White Lion
White Lion is a heavy metal band that was formed in New York City in 1983 by Danish-born vocalist Mike Tramp and guitarist Vito Bratta. Mainly active in the 1980s and early 1990s, the band acheived double platnium status, with ther #3 hit “When The Children Cry”. White Lion disbanded in 1992, but was reformed again by Mike Tramp in 1999 with all new musicians.
Biography
Fighting to survive
After moving from Denmark to New York in 1982, vocalist Mike Tramp (ex-Mabel,ex-Studs) met Brooklyn guitarist Vito Bratta (ex-Dreamer) and decided to form a band. The two recruited drummer Nicki Capozzi and bassist Felix Robinson (formerly of Angel) and named the group White Lion.
White Lion was signed by Elektra Records in 1983 and recorded their debut Fight to Survive. However, Elektra was unhappy with the final recording, and after refusing to release the album, terminated their contract.
Both Capozzi and Robinson soon left the band. Nicki Capozzi was replaced by former Anthrax drummer Greg D’Angelo, and Felix Robinson was replaced by bassist Dave Spitz (brother of Anthrax guitarist Dan Spitz). Within a month of joining, however, Dave Spitz left to play bass with Black Sabbath and was replaced by James Lomenzo.
The album Fight To Survive was eventually picked up by RCA and released in Japan in 1984. The small US independent label Grand Slamm records finally released Fight To Survive in the US on November 9, 1985. A few months later, Grand Slam records went bankrupt.
In early 1986, White Lion, with a fictitious “female” member, had a brief part in the Tom Hanks/Shelley Long movie The Money Pit.
The road to success
Early in 1987, the band was signed by Atlantic Records (which ironically is a sister label to Elektra) and on June 21, 1987, their breakthrough album, Pride, was released. The first single, “Wait”, was released on June 1, 1987, but did not make waves for nearly seven months.
The Pride tour started in July 1987 as White Lion opened for Ace Frehley’s 80s band Frehley’s Comet. The next year and a half was filled with constant touring, opening for such bands as Aerosmith, Ozzy Osbourne, Stryper, KISS and in January 1988 White Lion landed the opening slot for AC/DC on their Blow Up Your Video American tour. While touring with AC/DC, the Pride album and “Wait” single finally charted, due in no small part to MTV airing the “Wait” music video in regular rotation - nearly seven months after the single’s release. “Wait” hit #8 on the singles chart, while Pride hit #11 on the album charts. Pride would remain on the top 200 Billboard album charts for a full year.
In August 1988, the album’s second single “Tell Me” hit #58. Around the time this single was released, White Lion played at the Ritz club in New York City. Like Guns N’ Roses before them, White Lion’s show at the Ritz was filmed and later aired on MTV.
The Pride album’s third single, a gentle acoustic ballad titled “When the Children Cry”, made it all the way to #3 with heavy MTV rotation, making Pride one of about 20 hard rock albums to ever have multiple top 10 hits.
The success of “When the Children Cry” would eventually push sales of Pride over the two million mark. In addition, Vito Bratta was recognized for his instrumental talents by racking up Best New Guitarist awards with both Guitar World magazine and Guitar For The Practicing Musician magazine.
In the spring of 1989, the Pride tour finally ended, but rather than take a break, they instead chose to record the next album, a decision the group later came to regret due to the effects of fatigue from heavy touring on the final product.
Life after MTV
In August 1989, White Lion released their third album, Big Game, a musically eclectic follow-up to Pride that featured the singles “Little Fighter” (which peaked at #52), “Cry For Freedom” (did not chart), and a cover of Golden Earring’s “Radar Love” (which peaked at #59). The album quickly went gold, but without a hit single, slowly declined, with a peak of #19 on the album charts.
After two years of writing and recording, the new album, Mane Attraction. During the recording sessions for this album, their record company allowed the band to make exactly the album they wanted to. As a result, the album is usually viewed as a mixed effort, where the band is trying to do too many things at once. The album failed to chart like the last two albums, although this may also be due to the general public’s shifting tastes towards grunge.
Greg D’Angelo and James Lomenzo left the band soon after the album’s release, citing “musical differences”, but White Lion carried on with bassist Tommy T-Bone Caradonna and drummer Jimmy DeGrasso (Megadeth, Alice Cooper, Suicidal Tendencies, Y&T, Fiona). After briefly touring in support of Mane Attraction, Tramp and Bratta decided to call it a day, their last show being held in Boston at the Channel in September 1991.
[edit]Social issues
Unlike most bands of their genre, White Lion recorded occasional songs that addressed social or political issues such as apartheid (”Cry for Freedom”) and the effect of divorce on children (”Broken Home”). The song “Little Fighter” was about the Rainbow Warrior, a ship owned by the environmental group Greenpeace that was illegally destroyed by French commandos. This concern for political and social issues was also hinted at in the cover art to their album Big Game, which featured a lion’s head hidden in tall grass with the White House in the background.
After White Lion
Mike Tramp went on to form Freak of Nature. Freak of Nature released three albums, Freak of Nature, Gathering of Freaks, and Outcasts. Mike Tramp went on as a solo artist. He has released four studio albums and one live album so far; Capricorn, Recovering the Wasted Years, More To Life Than This, and Songs I Left Behind as studio efforts, with Rock n’ Roll Alive as his sole live album. Today, Tramp continues his solo career, recording and releasing his own music. Through his website, fans can find media from his solo career, as well as White Lion.
James Lomenzo and Greg D’Angelo joined Zakk Wylde’s band, Lynyrd Skynhead in the mid 90’s which became the band Pride & Glory when Greg D’Angelo was replaced by Brian Tichy. Pride & Glory released one album, then James Lomenzo left the band. James went on to record and tour with ex-Van Halen frontman David Lee Roth and toured with Zakk Wylde’s band Black Label Society. In February 2006, James joined the legendary thrash band Megadeth on a permanent basis. Greg D’Angelo was the drummer for the band AntiProduct in 2006. Greg D’angelo is also filling in on drums for Britny Fox on 2007 US/European tour since their drummer Johnny Dee is unable to tour.
Vito Bratta stayed briefly with Atlantic Records to help produce an album for CPR, and later tried to form a new music group that never panned out. Sadly, despite a very dedicated worldwide following of guitar aficionados, Vito was not seen or heard from publicly since 1994 until his interview by Eddie Trunk live on February 16, 2007.
The New White Lion and legal issues
In 1999 Mike Tramp with new musicians released Rembering White Lion also released as The Last Roar and Ultimate White Lion which featured new versions of some of White Lion’s classic songs and then in October 2003, Mike Tramp announced a White Lion reunion with the original line up. This statement was quickly denied by the other former members. Later Tramp said that Vito Bratta wanted nothing to do with a reunion. With summer festivals in Europe already booked, Tramp attempted to put together a “new White Lion” featuring former members James Lomenzo, and Jimmy DeGrasso, along with Warren DeMartini of Ratt. Vito Bratta filed suit claiming partial ownership of the name, and the tour was scrapped. Tramp later revealed that despite his willingness, “There will never be an original White Lion reunion”.
In 2005, with legal battles finally out of the way, Mike Tramp again organized a group of unknown musicians and named the act Tramp’s White Lion. ‘TWL’ (White Lion 2) played White Lion songs, touring and releasing a double-live CD entitled Tramp’s White Lion: Rockin’ The USA. In November and December 2006, Tramp’s White Lion played several dates in Europe including Sweden, Norway, Spain, Italy, Greece, Turkey, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium and Denmark. The UK dates with Crimes of Passion were abandoned due to illness.
On February 16, 2007, Vito appeared on “The Eddie Trunk” radio show in New York, stating that despite what Mike Tramp said, he had never turned down any offer to reform White Lion or refused a White Lion reunion, stating that what Mike Tramp had said was not true, but, rather, that at the time Mike had approached him, Vito’s father was sick and dying and he could not leave him to do a reunion tour at that time. He added that he would still be open to the idea and has not closed the door to returning to music industry again. Trunk also made it clear that Vito’s involvement in the show was something that he had wanted to happen since White Lion first broke up in 1991. Vito took calls and answered questions from fans for almost 3 hours. On Friday April 6 and 7, 2007, at the L’Amours Reunion Shows in New York (the club that made White Lion), Vito made his first public musical appearances at both Friday and Saturday night’s shows in over 15 years. Mike Tramp was not present.
Three weeks later Mike Tramp called the same show from Australia, speaking about Vito and the band’s new album, including the tour dates that Tramp’s White Lion had recently confirmed. Tramp said that he was thankful that Vito had finally answered fan’s questions, the same questions he himself had been bombarded with over the past 15 years. He also stated that he felt uncomfortable answering on Vito’s behalf, and that he was upset that Vito had withdrawn himself from the music industry.
A White Lion Definitive Collection album was released in 2007. Summer of 2007 Tour featuring Tramp’s White Lion opening up for Poison and Ratt was cancelled after threatened legal action by Bratta caused them to be dropped by the promoter.
This threatened legal action however did not stop the band from appearing at Rocklahoma in Pryor, Ok on July 13th, 2007 with Poison, Ratt, Quiet Riot, Slaughter, Y&T, Dirty Penny, Greg Leon Invasion and Zendozer. After this the also toured the US. A new studio album entitled “Return of the Pride” will be released on March 14, 2008 (Frontiers records and King records) (Sources : melodicrock.com and frontiers.it ).
Classic line up
Mike Tramp - vocals, songwriter (1983 - present)
Vito Bratta - guitars, songwriter (1983-1992)
James Lomenzo - bass (1984-1992)
Greg D’Angelo - drums (1984-1992)
Current members
Mike Tramp - vocals, songwriter (1983 - present)
Jamie Law - guitars (2005 - present)
Troy Patrick Farrell - drums (2005 - present)
Claus Langeskov - bass (2005 - present)
Henning Wanner - keyboards (2005 - present)
Former members
Vito Bratta - guitars, songwriter (1983-1992)
James Lomenzo - bass (1984-1992)
Greg D’Angelo - drums (1984-1992)
Nicki Capozzi - drums (1983-1984)
Felix Robinson - bass (1983-1984)
Dave Spitz - bass (1984)
Dan Hemmer - Hammond B-3 organ (1998-2005)
Kasper Damgaard - guitar (1998-2005)
Nils Kroyer - bass (1998-2005)
Bjarne T. Holm - drums (1998-2005)
Touring members
Tommy T-Bone Caradonna - bass (1991)
Jimmy DeGrasso - drums (1991)
[edit]Discography
Fight to Survive (November 9, 1985)
Pride (June 21, 1987)
Big Game (August 10, 1989)
Mane Attraction (1991)
The Best Of White Lion - Greatest hits compilation (1992)
Remembering White Lion - new versions (1999)
Anthology 83-89 - demos/previously unreleased songs (2004)
Rocking The USA - live album (November 8, 2006)
The Definitive Rock Collection - compilation (2007)
Return of the Pride (2008)
Charts
Album - Billboard (North America)
Year Album Chart Position
1988 Pride The Billboard 200 11
1988 Fight To Survive (reissue) The Billboard 200 151
1989 Big Game The Billboard 200 19
1991 Mane Attraction The Billboard 200 61
Videography
Live at the Ritz (1988)
One night in Tokyo (1988)
Escape from Brooklyn (1991)
Concert Anthology: 1987-1991 (2005)
AC DC
Bon Jovi
Bon Jovi is a hard rock band from Sayreville, New Jersey. Fronted by lead singer and namesake Jon Bon Jovi, the group originally achieved large-scale success in the 1980s.
Bon Jovi formed in 1983 with lead singer Jon Bon Jovi, guitarist Richie Sambora, keyboardist David Bryan, bassist Alec John Such, and drummer Tico Torres. Other than the departure of Alec John Such in 1994 (which pared the lineup down to a quartet), the lineup has remained the same for the past 23 years.
After two moderately successful albums in 1984 and 1985, the band scored big with Slippery When Wet (1986) and New Jersey (1988), which sold a combined 19 million copies in the U.S. alone, charted eight Top Ten hits, and launched the band into global superstardom. After non-stop touring, the band went on hiatus after the New Jersey Tour in 1990, during which time Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora both released successful solo albums. In 1992, the band returned with the double platinum Keep the Faith and has since created a string of platinum albums throughout the 1990s and 2000s, also expanding their musical horizons, combining rock with such genres as pop, adult contemporary, and country. The band has also been credited with inspiring the MTV Unplugged series with their famous sit-down acoustic performance at the 1989 MTV Video Music Awards.
In 2006, the band won a Grammy for best Country Collaboration for “Who Says You Can’t Go Home” with Jennifer Nettles from Sugarland and also became the first rock band to reach #1 on the Hot Country Songs chart with the same song. They have also been nominated twice for the smash hit “It’s My Life” and two songs from the album Bounce, “Misunderstood” and “Everyday”.
Throughout their career, the band has released ten studio albums, of which nine have gone platinum. In addition, the band has charted 19 singles to the Top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100, four of which reached #1 (”You Give Love a Bad Name”, “Livin’ on a Prayer”, “Bad Medicine”, and “I’ll Be There for You”). The band also holds the record for the most weeks for a hard rock album at #1 on the Billboard 200 with Slippery When Wet, as well as the most Top 10 singles from a hard rock album, with New Jersey, which charted five such singles.
Over the past 23 years, Bon Jovi has sold over 120 million albums worldwide[1], 34 million in the United States alone[2].
Formation
Jon Bon Jovi
Founding member Jon Bon Jovi began to play piano and guitar at thirteen with his first band, called Raze. He was enrolled in an all-boys Catholic school, St. Joseph High School in Metuchen, New Jersey, but left to attend public school at Sayreville War Memorial High School.[3] At sixteen, Bon Jovi met David Bryan (born David Bryan Rashbaum) and formed a 12-piece cover band named Atlantic City Expressway after the New Jersey highway. They played at New Jersey clubs, even though they were minors. Still in his teens, Bon Jovi played in the band John Bongiovi and the Wild Ones, playing local clubs like “The Fast Lane” and opening for known acts in the area.
By mid-1982, out of school and working part-time in a shoe store, Bon Jovi took a job at the Power Station Studios, a Manhattan recording facility where his cousin, Tony Bongiovi, was a co-owner. Bon Jovi made several demos (including one produced by Billy Squier) and sent them out to many record companies, but failed to make an impact.
In 1983, Bon Jovi visited the local radio station WAPP 103.5FM “The Apple” in Lake Success, New York. He spoke directly to the D.J., Chip Hobart, who suggested Bon Jovi let WAPP include the song “Runaway” on a compilation album of local homegrown talent. Bon Jovi was reluctant but eventually gave them the song on which Bon Jovi had used studio musicians to play on the track “Runaway” (originally written in 1980). The studio musicians who helped record “Runaway” were known as The All Star Review. They were: guitarists Dave Sabo and Tim Pierce, keyboardist Roy Bittan, drummer Frankie LaRocka and bassist Hugh McDonald.
The song began to get airplay in the New York area, then other sister stations in major markets picked up the song. In March 1983 Bon Jovi called David Bryan, who in turn called bassist Alec John Such and an experienced drummer named Tico Torres.
Richie Sambora in Dublin May 2006
Tapped to play lead guitar was Bon Jovi’s neighbor, Dave Sabo (a.k.a. The Snake), who later formed the group Skid Row.
Richie Sambora became the band’s lead guitarist.
Before joining the group, Sambora had toured with Joe Cocker, played with a group called Mercy and had been called up to audition for Kiss. He also played on the album Lessons with the band Message, which was re-released on CD through Long Island Records in 1995. Message was originally signed to Led Zeppelin’s Swan Song Records label, although the album was never released.
Drummer Tico Torres was also an experienced musician, having recorded and played live with Phantom’s Opera, The Marvelettes, and Chuck Berry. He appeared on 26 records and had recently recorded with Frankie and the Knockouts, a Jersey band with hit singles during the early 1980s.
David Bryan had quit the band he and Bon Jovi founded in order to study medicine. While in college, he realized he wanted to pursue music full-time and was accepted to Juilliard School, the New York music school. When Bon Jovi called his friend and said he was putting together a band and a record deal looked likely, Bryan followed Bon Jovi’s lead and gave up his studies.
The Bon Jovi lineup, which remained stable for a decade, was:
Jon Bon Jovi (lead vocals, rhythm guitar)
Richie Sambora (lead guitar, backing vocals)
David Bryan (keyboard, backing vocals)
Tico Torres (drums, percussion)
Alec John Such (bass guitar, backing vocals)
1980s
Once the band began playing showcases and opening for local talent, they caught the attention of record executive Derek Shulman, who signed them to Mercury Records, part of the PolyGram company. Because Jon Bon Jovi wanted a group name, Jerry Jaffe, head of A&R at PolyGram, came up with Bon Jovi.
With the help of their new manager Doc McGhee, the band’s debut album, Bon Jovi, was released on January 21, 1984. The album went gold in the U.S. (sales of over 500,000)[citation needed] and was also released in the UK. The group found themselves opening for ZZ Top at Madison Square Garden (before their first album had been released), and for Scorpions and Kiss in Europe. They also made an appearance on the popular television program American Bandstand.
In 1985, Bon Jovi’s second album 7800° Fahrenheit was released. While embarking on a tour opening up for Ratt, the album received a poor response by critics. The leading British metal magazine Kerrang!, which had been very positive about the debut record, called the album “a pale imitation of the Bon Jovi we have got to know and learned to love.” Jon Bon Jovi himself later said it could have and should have been better.
They brought in songwriter Desmond Child for their third album, Slippery When Wet. With Child co-writing many of their hits, the band shot to super-stardom around the world with songs “You Give Love a Bad Name”, “Livin’ On A Prayer”, and “Wanted Dead or Alive”. Bon Jovi has said the album was named after the ubiquitous highway warning signs, but Bryan has said the following about the album’s title:
“During the recording of the record we frequently wound up in a striptease club where incredibly good looking girls were putting water and soap on each other. They became so slippery because of that, that you couldn’t hold on to them even if you wanted to really bad. ‘Slippery when wet!’ one of us yelled out and the rest of us immediately knew: that had to be the title of the new album! Originally we were going to put a picture of some huge breasts, the really big ones, on the cover; but when the PMRC [a moral board chaired by Tipper Gore, wife of future Vice President Al Gore ] found out, we were in big trouble. So we made it into a very decent cover.”
The album has sold in excess of 26 million copies worldwide since its release in late 1986. In 1987, the band headlined England’s “Monsters of Rock” festival with Dio, Metallica, W.A.S.P., Anthrax, and Cinderella. The tour took its toll on singer Jon Bon Jovi when he began having vocal difficulties. The extremely high notes and unrelenting schedule threatened to damage his voice permanently. With the help of a vocal coach, he made it through the tour. Bon Jovi has tended to sing slightly lower pitches since then.
The next album was 1988’s New Jersey. The album was recorded shortly after the tour for Slippery. The resulting album was a commercial success, with hit songs “Bad Medicine”, “Lay Your Hands on Me” and “I’ll Be There for You”, which are still in their live repertoire. New Jersey was a commercial hit and became the first hard rock album to spawn five Top Ten singles. “Bad Medicine” and “I’ll Be There for You” both hit number one, and “Born to Be My Baby” (#3), “Lay Your Hands on Me” (#7), and “Living in Sin” (#9) rounded out the list.
New Jersey was supported by video releases such as New Jersey: The Videos and Access All Areas, as well as a massive 18-month tour, originally billed as The Jersey Syndicate Tour. In 1989, the band headlined the Moscow Music Peace Festival along with the Scorpions, Ozzy Osbourne, Mötley Crüe, and Skid Row.
1990s
Between 1990 and 1992, the band members went their separate ways for a while to refocus before writing and recording their next album. This time off also helped them determine where Bon Jovi would fit within the rapidly changing music scene upon their return. Jon Bon Jovi recorded a solo album, a soundtrack to the movie Young Guns II, more commonly known as Blaze of Glory, (in which he had an extremely brief cameo). Released in 1990, the album featured high profile guests such as Elton John, Little Richard, and Jeff Beck. The album fared well commercially, received positive reviews and quickly achieved platinum status. The title track, “Blaze of Glory”, hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and earned Jon an Academy Award nomination for Best Song. “Blaze of Glory” was awarded a Golden Globe.
Sambora, with the help of Tico Torres and David Bryan, released a solo album entitled Stranger In This Town, in 1991. The album featured Eric Clapton on the song “Mr. Bluesman”. David Bryan recorded a soundtrack for the horror movie The Netherworld, which was the brighter part of that year after he was hospitalized with an illness due to a South American parasite.
In 1992, the band returned with the album Keep the Faith. Produced by Bob Rock, it featured more a mature sound and lyrical content. Singles “Bed of Roses”, “Keep the Faith” and “In These Arms”, all hit the Top 40 in the U.S. Other songs on the album were released as singles internationally, mainly “Dry County”, “I Believe”, and “I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead.”
In 1994, Bon Jovi released a greatest hits album titled Cross Road, with two new tracks: the hit singles “Always” and “Someday I’ll Be Saturday Night”, as well as an updated rendition of “Livin’ on a Prayer” entitled “Prayer ‘94″, available only on the U.S. version. “Always” was originally written for a soundtrack to the film Romeo Is Bleeding, but after seeing (and disliking) the movie, the band decided not to lend the song to the producers and instead released it on “Cross Road”. The video for “Always” featured Carla Gugino, an actress known for her roles in several TV shows’ and films such as Son In Law and actor Jack Noseworthy, best known for his role in the 2000 film U-571. “Always” spent thirty-two weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 and became one of Bon Jovi’s biggest hits. The song peaked at #4 on the US charts and at #1 in countries across Europe, Asia and in Australia. The single sold very well, going platinum in the U.S.
That same year, bassist Alec John Such left the band, the first lineup change since Bon Jovi began. Hugh McDonald, who was the bassist on “Runaway”, unofficially replaced Such as bassist, with rumors that he had also recorded bass on previous albums. Jon Bon Jovi said, regarding the departure of Such: “Of course it hurts. But I learned to accept and respect it. The fact that I’m a workaholic, studio in, studio out, stage on, stage off, want to be dealing with music day and night, doesn’t mean everyone else has to adjust to that pace. Alec wanted to quit for a while now, so it didn’t come as a complete surprise.”
The 1995 album These Days went platinum in the U.S. and topped the UK charts. It spun off one hit single in the U.S., “This Ain’t A Love Song”. Other tracks proved to be popular European singles, including “Hey God”, “Something for the Pain”, “Lie to Me”, and the title track.
At the end of the These Days Tour, the band once again decided to take a break and pursue other interests. Tico used the opportunity further pursue his painting while David started writing and composing various musicals. In 1998, Richie released his second solo outing called Undiscovered Soul.
Jon had also been bitten by the acting bug. He landed lead roles in movies Little City and The Leading Man, and supporting roles in Moonlight and Valentino, Homegrown, and U-571, among others. While he was free between filming different movies, Jon wrote what would become his second solo album, 1997’s Destination Anywhere. The album received positive reviews and was a success across Europe. A short movie of the same name was recorded around the record’s release, based entirely on the songs from the record and starring Jon Bon Jovi, Demi Moore, Kevin Bacon and Whoopi Goldberg. Dave Stewart of Eurythmics played guitar on the record, and produced some of the tracks.
Bon Jovi reunited in 1999 to record the song “Real Life” for the movie EdTV. David Bryan didn’t make it to the filming of the video for the song because of a hand injury sustained in a home improvement mishap, so the band used a cardboard cutout of him for the shoot.
2000s
After a nearly three-year hiatus, during which several band members worked on independent projects, Bon Jovi regrouped in 1999 to begin work on their next studio album. Their 2000 release, Crush, enjoyed success both in the U.S. and overseas, thanks in part to the smash-hit single “It’s My Life”, co-written by Swedish producer Max Martin. Crush, which also produced such hits as “Say It Isn’t So” and “Thank You For Loving Me”, soon became the band’s most successful studio album since Keep the Faith, and helped introduce them to a new, younger fan base.
The Crush Tour, which began that summer, originally encompassed only 60 or so shows and was extended due to demand, with the band remaining on tour through mid-2001. While on tour, Bon Jovi released a collection of live performances from throughout their career in an album entitled, One Wild Night: Live 1985-2001. The Crush tour was notable in that the European 2000 leg included the band headlining two nights at Wembley Stadium. These were the final shows at the venue before it was demolished. Shortly after the September 11, 2001 attacks, the band performed as part of the star-studded The Concert for New York City benefit for victims and their families. They performed an acoustic medley of “Livin’ on a Prayer” and “Wanted Dead or Alive” with a stirring finale of “It’s My Life”.
In late 2002, Bounce hit stores. It produced hit singles “Everyday” and the title track. The band went on the U.S. Bounce Tour for this album, during which they made history as the last band to play Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia before it was torn down. The band also released a promotional album through Target, featuring eight demo and live tracks.
Following the end of the Bounce Tour in August 2003, Bon Jovi embarked on a project; originally intending to produce an album consisting of live acoustic performances, the band ended up rewriting, re-recording and reinventing 12 of their biggest hits in a new and much different light. This Left Feels Right was released in November 2003.
The following year the band released a box set entitled 100,000,000 Bon Jovi Fans Can’t Be Wrong, the title being an homage to Elvis Presley’s 50,000,000 Elvis Fans Can’t Be Wrong. The set consisted of four CDs packed with 38 unreleased and 12 rare tracks, as well as a DVD. The box set marked the sales of 100 million Bon Jovi albums and also commemorated the 20th anniversary of the release of the band’s first record in 1984.
In November 2004, Bon Jovi was honored with the Award for Merit at the American Music Awards, where they performed a sneak preview of an unfinished song, “Have a Nice Day”. Bon Jovi also participated in Live 8 on July 2, 2005, where they debuted the full, final version of “Have a Nice Day”, alongside “Livin’ on a Prayer” and “It’s My Life”. On August 20, 2005, the band headlined Miller Brewing Co.’s Big Brew-Ha, celebrating its 150th anniversary. The free stadium concert at Miller Park in Milwaukee included one preview song from the band’s forthcoming album.
Bon Jovi’s ninth studio album, Have a Nice Day, was released in September 2005. The album topped the charts around the world, giving Bon Jovi its career-best first week sales of over 202,000 albums. “Have A Nice Day” was the first single off the new album, and debuted at radio worldwide on July 18, 2005. The second single, “Who Says You Can’t Go Home”, was released in the U.S. in early 2006, although internationally it was the third single release after “Welcome to Wherever You Are”. In the U.S. a duet version of “Who Says You Can’t Go Home” with country singer Jennifer Nettles of the band Sugarland was released, and in May 2006, Bon Jovi became the first Rock & Roll Band to have a #1 hit on Billboard’s Hot Country Chart[citation needed]. On February 11, 2007, Bon Jovi also won the Grammy Award, for “Best Country Collaboration with Vocals” for “Who Says You Can’t Go Home”.
Bon Jovi live in Dublin, May 20, 2006
Soon after the release of Have A Nice Day, the band started gearing up for the new 2005-2006 worldwide Have A Nice Day Tour. This tour, being shorter than previous ones with only seventy-five shows originally planned, took the band to numerous stages and arenas throughout the world. During the tour, Bon Jovi performed as the headlining act at Nascar’s Daytona 500 on February 19, 2006. Originally it was planned for them to be the first act to perform at the new Wembley Stadium in London, but the stadium’s rebuilding project was delayed until 2007. The concerts were therefore moved to the Milton Keynes National Bowl and Hull, KC Stadium with the same performance dates. Following dates in Japan and Europe, Bon Jovi extended the tour and returned to the U.S. in 2006 for a few stadium shows, including 3 sold-out shows in the band’s native New Jersey at Giants Stadium. On February 7, 2006, a promotional album, Live from the Have a Nice Day Tour, was released through Wal-Mart, which contained six live tracks recorded in December 2005 in Boston. Three of these tracks were released in the U.K. in June 2006 as B-sides on the single “Who Says You Can’t Go Home”.
On November 14, 2006, Bon Jovi were inducted into the UK Music Hall of Fame alongside James Brown and Led Zeppelin, joining music legends such as The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, U2, Madonna and Elvis Presley. They will not be eligible for the U.S. equivalent until 2009.
With the end of the Have A Nice Day Tour, Bon Jovi began to throw around ideas for their next project. Among the potential offerings were going to Nashville to record with country stars (following the success of “Who Says You Can’t Go Home”), a second greatest hits CD, a new studio album, and even new movies.
In June 2007, Bon Jovi released their tenth studio album, Lost Highway. The album debuted at number #1 on the Billboard charts, the first time that Bon Jovi have had a number one album on the U.S. charts since the release of New Jersey in 1988. The album sold 292,000 copies in its first week on sale in the U.S., and became Bon Jovi’s third US number one album. The first single from the new album was “(You Want to) Make a Memory”, which debuted (and peaked) at #27 in the Billboard Hot 100, Bon Jovi’s highest ever debut in the U.S. charts. The album reached Number #1 in Japan, Canada, Australia and Europe, and reached number #2 in the UK.
To promote the new album, Bon Jovi made several television appearances, including the 6th annual CMT Awards in Nashville, American Idol, and MTV Unplugged, as well as playing at the Live Earth concert at Giants Stadium[1]. They also performed ten promotional gigs in the U.S., Canada, the UK and Japan. As part of the ‘tour’, Bon Jovi were the first group to perform at London’s new O2 Arena (formerly the Millennium Dome) when it opened to the public on June 24, 2007. The 23,000-seater stadium sold out within one minute of tickets being released.
On June 6, 2007, Richie Sambora checked himself into a rehabilitation facility. This meant that he missed a concert in Puerto Rico as well as several television appearances, with backup guitarist Bobby Bandiera taking his place. He checked out on June 13, and was present for Bon Jovi’s remaining summer concerts.
When questioned on American Idol, Jon Bon Jovi stated that the band would embark on a tour beginning in January, after playing ten dates in New Jersey in the fall. According to Richie Sambora this tour would be a greatest hits tour, so it would not be in direct support of Lost Highway. However, in October 2007 the band announced the Lost Highway Tour. Starting with the New Jersey gigs, the band are touring Canada, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, the U.S. and then Europe, finishing in the summer. In early December 2007 the band took time off from their Canadian tour to become the first ever American band to headline the Royal Variety Performance in Liverpool, England, performing in front of the Queen herself.[8] The U.S. leg of the tour will begin February 18, 2008 in Omaha, Nebraska.
Criticism
Recently the band came under fire due to the excessive ticket prices charged for the aforementioned ten New Jersey shows, tickets for which were priced as high as $337 according to one report[9] and $1000 according to another [10]
Band members
Current members
Jon Bon Jovi - vocals, guitar, piano, harmonica (1983-present)
Richie Sambora - guitar, talk box, vocals (1983-present)
David Bryan - keyboards, vocals (1983-present)
Tico Torres - drums, percussion (1983-present)
with
Hugh McDonald - bass guitar, vocals (1994-present)
Bobby Bandiera - guitar (2003-present) (occasional touring member)
Lorenza Ponce - violin, fiddle (2006-present) (touring member)
Kurt Johnston - lap steel guitar (2006-present) (touring member)
Former members
Alec John Such - bass guitar, vocals (1983-1994)
Tours
Slippery When Wet Tour
New Jersey Syndicate Tour
Stranger in this Town Tour (Richie Sambora Solo Tour featuring Tico Torres and David Bryan)
Keep the Faith Tour
Crossroads Tour
These Days Tour
Destination Anywhere (Jon Bon Jovi Solo Tour)
Undiscovered Soul (Richie Sambora Solo Tour)
Crush Tour
One Wild Night Tour
Bounce Tour
Have a Nice Day Tour
Lost Highway Tour
Awards
1987: MTV Video Music Awards: Best Stage Performance.
1988: American Music Award: Favorite Pop/Rock Band, Duo or Group
1991: MTV Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award
1995: World Music Awards: Best Selling Rock Band Of The Year.
1995: MTV Europe Music Awards: Best Rock
1996: BRIT Awards: Best International Band
2001: My VH1 Music Awards: Video Of The Year “It’s My Life”
2002: My VH1 Music Awards: Hottest Live Show
2004: American Music Award: Award Of Merit
2005: Chopard Diamond Award at the World Music Awards for selling 100 million albums.
2006: UK Music Hall of Fame
2006: CMT Music Awards: Best Collaborative Video “Who Says You Can’t Go Home”
2007: People’s Choice Awards: Best Rock Song for “Who Says You Can’t Go Home”
2007: Grammy Awards: Best Country Collaboration for “Who Says You Can’t Go Home”
Trivia
On the January 28, 2008, after four concerts around Australia, eight of Bon Jovi’s albums re-entered the official ARIA Charts’ Top 100 Albums Chart for the week starting the 28th. Albums which charted in the top 50 were Lost Highway at #2 (previous highest charting position was #5), Slippery When Wet at #28 (re-entered the charts 22 years after its original charting), Keep the Faith at #39 (16 years after its original charting) and New Jersey #41 (20 years after its original charting). The other four albums which charted were Cross Road at #57, These Days at #58, Bon Jovi at #59 and 7800° Fahrenheit at #66 (which never charted in Australia on its original release).
Judas Priest
Judas Priest are an English heavy metal band formed in 1969 in Birmingham. Originally formed by guitarist K. K. Downing and bassist Ian Hill, Judas Priest’s core line-up consists of Downing, Hill, vocalist Rob Halford and guitarist Glenn Tipton. They have been cited as an influence on many heavy metal musicians and bands. Their popularity and status as one of the definitive heavy metal bands has earned them the nickname “Metal Gods,” from their song of the same name.[1] They have sold over 35 million albums worldwide.
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