Jon Bon Jovi

Jon Bon Jovi is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, philanthropist and actor from Sayreville, New Jersey. Born John Francis Bongiovi Jr. in 1962, he begins playing music in his teens and first performs in local bands before forming Bon Jovi in 1983 with David Bryan, Alec John Such, Tico Torres and Richie Sambora. He also works with Scandal, Jon Bon Jovi & the Kings of Suburbia, Various Artists for Children’s Promise and The All Star Review.

Music career

Bon Jovi is best known as the founder and frontman of Bon Jovi, a hard rock band associated with classic rock, glam metal, pop rock and AOR. The group’s first albums arrive in 1984 and 1985, and its breakthrough comes with Slippery When Wet in 1986. That album includes the hit singles “You Give Love a Bad Name” and “Livin’ on a Prayer”, and becomes one of the group’s defining releases. Across their career, Bon Jovi release 14 studio albums, five compilations and three live albums, and the band sells more than 100 million records worldwide. They also perform more than 2,700 concerts in over 50 countries for more than 34 million fans.

Before the band’s success, Bon Jovi records “R2-D2 We Wish You A Merry Christmas” as his first professional recording. In 1983, he also records “Runaway” with studio musicians credited as The All Star Review; the song appears on a local compilation and helps launch the band’s career. Bon Jovi later releases two solo albums. The first is Blaze of Glory in 1990, a soundtrack project for Young Guns II that includes guests such as Elton John, Little Richard and Jeff Beck. Its title track reaches number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and wins an American Music Award, a Golden Globe, and nominations for both an Academy Award and a Grammy Award. His second solo album, Destination Anywhere, appears in 1997 and is accompanied by a short film featuring Jon Bon Jovi, Demi Moore, Kevin Bacon and Whoopi Goldberg. In 2012, he also records the soundtrack song “Not Running Anymore” for Stand Up Guys.

Bon Jovi establishes Jambco Records in 1991 and produces albums by Aldo Nova and Billy Falcon. He is inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2009, the UK Music Hall of Fame in 2006, and the U.S. Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2018. He also appears on Simon Cowell’s charity single “Everybody Hurts”.

Acting and public work

From the 1990s onwards, Bon Jovi acts in film and television. His screen work includes Moonlight and Valentino, U-571, The Leading Man, Destination Anywhere, Homegrown, Little City, No Looking Back, Row Your Boat, Vampires Los Muertos, Cry Wolf, National Lampoon’s Pucked and New Year’s Eve. On television he appears in Sex and the City, Ally McBeal, 30 Rock, Las Vegas and The West Wing.

He also founds the Philadelphia Soul arena football team and later becomes a founder and majority owner of the team. His charitable work includes the Jon Bon Jovi Soul Foundation, founded in 2006 to address poverty and homelessness, and the JBJ Soul Kitchen, a community restaurant where customers pay what they can or volunteer time. He works with organisations including Habitat for Humanity, the American Red Cross, the Special Olympics, the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, Covenant House and Project H.O.M.E.

Personal life and recognition

Bon Jovi is born in Perth Amboy and raised in New Jersey, spending time in Erie, Pennsylvania, with his grandparents and attending St. Joseph High School and later Sayreville War Memorial High School. He is married to Dorothea Hurley, and they have four children: Stephanie Rose, Jesse James Louis, Jacob Hurley and Romeo Jon. He also describes himself as a recovering Catholic. In addition to music and acting, he receives recognition from People magazine as one of its “50 Most Beautiful People in the World” and as “Sexiest Rock Star”, and appears on VH1’s list of “100 Sexiest Artists”.