Jon Bon Jovi

Jon Bon Jovi (born John Francis Bongiovi on March 2, 1962) is an American musician, actor and lead singer of the band, Bon Jovi.

Biography

Jon Bon Jovi was born in [Perth Amboy, New Jersey]], and was raised in nearby Sayreville. His mother, Carol Sharkey (of Irish/Italian descent), was a U.S. Marine as well as a Playboy Bunny and his father, John Bongiovi Sr., also a Marine, was a barber of Italian ancestry.

John Bongiovi attended St. Joseph High School in Metuchen, New Jersey^[1] for two years, freshman and sophomore years, before being forced to transfer to Sayreville War Memorial High School in Parlin, New Jersey because of poor grades, and later adopted the stage name Jon Bon Jovi at the behest of the record company that he signed with. He also plays acoustic guitar, harmonica, and rhythm guitar but makes the most of his part as lead singer. His early career was assisted by his cousin, Tony Bongiovi, a notable record producer who owned the Power Station recording studio. Jon worked as a janitor at the studio, and in periods of studio downtime recorded his own material, helped by his uncle. An album of these early recordings John Bongiovi: The Power Station Years was released in 1999.

In the late 1980s he was on tour in Tokyo, Japan. The tour was a sellout and was a successful launch of his debut album called Bon Jovi. While on this tour, there was a scandal that he was caught on a date by the local papparazzi with Jade Ward.

At one point Jon dated actress Diane Lane in the mid-'80s, most likely after she filmed Streets of Fire.

Bon Jovi married Dorothea Hurley, his high school sweetheart, on April 29, 1989 in the Graceland Wedding Chapel in Las Vegas, Nevada. He fathered one daughter, Stephanie Rose Bongiovi (born on May 31, 1993), and three sons, Jesse James Louis Bongiovi (born on February 19, 1995) Jacob Hurley Bongiovi (born on May 7, 2002) and Romeo Jon Bongiovi (born on March 29, 2004).

Bon Jovi discovered the band Cinderella in 1985, at the The Empire Rock Club in Philadelphia. They opened for Bon Jovi during the Slippery When Wet tour and Bon Jovi has remained an avid supporter of the band ever since.

In 1987, Bon Jovi co-wrote and sang back up on Cher's hit single, "We All Sleep Alone"

Bon Jovi is a credited actor in the movies Moonlight and Valentino, The Leading Man, Destination Anywhere, Homegrown, Little City, No Looking Back, Row Your Boat, Vampires Los Muertos, U-571, Cry Wolf and National Lampoon's Pucked. He also had a supporting role in the movie Pay It Forward, where he played Helen Hunt's abusive ex-husband. His TV series appearances include Sex and the City and an extended stint on Ally McBeal, as well as a guest appearance on The West Wing.

Jon Bon Jovi can also be seen in Young Guns II with a brief uncredited role as a cowboy in a pit. Bon Jovi made a cameo appearance in The Sims Superstar as well.

Bon Jovi's first appearance in any musical production was in the 1980 Star Wars album, Christmas in the Stars. He was the lead in singing the song, "R2-D2 We Wish You A Merry Christmas." (Credited as John Bongiovi).

Jon Bon Jovi has recorded two solo albums: Blaze of Glory (1990) and Destination Anywhere (1997) and sold over 100 million albums with the band Bon Jovi.

Jon Bon Jovi has worked on behalf of the Special Olympics, the American Red Cross, the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, Habitat for Humanity, and other groups.

On June 15, 2001, Jon Bon Jovi addressed the Oxford Union debate society.

In 2004 he became founder and owner of the Philadelphia Soul of the Arena Football League with friend and fellow band member Richie Sambora. He appeared in several television commercials for the league. Bon Jovi has been an avid New York Giants fan his entire life.[1]

On September 21, 2005, during an appearance on her show, the Bon Jovi band donated $1,000,000 to Oprah Winfrey for her Angel Network foundation. As of 2006, this is the highest amount donated by any single celebrity on Oprah's show.

He currently lives in Navesink, New Jersey. He has donated more than $25,000 dollars to the Democratic Party.

In the 2004 presidential election, Jon Bon Jovi campaigned for Democratic nominee, John Kerry.

Jon Bon Jovi has been named the first Founding Ambassador of the Habitat for Humanity Ambassador program as part of the international-nonprofit organization’s new advocacy outreach initiative. Bon Jovi has been raising awareness with Habitat for Humanity since 2005 when he provided the funds to build six homes in Philadelphia and built the homes alongside the homeowner families, as well as with members of his Philadelphia Soul Arena Football Team. The construction site also served as the video shoot location for his band’s single, “Who Says You Can’t Go Home.” In 2006, Bon Jovi made a $1 million donation to build 28 Habitat homes in Louisiana in partnership with low-income families on the hurricane-stricken coast. Earlier this month, Bon Jovi announced a project that will rehabilitate a block of 15 homes in north Philadelphia. Bon Jovi spearheaded the groundbreaking partnership that will join Habitat for Humanity, Project H.O.M.E., Saturn and The Philadelphia Soul Charitable Foundation.

Awards

• 1989: American Music Award: Best Pop/Rock Band, Duo or Group; award shared with his band.
• 1990: Golden Globe: Best Song, Blaze of Glory (from Young Guns II soundtrack).
• 1990: Academy Awards: Nominated, Original Song, "Blaze of Glory" (from Young Guns II soundtrack).
• 1991: MTV Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award; shared with his band.
• 2001: Humanitarian of the Year by The Food Bank of Monmouth & Ocean Counties for his charitable work on behalf of the people of New Jersey.
• 2001: Honorary doctorate in Humanities degree from Monmouth University in New Jersey, for his success as an entertainer and his humanitarian work.
• 2004: American Music Awards: Received the Award of Merit for their long career.
• 2005: World Music Awards:KUMAD Received the Diamond Award for sales of 100+ million albums.
• 2006: Inducted into the UK Music Hall of Fame.
• 2007: Grammy for Best Country Vocal Collaboration, "Who Says You Can't Go Home?" (with Jennifer Nettles)

Discography

Solo albums

• Christmas in the Stars – 1980
• Blaze of Glory – 1990
• Destination Anywhere – 1997
• The Power Station Years: The Unreleased Recordings – 2001

Solo singles

With Bon Jovi

See Also: Bon Jovi discography

• Bon Jovi – 1984
• 7800° Fahrenheit – 1985
• Slippery When Wet – 1986
• New Jersey – 1988
• Keep the Faith – 1992
• Cross Road - 1994
• These Days – 1995
• Crush – 2000
• One Wild Night Live 1985-2001 – 2001
• Bounce – 2002
• This Left Feels Right – 2003
• 100,000,000 Bon Jovi Fans Can't Be Wrong – 2004
• Have a Nice Day – 2005
• Lost Highway– 2007

References

Wikipedia information about Jon Bon Jovi This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Jon Bon Jovi". It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer). Help contribute to Americola and edit this article.