BON JOVI

It has been written many times that Bon Jovi is one of the very few rock bands of the 1980πs to make it. In a decade where ≥hair bands≤ and ≥glam bands≤ were popular, some people thought that Bon Jovi was just another hair band of pretty boys. Once grunge rock became the music of choice in the 1990πs, all the bands that got by on their big, hair make up and spandex pants, fell apart. But not Bon Jovi. They proved that they also had the music as well as the look they had at the time. They have stayed true to themselves and the many fans theyπve gathered over the past 22 years by playing great rock and roll.

All of the members of Bon Jovi were born in New Jersey, except for Hector ≥Tico≤ Torres, who was born in New York on October 7, 1953, then later moved to Cuba then to New Jersey. The member who formed the band is Jon Bon Jovi, whose real name is John Frances Bongiovi, Jr. He was born in Sayreville, New Jersey on March 2^nd, 1962. David Bryan was born in Edison, NJ on February 7, 1962. Richie Sambora was born on July 11, 1959 in Woodbridge, New Jersey.

Jon Bon Jovi is the lead singer of the band. He also plays the guitar and writes most of their songs. His favorite bands and influences are Southside Johnny, Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, Thin Lizzy, Aerosmith and Alice Cooper. Heπs been in several bands since heπs a teenager. Some of the bands names were Johnny & Leeches, Raze and then Atlantic City Expressway.

Richie Sambora is the lead guitarist. He does some of the vocals and also writes many of the songs. Richieπs influences are The Beatles, Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix and Jeff Beck. He approached Jon after a concert and asked to be his guitar player. After going to hear Richie play, Jon was very impressed and asked him on the spot to be in the band.

The keyboard player for the band is David Bryan. He also does backup singing. David has been playing the piano since heπs seven years old and has a background in classical music, like Mozart, Beethoven and Bach. These were some of his influences. Some of his other influences and favorite bands were Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes, Deep Purple, and Led Zeppelin. David is a childhood friend of Jon Bon Jovi and was in Atlantic City Expressway with him. He was on his way to Julliard School of Music when Jon asked him to join Bon Jovi.

Tico Torres plays the drums. His influences are John Coltrane, Elvin Jones, Led Zeppelin and The Beatles

In 1983, Jon was working in a recording studio in New York running errands and sweeping floors. That is where he recorded his first song called Runaway. A DJ from a radio station in New York, WAPP, liked the song and played it on the radio. After that, he started to put the band together.

Some of Bon Joviπs biggest hits are You Give Love a Bad Name, Born to Be My Baby, Itπs My Life, Lay Your Hands on Me, Bad Medicine, Raise Your Hands, Livinπ on a Prayer, Wanted, Dead or Alive. They always play these songs at their concerts. Bon Jovi has done 13 albums together and some solo albums. By 2004, Bon Jovi had sold over 100,000,000 albums. They have received a Golden Globe Award, Grammy Nomination, American Music Awardπs Award of Merit for their contribution to music and the World Music Awardπs Career Achievement Award.

It is obvious that Bon Jovi has had a big influence on the music world. There are a lot of cover bands doing their music, like the bands Slippery When Wet, Bad Medicine and Crush. They are giving unsigned and unknown bands a chance to get known during their tour which just started. 24 bands will be given the chance to be their opening act while on tour. At the end, one band will be picked and will receive a demo deal with AEG Records and will play at their final show of the tour at Giantπs Stadium in the summer of 2006.

My favorite member of the band is Jon Bon Jovi. He is a great singer, and even though he canπt dance well at all, he always looks like heπs having a good time up on stage. He is not only a singer and musician, but he is an actor, too. He has been on TV shows and in 12 movies, including the movie Cry Wolf which was just out. He is the co-owner of the Arena Football team Philadelphia Soul and is involved with a lot of charities, including Special Olympics, Aids Benefits, and in public service announcements for Red Cross and the America:Tribute to Heroes" Telethon after September 11^th. Jon Bon Jovi was born in New Jersey and has been all around the world, but always comes back to where he started off. He still lives in NJ and even married his high school girlfriend. Just like he says in his song Who Says You Canπt Go Home that is on their new album - ≥Who says you canπt go back? Been all around the world and as a matter of fact, thereπs only one place left I want to go. Who says you canπt go home?

The reason I like Bon Joviπs music is because my mom is a big fan. I have heard their music since just about the day I was born, so I just grew up listening to them. I like all of their songs, but my favorite one is ≥Iπll Be There for You.≤