BON JOVI HISTORY

Jon Bon Jovi began playing piano and guitar when he was only 13. At age 16, Jon Bon Jovi met David Bryan and they formed a band called Atlantic City Expressway. By mid 1982, Jon Bon Jovi made several demos and shopped them around to many record companies with no responses. After releasing the song “Runaway” to a local radio station, buzz about the Atlantic City Expressway began to grow. In March 1983, Bon Jovi was officially born with Jon Bon Jovi on lead vocals and rhythm guitar, Richie Sambora on lead guitar and backing vocals, David Bryan on keyboard and backing vocals, Tico Torres on drums and percussion, and Alec John Such on bass guitar and backing vocals. Bon Jovi began to play showcases and open for local talent and finally caught the attention of Derek Shulman who signed them to Mercury Records, part of the PolyGram company. Jerry Jaffe, the head of A&R at PolyGram, christened the group Bon Jovi.

Bon Jovi: Slippery When Wet

Before the release of their first album, Bon Jovi opened for ZZ Top at Madison Square Garden. Bon Jovi’s self-titled debut Bon Jovi was released January 1984, going gold in the United States. Following the success of Bon Jovi, the group opened for Scorpions and Kiss in Europe and made an appearance on American Bandstand. Bon Jovi quickly followed up with 7800o Fahrenheit in 1985 and toured with popular glam rock band Ratt. 7800o Fahrenheit did not fare as well as their debut album so Bon Jovi enlisted the help of songwriter Desmond Child for their third album Slippery When Wet. The collaboration proved successful and Bon Jovi burst onto the international rock scene with hits “You Give Love a Bad Name”, “Livin’ on a Prayer” and “Wanted Dead or Alive”. Slippery When Wet is considered one of the most influential albums in the history of rock music and has sold over 26 million copies since its 1986 release.

Bon Jovi: The Late 1980s

In 1987, Bon Jovi headlined England’s “Monsters of Rock” festival. The high-pitched lyrics and unrelenting work schedule threatened to permanently harm Jon Bon Jovi’s voice and since then Jon Bon Jovi has been inclined to sing in slightly lower pitches. Bon Jovi’s 1988 release New Jersey became a commercial success, becoming the first rock album to net five Top 10 Singles, including hits “Bad Medicine”, “Lay Your Hands on Me” and “I’ll Be There for You” which Bon Jovi includes in live sets to this day. In 1989, Bon Jovi headlined the Moscow Music Peace Festival along with Ozzy Osbourne, Skid Row and Motley Crue.

Bon Jovi: Flying Solo

The early 1990s saw the members of Bon Jovi disperse. During this time, Jon Bon Jovi recorded an award winning solo album Blaze of Glory. The album’s title track “Blaze of Glory” shot to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, won a Golden Globe for best song, and netted Jon Bon Jovi an Academy Award nomination. Richie Sambora also released a solo album Stranger in This Town during this time. In 1992, Bon Jovi returned with the album Keep the Faith. From this album “Bed of Roses”, “In These Arms” and “Keep the Faith” were all Top 40 singles in the US.

Bon Jovi: Brief Reunion
In 1994, Bon Jovi released a greatest hits album titled Cross Road with two new songs that would become hits “Always” and “Someday I’ll Be There”. The platinum-selling single “Always” became one of Bon Jovi’s biggest hits, peaking at No. 4 on the US charts and hitting No. 1 in countries in Europe, Asia and Australia. 1994 also saw a personnel change, the first in Bon Jovi’s history. Bassist Alec John Such left the band to be unofficially replaced by Hugh McDonald. The 1995 platinum-selling album These Days produced the hit single “This Ain’t A Love Song”. At the end of the tour for These Days, the band once again decided to pursue their individual interests.

Bon Jovi: Regrouping and Crush

Bon Jovi regrouped in 1999 to begin work on their next album. Crush was released in 2000. On the success of the hit single “It’s My Life”, Crush became Bon Jovi’s most successful studio album since Keep the Faith, effectively broadening their fan base. On the success of the wildly popular Crush Tour, Bon Jovi released a collection of live performances in an album called One Wild Night: Live 1985-2001. Bon Jovi’s next albumBounce was released in 2002. In 2003, Bon Jovi released This Left Feels Right, a collection of Bon Jovi’s 12 biggest hits rewritten, rerecorded and reinvented. The American Music Awards honored Bon Jovi’s success by presenting the band with the Award for Merit. Have a Nice Day, Bon Jovi’s ninth album was released in 2005 and shot to the top of charts worldwide. The following year, Bon Jovi was inducted into the UK Music Hall of Fame, putting them in the ranks of legends such as Elvis, James Brown, The Beatles, and the Rolling Stones.

Bon Jovi: Lost Highway Tour 2008

2007 saw the release of Lost Highway Bon Jovi’s 10th album which sprang to the No. 1 spot on charts worldwide. Fans can get tickets for the 2008 Lost Highway Tour to see what ABC calls one of summer’s Hottest Must-See Shows. Fans don’t want to miss seeing Bon Jovi live in arenas nationwide. The Lost Highway Tour is Bon Jovi’s greatest hits tour and is playing across the United States, Canada and Europe. With over 120 million albums sold worldwide, fans are sure to love the Bon Jovi Lost Highway Tour in 2008!