Beginnings in 1987 Jon Bon Jovi began playing music in 1974, when he formed his first band Raze and took part in a talent contest at his school. At 16, he formed a band called Atlantic City Expressway and was joined by
David Bryan, who would later become a member of the Bon Jovi band. Still in his teens, Bon Jovi played in the band John Bongiovi and the Wild Ones, performing in clubs such as the Fast Lane and opening for local acts. By 1980, he had formed his first original band, the Rest; the band opened for New Jersey acts such as
Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes. In late 1979, Jon Bon Jovi joined the band The Rest—founded by guitarist Jack Ponti—with whom he began writing his first songs, including "Shot Through the Heart", which years later would appear on Bon Jovi's debut album. However, after receiving no record offers, Ponti decided to disband the group. By mid-1980, out of school and working part-time at a women's shoe store, Jon Bon Jovi took a job at the
Power Station Studios, a
Manhattan recording facility where his cousin
Tony Bongiovi was co-owner. One day, he was sweeping the floor as Disco producer
Meco was in the studio recording
Christmas in the Stars: The Star Wars Christmas Album. Meco suggested that Bon Jovi sing "
R2-D2 We Wish You a Merry Christmas", which became his first professional recording (credited as John Bongiovi). In 1981, Bon Jovi made his television debut with the John Bongiovi Band on
The Uncle Floyd Show.
Bon Jovi in 2006 Jon Bon Jovi made several
demosincluding one produced by
Billy Squierand sent them to record companies, though failing to make an impact. In 1982, Jon recorded "Runaway" in his cousin's studio, backed up by studio musicians. He spoke with DJ Chip Hobart and to the promotion director, John Lassman, who suggested Jon let WAPP include the song "
Runaway" on the station's compilation album of local homegrown talent. Jon was reluctant, but eventually gave them the song, which he had re-recorded in 1982 (following a rough early recording in 1981) with local studio musicians whom he designated The All Star Reviewguitarist
Tim Pierce, keyboardist
Roy Bittan (from
Bruce Springsteen's
E Street Band), drummer
Frankie LaRocka, and bassist
Hugh McDonald. The song began to get airplay in the New York area, then other sister stations in major markets picked up the song. In March 1983, for a short tour supporting "Runaway", Jon Bon Jovi called David Bryan, who in turn called bassist
Alec John Such and drummer
Tico Torres, both formerly of the band Phantom's Opera. Jon saw and was impressed with hometown guitarist
Richie Sambora, who was recommended by Such and Torres. Once the band began playing showcases and opening for local talent, they caught the attention of record executive
Derek Shulman, who signed them to
Mercury Records and who was part of the
PolyGram company. Because Jon Bon Jovi wanted a group name, Pamela Maher, a friend of Richard Fischer and an employee of
Doc McGhee, suggested they call themselves Bon Jovi, following the example of the other famous two-word bands such as
Van Halen. This name was chosen instead of the original idea of Johnny Electric. Maher's suggestion of the name was met with little enthusiasm, but two years later they hit the charts under that name. With the help of their new manager
Doc McGhee they recorded the band's debut album,
Bon Jovi, which was released on January 21, 1984. The album included the band's first hit single, "
Runaway", reaching the top forty on the
Billboard Hot 100. In 1985, Bon Jovi's second album, , was released. The album certified Gold by
RIAA. which had sold 30 million copies worldwide. The first two singles from the album, "
You Give Love a Bad Name" and "
Livin' on a Prayer", both hit number one on the
Billboard Hot 100. Its 1988 sequel
New Jersey, and 1992's
Keep the Faith were all international hits, each selling over ten million copies worldwide. They incorporated elements of soft rock and country, moves that helped them sustain their popularity into the 21st century. As of 2022, Bon Jovi has released 16 studio albums, three compilations and two live albums. The band has sold more than 149 million records worldwide, making it one of the
bestselling American rock bands. Bon Jovi has performed more than 3,000 concerts in over 50 countries for more than 35 million fans. Bon Jovi was inducted into the
UK Music Hall of Fame in 2006 and into the U.S.
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2018.
Solo career The exhaustion of recording
Slippery When Wet and
New Jersey back to back and going on highly paced world tours took its toll. By the end of the
New Jersey tour, the band had 16 months of concerts under its belt. The bandmates were exhausted physically, mentally and emotionally. Following the final tour date in Mexico, and without any clear plans for their future, the members of the band simply went home. The band has since stated that there were few if any goodbyes between them. During the time they took off from the scene, members of the band retreated to
their own projects and showed no desire to make another album. and won a
Golden Globe as well. The song also earned Jon Bon Jovi an
Academy Award nomination and a
Grammy Award nomination. In 1991, Jon Bon Jovi started his own label, Jambco Records, and produced
Aldo Nova's album
Blood on the Bricks and
Billy Falcon's album
Pretty Blue World. Jon Bon Jovi's second solo album was 1997's
Destination Anywhere. A short movie of the same name was based entirely on the songs from the record; it starred Jon Bon Jovi,
Demi Moore,
Kevin Bacon and
Whoopi Goldberg. The film debuted in 1997 on both
MTV and
VH1. In 2012, Jon Bon Jovi recorded a soundtrack to the movie
Stand Up Guys. The soundtrack is commonly known as
Not Running Anymore. The song "Not Running Anymore" was nominated for a
Golden Globe Award that year. ==Other ventures==