This page will contain wikis about Bon Jovi, as they become available.Bon JoviJon Bon Jovi Portrait by T.HO 2004Bon Jovi is a rock band from New Jersey, USA that sold more than 100 million albums in the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s and played live concerts in major cities in Asia, Europe, Australia, Canada and South America, in addition to a large number of cities in the USA. Bon Jovi have sometimes been classified as Hair metal - sometimes even regarded as the form's prime shapers - but have proved much more durable than most groups so labeled. It has been a band which inspired lots of today's bands, and also created the "Unplugged" style of performing on a MTV award show. Current Members
HistoryLead singer Jon Bon Jovi (John Bongiovi) began to play piano and guitar at thirteen, using Elton John songs. At that same age, Bongiovi founded his first band, called Raze. At 16 Jon met David Bryan (David Bryan Rashbaum) in high school (Sayreville War Memorial High School ) and founded an R&B cover band with him named Atlantic City Expressway. They played at New Jersey clubs, even though they were minors. Still in his teens, Jon played in the band Jon Bon Jovi and the Wild Ones, playing New Jersey 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 - including in a shoe store - Jon finally got a job at the Power Station Studios, a New York recording facility where his cousin, Tony Bongiovi, was the 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. At nineteen, Jon had his first recording experience, singing the song "R2-D2 We Wish You a Merry Christmas" on a Star Wars Christmas album, "Christmas With the Stars", with music by John Williams, produced by Tony Bongiovi at the Power Station and released on the RSO label. In 1983, a local radio station, WAPT, had a contest to search for the best unsigned band. Jon used studio musicians to play on the track "Runaway" (which was written in 1980). After it won the contest, it quickly became a popular song in the New York City area in the summer of 1983. The studio musicians who helped Jon to record "Runaway" were known as "The All Star Review" and they were Tim Pierce (guitar), Roy Bittan (keyboards), Frankie LaRocka (drums) and Hugh McDonald (bass). Jon desperately needed a band. The members of Bon Jovi had crossed paths in these early days, but the current lineup didn't come together until March of 1983 after "Runaway" which hit No.39 on the singles chart. Jon gave Dave a call, who in turn called Alec John Such and Tico Torres. A succession of guitarists (including Dave Sabo, who went on to Skid Row) followed, until Richie Sambora signed on. Alec talked Jon into letting Richie show what he could do, and Jon loved it. Before joining Bon Jovi, Richie had toured with Joe Cocker, played with a group called Mercy and had just been called up to audition for KISS. He also played in the album "Lessons" with the band Message, that has been recently rereleased in CD through Long Island Records. Tico Torres was also an experienced musician by then. He had jammed with Miles Davis and played live with the Marvelettes and Chuck Berry. He had played on about 26 records and had just recorded his third album with Frankie and the Knockouts (a Jersey band with hit singles in the early 1980s). David Bryan was a natural recruit. He had quit the band he and Jon founded to go to college, then quit college to go to Juilliard School, the famous classical music school. At one show, where they opened for Scandal, the band caught the attention of record exec Derek Shulman, who signed them to PolyGram. The debut album came out on January 21, 1984. The album went gold (sales of over 500,000) and was also released in the UK. The guys found themselves opening for ZZ Top at the Madison Square Garden (before their first album had been released), Scorpions and KISS (in Europe). Their third album, Slippery When Wet, shot the band to superstar status around the world with hits such as "You Give Love a Bad Name", "Livin' On A Prayer", and "Wanted Dead or Alive". The album has sold in excess of twelve million copies since its release in late 1986. On the tour that followed, Jon began having vocal difficulties. The extreme high notes and unrelenting schedule threatened to damage his voice permanently. With the help of a vocal coach, he made it through the tour. Jon has tended to sing slightly lower since then. Alec John Such left the band in the early 1990s. While he has not been officially replaced, Hugh McDonald has handled studio and live bass duties since then. Successful albums since then have included "New Jersey" (1988), "Keep the Faith" (1992), "Crossroads" (1994), "These Days" (1995), "Crush" (2000), "Bounce" (2002), "This Left Feels Right" (2003) and "100,000,000 Fans Can't Be Wrong" (2004). The band continues to re-invent itself, and a new album is due for release in spring 2005. After 20 years, and 100,000,000 albums sold, Bon Jovi continues to record and tour. Discography
Hit singlesfrom Bon Jovi
from Slippery When Wet
from New Jersey
from Keep the Faith
from Cross Road
credited to Jon Bon Jovi (solo) on some releases, not on any Bon Jovi album
from Cross Road
from These Days
credited to Jon Bon Jovi (solo) on some releases, from the EDtv soundtrack
from Crush
from Bounce
This page about Bon Jovi includes information from a Wikipedia article. Additional articles about Bon Jovi News stories about Bon Jovi External links for Bon Jovi Videos for Bon Jovi Wikis about Bon Jovi Discussion Groups about Bon Jovi Blogs about Bon Jovi Images of Bon Jovi |
|
After 20 years, and 100,000,000 albums sold, Bon Jovi continues to record and tour. In 1980, he gained renewed interest when he appeared as a supporting character in the film, The Blues Brothers where he performed Minnie The Moocher to buy time for the Brothers to make it to their own concert. The band continues to re-invent itself, and a new album is due for release in spring 2005. Robinson. Successful albums since then have included "New Jersey" (1988), "Keep the Faith" (1992), "Crossroads" (1994), "These Days" (1995), "Crush" (2000), "Bounce" (2002), "This Left Feels Right" (2003) and "100,000,000 Fans Can't Be Wrong" (2004). In 1965 he starred in The Cincinnati Kid with Steve McQueen and Edward G. While he has not been officially replaced, Hugh McDonald has handled studio and live bass duties since then. In 1959, he played the prominent role of "Sportin' Life" in a production of the Gershwin folk opera Porgy and Bess aside William Warfield and Leontyne Price as the title characters. Alec John Such left the band in the early 1990s. Cab took advantage of this and timed his concerts in some communities with the release of the films in order to make the most of the attention. Jon has tended to sing slightly lower since then. James Infirmary Blues appeared in Betty Boop animated shorts, Minnie the Moocher and Snow White, respectively. With the help of a vocal coach, he made it through the tour. That song and St. The extreme high notes and unrelenting schedule threatened to damage his voice permanently. In 1931, he recorded his most famous song, Minnie the Moocher. On the tour that followed, Jon began having vocal difficulties. Calloway's Orchestra featured performers that included Dizzy Gillespie, Milton Hinton, Adolphus "Doc" Cheatham, and Leon "Chu" Berry. Their third album, Slippery When Wet, shot the band to superstar status around the world with hits such as "You Give Love a Bad Name", "Livin' On A Prayer", and "Wanted Dead or Alive". The album has sold in excess of twelve million copies since its release in late 1986. Calloway was a master of energetic scat singing and led one of the United States most popular African American big bands from the start of the 1930s through the 1950s. The guys found themselves opening for ZZ Top at the Madison Square Garden (before their first album had been released), Scorpions and KISS (in Europe). Cab Calloway (December 25, 1907–November 18, 1994), born Cabell Calloway III, was a famous jazz singer and bandleader. The album went gold (sales of over 500,000) and was also released in the UK. The debut album came out on January 21, 1984. At one show, where they opened for Scandal, the band caught the attention of record exec Derek Shulman, who signed them to PolyGram. He had quit the band he and Jon founded to go to college, then quit college to go to Juilliard School, the famous classical music school. David Bryan was a natural recruit. He had played on about 26 records and had just recorded his third album with Frankie and the Knockouts (a Jersey band with hit singles in the early 1980s). He had jammed with Miles Davis and played live with the Marvelettes and Chuck Berry. Tico Torres was also an experienced musician by then. He also played in the album "Lessons" with the band Message, that has been recently rereleased in CD through Long Island Records. Before joining Bon Jovi, Richie had toured with Joe Cocker, played with a group called Mercy and had just been called up to audition for KISS. Alec talked Jon into letting Richie show what he could do, and Jon loved it. A succession of guitarists (including Dave Sabo, who went on to Skid Row) followed, until Richie Sambora signed on. Jon gave Dave a call, who in turn called Alec John Such and Tico Torres. The members of Bon Jovi had crossed paths in these early days, but the current lineup didn't come together until March of 1983 after "Runaway" which hit No.39 on the singles chart. Jon desperately needed a band. The studio musicians who helped Jon to record "Runaway" were known as "The All Star Review" and they were Tim Pierce (guitar), Roy Bittan (keyboards), Frankie LaRocka (drums) and Hugh McDonald (bass). After it won the contest, it quickly became a popular song in the New York City area in the summer of 1983. Jon used studio musicians to play on the track "Runaway" (which was written in 1980). In 1983, a local radio station, WAPT, had a contest to search for the best unsigned band. At nineteen, Jon had his first recording experience, singing the song "R2-D2 We Wish You a Merry Christmas" on a Star Wars Christmas album, "Christmas With the Stars", with music by John Williams, produced by Tony Bongiovi at the Power Station and released on the RSO label. Jon made several demos (including one produced by Billy Squier) and sent them out to many record companies - but failed to make an impact. By the summer of 1982, out of school and working part-time - including in a shoe store - Jon finally got a job at the Power Station Studios, a New York recording facility where his cousin, Tony Bongiovi, was the co-owner. Still in his teens, Jon played in the band Jon Bon Jovi and the Wild Ones, playing New Jersey clubs like the Fast Lane and opening for known acts in the area. They played at New Jersey clubs, even though they were minors. At 16 Jon met David Bryan (David Bryan Rashbaum) in high school (Sayreville War Memorial High School ) and founded an R&B cover band with him named Atlantic City Expressway. At that same age, Bongiovi founded his first band, called Raze. Lead singer Jon Bon Jovi (John Bongiovi) began to play piano and guitar at thirteen, using Elton John songs. It has been a band which inspired lots of today's bands, and also created the "Unplugged" style of performing on a MTV award show. Bon Jovi have sometimes been classified as Hair metal - sometimes even regarded as the form's prime shapers - but have proved much more durable than most groups so labeled. Bon Jovi is a rock band from New Jersey, USA that sold more than 100 million albums in the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s and played live concerts in major cities in Asia, Europe, Australia, Canada and South America, in addition to a large number of cities in the USA. 2003 "All About Lovin' You" #9 UK, #31 AU. 2002 "Misunderstood" #21 UK, #33 AU. 2002 "Everyday" #5 UK, #5 AU. 2001 "One Wild Night" #10 UK, #35 AU. 2000 "Thank You for Loving Me" #12 UK, #34 AU. 2000 "Say It Isn't So" #10 UK, #9 AU. 2000 "It's My Life" #33 US, #3 UK, #5 AU. 1999 "Real Life" #21 UK, #52 AU. 1996 "Hey God" #13 UK. 1996 "These Days" #7 UK, #38 AU. 1995 "Lie to Me" #10 UK, #20 AU. 1995 "Something for the Pain" #8 UK, #14 AU. 1995 "This Ain't a Love Song" #14 US, #6 UK, #4 AU. 1995 "Someday I'll Be Saturday Night" #7 UK, #10 AU. 1994 "Please Come Home for Christmas" #7 UK. 1994 "Always" #4 US, #2 UK, #2 AU. 1994 "Dry County" #9 UK, #31 AU. 1993 "I Believe" #11 UK, #40 AU. 1993 "I'll Sleep When I'm Dead" #17 UK, #24 AU. 1993 "In These Arms" #27 US, #9 UK, #10 AU. 1993 "Bed of Roses" #10 US, #13 UK, #10 AU. 1992 "Keep the Faith" #28 US, #5 UK, #10 AU. 1989 "Living in Sin" #9 US, #35 UK. 1989 "Lay Your Hands on Me" #7 US, #18 UK, #23 AU. 1989 "I'll Be There for You" #1 US, #18 UK, #23 AU. 1988 "Born to Be My Baby" #3 US, #22 UK, #30 AU. 1988 "Bad Medicine" #1 US, #17 UK, #15 AU. 1987 "Never Say Goodbye" #21 UK. 1987 "Wanted Dead or Alive" #7 US, #13 UK. 1986 "Livin' on a Prayer" #1 US, #4 UK. 1986 "You Give Love a Bad Name" #1 US, #14 UK. 1984 "Runaway" #39 US. 100 Million Bon Jovi Fans Can't Be Wrong (Box Set) (Nov 2004). This Left Feels Right (2003); #14 US, #4 UK. Bounce (October 2002); #2 US, #2 UK, US sales: 500,000. One Wild Night Live 1985-2001 (May 2001); #20 US, #2 UK. Crush (June 2000); #9 US, #1 UK, US sales: 2,000,000. These Days (July 1995); #9 US, #1 UK, US sales: 1,000,000. Crossroad (October 1994); #8 US, #1 UK, US sales: 4,000,000. Keep the Faith (November 1992); #5 US, #1 UK, US sales: 2,000,000. New Jersey (September 1988); #1 US, #1 UK, US sales: 7,000,000. Slippery When Wet (August 1986); #1 US, #6 UK, US sales: 12,000,000. 7800 Fahrenheit (April 1985); #37 US, #28 UK, US sales: 1,000,000. Bon Jovi (January 1984); #43 US, US sales: 2,000,000. David Bryan - keyboards. Tico Torres - drums. Richie Sambora - lead guitar. Jon Bon Jovi - vocals/guitar. |