Bon Jovi facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Bon Jovi
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Bon Jovi in Hyde Park, London in 2013. 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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Bon Jovi is a famous American rock band that started in 1983 in Sayreville, New Jersey. The band's current members are singer Jon Bon Jovi, keyboard player David Bryan, drummer Tico Torres, guitarists John Shanks and Phil X, percussionist Everett Bradley, and bass player Hugh McDonald.
The band became super popular in 1986 with their third album, Slippery When Wet. This album sold over 20 million copies! It had two number one hit songs: "You Give Love a Bad Name" and "Livin' on a Prayer". Their next album, New Jersey (1988), was also a huge hit, selling over 10 million copies. It featured five Top 10 songs, including "Bad Medicine" and "I'll Be There for You".
After a break, Bon Jovi came back strong in 1992 with Keep the Faith. Their song "Always" (1994) became one of their biggest hits. In 2000, their album Crush and the song "It's My Life" helped them reach a new, younger audience. Later, they even mixed in some country music with songs like "Who Says You Can't Go Home" (2006), which won a Grammy Award.
Bon Jovi has released 15 studio albums and sold over 120 million records worldwide. This makes them one of the best-selling American rock bands. They have played more than 2,700 concerts for over 34 million fans! The band was welcomed into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2018.
Contents
The Story of Bon Jovi
How Bon Jovi Started
Jon Bon Jovi began playing music when he was 13 years old in 1975. He played piano and guitar in his first band, Raze. Later, he met David Bryan and they formed a band called Atlantic City Expressway.
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. This helped "Runaway" get noticed.
In 1983, Jon visited a radio station in New York. The station's director suggested including "Runaway" on their local music album. Jon agreed, and the song started getting played on the radio.
Soon after, Jon called David Bryan. David then called bass player Alec John Such and drummer Tico Torres. These three musicians had played together in another band. Jon's friend, Dave Sabo, played guitar for a short time. Later, Jon met Richie Sambora, who impressed him with his guitar skills. Richie officially joined the band, completing the classic lineup.
Tico Torres was already an experienced musician, having played with many famous artists. David Bryan had been studying medicine but decided to pursue music full-time when Jon called him about forming the band.
Early Albums and Big Success
Once the band started playing shows, they caught the eye of record executive Derek Shulman. He signed them to Mercury Records. A friend suggested they call themselves "Bon Jovi," like other famous two-word bands such as Van Halen.
Their first album, Bon Jovi, came out on January 21, 1984. It included their first hit song, "Runaway", which reached the top 40 on the Billboard charts. The band then toured, opening for groups like Scorpions and Kiss.
In 1985, Bon Jovi released their second album, 7800° Fahrenheit. It had songs like "Only Lonely" and "In and Out of Love". The album helped them tour even more, playing in Japan, Europe, and the U.S. They also performed at big festivals like Monsters of Rock.
To make their next album even better, the band worked with songwriter Desmond Child and producer Bruce Fairbairn. They spent six months recording Slippery When Wet in Canada. This album, released on August 16, 1986, became a massive hit! It stayed at number one on the Billboard charts for eight weeks.
Two songs from Slippery When Wet, "You Give Love a Bad Name" and "Livin' on a Prayer", both reached number one. The album was named the top-selling album of 1987. Bon Jovi won awards for Favorite Pop/Rock Band and Favorite Rock Group. They toured constantly, playing 130 shows in their "Tour Without End."
In September 1988, Bon Jovi released their fourth album, New Jersey. It also hit number one in many countries. This album had five Top 10 hits, which was a record for a hard rock album! "Bad Medicine" and "I'll Be There for You" both reached number one. The band went on another huge world tour, playing over 232 shows in 22 countries. They even performed in the Soviet Union, being the first U.S. band officially allowed to play there.
After these intense tours, the band members were very tired. They decided to take a break and work on their own projects.
New Sound and Continued Success (1992–1996)
After their break, Bon Jovi met in 1991 to talk about their future. They decided to work together again and recorded their fifth album, Keep the Faith, released in November 1992. This album showed a new, more mature sound for the band, moving away from heavy drums and wild guitar solos. Jon Bon Jovi even cut his famous long hair, which made headlines!
To promote Keep the Faith, they played shows in small clubs, just like when they started. The album sold very well and included the hit song "Bed of Roses". Bon Jovi then went on a huge world tour, playing for 2.5 million fans in 37 countries.
In October 1994, Bon Jovi released a greatest hits album called Cross Road. It featured two new songs: "Always" and "Someday I'll Be Saturday Night". "Always" became their best-selling single ever!
That same year, bass player Alec John Such left the band. Hugh McDonald, who had played on "Runaway," became the new bass player.
Bon Jovi's sixth album, These Days, came out in June 1995. It was a big success in Europe, reaching number one in many countries. The album had four Top 10 hits in the UK. The band won a BRIT Award for best international band. They also played three sold-out concerts at London's famous Wembley Stadium. After this successful tour, the band decided to take another break.
Comeback and New Directions (1999–2008)
Bon Jovi got back together in 1999 to record a song for a movie. After a four-year break, they released their seventh album, Crush, in June 2000. This album was seen as a big comeback! The song "It's My Life" became a huge hit and helped the band connect with a younger audience. The band received two Grammy nominations for this album and song.
In 2000, Bon Jovi played two sold-out concerts at London's Wembley Stadium before it was torn down. They also 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 raise money for those affected. The band also performed at the Concert For New York to honor heroes.
In 2002, they released their eighth album, Bounce, which was influenced by the 9/11 events. In 2003, they released This Left Feels Right, which featured new versions of their old hits. In 2004, they celebrated selling 100 million albums with a special box set called 100,000,000 Bon Jovi Fans Can't Be Wrong.
Their 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 big hit. A version of this song with country singer Jennifer Nettles reached number one on the country music charts, making Bon Jovi the first rock band to do so! They won a Grammy Award for it in 2007.
The "Have A Nice Day Tour" was a huge success, earning over $191 million. In 2006, Bon Jovi was inducted into 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, inspired by the success of "Who Says You Can't Go Home." The album topped the charts in many countries. The "Lost Highway Tour" was the highest-grossing tour of 2008, selling over 2 million tickets.
More Albums and Changes (2009–2018)
In 2009, Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. They also recorded a song with an Iranian singer to show support for people in Iran.
On November 10, 2009, the band released their eleventh album, The Circle. This album returned to their classic rock sound. The "Circle Tour" in 2010 was another massive success, being the highest-grossing concert tour of that year. Bon Jovi was ranked as one of the world's highest-paid musicians.
In October 2010, Bon Jovi released a new Greatest Hits album with four new songs. They also received the Global Icon Award at the 2010 MTV Europe Music Awards.
In 2013, they released their twelfth album, What About Now, which reached number one in several countries. They started the "Because We Can" world tour to support it.
During this tour, in April 2013, Richie Sambora left the band for personal reasons. Session guitarist Phil X filled in for him. In 2014, Jon Bon Jovi confirmed that Richie had officially left the band. Phil X became the touring guitarist.
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On July 31, 2015, Bon Jovi released two new songs, "We Don't Run" and "Saturday Night Gave Me Sunday Morning," for their album Burning Bridges. Jon Bon Jovi said this album was a "fan record" with unfinished songs and some new ones.
In 2016, they released their 13th studio album, This House Is Not for Sale. The album's title song and music video also announced that Hugh McDonald and Phil X were now official full-time band members. The album 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 Richie Sambora and Alec John Such to perform with the band at the ceremony, and they did!
Recent Years and New Music (2019–Present)
In 2019, Jon Bon Jovi announced that the band was recording their fifteenth studio album, which would be called 2020. The album's release and tour were delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The album was eventually released in October 2020.
In 2022, the band went on tour again. Sadly, founding member Alec John Such passed away in June 2022 from a heart attack.
In 2023, Richie Sambora mentioned he was talking about possibly rejoining the band. However, in May 2024, Bon Jovi confirmed that a reunion was unlikely.
In November 2023, the band released a holiday song called "Christmas Isn't Christmas." On March 14, 2024, they released "Legendary," the first song from their upcoming 16th album, Forever, which is set to be released in June 2024.
In April 2024, a four-part documentary series about the band, Thank You, Goodnight: The Bon Jovi Story, premiered. It tells the band's whole story with interviews from the members.
Solo Projects
During the band's first break (1990-1991), Jon Bon Jovi recorded a solo album called Blaze of Glory. It was the soundtrack for the movie Young Guns II. The title song, "Blaze of Glory", reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100. It won awards and was nominated for an Academy Award and a Grammy.
Richie Sambora also released a solo album called Stranger in This Town in 1991. David Bryan created music for a horror movie.
In 1997, Jon Bon Jovi acted in several movies. While filming, he wrote his second solo album, Destination Anywhere (1997). A short movie based on the album's songs was also made, starring Jon Bon Jovi and other famous actors.
Tico Torres spent time on his painting, and David Bryan started writing musicals. In 1998, Richie Sambora released his second solo album, Undiscovered Soul.
In 2012, while working on What About Now, the band members again worked on solo projects. Jon Bon Jovi wrote songs for a movie, and Richie Sambora released his third album, Aftermath of the Lowdown.
Music Style
Bon Jovi's music style is usually described as hard rock, glam metal, arena rock, and pop rock.
Their first few albums mixed glam metal and hard rock. With Slippery When Wet and New Jersey, their sound became more popular and commercial. By their fifth album, Keep the Faith, they moved away from the glam metal sound and had a more mature hard rock style.
Albums like Crush were described as "pop/rock" that could get played on the radio. Bounce was seen as "heavy, serious rock."
With Lost Highway, the band changed their sound a lot, adding influences from country music. Jon Bon Jovi called it "a Bon Jovi album influenced by Nashville." However, they returned to a more typical rock sound with 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 Recognitions
Bon Jovi has won many awards throughout their career, including:
- Grammy Award for "Best Country Collaboration with Vocals" for "Who Says You Can't Go Home" (with Jennifer Nettles)
- MTV Video Music Award for Best Stage Performance ("Livin' On A Prayer")
- American Music Awards for Favorite Pop/Rock Band and Award of Merit
- People's Choice Awards for Favorite Rock Group and Favorite Rock Song
- World Music Awards for Best Selling Rock Band
- BRIT Award for best international band
- MTV Europe Music Award for Best Rock and Global Icon Award
- Induction into the UK Music Hall of Fame (2006)
- Induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (2018)
- Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame (2009)
Albums by Bon Jovi
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)
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
