Jon Bon Jovi

American musician, the superstar leader of "Bon Jovi." He played in rock bands from the time he was a kid, and formed his own band in March 1983. They signed with the Mercury label on 1 July 1983 and began a live tour of the circuit with band mates Dave Bryan, Richie Sambora, Alec John Such and Tico Torres. Their first album, "Bon Jovi," was released in April 1984. In June 1995, they made their 12th trip to Japan, where they were greeted by 50,000 frenzied fans.

Bon Jovi first picked a guitar as his instrument at age seven. By the time he was in high school he was fronting a group called "Atlantic City Expressway." The son of a hair-dresser dad and a florist mother and the oldest of three boys, he had the benefit of a family that was surprisingly supportive of his declaration that he wanted to be a musician.

Jon hit a low period in 1990. Tired of touring, sometimes 16 months at a stretch and feeling that the band had become mechanical, he was physically wiped out. He bought a house in Malibu and spent the summer drinking and walking on the beach. Dorothea, his wife, gave him a lot of space during this period. At the end of summer they took off together cross country on motorcycles, completely away from the music business. When they returned to their home by the ocean in Rumson, New Jersey, Bon Jovi felt that a fog was slowly lifting, a long, slow, healing process. He returned to his world with a different perspective, making some progressive business decisions.

His first solo, "Blaze of Glory," 1990, had copped both Oscar and Grammy nominations. He made an acting debut in a cameo shot on the set of "Young Guns II." In 1991 he began taking acting lessons, leading to a role in "Moonlight and Valentino." Following "Moonlight...," Bon Jovi starred in three domestic releases: "Long Time, Nothing New," "Little City," and "Homegrown." In 1995, the band returned to the studio to record "These Days" before hitting the road for ten months.