They were a glammy pop-metal outfit who found themselves going from their local clubs to touring alongside Scorpions and Kiss on the strength of both their heartthrob looks and the 1984 Top 40 hit “Runaway” and its relentlessly catchy, New Wave keyboard line.
But when Jon Bon Jovi formed the band with guitarist Richie Sambora, bassist Alec Such and drummer Tico Torres in New Jersey in 1983, the biggest thing about them was their hair. Everything about Bon Jovi is huge-the choruses, the sales numbers, the riffs, the arenas-and they earned their place in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame with explosive tunes that command singalongs.
