This thread is for everything about Mr. Jon Bon Jovi.
::Bio::
John Francis Bongiovi, Jr. was born in Perth Amboy, New Jersey on March 2nd, 1962, and grew up in nearby Sayreville. He spent much of his teenage years cutting classes to play guitar and sing in local rock bands. Jon -- he dropped the "h" from his name around this time -- had a music industry connection in cousin Tony who owned the Power Station, a well-known New York City recording studio. He was hired as a janitor, and later began recording demos at the studio, backed by members of the E Street Band, among others.
One of those demos, "Runaway," became a local radio hit, prompting Bongiovi to form his own band. He signed to Mercury/Polygram in July 1983, changed his surname to Bon Jovi, and christened his new group (consisting of Richie Sambora, David Bryan, Tico Torres, and Alec John Such) likewise. They released their eponymous debut early in 1984. Spurred on by videos for "Runaway" and "She Don't Know Me," which showcased Jon's good looks, the album cracked the top 50 and produced a national top 40 hit with the former tune. They headlined their own club tour, and reached larger auditions opening for the Scorpions, Whitesnake and Kiss.
During the break from the band, Jon married his high-school sweetheart and karate champion Dorothea Hurley, and wrote the soundtrack for Young Guns II. The film (which included an uncredited cameo from Jon) and album were released in the summer of 1990, and gave Jon his first solo No. 1 song with "Blaze of Glory." The album itself peaked at No. 3, and earned Jon Oscar and Grammy nominations, as well as the Golden Globe for Best Original Song. A second single, "Miracle," whose video featured a then-unknown Matt LeBlanc, reached No. 12.
Jon's first official solo album, Destination Anywhere, was released in June 1997. The disc was accompanied by a short film of the same name that featured Jon, Demi Moore, Kevin Bacon, and Whoopi Goldberg. He spent the next couple of years concentrating on acting, appearing in Row Your Boat, the Edward Burns-directed No Looking Back and Homegrown (all 199 cool , starring Billy Bob Thornton. In 1999, he guest-starred in an episode of HBO's Sex and the City.
Jon landed roles in a couple of more movies in 2000, namely Pay It Forward and U-571, a World War II flick co-starring Matthew McConaughey and Harvey Keitel. He appeared at a fundraising concert for the Democratic National Committee at Radio City Music Hall in September, along with Lenny Kravitz, Sheryl Crow, Macy Gray, and members of the Eagles. He spent the first months of 2001 in Mexico filming Vampires: Los Muertos, the sequel to John Carpenter's Vampires (199 cool .
In June 2001, Jon addressed the prestigious Oxford University Union in Oxfordshire, England. He next appeared in nine episodes of Ally McBeal in early 2002, playing a contractor hired to renovate Ally's apartment. Bon Jovi's eighth album, Bounce, entered the Billboard charts at No. 2 in October 2002, making it the highest chart debut in their 20-year history. The band wrapped up their North American tour headlining Tiger Jam VI in 2003, a benefit concert that raises money for the Tiger Woods Foundation and other children's charities.
Taken for askmen.com
::Bio::
John Francis Bongiovi, Jr. was born in Perth Amboy, New Jersey on March 2nd, 1962, and grew up in nearby Sayreville. He spent much of his teenage years cutting classes to play guitar and sing in local rock bands. Jon -- he dropped the "h" from his name around this time -- had a music industry connection in cousin Tony who owned the Power Station, a well-known New York City recording studio. He was hired as a janitor, and later began recording demos at the studio, backed by members of the E Street Band, among others.
One of those demos, "Runaway," became a local radio hit, prompting Bongiovi to form his own band. He signed to Mercury/Polygram in July 1983, changed his surname to Bon Jovi, and christened his new group (consisting of Richie Sambora, David Bryan, Tico Torres, and Alec John Such) likewise. They released their eponymous debut early in 1984. Spurred on by videos for "Runaway" and "She Don't Know Me," which showcased Jon's good looks, the album cracked the top 50 and produced a national top 40 hit with the former tune. They headlined their own club tour, and reached larger auditions opening for the Scorpions, Whitesnake and Kiss.
During the break from the band, Jon married his high-school sweetheart and karate champion Dorothea Hurley, and wrote the soundtrack for Young Guns II. The film (which included an uncredited cameo from Jon) and album were released in the summer of 1990, and gave Jon his first solo No. 1 song with "Blaze of Glory." The album itself peaked at No. 3, and earned Jon Oscar and Grammy nominations, as well as the Golden Globe for Best Original Song. A second single, "Miracle," whose video featured a then-unknown Matt LeBlanc, reached No. 12.
Jon's first official solo album, Destination Anywhere, was released in June 1997. The disc was accompanied by a short film of the same name that featured Jon, Demi Moore, Kevin Bacon, and Whoopi Goldberg. He spent the next couple of years concentrating on acting, appearing in Row Your Boat, the Edward Burns-directed No Looking Back and Homegrown (all 199 cool , starring Billy Bob Thornton. In 1999, he guest-starred in an episode of HBO's Sex and the City.
Jon landed roles in a couple of more movies in 2000, namely Pay It Forward and U-571, a World War II flick co-starring Matthew McConaughey and Harvey Keitel. He appeared at a fundraising concert for the Democratic National Committee at Radio City Music Hall in September, along with Lenny Kravitz, Sheryl Crow, Macy Gray, and members of the Eagles. He spent the first months of 2001 in Mexico filming Vampires: Los Muertos, the sequel to John Carpenter's Vampires (199 cool .
In June 2001, Jon addressed the prestigious Oxford University Union in Oxfordshire, England. He next appeared in nine episodes of Ally McBeal in early 2002, playing a contractor hired to renovate Ally's apartment. Bon Jovi's eighth album, Bounce, entered the Billboard charts at No. 2 in October 2002, making it the highest chart debut in their 20-year history. The band wrapped up their North American tour headlining Tiger Jam VI in 2003, a benefit concert that raises money for the Tiger Woods Foundation and other children's charities.
Taken for askmen.com
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