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In 1983, John Bongiovi was being paid $50 a week to work as a "gofer"
at New York City's legendary Power Station recording studios. He was running errands,
fetching coffee and sweeping floors (the very same ones upon which he often found
himself sleeping,) all the while watching the Who's Who of the rock 'n' roll world
pass through the front doors. When Jon wasn't working as a gofer, he was working
on his own music. At all odd hours of the night, using the empty studios and any
lingering musicians he could recruit, John recorded his own original songs. Armed
with a demo tape, John shopped his music to lawyers, managers, record labels and
radio stations in New York and LA with little luck. That is until he was approached
by Chip Hobart, a DJ at the (now defunct) Long Island/NYC radio station WAPP.
WAPP was putting together a compilation album of local unsigned artists and Hobart
wanted to include John's song "RUNAWAY" on the LP. John was reluctant.
He wanted to sign with a label and record an album, not donate one song to a radio
station sampler of homegrown talent. But, with a little convincing, John agreed
to let "RUNAWAY" be a part of the album. After that decision, John's
life would never be the same. "RUNAWAY" by John
Bongiovi got airplay... lots of airplay (not just on WAPP in New York, but in
major markets all over the country that were affiliated with WAPP.) Without John
being signed to a label, his song was becoming a hit, breaking nationwide. WAPP
booked a handful of live shows to promote the album and wanted John to perform.
The problem? John didn't have a band! "RUNAWAY" was one of the tracks
John had recorded at the Power Station with a combination of musicians he had
wrangled in to help him - they weren't really a band! So, John recruited his long-time
friend, Julliard-bound keyboardist DAVID BRYAN, Franke & The Knockouts drummer
TICO TORRES and Jersey bassist ALEC JOHN SUCH. On guitar, John asked a neighborhood
friend to help him out. John now had the band he needed to play the promotional
concerts. Backstage after one of these shows, John was approached by guitarist
RICHIE SAMBORA. Sambora declared that HE should be the guitarist for this band.
Though initially leery, John was impressed by Sambora's attitude and after hearing
him play, was impressed by his talent too. So, when John
Bongiovi finally signed to Mercury Records (several record companies had suddenly
come around and tried to sign the young musician,) the band's line-up was as it
would remain for more than ten years: JOHN BONGIOVI, DAVE BRYAN, TICO TORRES,
ALEC JOHN SUCH and RICHIE SAMBORA. Following label advice, John shed the "h"
from his first name and de-ethnicized his last name. He re-emerged as JON BON
JOVI and the band BON JOVI was born. |
