American rock group Bon Jovi was formed in Sayreville, New Jersey, in 1983. Its members are guitarist Phil X, bassist Hugh McDonald, drummer Tico Torres, keyboardist David Bryan, and singer Jon Bon Jovi. Alec John Such, the band’s original bassist, left in 1994, and Richie Sambora, a longtime guitarist and co-songwriter, left in 2013. The group has received praise for “bridging the heavy metal and pop divide with style and ease.”
15 studio albums, 5 compilation albums, and 3 live albums have all been released by Bon Jovi. One of the best-selling American rock bands, they have sold more than 120 million records worldwide and played more than 2,700 shows for more than 34 million fans in more than 50 countries. Inducted into the US Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2018 and the UK Music Hall of Fame in 2006, respectively, is Bon Jovi. 2004’s American Music Awards saw the band win the Award of Merit, while 2009 saw Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
Glam metal, pop rock, and heavy metal are the three categories that best describe Bon Jovi’s musical aesthetic. The group’s first two albums combined hard rock with glam metal. Slippery When Wet and New Jersey, their subsequent albums, had a more polished glam metal sound. On Keep the Faith, they “more seriously interpreted” their pop-metal sound. These Days, their sixth album, helped them become known as an adult contemporary group. Bounce was categorized as “heavy, serious rock,” Have a Nice Day as “heavier than Crush,” while Crush was regarded as “far enough into pop/rock to actually stand a chance of receiving airplay.”
Jon Bon Jovi referred to the band’s sound on their following album, Lost Highway, as “a Bon Jovi album influenced by Nashville,” before the group returned to a more conventional rock sound on their subsequent album, The Circle, which was described by Allmusic as “conjured by echoed, delayed guitars, shimmering keyboards, and spacious rhythms.”
