When he was 17, Bon Jovi was sweeping floors at his cousin Tony Bongiovi's recording studio, Power Station. By 1980, he had formed another band, the Rest, and opened up for New Jersey acts such as Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes. Still in his teens, Bon Jovi played in the band John Bongiovi and the Wild Ones, performing in clubs such as the Fast Lane and opening for local acts. At 16, he met David Bryan and formed a band called Atlantic City Expressway. Jon Bon Jovi began playing music in 1975, at the age of 13, playing piano and guitar with his first band, Raze.

Musical careerīon Jovi (right) with Jonathan King in 1987 Beginnings He later transferred to Sayreville War Memorial High School in Parlin, New Jersey.

Joseph High School in Metuchen, New Jersey, during his freshman and sophomore years. He spent summers in Erie, Pennsylvania, with his grandparents, and sold newspapers.

While he had been previously rumored to be a blood relative of singer Frank Sinatra, in a 2016 interview, he stated that this was false. His father was of Italian (the name Bongiovi comes from Sciacca, Sicily) and Slovak ancestry and his mother is of German and Russian descent. He has two brothers, Anthony and Matthew. and Playboy Bunny turned florist Carol (Sharkey). was born in Perth Amboy, New Jersey, a son of two former Marines, barber John Francis Bongiovi Sr. He is the founder of The Jon Bon Jovi Soul Foundation, founded in 2006. īon Jovi was a founder and former majority owner of the Arena Football League team, the Philadelphia Soul. In 2000, People awarded him the title 'Sexiest Rock Star'. In 1996, People magazine named him one of the '50 Most Beautiful People in the World'. In 2012, he ranked number 50 on the list of Billboard magazine's 'Power 100', a ranking of 'The Most Powerful and Influential People in the Music Business'. In the 1990s, Bon Jovi started an acting career, starring in the films Moonlight and Valentino and U-571 and appearing on television in Sex and the City, Ally McBeal, and The West Wing.Īs a songwriter, Bon Jovi was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2009. He has released 15 studio albums with his band as well as two solo albums. He is best known as the founder and frontman of the rock band Bon Jovi, which was formed in 1983. (born March 2, 1962), known professionally as Jon Bon Jovi, is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, and actor.

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