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Quick Facts
- NAME: Jon Bon Jovi
- OCCUPATION: Singer
- BIRTH DATE: March 02, 1962 (Age: 51)
- PLACE OF BIRTH: Perth Amboy, New Jersey
- Full Name: John Francis Bongiovi, Jr.
- ZODIAC SIGN: Pisces
Best Known For
Musician and actor Jon Bon Jovi is best known as the lead singer and founder of the rock band Bon Jovi.
Videos see all videos
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Bon Jovi - Lost Highway (5:18)
Bon Jovi - Lost Highway
Watch a short video of one of Bon Jovi's concerts featuring music from his album "Lost Highway."
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Play NowJon Bon Jovi. (2013). The Biography Channel website. Retrieved 06:55, May 21, 2013, from http://www.biography.com/people/jon-bon-jovi-9542512.
Jon Bon Jovi. [Internet]. 2013. The Biography Channel website. Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/jon-bon-jovi-9542512 [Accessed 21 May 2013].
"Jon Bon Jovi." 2013. The Biography Channel website. May 21 2013, 06:55 http://www.biography.com/people/jon-bon-jovi-9542512.
"Jon Bon Jovi," The Biography Channel website, 2013, http://www.biography.com/people/jon-bon-jovi-9542512 [accessed May 21, 2013].
"Jon Bon Jovi," The Biography Channel website, http://www.biography.com/people/jon-bon-jovi-9542512 (accessed May 21, 2013).
Jon Bon Jovi [Internet]. The Biography Channel website; 2013 [cited 2013 May 21] Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/jon-bon-jovi-9542512.
Jon Bon Jovi, http://www.biography.com/people/jon-bon-jovi-9542512 (last visited May 21, 2013).
Jon Bon Jovi. The Biography Channel website. 2013. Available at: http://www.biography.com/people/jon-bon-jovi-9542512. Accessed May 21, 2013.
Synopsis
Born John Francis Bongiovi Jr. on March 2, 1962, in Perth Amboy, New Jersey, Jon Bon Jovi knew in his early teens that he wanted to be a rock star. He formed the band Bon Jovi in the 1980s, which became popular for its power ballads, soaring guitar riffs, and well-crafted melodies. Jon Bon Jovi has also acted in such films as The Leading Man and was a recurring character on TV's Ally McBeal.
Early Life
Musician, actor. Born John Francis Bongiovi Jr. on March 2, 1962 in Perth Amboy, New Jersey. Jon was raised by his parents, Carol and John Bongiovi, a hairdresser. By his early teens, he was hanging out at local clubs, convinced that one day he would be a rock star.
Idolizing local rising stars such as Bruce Springsteen and the Asbury Jukes, Jon was playing in clubs by the time he was 16. He met keyboardist David Bryan in high school, and the two formed a ten-piece rhythm and blues band called Atlantic City Expressway. Jon also performed with bands called The Rest, The Lechers and John Bongiovi and the Wild Ones.
In 1980, Jon recorded his first single, Runaway, at his cousin's studio, with back-up by studio musicians. A local radio station included the song on a compilation tape, and it began to get frequent airplay. The success of Runaway got Jon noticed, and he realized that he'd need more than session players if he wanted to capitalize on his success.
Jon gave David a call, who in turn tapped Alec John Such, Tico Torres and guitarist Richie Samborra. During a show in New York in 1983, the band caught the attention of record exececutive Derek Shulman, who signed them to PolyGram. It was Shulman who anglicized John Bongiovi's name to Bon Jovi.
Commercial Success
Their self-titled debut came out on January 21, 1984. Filled with the group's now-signature power ballads underscored by soaring guitar riffs and well-crafted melodies, the album went gold. Bon Jovi released its follow-up album, 7800 Farenheit, in April 1985, which was popular with the fans, but less so with the press. Many critics were turned off by the hard-rock band's manicured image and formulaic style.
Tours opening for the Scorpions, Kiss and Judas Priest helped Bon Jovi build up a considerable fan base that appreciated the group's rugged, soulful collection of songs about how tough it was to be a teenager. The band responded to tepid critical praise with its third album, Slippery When Wet, which went gold and platinum simultaneously within six weeks of its release. Powered by songs like Livin' on a Prayer and Wanted Dead or Alive, the album sold in excess of 14 million copies, putting it in the same league as Michael Jackson's Thriller.
Solo Career
The band went into temporary retirement in 1989. Jon concentrated on his solo career, married karate champion Dorothea Hurley and appeared in his first movie, Young Guns II, for which he won he won a Golden Globe for Best Song, Blaze of Glory.
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