Bon Jovi is an American rock band formed in 1983. The group is named after its founder, Jon Bon Jovi.
Jon Bon Jovi was born on March 2, 1962 in Perth Amboy (New Jersey, USA) in the family of a hairdresser and florist. John also had brothers - Matthew and Anthony. Since childhood, he was very fond of music. From the age of 13 he began to write his own songs and learned to play the guitar. John then began performing regularly with local bands. When he graduated from high school, he spent almost all his free time at the Power Station studio, which belonged to his cousin Tony.
At his cousin's studio, John prepared several demo versions of the songs and sent them to various record companies. However, there was no significant interest in them. But when the song Runaway hit the radio, and she was in the top 40. John began looking for a team.
Members of the Bon Jovi group
In his band, Jon Bon Jovi (guitar and soloist) invited such guys as: Richie Sambora (guitar), David Bryan (keyboards), Tico Torres (drums) and Alec John Such (bass guitar).
In the summer of 1983, the new Bon Jovi team signed a record deal with PolyGram. A little later, the band performed at ZZ TOP's concerts at the Madison Square Garden sports complex.
The circulation of Bon Jovi's debut album quickly exceeded the gold mark. The group went on a world tour of America and Europe. She has shared stages with bands such as the Scorpions, Whitesnake and Kiss.
The second work of the young team was “smashed” by the critics. The well-known magazine Kerrang!, which approvingly assessed the debut work of the Bon Jovi group, called 7800 Fahrenheit a work unworthy of a real Bon Jovi group.
Early work of the Bon Jovi group
The musicians took this moment into account and no longer performed "Fahrenheit" songs at concerts. To create the third album, songwriter Desmond Child was invited, under whose direction the compositions Wanted Dead Or Alive, You Give Love a Bad Name and Livin' on a Prayer were written, which subsequently made Slippery When Wet (1986) megapopular.
The disc was released with a circulation of more than 28 million. Having finished the tour in support of the album, the musicians immediately began working in the studio on a new album in order to prove that the group is not one day. With an effort, they recorded and toured a new album, New Jersey, which cemented their commercial success.
The compositions Bad Medicine, Lay Your Hands on Me, I'll Be There For You, Born To Be My Baby, Living in Sin from this album entered the top 10 and still adorn Bon Jovi's live performances.
The next tour was very tense, and the group almost broke up, as the musicians went on a long tour, never having rested from the previous one. John and Richie began to quarrel very often.
These quarrels led to the fact that the group stopped recording and performing anything, and the members of the group took up solo projects. John began to have problems with his voice, but thanks to the support of the vocal coach, the tour was completed.
Since then, Jon Bon Jovi began to sing in low tones.
Bon Jovi's return to the stage
The team returned to the scene only in 1992 with the album Keep the Faith, produced by Bob Rock. Despite the very fashionable grunge trends, the fans were waiting for the album and took it well.
Compositions Bed of Roses, Keep the Faith and In These Arms hit the US top 40 chart, but in Europe and other regions the album was even more popular than in America.
In 1994, the Cross Road compilation was released, which also included new songs. The composition Always from this album was incredibly popular and became a multi-platinum hit. Alec John Such (bass) left the band a few months later and was replaced by Hugh McDonald (bass). The next album, These Days, also went platinum, but the band went on an extended hiatus after its release.
Already in 2000 (almost 6 years later) the Bon Jovi group released the studio album Crush, which immediately took the top of the British hit parade thanks to the super hit It's My Life.
The Bon Jovi group gathered full stadiums, and the retrospective live album One Wild Night: Live 1985-2001 appeared on sale, including the composition One Wild Night processed by Richie Sambora.
A year later, the band released a rather hard LP Bounce (2002), but its popularity did not exceed the popularity of the previous album.
The band tried to rectify the situation with a collection of hits in a new blues-rock arrangement This Left Feels Right (2003), which, in fact, speaks of rather bold musical experiments, despite the demands of show business to write stamped music under the Bon Jovi label.
But sales of these releases were very moderate, and the album itself was perceived by fans ambiguously.
In 2004 Bon Jovi celebrated their 20th anniversary. Released a box set of previously unreleased material 100,000,000 Bon Jovi Fans Can't Be Wrong, consisting of four discs.
The peak of fame and popularity of Bon Jovi
Only with the album Have a Nice Day (2005), which topped the charts in many countries of the world, the Bon Jovi group managed to truly return to the musical Olympus. In the US, the disc took 2nd position, but the tenth studio album Lost Highway took 1st position on Billboard.
With the release of the song Have a Nice Day, the band was recognized as the first rock band to achieve such results in the American charts. The Bon Jovi group began to engage in charity, investing $ 1 million in the construction of houses for the underprivileged in the United States.
Success on the country charts prompted the Bon Jovi band to record the country-inspired album Lost Highway (2007). For the first time in 20 years, the album instantly hit #1 on Billboard. The first single from this album was (You Want To) Make a Memory.
In support of this album, the band gave a very successful tour and immediately began recording a new album. The first single We Weren't Born To Follow of the new album in the first week after the official release of The Circle topped the American Billboard Top 200 (163 thousand copies sold), as well as Japanese (67 thousand copies sold), Swiss and German charts.
Departure from the Sambora group
In 2013, Richie Sambora left the group for an indefinite time and his status in the team was not determined for a long time, but after a year and a half in November 2014, Jon Bon Jovi announced that Sambora had finally left the Bon Jovi group. He was replaced by guitarist Phil X. Sambora later stated that he did not rule out the possibility of returning to the group.
The Burning Bridges compilation was released in 2015, and a year later the album This House Is Not for Sale was released, as well as the live album This House Is Not for Sale - Live from the London Palladium. Simultaneously, Island Records and Universal Music Enterprises released remastered versions of Bon Jovi's studio albums on vinyl, spanning the band's 32-year career from Bon Jovi (1984) to What About Now (2013).
In February 2017, Bon Jovi released the Bon Jovi: The Albums LP Box set, which contained 13 of the band's albums, including the compilation Burning Bridges (2015), 2 solo albums (Blaze of Glory and Destination Anywhere), and exclusive international rare tracks.
A year later, Bon Jovi performed at the BMO Harris Bradly Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Most recently, Jon Bon Jovi revealed via social media that Bon Jovi are back in the studio recording their 15th studio album for a late 2019 release.
Jon Bon Jovi film career
Jon Bon Jovi first got a small role in The Return of Bruno (1988), then a little later - in the film Young Guns 2 (1990), but so insignificant that his name did not even flash in the credits.
But the melodrama Moonlight and Valentino (1995) became a landmark for John - the film was praised by critics, and John liked acting in films, and the well-known partners on the set were Kathleen Turner, Gwyneth Paltrow, Whoopi Goldberg. John also starred in a short film for the album Destination Anywhere (1996) and got a role in the British drama Leader (1996) directed by John Duigan.
Of course, John's acting career did not develop as rapidly as he wanted. At Miramax, Bon Jovi worked with Billy Bob Thornton on Little City and Homegrown. He later starred in Long Time, Nothing New directed by Ed Burns. Director Jonathan Motov directed the military drama U-571 (2000). In it, Jon Bon Jovi played the role of Lieutenant Pete. Cast: Harvey Keitel, Bill Paxton, Matthew McConaughey.
For several years, John took acting lessons. Mimi Leder invited him to shoot in the box office melodrama Pay It Forward (2000). After filming U-571, John thought that filming would not be more difficult, but he was wrong. Bon Jovi also starred in films: America: A Tribute to Heroes, Fahrenheit 9/11, Vampires 2, Lone Wolf, Puck! Puck!”, “The West Wing”, “Las Vegas”, the series “Sex and the City”.
Other Jon Bon Jovi projects
Jon Bon Jovi also produced the band Cinderella, later the band Gorky Park. In 1990, he became a composer and created the soundtrack for the film Young Guns 2.
The soundtrack was released as a Destination Anywhere solo disc. John made a short film with compositions from the album on his own.
Jon Bon Jovi's personal life
Despite the huge popularity, Jon Bon Jovi is very conservative in everything related to his personal life. In 1989, he married his high school girlfriend Dorothea Harley. The decision to marry was made spontaneously, they just went to Las Vegas and got married.
Dorothea taught martial arts and holds a black belt in karate. During one of the quarrels with his wife, Bon Jovi got the famous song Janie. The Bon Jovi couple have four children: daughter Stephanie Rose (b. 1993) and three sons: Jesse James Louis (b. 1995), Jacob Harley (b. 2002) and Romeo John (b. 2004). ).
Interesting details
It is known that as of August 2008, more than 140 million copies of Bon Jovi's albums have been distributed. Jon Bon Jovi, like his mother, suffers from claustrophobia, so every time the musician takes the elevator, he says a prayer: "Lord, let me get out of here!". Jon Bon Jovi acquired the Philadelphia Soul American football team.
In 1989, the Melodiya company released the New Jersey record in the USSR, thus the Bon Jovi group became the first rock band to be allowed into the Soviet Union. The group performed in the middle of the city, like street musicians. In total, the band has released 13 studio albums, 6 compilations and 2 live albums.
For all the time, circulation and sales amounted to 130 million copies, the group gave more than 2600 concerts in 50 countries in front of an audience of 34 million. In 2010, the group topped the list of the most profitable guest performers of the year. According to research, in 2010 the band's The Circle Tour sold tickets for a total value of $201,1 million.
The Bon Jovi group received an award for musical achievement at the American Music Awards (2004), included in the UK Music Hall of Fame (2006), in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (2018). Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora were inducted into the Composers Hall of Fame (2009).
In March 2018, Bon Jovi was officially awarded the iHeartRadio Icon Award.
Bon Jovi in 2020
In May 2020, Bon Jovi presented an album with a very symbolic title "2020". In addition, it became known that the musicians canceled the tour in support of their new collection.
The band previously stated that the tour would be "at least postponed" due to the coronavirus pandemic, but they have now canceled it entirely.
Band discography
Full length
- Bon Jovi (1984).
- 7800° Fahrenheit (1985).
- Slippery When Wet (1986).
- New Jersey (1988).
- Keep The Faith (1992).
- These Days (1995).
- Crush (2000).
- Bounce (2002).
- This Left Feels Right (2003).
- 100,000,000 Bon Jovi Fans Can't Be Wrong… (2004).
- Have A Nice Day (2005).
- Lost Highway (2007).
- The Circle (2009).
Live albums
- One Wild Night: Live 1985-2001 (2001).
Compilation
- Cross Road (1994).
- Tokyo Road: Best Of Bon Jovi (2001).
- Greatest Hits (2010).
Single
- Runaway (1983).
- She Don't Know Me (1984).
- In And Out Of Love (1985).
- Only Lonely (1985).
- The Hardest Part Is The Night (1985).
Video / DVD
- Keep The Faith: An Evening With Bon Jovi (1993).
- Cross Road (1994).
- Live From London (1995).
- The Crush Tour (2000).
- This Left Feels Right - Live (2004).
- Lost Highway: The Concert (2007).
Bon Jovi in 2022
The release date of the new LP has been postponed several times. The leader of the group announced that the release will most likely take place in May 2020. However, after - the release of the record and Bon Jovi 2020 Tourruen had to be canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The premiere of the album "2020" took place in October. In early January 2022, the musicians announced that a large-scale tour would soon start in support of the release of a new LP.
The team was among those who provided moral support to the Ukrainians. A video from Odessa appeared on the network, in which a local drummer played to the Bon Jovi hit "It's my life". The team decided to support the Ukrainians. Celebrities shared the video with their subscribers.
On June 5, 2022, it became known about the death of Alec John Sach. At the time of his death, the musician was 70 years old. The cause of death is a heart attack.
