Bon Jovi

John Francis Bongiovi (best known as Jon Bon Jovi) began playing guitar and piano at thirteen. By the time he was out of high school he had already been playing in bands at several clubs in New Jersey. By the summer of 1982 Jon got a job at the Power Station Studios, a Manhattan recording facility where his cousin, Tony Bon Jovi, was the co-owner. Bon Jovi tried his luck by making some demos and sending them to some record companies without much success. In 1983 WAPP, a local station, held a contest for best unsigned bands and was putting together a compilation album of those bands. Using studio musicians — Tim Pierce (guitar), Roy Bittan (keyboards), Frankie LaRocka (drums) and Hugh McDonald (bass) — Jon Bon Jovi recorded a song he wrote in 1980, “Runaway”.

“Runaway” became an instant hit, and Jon Bon Jovi needed to put a band together to perform live. Jon recruited David Bryan (Keyboards), Tico Torres (drums), and Alec John Such (bass). Several guitarists filled in the spot until Richie Sambora took the place. With the band put together and given the name Bon Jovi they signed with Mercury Records. In 1984 Bon Jovi, under the management of Doc McGhee, released the self-titled debut record Bon Jovi which achieved gold in the U.S.

In 1985 Bon Jovi's second album 7800° Fahrenheit was released, but the response was poor. Nevertheless, its singles, “Only Lonely," "In & Out Of Love" and the ballad "Silent Night”, received widespread airplay on MTV reaching new audiences. In 1986, Bon Jovi released Slippery When Wet; it was this third album that lunched the band to stardom. The album’s third single, “Wanted Dead Or Alive”, became the band’s signature song. After touring for “Slippery When Wet” the band released their next record “New Jersey” in 1988. The Album featured hit songs such as "Bad Medicine" and "Lay Your Hands On Me" which are among fan favorites and still included in their live repertoire.

After taking some time off, Bon Jovi returned in 1992 with the record Keep the Faith. It showed some improvement presenting more mature sound and more serious lyrics. It included the hit singles "Bed of Roses", "Keep the Faith" and "In These Arms". In 1995, the album These Days was released. In 2000, Bon Jovi released their album Crush, from which the super hit “It’s My Life” was taken, along with hits like "Say It Isn't So" and "Thank You for Loving Me". Following Crush, Bounce was released in 2002, and though not as successful as its predecessor it produced hits such as “Everyday" and "Misunderstood". Bon Jovi’s latest released saw light in 2005, and topped the charts around the world, landing on the number two spot on Billboards the first week of sales. It produced singles like “Have a Nice Day”, “Welcome to Wherever You Are” and “Who Says You Can’t Go Home” that included a duet version with country singer Jennifer Nettles of the band Sugarland.