Bon Jovi

Bon Jovi is an American rock band from Sayreville, New Jersey. It was formed in 1983 by lead singer Jon Bon Jovi, pianist and keyboardist David Bryan, drummer Tico Torres, lead guitarist Phil X and bassist Hugh McDonald. The line-up changed when they dismissed bassist Alec John Such in 1994 and when longtime guitarist and co-songwriter Richie Sambora left in 2013.

Bon Jovi released their eponymous debut album in 1984, generating a top 40 hit with the original version of "Runaway". The following year, "7800 Fahrenheit" was released and went gold. The projects were a prelude to the band's 1986 breakthrough set, "Slippery When Wet". Supported by several appealing, straightforward videos that received heavy rotation on MTV, the record took off on the strength of "You Give Love a Bad Name", followed quickly by "Livin' on a Prayer" and "Wanted Dead or Alive". Those three top 10 hits helped propel "Slippery When Wet" to sales of nine million in the U.S. alone, establishing Bon Jovi as superstars in their home country. The album also turned into a significant hit in Europe, Canada, Japan and Australia.

Bon Jovi then followed it up with 1988's "New Jersey", which sold five million copies and spawned two No. 1 singles "Bad Medicine" and "I'll Be There for You" as well as top 10 hits like "Born to Be My Baby", "Lay Your Hands on Me" and "Living in Sin". Following an international tour to promote the set, the band went on hiatus. During the time off, Jon Bon Jovi wrote the soundtrack for "Young Guns II", which was released in 1990. The soundtrack album produced two hit singles, the title track that reached No. 1 on singles chart and "Miracle" which earned several Grammy and Oscar nominations.

The following year, Bon Jovi reunited to record their fifth album, "Keep the Faith", which was released in the fall of 1992. While the album failed to match the success of its predecessors, it did spawn a hit called "Bed of Roses". A greatest-hits album called "Cross Road" appeared in 1994 and yielded another top 10 ballad, "Always".

Following Alec John Such's departure, Hugh McDonald was hired as an unofficial member to fill in for him. He was featured prominently in the band's next album. Released in the fall of 1995, "These Days" turned into another top 10 album in the U.S. It also reached No. 1 on albums chart in Europe.

After dropping the album, the band went on another hiatus. Frontman Jon Bon Jovi released his first official solo album, "Destination Anywhere", in the summer of 1997. The other members were also busy with their respective solo projects. The group returned with another album called "Crush" in 2000. It went double platinum in the U.S. and sold eight million copies worldwide thanks to the hits "It's My Life" and "Thank You for Loving Me".

Bon Jovi quickly followed "Crush" with their eighth studio effort, "Bounce", which appeared in fall 2002. They supported the record with another international tour. In 2003, the band re-recorded many of its most well-known songs for the acoustic-based release "This Left Feels Right" in 2004 along with a brand new song titled "Have a Nice Day".

Also contributing to the album's success was the single "Who Says You Can't Go Home" which featured guest vocals from Sugarland's Jennifer Nettles. The song eventually won a Grammy for Best Country Collaboration with Vocals.

In 2005, the band spent a lot of their time in the studio, putting the finishing touches on a collection of pop-infused heartland country anthems. "Lost Highway", which featured duets with LeAnn Rimes and Big & Rich, arrived in the summer of 2007 and managed to earn the group a lot of new country fans. It also gave the band their third No. 1 album in the U.S. Despite their success with country music, Bon Jovi returned to rock shortly thereafter with the release of 2009's "The Circle". One year later, "Greatest Hits: The Ultimate Collection" came out, offering plenty of their old hits along with two new tracks, "No Apologies" and "What Do You Got?".

The band's members spent the first years of 2010s pursuing solo projects. Two months after Sambora released his 2012 solo album "Aftermath of the Lowdown", the band dropped "Inside Out" which was a live album recorded at London's O2 Arena, New Jersey's MetLife Stadium and New York's Madison Square Garden.

In March of 2013, Bon Jovi returned with "What About Now", their first studio album in four years. It reached number one on the Billboard 200 and topped the charts in Australia and Canada. Soon after the album's release, Sambora left the supporting tour in 2013, citing "personal reasons." He was replaced by guitarist Phil X a.k.a. Phil Xenidis. Tico Torres also had to leave the band to undergo gallbladder surgery, but he eventually returned to the fold.

Later in 2015, Bon Jovi came back with "Burning Bridges" which according to Jon Bon Jovi served as a "fan record" to tie in with an accompanying international tour. "It's songs that weren't finished, that were finished, a couple of new ones like the one we released as a single 'We Don't Run'," he said.

Also that year, they announced another album titled "This House Is Not for Sale". Led by the title track that debuted in August 2016, the LP came out on November 4 via Island Records. It is their first studio album without former lead guitarist Richie Sambora and the first album to feature the band's new lead guitarist Phil X. It is also the first album with Hugh McDonald as an official member.