Bon Jovi is a Rock and roll band from New Jersey that has sold more than 32 million albums in the U.S. alone during the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s,while over 100,000,000 albums worldwide, and played live concerts in major cities in Asia, Europe, Australia, Canada and South America, in addition to a large number of cities in the USA. Bon Jovi has sometimes been classified as Hair Metal — sometimes even regarded as the form's prime shapers — but has proved much more durable than most groups so labeled. It has been a band which inspired lots of today's bands, and also created the "Unplugged" style of performing on a MTV award show.History[edit]The 80sLead singer Jon Bon Jovi (John Francis Bongiovi) began to play piano and guitar at thirteen, learning Elton John songs. At that same age, Bongiovi founded his first band, called Raze. At sixteen Bon Jovi met David Bryan (David Bryan Rashbaum) in high school (Sayreville War Memorial High School ) and founded an R&B cover band with him named Atlantic City Expressway. They played at New Jersey clubs, even though they were minors. Still in his teens, Bon Jovi played in the band Jon Bon Jovi and the Wild Ones, playing New Jersey clubs like the Fast Lane and opening for known acts in the area.By the summer of 1982, out of school and working part-time - including in a shoe store - Jon finally got a job at the Power Station Studios, a Manhattan recording facility where his cousin, Tony Bongiovi, was the 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.At nineteen, Bon Jovi had his first recording experience, singing the song "R2-D2 We Wish You a Merry Christmas" by Meco Monardo and Daniel Oriolo on a Star Wars Christmas album, Christmas in the Stars, produced by Tony Bongiovi at the Power Station and released on the RSO label.In 1983, local radio station WAPP 103.5FM "The Apple" had a contest, held in conjunction with St. John's University, to search for the best unsigned band. Bon Jovi used studio musicians to play on the track "Runaway" (which was written in 1980). After it won the contest, it became an instant hit in the summer of 1983. The studio musicians who helped Jon Bon Jovi to record "Runaway" were known as "The All Star Review" and they were Tim Pierce (guitar), Roy Bittan (keyboards), Frankie LaRocka (drums) and Hugh McDonald (bass).Bon Jovi desperately needed a band. The soon-to-be-members of the band had crossed paths in their earlier days, but the current lineup didn't come together until March of 1983. Bon Jovi gave Dave Bryan a call, who in turn called Alec John Such and Tico Torres.A succession of guitarists followed, until Richie Sambora signed on. Such talked Bon Jovi into letting Sambora show what he could do, and Bon Jovi loved it. Before joining Bon Jovi, Sambora had toured with Joe Cocker, played with a group called Mercy and had just 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 label, although an album was never released through them.Tico Torres was also an experienced musician by then. He had jammed with Miles Davis and played live with The Marvelettes and Chuck Berry. He had played on twenty-six records and recently recorded his third album with Frankie and the Knockouts (a Jersey band with hit singles in the early 1980s).David Bryan was a natural recruit. He had quit the band he and Bon Jovi founded while in college, then quit college to attend Juilliard School, the famous classical music school.At one show, where Bon Jovi opened for the band Scandal, the band caught the attention of record exec Derek Shulman, who signed them to PolyGram.The debut album, Bon Jovi, came out on January 21, 1984. The album w