Pick a Day

Alec John Such, Bon Jovi's bass player from their founding in 1983 until his departure in 1994, is born in Yonkers, New York.

Tico Torres (drummer for Bon Jovi) is born Hector Juan Samuel Torres in New York.

Guitarist Richie Sambora is born in Perth Amboy, New Jersey. He joins Bon Jovi soon after the band form and becomes a primary songwriter along with lead singer Jon Bon Jovi. Sambora says with the band until 2013, when he leaves in the middle of a tour for personal reasons.

David Bryan (keyboardist for Bon Jovi) is born in Perth Amboy, New Jersey.

Jon Bon Jovi is born John Francis Bongiovi in Perth Amboy, New Jersey. As a teenager, he gets a gig cleaning up the studio his cousin Tony owns, which he uses to record demos and form the band Bon Jovi.

Bon Jovi release their self-titled debut album. The first track is "Runaway," the group's debut single and first to get airplay. It was written by frontman Jon Bon Jovi, who recorded it with session musicians before the band formed.

The first Farm Aid concert plays in Champaign, Illinois, to benefit American farmers trying to survive amidst a national agricultural crisis.More

Bon Jovi release their third album, Slippery When Wet, which catapults them to the top with the hits "You Give Love A Bad Name" and "Livin' On A Prayer." Seasoned from years of touring, the group is ready for the big crowds and quickly become a top live draw.

"You Give Love A Bad Name" by Bon Jovi goes to #1 in the US, giving the group their first big hit. It's written by group leaders Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora along with an outside writer, Desmond Child, whose monster choruses can be heard on "I Was Made For Lovin' You" by Kiss and "Dude (Looks Like A Lady)" by Aerosmith. Bon Jovi's next single is "Livin' On A Prayer," written by the same trio.

Bon Jovi's working-class anthem "Livin' On A Prayer" hits #1 in the US, where it stays for four weeks. The funky distorted sound in the intro is a talkbox hooked up to Richie Sambora's guitar. Peter Frampton popularized the device on his 1976 album Frampton Comes Alive.

Bon Jovi launch their New Jersey Syndicate tour with a show in Dublin. The tour lasts 16 months and over 200 concerts. On the North American legs, they're joined by a New-er Jersey band: Skid Row.

Skid Row release their self-titled debut album. Two days later, they join Bon Jovi on the New Jersey Syndicate tour. The album, which includes "18 And Life" and "Youth Gone Wild," goes on to sell over 5 million copies in America.

Jon Bon Jovi marries his high-school sweetheart Dorothea Hurley at the Graceland Wedding Chapel in Las Vegas.

MTV's acoustic showcase Unplugged premieres with an episode featuring Squeeze. Jules Shear hosts the first season.More

After writing "Blaze of Glory" for the film, Jon Bon Jovi makes his acting debut in Young Guns II, playing an inmate who gets shot.

Jon Bon Jovi's wife, Dorothea Hurley, gives birth to their first child, a daughter named Stephanie Rose.

Bon Jovi's Crush hits #1 on the UK albums chart.

Jon Bon Jovi makes the first of his 10 appearances on the TV series Ally McBeal playing Victor Morrison, a plumber who becomes Ally's boyfriend.

Live Earth, a series of concerts to initiate action against global warming, takes place around the world.More

A wide range of top musicians including Mary J. Blige, U2, Beyoncé, Bruce Springsteen, Garth Brooks, Sheryl Crow, will.i.am, James Taylor, John Legend, John Mellencamp, Pete Seeger, Shakira, Usher and Stevie Wonder, perform at a concert in Washington, DC, to celebrate the upcoming inauguration of Barack Obama as President of the United States of America.More

The jukebox musical Rock of Ages, a celebration of glam metal and classic rock of the '80s, opens at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre. More

Just hours before a show in Calgary, Bon Jovi guitarist Richie Sambora leaves the group, citing personal reasons. Surprisingly, he doesn't re-join the band, although he does perform with them at their 2018 Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction. Sambora joined the band in 1983 and co-wrote most of their hits.

"Livin' On A Prayer" by Bon Jovi returns to the Hot 100 at #25 thanks to a viral video of a Boston Celtics fan dancing to the song. Billboard tweaked their methodology earlier in the year so streaming views of songs were factored into the chart tally.More

Dire Straits is inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, but with Mark Knopfler skipping the ceremony, nobody inducts them and they do not perform.More

Pollstar publishes their list of the top touring artists of the 2010s in North America. U2 is on top with a gross of $1,038,104,132, followed by The Rolling Stones ($929,196,083), Ed Sheeran ($922,361,663), Taylor Swift ($899,627,048) and Bon Jovi ($868,715,392).

At the Jersey 4 Jersey virtual benefit concert, surviving members of Fountains of Wayne reunite (from their homes) with Sharon Van Etten to pay tribute to Adam Schlesinger, who died of coronavirus three weeks earlier. Bruce Springsteen also performs, and Bon Jovi debut a new song called "Do What You Can." The event raises nearly $6 million for coronavirus relief.