80s | Pop Culture | Music
Original Bon Jovi Guitarist Says He Would Come Back, But Only On His Terms
It you were a child of the 80s, there's a pretty good chance that you're already very, VERY familiar with the music put out by Bon Jovi, one of the biggest rock bands of all time.
Formed in 1983 by longtime friends Jon Bon Jovi (real name John Francis Bongiovi Jr.) and David Bryan, the band went on to absolutely massive international success, thanks to songs like "Livin' on a Prayer," "Wanted Dead or Alive," and of course, "You Give Love A Bad Name."
The band has continued to play festivals and tour worldwide well into the present day, which has yielded some pretty impressive sales of their albums too. Their 1986 masterpiece Slippery When Wet has gone Platinum a whopping TWELVE TIMES, and plenty of their other records have gotten similarly massive sales.
Of course, it's never completely smooth sailing for any band, and their troubles came fairly recently, with the departure of longtime guitarist Richie Sambora in 2013. It's never been completely revealed why he left, but several reports detailed that there may have been personal issues between him and Jon Bon Jovi. He has since been replaced by the band's longtime touring guitarist, Phil X.
However, Sambora recently broke the relative silence on the matter, saying that he's open to rejoining the band if they manage to pull something very specific off.
It's a pretty impressive condition...
While Sambora has alluded to the possibility of coming back before, saying that "There's no bad blood with me any more. I love Jon, and I still see the possibility of a return." However, he recently elaborated on this by saying that it would depend on whether or not the band is inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2018.
You see, the band was previously passed up for entry into the institution in 2011, and once again they're up against some stiff competition. Also on the docket this year are heavy-hitters like Judas Priest, Radiohead, Rage Against the Machine, Kate Bush, LL Cool J, and even Dire Straits.
The vote for who gets in is done entirely by fans, and Sambora has stated to TMZ that if the fans want him to play with the band again, they have to vote for them.