By: PALUO SILVESTRE
BON JOVI is to perform at the Rock In Rio Lisboa music festival at Parque da Bela Vista on May 31.
Few bands have embodied the era of pop-metal like Bon Jovi.
Lead vocalist, Jon Bongiovi, spent most of his teenage years ditching school to play rock and roll, generally in local bands with his friend David Rashbaum.
Bongiovi’s cousin, Tony, owned the famous New York recording studio, Power Station, which was where Jon spent almost all of his time.
He recorded his first demo Runaway, which became a hit on local New Jersey radio and Bongiovi gave birth to Bon Jovi.
To support the song, guitarists Bryan Rashbaum and Dave Sabo, bassist Alec John Such and drummer Tico Torres were recruited.
In 1983, Bon Jovi signed to Polygram/Mercury. Before the group entered the studio to record, Bon Jovi replaced Sabo with Richie Sambora.
The band’s debut album was released in 1984, and Runaway became a top 40 hit.
In the next year, 7800 Fahrenheit was released and went gold. After this, they changed their approach for their next album, Slippery When Wet.
The group wrote 30 songs and played them for local New Jersey and New York teenagers, basing the album’s running order on their opinions.
Slippery When Wet was released in 1986 and the album sold nine million copies in the US. Two songs, You Give Love a Bad Name and Livin’ on a Prayer, reached number one and Wanted Dead or Alive made it into the top 10.
Bon Jovi copied the Slippery When Wet formula for 1988s New Jersey selling five million copies and generating two number one singles, Bad Medicine and I’ll Be There for You, as well as the top 10 hits Born to Be My Baby, Lay Your Hands on Me and Living in Sin.
In 1989, the band went on hiatus. Throughout their time off, Jon Bon Jovi wrote the soundtrack for the Young Guns II movie and released the 1990 album, Blaze of Glory.
The record produced two hit singles as well as receiving a Grammy and Oscar nominations.
After this, Bon Jovi reunited to record their fifth album, Keep the Faith, which was released in 1992. The album didn’t do as well as its predecessors, mainly because musical tastes had changed between New Jersey and Keep the Faith. Still, they produced hit single, Bed of Roses.
A hits collection, Cross Road, was released in 1994, and in the autumn of 1995, they released These Days, which was a big success in Europe.
In 1997, Bon Jovi released Crush. It’s My Life and Thank You for Loving Me were chart hits. Crush went double platinum in the US and sold eight million copies worldwide.
In 2003, Bon Jovi re-recorded most of their most well-known songs for the release of This Left Feels Right, followed by the Have a Nice Day in 2005.
The band spent the following year in the studio, finishing a collection of pop-infused heartland country anthems.
The result Lost Highway, which featured duets with LeAnn Rimes and Big & Rich, were released in the summer of 2007.
Check out Bon Jovi songs at www.myspace.com/bonjovi
