Bon Jovi facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Bon Jovi
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Bon Jovi performing in Hyde Park, London in 2013. From left to right: Phil X, Hugh McDonald, Jon Bon Jovi, Tico Torres, and David Bryan.
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| Background information | |
| Origin | Sayreville, New Jersey, U.S. |
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| Years active | 1983–present |
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| Past members |
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Bon Jovi is a famous American rock band that started in Sayreville, New Jersey in 1983. The band's main members are singer Jon Bon Jovi, keyboard player David Bryan, and drummer Tico Torres. Other important members include guitarists John Shanks and Phil X, percussionist Everett Bradley, and bass player Hugh McDonald.
The band's original bass player, Alec John Such, left in 1994. Longtime guitarist and songwriter Richie Sambora also left the band in 2013.
In 1984, Bon Jovi released their first album, Bon Jovi. A song from it, "Runaway", became a Top 40 hit. The band became very popular around the world in 1986 with their third album, Slippery When Wet. This album had two songs that reached No. 1: "You Give Love a Bad Name" and "Livin' on a Prayer".
Their fourth album, New Jersey (1988), was also a huge success. It had five Top 10 songs, including "Bad Medicine" and "I'll Be There for You", which both hit No. 1. The band toured a lot in the late 1980s.
In 1992, Bon Jovi released Keep the Faith, which sold millions of copies. It included the hit song "Bed of Roses". Their song "Always" in 1994 became their best-selling single. The album These Days (1995) showed a more grown-up sound.
After a break, their 2000 album Crush brought them new, younger fans, especially with the song "It's My Life". Later albums like Have a Nice Day (2005) and Lost Highway (2007) mixed rock with country music. Their song "Who Says You Can't Go Home" won a Grammy Award and was the first song by a rock band to reach No. 1 on the country music charts.
The Circle (2009) brought the band back to their rock sound. They continued to have successful tours. In 2013, after the album Because We Can was released, guitarist Richie Sambora left the band. Bon Jovi released their first album without Sambora, This House Is Not for Sale, in 2016. Their album 2020 was changed to include songs about the COVID-19 pandemic and George Floyd protests.
Bon Jovi is known for mixing "heavy metal" music with pop music. They have released 16 studio albums and sold over 130 million records worldwide. This makes them one of the best-selling American rock bands. They have played 3,000 concerts in 50 countries for 34 million fans. Bon Jovi was added to the UK Music Hall of Fame in 2006 and the US Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2018.
Contents
Band History
Early Days and "Runaway" (1980–1983)
Jon Bon Jovi started performing music when he was 13, playing piano and guitar with his first band, Raze. At 16, Jon met David Bryan and they formed a band called Atlantic City Expressway. By 1980, Jon had another band, the Rest.
In 1980, Jon recorded his first song, "Runaway", in his cousin's studio. A local radio station played the song on a special album of local talent. In 1982, Jon worked at Power Station Studios in Manhattan, where his cousin was a co-owner. He made several demo songs, but they didn't get much attention.
In 1983, Jon visited a radio station, WAPP 103.5FM, and they suggested including "Runaway" on their local talent album. Jon agreed, and the song started getting played on the radio. In March 1983, Jon called David Bryan, who then called bass player Alec John Such and drummer Tico Torres. These three musicians had played together in a band called Phantom's Opera.
For a short tour to support "Runaway", Jon's friend Dave Sabo played lead guitar. Later, Jon met and was impressed by guitarist Richie Sambora, who was suggested by Alec John Such and Tico Torres. Sambora had played with other famous musicians. Tico Torres was also an experienced musician, having played with many bands. David Bryan had left a band he started with Jon to study medicine. But when Jon called him about forming a new band and a record deal, Bryan decided to focus on music again.
First Albums and Big Success (1984–1989)
The band started playing shows and got the attention of record executive Derek Shulman, who signed them to Mercury Records. A friend suggested they call themselves Bon Jovi, like other famous bands such as Van Halen.
With their new manager Doc McGhee, they recorded their first album, Bon Jovi, released on January 21, 1984. It included their first hit, "Runaway". The album reached number forty-three on the Billboard album chart. The band then opened for groups like Scorpions and Kiss.
In 1985, their second album, 7800° Fahrenheit, was released. It had songs like "Only Lonely" and "Silent Night". The album reached number thirty-seven on the Billboard 200. This album helped Bon Jovi tour again, playing shows in Japan, Europe, and the U.S. They also performed at the first Farm Aid concert in 1985.
After two albums, the band worked with songwriter Desmond Child and producer Bruce Fairbairn. In 1986, they recorded their third album, Slippery When Wet, in Canada. It was released on August 16, 1986, and stayed at the top of the Billboard 200 chart for eight weeks. The first two songs from the album, "You Give Love a Bad Name" and "Livin' on a Prayer", both became number one hits. Slippery When Wet was the top-selling album of 1987. "Livin' On A Prayer" won an MTV Video Music Award. The band won awards for Favorite Pop/Rock Band and Favorite Rock Group. By the end of 1986, Bon Jovi was headlining big concerts across America.
To show their success wasn't a one-time thing, Bon Jovi released their fourth album, New Jersey, in September 1988. It reached number one in many countries. This album had five Top 10 hits, which was a record for a hard rock album. Two of these, "Bad Medicine" and "I'll Be There for You", reached number one. The video for "Living In Sin" was edited by MTV before it was played often.
Bon Jovi went on another huge world tour from 1989 to 1990, playing over 232 shows in more than 22 countries. They performed at a sold-out concert at Giants Stadium in New Jersey. In August 1989, they played in the Soviet Union at the Moscow Music Peace Festival.
The band members were very tired after recording two albums back-to-back and touring so much. After the New Jersey tour, they took a break without clear plans for the future.
New Sound and Global Tours (1992–1996)
In 1991, Jon Bon Jovi changed his management team and took on more responsibility for the band. In October 1991, the band met to talk about their future and resolved their differences. They then started working on their fifth album in January 1992.
Bon Jovi's fifth album, Keep the Faith, was released in November 1992. It showed a new sound and look for the band, moving away from heavy drums and wild guitar solos to a more mature style with serious lyrics. Jon Bon Jovi even cut his hair, which made news. To promote the album, they played small clubs where they had started. They also appeared on MTV Unplugged, performing acoustic and electric versions of their songs. The album sold millions of copies and had the Top 10 hit "Bed of Roses". Bon Jovi then went on a big international tour, visiting 37 countries and playing for 2.5 million fans.
In October 1994, Bon Jovi released a greatest hits album called Cross Road, which included two new songs: "Always" and "Someday I'll Be Saturday Night". "Always" became their best-selling single and stayed in the Top 10 for six months. Cross Road was the best-selling album of 1994 in the UK.
In 1994, bass player Alec John Such left the band. Hugh McDonald, who had played bass on "Runaway", unofficially took his place. Jon Bon Jovi said it was sad but he understood Alec's decision.
Bon Jovi's sixth album, These Days, came out in June 1995. It reached number one in the UK and many other countries. The album's first song was "This Ain't a Love Song". The band won a BRIT Award for best international band and an MTV Europe Music Award for Best Rock. They then went on the These Days Tour, playing 126 shows in 43 countries. In June 1995, Bon Jovi sold out three nights at London's famous Wembley Stadium.
After the successful These Days Tour, the band members took a planned two-year break.
Comeback and New Sounds (1999–2008)
Bon Jovi got back together in 1999 to record "Real Life" for the movie EdTV. After a four-year break, they started working on their next album. In June 2000, Crush was released and was a big comeback. The song "It's My Life" was very successful and helped the band reach a younger audience. The band was nominated for two Grammy awards.
Bon Jovi played two sold-out concerts at London's Wembley Stadium in August 2000, which were the last concerts held there before it was taken down. That year, the band played for 1.1 million fans. While on tour, Bon Jovi released their first live album, One Wild Night Live 1985–2001.
After the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora helped with charity events. The band also performed at the Concert For New York to raise money for those affected.
In 2002, the band recorded their eighth album, Bounce, which was influenced by the September 11 attacks. It was released on October 8, 2002. The band went on the Bounce Tour, playing at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia before it was torn down.
In 2003, Bon Jovi released This Left Feels Right, an album where they re-recorded 12 of their biggest hits in new ways. In 2004, they released a box set called 100,000,000 Bon Jovi Fans Can't Be Wrong, celebrating selling 100 million albums and their 20th anniversary.
The band's ninth album, Have a Nice Day, came out in September 2005. It reached number one in fifteen countries. The song "Who Says You Can't Go Home" became a Top 40 hit. A version of the song with country singer Jennifer Nettles reached number one on the country charts, making Bon Jovi the first rock band to do so. They won a Grammy Award for this song in 2007.
The Have a Nice Day Tour (2005–2006) was very successful, earning $191 million. In November 2006, Bon Jovi was added to the UK Music Hall of Fame.
In June 2007, Bon Jovi released their tenth album, Lost Highway. This album mixed their rock sound with country music. To promote it, they appeared on TV shows and played at the Live Earth concert. They were also the first band to play at London's new O2 Arena. The album topped the charts in many countries. The song "Till We Ain't Strangers Anymore", featuring LeAnn Rimes, won an award for Collaborative Video of the Year in 2008.
The Lost Highway Tour (2007–2008) was the highest-grossing tour of 2008, earning $210.6 million.
Later Albums and Changes (2009–Present)
In April 2009, a documentary about the band, "When We Were Beautiful", was released. In June 2009, Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora were added to the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
On November 10, 2009, the band released their eleventh album, The Circle, which returned to their rock sound. It debuted at number one in several countries. Bon Jovi started The Circle Tour in February 2010. They made history by playing the first show at the new New Meadowlands Stadium in New Jersey. The Circle Tour was the highest-grossing concert tour of 2010.
Bon Jovi released a Greatest Hits album with four new songs in October 2010. It reached number one in many countries. At the 2010 MTV Europe Music Awards, Bon Jovi received the Global Icon Award.
In January 2012, Jon Bon Jovi announced they were working on their twelfth album, What About Now, which was released on March 12, 2013. It reached number one in several countries. They launched the Because We Can world tour in support of the album.
On November 27, 2012, Bon Jovi released a live video album called Inside Out.
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On April 2, 2013, Richie Sambora left the ongoing tour for personal reasons. Session guitarist Phil X filled in for him. Drummer Tico Torres also had to take a short break for surgery. In November 2014, Jon Bon Jovi confirmed that Sambora had officially left the band. Phil X became the touring guitarist.
On July 31, 2015, Bon Jovi released two new songs, "We Don't Run" and "Saturday Night Gave Me Sunday Morning", for the album Burning Bridges. This album was released on August 21, 2015, and was made for their fans.
On September 30, 2015, Jon Bon Jovi announced their next album would be called This House Is Not for Sale. He said the album was about the band's honesty and how they had nothing left to prove. The main song, "This House Is Not for Sale", was released on August 12, 2016. It also announced that Hugh McDonald and Phil X were now official full-time band members. On November 4, 2016, the album was officially released and debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 chart.
In December 2017, it was announced that Bon Jovi would be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2018. Jon Bon Jovi invited Sambora and Such to join the band for the induction ceremony, and they did.
On March 9, 2019, Jon Bon Jovi announced the band was recording their fifteenth album, 2020. The release and tour were postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The album was released in October 2020. In April 2022, the band announced a new tour.
During the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, a video went viral showing people in Odesa, Ukraine, preparing for an attack while a drummer played "It's My Life". Bon Jovi supported this video.
The band announced the death of founding member Alec John Such on June 5, 2022. He died of a heart attack.
In February 2023, former guitarist Richie Sambora mentioned he was talking about rejoining the band. However, in May 2024, Bon Jovi confirmed that Sambora would not be rejoining.
In October 2023, guitarist Phil X said the band was recording a new album. On November 17, 2023, they released a holiday song called "Christmas Isn't Christmas". On March 14, 2024, they released "Legendary", the first song from their 16th album, Forever, which was released on June 7, 2024.
In April 2024, a four-part documentary series about the band, Thank You, Goodnight: The Bon Jovi Story, was released on Hulu and Disney+. It tells the band's whole story.
Musical Style
Bon Jovi's music is usually described as hard rock, arena rock, and pop rock. Their first four albums were also called glam metal. Their first two albums had a mix of glam metal and hard rock. Their albums Slippery When Wet and New Jersey had a more popular mix of glam metal and hard rock.
By their fifth album, Keep the Faith, they moved away from the glam metal sound. Their sixth album, These Days, had a more mature hard rock sound. Crush was described as being "pop/rock" enough to get played on the radio. Bounce was called "heavy, serious rock".
The band changed their sound a lot with Lost Highway, adding influences from country music and country rock. Jon Bon Jovi called it "a Bon Jovi album influenced by Nashville." Bon Jovi returned to a more typical rock sound on The Circle.
Band Members
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Current members
Former members
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Former touring musicians
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Timeline
Awards and Achievements
Music Albums
Studio albums
- Bon Jovi (1984)
- 7800° Fahrenheit (1985)
- Slippery When Wet (1986)
- New Jersey (1988)
- Keep the Faith (1992)
- These Days (1995)
- Crush (2000)
- Bounce (2002)
- Have a Nice Day (2005)
- Lost Highway (2007)
- The Circle (2009)
- What About Now (2013)
- Burning Bridges (2015)
- This House Is Not for Sale (2016)
- 2020 (2020)
- Forever (2024)
Concert Tours
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See also
In Spanish: Bon Jovi para niños
- List of bestselling music artists
- List of highest-grossing live music artists
