Singer didn’t know who to turn to when he delivered a tape of the song that would become his first hit
Jon Bon JoviHe didn’t enter the world of music out of nowhere. Your cousin, Tony Bongioviis a music producer and was the owner of the studio Power Station, in New York, in the United States. She recorded names like Gloria Gaynor, Talking Heads, Ramonesamong many others.
Still, the family bond was not enough to guarantee the singer’s success. Bon Jovi In the song. It took the involvement of a radio DJ who really liked his work in the early days.
In a question and answer session held at the Fairmount Century Plaza, a hotel in Los Angeles, to celebrate his 40th birthday, Jon declared that he had been saved from bankruptcy by Chip Hobartwho worked at the New York station WAPPtoday called WKTU.
“I released two albums before Slippery When Wet (1986, responsible for its global explosion) and the first of them featured the song ‘Runaway’ (first hit). I turned to a DJ, with a cassette tape, because I was frustrated like so many other young aspiring composers: no one would call me back. No record label, no manager, nothing.”
The search for a DJ did not happen by chance. Jon states that he clearly thought about why he should look for precisely this type of professional.
“I ended up thinking: ‘who is the loneliest but most passionate man in the world of music?’. I came to the conclusion: a DJ, because he’s alone in a room, doesn’t know who he’s talking to and is passionate about music and artists he cared about.”
Jon Bon Jovi and the DJ who saved his career
Convinced that he wouldn’t have many chances after trying with Chip Hobart, Jon Bon Jovi handed over a tape with a recording of “Runaway” with hired musicians, who didn’t even form a band with the singer: the guitarist Tim Piercethe keyboardist Roy Bittanthe drummer Frankie LaRocka and the bassist Hugh McDonald (which, interestingly, was linked to the Bon Jovi from the 1990s onwards). It was the beginning of a winning story in music.
“I knocked on the window of a radio station and played that song,’Runaway‘, for this DJ. He said, ‘that’s a hit song.’ I said: ‘I know’. With that I got a recording contract and started the band.”
The story, of course, is not that simple. When making contact with the radio in question, Jon spoke with Hobart and the station’s outreach director, John Lassman. He recommended that the singer give in “Runaway” to join a collection of local talents, after the DJ really fell in love with the composition.
The artist, strangely enough, didn’t want to. However, he ended up convinced that that would be the best destination for recording. The radio people were right: the inclusion in the collection and programming made “Runaway” a hit. Only after the Bon Jovi ended up being formed with the members we know: Richie Sambora on guitar, Alec John Such at the bottom, Tico Torres on the battery and David Bryan on keyboards, in addition to Jon on vocals.
Chip Hobartthe “hero” of his career Jon Bon Jovi, died in 2021, after a long battle with cancer. On Instagram, the singer paid tribute to him:
“Every music kid dreams of hearing their song on the radio. In 1983, I took it to another level by bringing ‘Runaway‘ to a radio station. I thanked chip a thousand times that day. This week I contacted my old friend to invite him to play ‘Runaway‘ in a very special project we are working on. I found out that he had passed away in March (2021). Thank you my friend, for the 1001st time.”
See this photo on InstagramA post shared by Jon Bon Jovi (@jonbonjovi)
Source: Rollingstone
Earl Johnson is a music writer at Gossipify, known for his in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the industry. A graduate of USC with a degree in Music, he brings years of experience and passion to his writing. He covers the latest releases and trends, always on the lookout for the next big thing in music.
