102044
  16. ^ "Bon Jovi to Repair Homes in Philadelphia". Fox News. October 5, 2006. [dead link‍]
  17. ^ Bon Jovi to Restore Rundown Philly Homes - Bill Clinton, George Bush, Jon Bon Jovi : People.com
  18. ^ Reardanz, Karen (September 22, 2005). "Bon Jovi Stuns Oprah with Million Donation". The San Francisco Chronicle.
  19. ^ Bon Jovi returns to New Orleans for 2009 Jazz Fest - MSN Entertainment News
  20. ^ About » Jon Bon Jovi Soul Foundation
  21. ^ Smart, Gordon (January 27, 2010). "Bring on the Brits". The Sun. London: News International. p. 7. Retrieved 2010-01-27.
  22. ^ Bon Jovi to Sing at NYC Hillary Clinton Fundraiser Yahoo News, January 3, 2009
  23. ^ Jon Corzine
  24. ^ "Andy and Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora stand by me".
  25. ^ President Obama Announces Intention to Appoint Jon Bon Jovi to White House Council on Community Solutions
  26. ^ http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/jon-bon-jovi-seth-meyers-75049
  27. ^ The Greatest | Show Cast, Episodes, Guides, Trailers, Web Exclusives, Previews | VH1.com
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