John Francis Bongiovi Jr. (born March 2, 1962), known professionally asJon Bon Jovi, is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, and actor. He is best known as the founder andfrontman of the rock bandBon Jovi, which was formed in 1983. He has released 16 studio albums with his band as well as two solo albums.
Bon Jovi was inducted into theSongwriters Hall of Fame in 2009.[1][2] In 2012, he ranked number 50 on the list ofBillboard magazine's "Power 100", a ranking of "The Most Powerful and Influential People in the Music Business".[3]
John Francis Bongiovi Jr. was born inPerth Amboy, New Jersey. His father John Francis Bongiovi Sr. (born 1930) was a barber and a former Marine. His mother Carol (née Sharkey; 1940–2024), also a former Marine, was a florist andPlayboy Bunny.[4][5] His father was ofItalian andSlovak ancestry; the nameBongiovi comes fromSciacca,Sicily. His mother was of German and Russian descent.[6][7]
Bon Jovi began playing music in 1974, when he formed his first band Raze and took part in a talent contest at his school.[11][12] At 16, he formed a band called Atlantic City Expressway and was joined byDavid Bryan, who would later become a member of the Bon Jovi band.[11][13] 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.[13][14] By 1980, he had formed his first original band, the Rest; the band opened for New Jersey acts such asSouthside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes.[13][15][16]
At the time, Bon Jovi ran errands between gigs at thePower Station recording studio owned by his cousinTony Bongiovi. One day, he was sweeping the floor as Disco producerMeco was in the studio recordingChristmas 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).[17][18]
In March 1983, Bon Jovi called bassistAlec John Such and Such called experienced drummerTico Torres and guitaristRichie Sambora.[19] Bon Jovi, Sambora, Such, Bryan, and Torres became the founding members of the bandBon Jovi.[20] In 1984 and 1985, Bon Jovi released its first two albums.[21]
In 1986, the band achieved widespread success and global recognition with its third album,Slippery When Wet,[21][22] which had sold 28 million copies worldwide as of 2011.[17]Slippery When Wet included three Top 10 singles, two of which--"You Give Love a Bad Name" and "Livin' on a Prayer"--reached number one.[23]
The song "Next 100 years" from the album Crush, written by him andSambora, is a self cover. The Japanese version, with lyrics byB'z'sKoshi Inaba, was recorded first in 1999 byJohnny & Associates's special unit calledJ-Friends as part of the relief efforts for the 1995Great Hanshin earthquake. The live version of the song was also included in a DVD released in April 2003, "J-FRIENDS Never Ending Spirit 1997-2003". It included performances from several of the agency's groups, as well as by the special unit.[24][25][26][27][28][29][30]
As of 2019, Bon Jovi has released 15 studio albums, five compilations and three live albums. The band has sold more than 130 million records worldwide, making it one of thebestselling American rock bands.[31] Bon Jovi has performed more than 2,700 concerts in over 50 countries for more than 34 million fans.[32][33] Bon Jovi was inducted into theUK Music Hall of Fame in 2006, and into the U.S.Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2018.[34]
In 2012, Jon Bon Jovi recorded a soundtrack to the movieStand Up Guys. The soundtrack is commonly known asNot Running Anymore. On December 13, 2012, it was announced that "Not Running Anymore" would be nominated for aGolden Globe Award.[40][better source needed]
In 2020, Jon Bon Jovi released a Christmas single calledA Jon Bon Jovi Christmas, with three new holiday songs.[41][better source needed]
In 2004, Bon Jovi became founder and primary owner of thePhiladelphia Soul of theArena Football League. He appeared in several television commercials for the league, typically withJohn Elway, Hall of Fame quarterback for theDenver Broncos and co-owner of the AFL'sColorado Crush. Bon Jovi is no longer part owner of the Soul.[47] In 2011, Bon Jovi expressed interest in purchasing 15% of theAtlanta Falcons for $150 million.[48]
On June 8, 2024,[50] Jon Bon Jovi opened a rooftop restaurant and bar in Nashville, Tennessee, located at 405Broadway.[51] JBJ's is a Bon Jovi and rock music themed restaurant and bar.[52] It hosts live music daily. The restaurant is multi-leveled, with each level having a balcony looking down upon the stage in the center of the venue.[53][54] The grand opening included a performance by Bon Jovi and the rest of the band, which was their first full band live performance since the end of the 2022 tour.[55] The grand opening was attended byVince Neil ofMötley Crue, Jeremy and Ajay Popoff fromLit,Big Kenny,Jelly Roll, andJamie O'Neal, amongst others.[52]
JBJ's also features the first ever permanent installation of a Proto hologram machine in a music venue, which can show Jon Bon Jovi and his band's holograms and "beam in" special guests.[56]
Philanthropy
Bon Jovi in April 2009
During an appearance onThe Oprah Winfrey Show in 2005, Bon Jovi (the band, not the individual) donated $1 million to the Angel Network foundation.[57]
In July 2007, Jon Bon Jovi announced a project that would rehabilitate a block of 15 homes inNorth Philadelphia.[58][59]
The Jon Bon Jovi Soul Foundation (formerly the Philadelphia Soul Charitable Foundation) was founded in 2006. It supports community efforts to break the cycle of poverty and homelessness.[60][61] On October 19, 2011, it opened the JBJ Soul Kitchen, a community restaurant inRed Bank, New Jersey, where patrons pay what they can afford for their meals, either with money or by volunteering work.[62] As of 2023[update], three additional locations have been opened—one inToms River, another at theNewark campus of Rutgers University,[63] and a third one inside the Gilligan Student Union atNew Jersey City University.[64]
During a stop inLos Angeles on theNew Jersey Syndicate Tour in 1989, Bon Jovi secretly took a trip toLas Vegas, where he married his high school sweetheart, Dorothea Hurley, on April 29 at theGraceland Wedding Chapel. The couple have four children: a daughter, Stephanie, born in 1993; and three sons, Jesse,Jake, and Romeo, born in 1995, 2002, and 2004, respectively.[78][79] TheBritishactressMillie Bobby Brown is his daughter-in-law; she married his son Jake in May 2024.[80]
A former resident ofRumson, New Jersey, Bon Jovi established his Sanctuary Sound recording studio in the basement of his home there.[81][82]
In October 2021, Bon Jovi tested positive forCOVID-19 at a fan event in Florida.[86] He was reported as fully vaccinated and "feeling great".[87] He had recovered from the disease by November 12, 2021.[88] In April 2022, Bon Jovi spoke of how much his COVID-19 experience had affected him, including in his songwriting, saying about COVID-19 that it made him realize "how volatile we are and how fragile life is. It didn't matter if you were young or old, American or Egyptian, no matter who you were or where you were from, the COVID-19 pandemic affected you. I was aware of that when I was writing the record."[89]
^Billen, Andrew (November 15, 2006)."Jon Bon Jovi: How I became a poster boy for marriage". Independent.ie. RetrievedDecember 20, 2011.His father was of Sicilian-Slovakian stock, his mother a German-Russian Playboy bunny-turned-florist.
^Nikkhah, Roya (December 30, 2007)."Jon Bon Jovi: New hair, old roots".The Daily Telegraph. London.Archived from the original on January 11, 2022.His father and mother - a German/Russian Playboy bunny turned florist
^Whitewood, Alan (December 24, 2012)."Bon Jovi Keep the Faith". Island Pulse. Archived fromthe original on December 13, 2013. RetrievedDecember 31, 2012.Their first notable album wasSlippery When Wet, a USA No. 1 that stalled at No. 6 here in 1986. In all that album spawned four hit singles in the UK.
^Intindola, Brendan."Rich and famous mourn Wall Street's John Mulheren",Forbes, December 19, 2003, backed up by theInternet Archive as of March 2, 2004. Accessed September 27, 2015. "Mr. Bon Jovi, a fellow resident of Rumson and lead singer of the rock band Bon Jovi, was among the long line of mourners who stood outside waiting to enter the gray, shingled church."
^The Bon Jovi Library,Island Records, backed up by theInternet Archive as of August 30, 2006. Accessed September 27, 2015. "Sanctuary Sound was originally built in the basement of Jon Bon Jovi's Rumson ranch home."
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