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BIOGRAPHY

Bon Jovi
	BIOGRAPHY | GALLERY | GOSSIP

Jon Bon Jovi got his start in the music business doing odd jobs at his cousin Tony Bongiovi's famous Power Station Studio. One of the demos he cut there became a local hit thanks to a New Jersey radio station, which led to his band's signing with Polygram in 1983. The band hit its stride with their third album, Slippery When Wet, and continued that success with the similar sounding New Jersey. In 1990, Jon composed the music for the Young Guns II soundtrack (in which he also had a cameo), which included "Blaze of Glory," his first No. 1 solo hit.

While Bon Jovi dominated the rock scene of the late '80s, their popularity waned during the '90s, especially in America. However, their change in image and move from metal toward a more mainstream arena-rock sound made them the only American act from the pop-metal movement to retain a sizable following today. Jon Bon Jovi and his band have attracted a new generation of fans, as their eighth studio album, Bounce (2002), entered the U.S. album chart in the No. 2 position.

Jon has also maintained a moderately successful acting career since his debut role in 1995's Moonlight and Valentino. In addition to parts in films such as Pay It Forward, U-571 and Vampires: Los Muertos, he has guest-starred on the popular TV series Sex and the City and Ally McBeal.

Despite his easy-going, approachable demeanor, Jon is highly ambitious and has been driven to make it as a rock 'n' roll superstar since his teens. His aspirations for a musical career have been met and perhaps even exceed his initial dreams of stardom. Since the late '90s, Jon has focused more on his budding career as an actor with as much determination as he had with his music.

Jon Bon Jovi's main talents are as a singer, songwriter and rock 'n' roll frontman. While Bon Jovi hasn't always been a critic's favorite, record sales attest to their popularity with the masses. Jon's mix of melodic metal with working class-oriented lyrics have been the formula to his band's great success over the years. He's a decent actor too, though his achievements as a thespian have yet to match those of rock star.

Jon Bon Jovi emerged as a rock 'n' roll heartthrob when his first music video for "Runaway" hit the MTV airwaves in the mid-'80s. His photogenic looks won him an army of devoted young female fans and groupies, many of whom have grown into women who still appreciate the middle-aged rocker's good looks and lean and healthy frame.

Jon Bon Jovi has been leading one of the most successful and longest surviving rock bands for the past two decades. They've sold nearly 100 million albums worldwide and played over 2,000 concerts in 47 countries before more than 31 million fans. Their best-selling disc, 1986's Slippery When Wet, sold more than 12 million copies in the U.S. alone. In the three years between '86 and '89, their combined U.S. record sales topped 20 million.

Bon Jovi has also had five of his tunes top the Billboard singles charts, including "You Give Love A Bad Name" (1986), "Livin' On A Prayer" (five weeks in '87), "Bad Medicine" ('88), "I'll Be There For You" ('89), and his solo smash "Blaze of Glory" from the Young Guns 2 soundtrack ('90). The latter earned him both a Grammy and Oscar nod, and he took home the Golden Globe for Best Original Song.

In addition to his film career, Jon appeared in an episode of Sex and the City in 1999 and had a recurring role as Ally's love interest/contractor on Ally McBeal, in 2002.

In September 2000, he performed at a New York City fundraiser for the Democratic National Committee, and in June 2001, addressed the Oxford University Union in England.