Jon Bon Jovi began as a teen who wanted nothing more than to play music, and sing. Born in New Jersey 1962, at first Jon didn't realise his true potential. After receiving his first guitar, he was not very interested in learning how to play. But as he got older, he began to teach himself, and finally forming his first band, Raze; this was just the start. At age sixteen, Jon met David Bryan in high school and formed the group Atlantic City Express Way, as well as meeting his future wife. By the early 1980's, Jon became noticed for his lyric writing, guitar playing and musical talent. By the summer of 1982, Jon moved to New York and stared working part-time; finally getting a job as a janitor at the Power Station Studios, a Manhattan recording facility where his cousin was co-owner. In periods of studio downtime Jon was given the opportunity to recorded his own material, he made several demos, sending them out to many record companies, but failed to make an impact.
In 1983, a local radio station held a contest to search for the best-unsigned talent. Jon used studio musicians to play on the track 'Runaway'. The song was written and recorded by Jon Bon Jovi, then still under John Bongiovi. After winning the contest, he signed a solo deal with Polygram, and called in some old friends to be in his band. First up was David to play keyboards, then Alec John Such and Tico Torres drums, followed by Richie Sambora on lead guitar who also helped Jon with song writing. By the summer of 1983, the group started practicing and recording as a band. The next few years were non-stop music making for the band. Their self-titled debut album Bon Jovi, was released in 1984, where the power ballads were mainstream soft rock. 'Runaway' and 'She Don't Know' (the only song ever not written or co-written by members of the band) were released. After the change in his schedule due to the band, it was such a busy time that Jon parted from his long-term girlfriend. In 1985, Bon Jovi's second album 7800° Fahrenheit was released, but the response was poor. Approximate sales were in excess of one million copies; it is generally considered to be one of Bon Jovi's lesser efforts. Only 'Lonely' and 'In And Out Of Love' were released. Jon has previously explained the title referred to the temperature at which stone liquefied. The album has generated some sort of a cult following among some fans, as the band never plays songs from this album anymore, and is not held in high regards by most fans or the band. After the disappointment of the album, Jon was lucky to find love in the arms of his first love and got back together with his girlfriend. After the previous albums, 1986 saw do or die for the band so Jon and Ritchie began writing songs.
Their third album, Slippery When Wet, shot the band to superstardom around the world 'You Give Love A Bad Name' was released as the first single. The song brought Bon Jovi much success and broke them into the mainstream. It was originally written for the band Loverboy, but Jon liked it so much that he kept it for himself. The music video for the song was an all-colour concert video (the only all-colour video song from Slippery When Wet). It also featured Soteria photogenic shots primarily of Jon Bon Jovi as well as other band members in concert. The second single, 'Livin' On A Prayer' is perhaps their most famous song, and generally regarded as a classic by Bon Jovi fans. Jon originally didn't think the song was good enough for an album. Fortunately convinced him the song was good, and they reworked it and included it on their Slippery When Wet album. It became their signature song. The song is about a fictional working class couple, Tommy and Gina, who struggle to make ends meet and maintain their relationship. However, the names Tommy and Gina were actually the names of Jon Bon Jovi's niece and nephew. This is the first time that Bon Jovi used the Talk box as a lead instrument. The video for the song featured shots of the band rehearsing, and then playing in front of a crowd. 'Wanted Dead or Alive' was the album's third single. The song is about the band's ups and downs of life on the road and in the public eye. The song's title pays homage to Jon's admiration for Old West heroes, and how he identifies with them as being both liked (wanted alive) and hated (wanted dead). The video for the song is black and white and strongly captures the gruelling life-on-the-road feeling, with several shots of the exhausted band members and footage from the band's massive 1986-1987 Slippery When Wet World Tour. When it came to producing a cover for the album, boys being boys originally wanted a half naked woman. In the end, Jon poured water onto a wet black bin liner with the words "Slippery When Wet" traced in the water and photographed it. Today the album stands as one of the six best selling hard rock albums ever and the band's biggest selling album in the USA and the world.
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 first single to be released was 'Bad Medicine', a song that compares a love affair to a drug addiction and also has many tongue-in-cheek medical analogies. It is one of the harder rocking and fun-loving songs on New Jersey. The song was featured in the 2001 film Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, in the scene where Jay first sees Justice and fantasizes about her. There are two videos for the song, one with the band live in concert, and the more well-known live video in which a crowd of young people waiting in line to get into the Bon Jovi live video shoot; it was in colour, although the quality given by the hand-held video cameras was not as superb. 'Bad Medicine' continues to see considerable airplay on many rock radio stations and has always been a live staple at Bon Jovi concerts. 'I'll Be There For You' also became a single. The song has remained as one of Bon Jovi's signature songs and a classic in the power ballad genre. The video features the band performing on a dark stage with an almost monochromatic blue colour due to the stage lighting, with close-ups of each member, most notably lead singer Jon Bon Jovi. The video footage then switches midway to black-and-white footage from a Bon Jovi concert at the old Wembley Stadium. The last to be release was 'Lay Your Hands On Me'. It is a hard-rocking song, running 6 minutes, with a long intro. By Jon's own admission, this is one of the few Bon Jovi songs that were written from a guitar riff. It was written in the studio while they were recording the album. The video for the song is one of Bon Jovi's best-loved in-concert videos, and showcases the band at the height of its glory, including a catwalk elevated above the crowd, an enthusiastic crowd, vivid lighting, over-the-top stage attire, and powerful playing. The album is the band's third highest selling album worldwide, yet, 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. However, the band made it through and took a healthy break before their next studio effort. In addition to their success in the states, the band's singles all made a significant impact worldwide, more so than in the past, a trend which would continue for Bon Jovi well into the 21st Century. During this break, Jon gave many new things a try. First being marriage when in June of 1989, Jon married his high school sweetheart in Vegas. With his abundant blond hair, remarkable blue eyes and strongly determined jaw line, his flawless features have been a decided asset in his inexorable rise to the top. As well as music, Jon had also wanted to try going solo and acting as another creative outlet. Between 1990 and 1992, the band members went their separate ways for a while to refocus before writing and recording their next album. 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 in a brief unaccredited role as a cowboy in a pit), more commonly known as Blaze of Glory. The album featured high profile guests such as: Elton John. Originally the director of the film wanted to use the Bon Jovi song, 'Wanted Dead Or Alive'. Instead, Jon agreed to write and sing a whole album; it was well received and given very positive reviews.
The band returned in 1992 with the album Keep the Faith. The album featured a more mature sound and lyrical content than any of their previous efforts. The album signified an ending to their early metal roots in previous albums, and introduced a soft-rocker groove to the album. The album turned away from heavy drums and wild guitar solos, but instead introduced a new sound of Bon Jovi, which consisted of piano ballads and long epic guitar solos. 'Keep The Faith' was the lead single and title track from the album. This was followed by 'Bed of Roses', which has a power ballad style, which made it a worldwide, hit, and it demonstrated the band's new, more mature sound after their success as a hair metal band in the 80's. Jon claimed he wrote the song in a hotel room while suffering from a hangover, and the song reflects his feelings at the time. The song contains drawn out guitar riffs and soft piano playing, combined with emotive and powerful vocals by Jon to create a power ballad love song. The video begins with spectacular shots of Richie Sambora playing guitar high in the mountaintops, and then cuts to scenes of Jon alone in his hotel room, the band recording the song in the studio, and finally performing live on stage. 'In These Arms' was the third single from the album and started a trend of Bon Jovi having greater success in the European market than in their home market. The song's lyrics are about everlasting love and devotion. The song isn't a ballad, as it's driving guitars and fast-paced beat and upbeat sound maintain it as more of a pop-rock song. The video for the song is an all-colour video, showing Bon Jovi performing at a concert on their Keep the Faith Tour. Critics and fans alike were pleasantly surprised and the album became a moderate hit amidst the rise of grunge. As well as the joy of the band reuniting, Jon also celebrated the birth of his daughter Stephanie Rose.
In 1994, Bon Jovi released a greatest hits album entitled Cross Road, which also contained two new tracks: the hit singles 'Always' and 'Someday I'll Be Saturday Night', as well as a new, updated rendition of 'Livin' on a Prayer'. 'Always' was released and became their biggest selling single. The song was originally written for the 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. It is a love ballad about a man who is deeply in love with a woman who does not return his affections. The song's powerful lyrics and power ballad-sound made it an instant hit at live concerts. With the 1995 album These Days, the sixth studio album, 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 fare, with some songs showing R&B influences. This album was thought to be lyrically, deeper and more introspective than the previous. The album has sold over 8,000,000 copies worldwide and achieved platinum status all over the world, especially in Europe where it enjoyed the most success, due to the overwhelming response to the accompanying tour. This year also saw the birth of Jon's son, Jesse James Lewis. At the end of the These Days tour, the band once again decided to take a break and pursue other interests.
Jon briefly stayed away from music and set his sights for Hollywood. He landed lead roles in movie The Leading Man, which required him to cut his hair and wax his chest; his character was Robin Grange. He also had supporting roles in Moonlight and Valentino in which he went to Canada to film it for 4 weeks, the lead in Little City as a bra tender, Home-grown as a drug dealer, a second lead in Row your boat and U-571 a war time film he played chief Engineer Lieutenant Pete Emmett. While he was free between filming different movies, 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. A short movie of the same name was recorded right around the record's release, based entirely on the songs from the record. From the album, the songs 'Midnight in Chelsea', 'Queen of New Orleans' and 'Janie Don't Take Your Love To Town' were released.
Bon Jovi reunited in 1999, after a nearly three-year break, 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' which became the most successful Bon Jovi single, hitting #1 across many countries and most importantly, becoming a symbol of band's longevity as they prevailed through many different changes in the mainstream rock scene with admirable success. It was credited with introducing the band to an entirely new, younger audience. The song has many classic Bon Jovi features, such as Sambora's use of the talk box, and a line in the second verse "Like Tommy and Gina, who never backed down" refers to Tommy and Gina, a fictional working class couple that Bon Jovi and Sambora first wrote about in the 1986 classic 'Livin' On A Prayer', a song that also used a talk box. The album also produced hits such as 'Say It Isn't So' and 'Thank You For Loving Me', and soon became the band's most successful studio album since Keep the Faith. Although Bon Jovi had never been a critical favourite, they had been consistent best sellers around the globe. Crush re-established this reputation, with typical catchy choruses and anthemic, metal riffs. The album was musically another major turning point, in the same way Keep The Faith was. Crush began the pop-rock era for Bon Jovi's music, with elements of drum machines and subtle guitar solos. The new musical direction was met with mixed response by critics and fans, some would described it as "selling out," while others praised the band for combining contemporary music with a classic Bon Jovi sound. Despite the mixed reactions, the album generated a new generation of Bon Jovi fans, often referred to by the fan base as the "Crush Generation."
While on the Crush tour, Bon Jovi released a collection of live performances from throughout their career in an album entitled, One Wild Night: Live 1985-2001. The album includes live covers of Neil Young's 'Rockin' in the Free World' and The Boomtown Rats' 'I Don't Like Mondays'. This album has sold nearly 4,000,000 copies worldwide and is Bon Jovi's 9th biggest selling album worldwide. While touring and recording with the band, Jon also had a supporting role in the movie Pay It Forward, where he played Helen Hunt's abusive ex-husband, and a lead role in Vampire los Muertos as the vampire hunter Derek Bliss. In late 2002, Bounce, the band's follow-up to Crush, hit stores; it was heavily influenced by the September 11, 2001 Terrorist Attack, owing in part to Jon Bon Jovi's proximity to New York. Though Bounce did not achieve the level of success of its predecessor, the album did produce the hit singles, 'Everyday' and 'Misunderstood'. Critical response to Bounce was mixed, with some accusing Bon Jovi of continuing with their "pop-rock" era of music. Despite the critical response, the album is held in low regard by fans as many consider it the least "rock" album Bon Jovi has ever made, especially for the fact that over half of the songs have no guitar solos. Jon had previously portrayed the boyfriend of star Calista Flockhart in the final series of the TV series Ally McBeal. The producers of the show allegedly asked Jon to stay on for a few extra episodes, so that his character, Victor, could marry Ally. Jon refused on the grounds that his wife was heavily pregnant with their son, Jake born May 2002, and so Victor had to be written out quicker than was hoped. He was upset that his character was written out in the way it was and wrote the song 'Open All Night' as his way of expressing how he wished the character had ended. Bounce hit the charts at No.2 in USA and UK; Worldwide album sales have reached 3,000,000 copies sold.
Originally intending to produce an album consisting of live acoustic performances of various songs, 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 2003, with the title referring to the "left turn" the band took in redoing the songs heard on this record. It was like a "trip down memory lane" as Jon Bon Jovi likes to put it. After this, Jon took some time to appear in the US television series The West Wing as a Democratic Party supporter, play himself. He also had a recent part in the horror picture Cry Wolf, where eight unsuspecting high school seniors play a game of lies and come face-to-face with terror. Only when Jon's character as the school's journalism teacher, Rich Walker, warns the group about the kinds of predators that lurk on the Internet do they begin to regret sending their falsified story. When the described "victims" suddenly start to disappear, it is Jon's character that takes the fall... and is killed. Bon Jovi's long-awaited new album, Have a Nice Day, was released 2005, followed by an international tour. The album topped the charts around the world and went to number two in the USA and UK. The album has been more successful than Bounce and is Bon Jovi's most successful album since Crush. The album was met with a positive response by both fans and critics, as many see it as a "return to rock". The album musically still is seen as "pop-rock" in the same veins as Crush and Bounce, but is praised for being lyrically and musically more aggressive. The album is also considered to be containing the best lyrics since These Days. The album has produced the hit singles 'Have A Nice Day', 'Welcome To Wherever You Are' and 'Who Says You Can't Go Home', a rock song with lyrics that reflect on lead-singer Jon Bon Jovi's own personal passion for his community and New Jersey roots and encourages others to never forget and to be proud of where they came from. In addition, the song's music video features Habitat for Humanity volunteers building homes for low-income families and was used to promote the organization while another version of music video features a man in dog suit. Following the release of the album, the band went on a world tour, which ended in 2006. Jon and his band have begun to throw around ideas for their next project; fans can't wait to see what comes next.