Singing has always been Jon Bon Jovi’s whole life. Forming his first band at age 12, he would go on to found the rock band Bon Jovi in 1983. The New Jersey-based outfit soon gained international fame thanks to hits like “You Give Love a Bad Name” and “Livin’ On a Prayer”. So it was a devastating blow to the Grammy-winning front man, now 64, when he learned that one of his vocal cords had begun to atrophy. In 2022, he underwent medialization surgery, followed by extensive vocal therapy sessions. Still, Bon Jovi wasn’t sure he would ever return to the stage again.
However, the “Runaway” singer recety made a triumphant return to the stage. On June 14, the band performed their first full set in four years in Nashville, Tennessee. And in a recent interview with People, Bon Jovi had some thrilling news to share: He has been fully restored to his pre-surgery vocal prowess just in time for the band’s Forever Tour.
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Jon Bon Jovi Leaned on His Bandmates During Recovery
After years of working with vocal coaches and exercising his voice, “I’m fully recovered,” Jon Bon Jovi said.
“It was longer than I’d ever expected, but it had to be right,” he said. “We never lost faith.”
“We” includes his bandmates: keyboardist David Bryan, percussionist Everett Bradley, bassist Hugh McDonald, guitarist John Shanks, drummer Tico Torres and guitarist Phil X.
“They never doubted [me] and never looked for work or decided to retire,” Bon Jovi said. “The sacrifices that each one of them have made to be there for me is on a whole ’nother level. “They said, ‘No, we’re with you.’ Every day of every rehearsal they were there with me. My love for them has only deepened.”
He Once Feared He’d Never Sing Again
During an April 2024 interview with The Sunday Times, Jon Bon Jovi cast doubt on his ability to rock “millions of faces” ever again.
“I want to perform for two-and-a-half hours a night, four nights a week,” he said. “I know how good I can be, so if I can’t be that guy—put it this way, I don’t ever need to be the Fat Elvis.”
Fortunately, it’s looking like the “It’s My Life” crooner isn’t ready to hang it up just yet. Bon Jovi kicks off their Forever Tour on July 7 with a nine-night residency at Madison Square Garden before heading overseas for more sold-out shows in England and Ireland.
“I think that this is a rebirth,” he said of touring again. “It is simply about the joy.”
Featured image by Daniel Boczarski/Getty Images for the James Beard Foundation
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