Jon Bon Jovi and the rest of the members of bon jovi are well-known to many music fans. The group has sold over 130 million albums filled with rock anthems, making them one of the top selling modern bands. The band from Sayreville, New Jersey has remained in the public eye for decades and continues to tour the world, bringing their hits to their dedicated fans. However, what is less known is the behind-the-scenes drama that has plagued the band in recent years. Author Bryan Reesman reveals the truth about the five guys from New Jersey in his book, Bon Jovi: The Story.
Jon Bongiovi began his career as a drummer and songwriter in the early 1980s. He formed a band with the help of a friend called Raze, and the group began to make a name for themselves playing local clubs and opening for bigger acts in the area. Skipping college (“There was no plan B”), he went on to work as a gofer at a Manhattan recording studio. There he met the guitarist and songwriter who would become his bandmate in Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora.
After several radio stations in New York started playing a song called “Runaway,” the band began getting attention from music industry execs and record labels. Pamela Maher, a friend of the band, suggested they take their last name and combine it with another popular two-word group, Van Halen, creating Bon Jovi. The band quickly landed a deal with Mercury Records and released their self-titled debut album in 1984.
Over the course of their storied career, Bon Jovi has stayed true to their hard-rock roots while expanding into many other genres and introducing themselves to a large and diverse audience. Despite a brief hiatus in 1999, the band continued to release successful albums. One of the most notable releases was Crush, a pop-driven effort that broke them into the mainstream and fueled their biggest hit in over a decade, the title track.
Bon Jovi has also made several movies and television shows, ranging from the action-adventure ‘Bad Medicine’ to a romantic comedy starring Katherine Heigl called New Year’s Eve. In addition, the band has been involved in philanthropy, including helping to restore a block of homes in north Philadelphia.
In the ’90s, Jon Bon Jovi took on some acting roles as well, appearing in Moonlight and Valentino, as well as a few episodes of Ally McBeal. More recently, he has been working on his solo projects.
After Sambora’s departure from the band in 2013, Phil X stepped up as the replacement, and officially became a member in 2016. He has a long list of credits as a session musician, having worked with the likes of Kelly Clarkson, Alice Cooper, and Avril Lavigne, and he now has his own country-rock act called The Drills. He was also a key player in the 2016 documentary Hired Gun, which puts the world’s session musicians front and center.