John Bon Jovi is an American singer and composer. He received the greatest popularity as the founder and leader of the soft rock band "Bon Jovi". In addition, he is known as an actor and is one of the most successful musicians, having sold over 130 million copies of albums throughout his career.
The early years and the beginning of a career.
John Francis Bongjiovi was born March 2, 1962 in Perth Emboy, New Jersey. His grandfather, Louis Bongjiovi, was from Sicilian Italians, and his grandmother, Elizabeth Benkovski, had Slovak roots. Father John Frank Bongiovi worked as a hairdresser, and Carol's mother was one of Playboy’s bunnies.
Educated at St. Joseph's School in New Jersey, John showed little interest in science. As a teenager, he loved going to local nightclubs, assuring visitors that one day he would become a famous rock star. The idols of his youth were the stars that came from the same area as him: singer Bruce Springsteen and the band "The Asbury Jukes". John tried to imitate their style, starting to perform at the age of 16 in nightclubs. During his studies, he met David Brian, who played keyboards, and together they founded the teenage blues band Atlantic City Expressway. Also, at various times, John performed with the bands "The Rest", "The Lechers" and "John Bongiovi and the Wild Ones".
In 1980, John recorded his first single, "Runaway, " which local radio stations began to include in their playlists. The popularity of this song led John to the idea that he could achieve success nationwide. John called David, who, in turn, invited his friends. So in the group appeared guitarist Alec John Sach, Tico Torres and Ritchie Sambora. The group began to give their first performances, and during one of the shows in New York, they attracted the attention of Derek Schulman, who signed a contract with PolyGram for them. Also, on the advice of Shulman, John Bongjiovi changed his name to Bon Jovi.
Commercial success.
The debut of the group took place in January 1984. The group's album, filled with subsequently branded ballads and guitar riffs, became "gold". In April 1985, "Bon Jovi" released their next album, "7800 Fahrenheit", which earned the approval of fans of the group, but was coolly received by the press. Many critics were disappointed with the "sleek" hard rock image of the group.
Performing in a concert with Scorpions, Kiss and Judas Priest helped Bon Jovi find a new audience who appreciated the band’s tracks on how difficult it is to be teenagers. The band's third album, "Slippery When Wet", again earned the status of "gold", and then became "platinum" just 6 weeks after the release and was sold in the amount of 14 million copies.
John decided to consolidate his success by working with singer Cher, having written several songs for her and performed the part of backing vocalist for "We All Sleep Alone". He also became the producer of several tracks from her album. In 1989, he continued to collaborate, co-producing her new album, "Heart of Stone".
The band's new album, "New Jersey", is on the Billboard charts. Noting the success of the album, "Bon Jovi" embarked on an 18-month world tour.
Solo career. Reunion of "Bon Jovi".
After the tour ended in early 1990, the group decided to temporarily retire. John focused on his solo career and first tried himself as an actor in the film "Young Arrows 2", for the soundtrack to which "Blaze of Glory" he later received the Golden Globe. In 1991, he founded his music studio "Jambco Records", becoming the producer of the albums Aldo Nova and Billy Falcon. In the same year, he dismissed the manager of the Bon Jovi group and founded the company Bon Jovi Management.
In 1994, Bon Jovi reunited, but their new album, Keep The Faith, did not delight the public. Great success returned to the group after the next release - a collection of the best hits "Crossroads". Following this, in 1997, John released a solo album, "Destination Anywhere". Two years later, the group gathered again to record the album "Crush", nominated for a "Grammy".
From 2002 to 2009, the group released the albums "Bounce", "Have A Nice Day", "Lost Highway" and "The Circle", which were a tremendous commercial success. John took part in the television series The West Wing and When We Were Beautiful over the years. At the same time, the documentary "Bon Jovi" was published.
In 2009, the group released the album "Circle". John Bon Jovi took part in the recording of the single "Everybody Hurts" dedicated to the earthquake in Haiti. 21 artists took part in the recording of the project. He also appeared in one of the episodes of Studio 30.
Released in 2013, the What About Now album received gold status in the UK, with 1 million copies sold. In support of the album, the group made a large-scale tour "Because We Can: The Tour".
In 2015, the band released "Burning Bridges" (2015), the first album since the departure of guitarist Richie Sambir.
In 2017, Bon Jovi was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for his long musical history and record 130 million sales.
Other projects.
In the 90s, John Bon Jovi decided to try himself in other projects, starring in the films “Moonlight and Valentino” in 1995 and “Leader” in 1996. He also took part in the filming of independent cinema ("Pay to Another" and "U-571" in 2000). He was also a regular "guest star" in the series "Ellie McBeal" until the end of the show in 2002, and was taken away in one of the episodes of the series "Sex and the City"
In 2004, Bon Jovi became the co-founder and co-owner of the Philadelphia Soul football team. The following year, he and his group donated $ 1 million to Oprah Winfrey's Angel Network charity.
In 2006, the John Bon Jovi established his foundation, the Jon Bon Jovi Soul Foundation. According to the information on their website, the organization helps fight poverty and homelessness.
