Jon Bon Jovi

Jon Bon Jovi is the lead singer and songwriter for the American rock band Bon Jovi. He started the band in 1984 when they released their first self-titled album.

Biography

Jon Bon Jovi was born on 2nd March 1962 to parents John Francis Bongiovi, Sr and Carol Sharkey in New Jersey. His full name given at birth was John Francis Bongiovi, Jr although he later changed this at the suggestion of Polygram's then A&R chief Jerry Jaffe prior to forming Bon Jovi the band. He also dropped the 'h' from his first name to spell Jon.

His most notable early recording was a contribution to Christmas In The Stars: The Star Wars Christmas Album, singing the song R2D2 We Wish You A Merry Christmas. After forming Bon Jovi, he and the group worked solidly between 1984 and 1990, releasing albums Bon Jovi (1984), 7800° Fahrenheit (1985), Slippery When Wet (1986) and New Jersey (1988).

After touring relentlessly in support of the New Jersey album, the band's morale was low and they were on the point of sliptting permanently. As it was, when the tour ended, the members of Bon Jovi went their seperate ways and Jon later recorded and released his first solo album, the soundtrack to the Young Guns II movie, Blaze Of Glory. The album featured all-star appearances by Elton John, Jeff Beck, Little Richard and Aldo Nova.

When Bon Jovi regrouped, they recorded and released Keep The Faith in 1992, four years after New Jersey. The sound of this album was a departure from the hook-laden pop-rock of the previous two albums, and managed to keep the band relevant in an era where the grunge movement was taking attention away from Bon Jovi's peers.

After a greatest hits release in 1994, the band released These Days in 1995. Two years later, Jon released his second solo album, Destination Anywhere, to positive reviews and commercial success.

In the new millennium, Bon Jovi released Crush featuring collaborations with Backstreet Boys producer Max Martin. Two years later, the band released the Bounce which was not quite as successful as its predecessor.

Following from the Crush album, the band released This Left Feels Right, a collection of reinterpreted classics such as Living On A Prayer and Wanted Dead Or Alive. Their ninth studio album, Have A Nice Day was released in September 2005, marking the introduction of a more country-tinged sound for the band.

Jon Bon Jovi Solo Albums

• The Power Station Years: The Unreleased Recordings
• Blaze Of Glory (1990)
• Destination Anywhere (1997)

Bon Jovi Albums

• Bon Jovi (1984)
• 7800° Fahrenheit (1985)
• Slippery When Wet (1986)
• New Jersey (1988)
• Keep The Faith (1992)
• Cross Road: Greatest Hits (1994)
• These Days (1995)
• Crush (2000)
• Bounce (2002)
• This Left Feels Right (2003)
• Have A Nice Day (2005)
• Lost Highway (2007)

Acting Career

Since the late 1990's, Jon Bon Jovi has had a parallel career as an actor in a number of high-profile movie and television roles. His movie acting credits include Moonlight and Valentino, Vampires Los Muertos, U-571 and National Lampoon's Pucked.

His televisions appearances include recurring roles in Sex And The City and Ally McBeal, as well as guest appearances on The West Wing and Las Vegas.