On this Day, March 2, 1962 …
John Francis Bongiovi Jr. was born in Perth Amboy, New Jersey, later changing his name to Jon Bon Jovi for his musical career.
In 1983 he formed Bon Jovi with keyboardist David Bryan, bassist Alec John Such and drummer Nico Torres; they were later joined by guitarist Richie Sambora. They released their self-titled debut album in 1984, which featured the top-40 hit “Runaway.”
The band has gone on to release 15 records, including 1986’s Slippery When Wet, which spent eight weeks at number one and has been certified 12-times Platinum by the RIAA, and 1988’s New Jersey, which also went to number one and produced five top-10 hits, including two number-one songs: “Bad Medicine” and “I’ll Be There for You.” It was certified seven-times Platinum by the RIAA.
Bon Jovi also released two solo albums. His solo single “Blaze of Glory” from the soundtrack to Young Guns II won a Golden Globe Award and earned him an Academy Award nomination.
In 2018, Jon was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame with Bon Jovi. In 2009, he was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
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