With a mop of devil-may-highlight hair, a voice naturally suited for the stadium and enough good looks to prevail through decades of rock stardom, Jon Bon Jovi valiantly leads his self-titled rock band into the next millennium, never slowing down, perpetually “halfway there.”

Born Jon Bongiovi in 1962, the man who would become the frontman of one of the most popular hard rock bands of all time grew up in New Jersey, listening to Bob Dylan, Def Leopard, Bruce Springsteen and the Rolling Stones. It was fortunate that the young Bongiovi had a cousin who owned a recording studio, because during his teenage years Jon was able to work there while developing his own sound. It wasn’t too long before Jon Bongiovi was working with other artists and bands on demo tapes. Eventually Bongiovi’s musical abilities warranted forming a complete band to surround him. Jon’s longtime friend David Rashbaum, who changed his last name to Bryan about the same time Jon changed his to Bon Jovi, played keyboards, Tico Torres played the drums, Alec John Such played the bass and Richie Sambora played the guitar in the band called Bon Jovi.

Bon Jovi created their first hit single, “Runaway,” in 1984 to go along with their self –titled debut album. A sophomore album, 7800º Fahrenheit, was indeed successful, but it wasn’t until they decided to use the help of professional songwriters and test audiences with thier third album that they really broke through to the upper echelon. Slippery When Wet, released in 1986, took Bon Jovi sliding to the top of the charts with hit singles like "Wanted Dead or Alive," "You Give Love a Bad Name" and "Livin' on a Prayer."

With the overwhelming popularity of Slippery When Wet, Bon Jovi knew they were onto something. Although their sound took a turn for the masses, marketable more for a teen pop audience than the metal heads that used to make up their base in the early years, one constant theme was chart success. New Jersey didn’t have the same enduring quality of tracks that its predecessor Slippery had, yet it still managed to grab hold of the top spot in the albums chart. Over half a dozen albums would follow, carrying the band from the 80’s through the 90’s and into the 2000s with continuing popularity. 2007’s Lost Highway, which achieved a No. 1 position in the album charts upon its release, is an example of the continuing success of Bon Jovi.