Jon Bon Jovi’s music has sold millions of copies and he has won countless awards for his work. He is also an entrepreneur and a philanthropist who has worked with various charities around the world. In his latest project, he has helped to build homes for homeless veterans. He has been doing this for ten years now.
Jon has written songs for many movies and his band has made many hits over the years. In 2004, he became the co-founder and majority owner of the Arena Football League’s Philadelphia Soul. He has also appeared in many TV shows including Ally McBeal and ER.
He has won countless awards for his work, including the Songwriters Hall of Fame. He is an icon of rock and roll and a role model for young people. He has a strong family life and is committed to helping others.
Bon Jovi was born John Francis Bongiovi Jr in Perth Amboy, New Jersey. His mother was a former model who was one of the Playboy Bunnies and his father was a US Marine Corps veteran. He grew up listening to his parents’ records and loved playing guitar and writing songs. He first started performing in local clubs. He later worked as a janitor at the Power Station, a recording studio in New York City. In 1982, he took a demo of his song ‘Runaway’ to the radio station WAPP and the song gained popularity. This led to the formation of the Bon Jovi band.
In 1989, he married his high school sweetheart Dorothea Hurley. The couple has four children, Stephanie, Jesse, Romeo and Jacob. They have a home in New Jersey and a ranch in California. Bon Jovi is an avid sports fan and has played baseball, football, golf and tennis. He has also done some acting in several movies.
The band split up in 1991 but re-formed in 1992. They released a greatest hits album called Keep the Faith and then in 1994, they released ‘Cross Road’ which included some new material along with their old hit singles. The album was a hit, especially in Europe and the UK.
In the early 2000s, Bon Jovi continued to tour and write new music. They also released a number of DVDs and live albums. Bon Jovi has a long-standing partnership with Sony BMG. This relationship has yielded many hit albums and has resulted in numerous international tours.
GROSS: This is FRESH AIR, with David Bianculli, in for Terry Gross. The band Bon Jovi is about to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. They were one of the top bands in America during the ’80s and have sold more than 130 million albums worldwide.
Jon recently worked with the charity Help USA to build 77 homes for homeless veterans. His JBJ Soul Foundation has been working with Habitat for Humanity for a decade now and has donated more than half a million dollars to the cause.