For three decades, Richie Sambora was known for being the lead guitarist for the rock band Bon Jovi. Besides performing on stage with the band, he also helped Jon Bon Jovi write a great deal of the songs. But that all changed when he unexpectedly decided to leave the group to explore a solo career. He released solo albums like Stranger in This Town and Undiscovered Soul. While gaining entry into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as part of Bon Jovi, Sambora recently discussed how he would love to perform with the group once again. But it came with one condition.
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Appearing on The Allison Hagendorf Show, Sambora held nothing back when talking about his time with Bon Jovi. And while he was the one to leave the group, he hoped to find his way back to the stage. And the one condition surrounding Bon Jovi and his voice. “If he gets [his voice] back, I’ll go play. I got songs. I swear to God. It’s the honest-to-God truth… I told everybody that I would without a doubt go back. The world needs it… We need hope.”
Although Sambora keeps in touch with some of the band, he explained how there is still somewhat of a rift between them. Still, that hasn’t stopped the musician from looking to the future. “The fans will just love it. It’s not finance, it has nothing to do with it. The world could use it.” He added, “But as Jon said, he’s been having problems with his voice, and now he had that operation… It’s an iffy thing at best. I don’t know if there’s anybody that has ever had that be successful. I’m not really sure about that. And I went to his house, and we talked about it.”
[RELATED: Richie Sambora Not a Fan of New Bon Jovi Documentary]
Jon Bon Jovie Watched New Documentary With Richie Sambora
Taking a trip into the past, Sambora left the band in 2013 when they returned from a short break at the start of their world tour. The only problem, their guitarist was nowhere around. Recalling the moment, Bon Jovi said, “We were all shocked. It was a show that night … and he just didn’t show up. And then the next night, and then the next night … We had 120 people on the road, 80 other shows to do. So the train kept going.”
While years ago, it appears that Bon Jovi and Sambora are rebuilding their friendship thanks to the documentary Thank You, Goodnight: The Bon Jovi Story. Bon Jovi explained, “He came over and watched three parts of the docuseries at my house. There’s never animosity.”
(Photo by Daniel Boczarski/Getty Images for Churchill Downs)
