During the heyday of MTV rock in the late ’80s, Bon Jovi was one of a kind. Unlike their contemporaries who relied on arena-rock guitars, the group’s sound was more mature. They incorporated elements of soft rock and country. It was a formula that served them well.
The band sprang from a New Jersey suburb in 1983. At first, Jon Bongiovi recorded Runaway at his cousin’s studio with backup by session musicians. The song got him noticed, and he decided to form a permanent band. He called drummer Tico Torres, bassist Alec John Such and guitarist Dave Sabo to join him. The group landed a contract with Mercury Records and released the self-titled debut album in 1984. The album spawned the top 40 hit Runaway, and Bon Jovi was on the rise.
In 1987, the band’s image began to change with the release of Wanted Dead or Alive. The song was a raucous rock ballad, and the band felt it was necessary to appeal to the male audience. Bon Jovi’s concerts were drawing sixty-percent female crowds, and the band felt it was important to balance their image.
Bon Jovi went on to be one of the biggest bands in the world. Their albums continued to make the charts, and they sold a record 130 million albums worldwide. They toured the globe and made appearances on television shows, including The Oprah Winfrey Show, as well as appearing in movies like Moonlight, Valentino and Ally McBeal until the series finale in 2002.
Although the members of the band have gone on to pursue solo projects, they still tour together. They also released a special four-CD compilation in 2004 called 100,000,000 Bon Jovi Fans Can’t Be Wrong!
Following the success of the compilation, the band released a new studio album in 2005. The band continued to tour and even appeared at a Manhattan fundraiser for Hillary Clinton in 2009 to help reduce her 2008 campaign debt.
In the first years of the 2010s, Bon Jovi released a couple of live albums for video. In addition, Bon Jovi’s former guitarist Richie Sambora released a solo album.
In 2017, the original lineup of the band performed for the first time since 2000 at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony. The performance marked a rare reunion of the original Bon Jovi lineup. The band also released a new studio album in 2020. In the same year, the band announced a reunion tour. The tour is scheduled for May through July 2020. The band’s latest album was called Have a Nice Day!, which is an eclectic mix of songs from throughout the band’s career. The tour is in support of the album. The first date of the tour will be at New York’s Madison Square Garden on May 20. Other tour dates include a stop at Boston’s Fenway Park on May 31 and a concert in Helsinki, Finland on June 5. Bon Jovi will close out the tour with a show in Moscow on July 30.