On this Day, March 2, 1962 …

John Francis Bongiovi Jr. was born in Perth Amboy, New Jersey, later changing his name to Jon Bon Jovi for his musical career.

In 1983 he formed Bon Jovi with keyboardist David Bryan, bassist Alec John Such and drummer Tico Torres; they were later joined by guitarist Richie Sambora. They released their self-titled debut album in 1984, which featured the top-40 hit “Runaway.”

The band has gone on to release 16 studio albums, including 1986’s Slippery When Wet, which spent eight weeks at number one, and 1988’s New Jersey, which also went to number one and produced five top-10 hits, including two #1 songs: “Bad Medicine” and “I’ll Be There for You.”

Bon Jovi released their latest album, Forever, in 2024.

Bon Jovi is set to return with their Forever tour, which kicks off July 7 at New York’s Madison Square Garden. It is the band’s first tour since Jon underwent vocal cord surgery in 2022.