Richie Sambora | |
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Born | Richard Stephen Sambora July 11, 1959 Perth Amboy, New Jersey, U.S. |
Education | Woodbridge High School |
Occupations |
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Years active | 1977–present |
Spouse | |
Partner | Orianthi (2014–2018) |
Children | 1 |
Musical career | |
Genres | |
Instruments |
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Formerly of | |
Website | richiesambora |
Richard Stephen Sambora (born July 11, 1959) is an American musician, singer, and songwriter, best known as the lead guitarist of the rock band Bon Jovi from 1983 to 2013. He and lead singer Jon Bon Jovi formed the main songwriting unit for the band. He has also released three solo albums: Stranger in This Town in 1991, Undiscovered Soul in 1998, and Aftermath of the Lowdown released in September 2012. [1]
In 2018, Sambora was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Bon Jovi, [2] and reunited with his former bandmates for a performance at the induction ceremony. [3] That year, he formed the duo RSO alongside Orianthi. After two EPs, the pair released their debut album Radio Free America in May. [4]
Richard Stephen Sambora was born on July 11, 1959, in Perth Amboy, New Jersey, the son of Joan (née Sienila), a secretary, and Adam C. Sambora, a factory foreman. [5] Sambora is of Polish descent [6] and was raised Catholic. [7] He grew up in Woodbridge Township, New Jersey, [8] and graduated from Woodbridge High School in 1977. [9] He played basketball in high school; his sophomore team won the 1975 Group 4 State title. [10]
Sambora's first instrument was the accordion, which he began to play at the age of 6. [11] He began playing the guitar at the age of 12, following the death of Jimi Hendrix in 1970. From his early days, Sambora was strongly influenced by blues and 1960s rock and roll. His most important influences were Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, Jeff Beck, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Johnny Winter, Jimmy Page, Joe Perry, Brian May, George Harrison, Hank Marvin, Dave Davies, Pete Townshend, Ritchie Blackmore, Tony Iommi, Manny Charlton, Bernie Leadon, Don Felder, Joe Walsh, and B. B. King. [12] and he has also cited psychedelic soul singer Janis Joplin as having a big influence on his musical style. Sambora was also influenced by Spanish classical music and began a lifelong love of the Spanish guitar. Classical music directly inspired several of his songs, such as The Answer which was originally written on piano. [13]
Sambora also plays many other instruments, such as drums, bass, saxophone, and piano. The first time he performed on stage was at a Catholic Youth Organization dance when he was a teenager.[ citation needed ]
Sambora was a guitarist for the band Message, and with that band put out a 1982 independent record titled Lessons. It was re-released in 1995 under the name Message, and in 2000 as Lessons. He was later in a band, Mercy, which was signed to Led Zeppelin-owned record label Swan Song Records, and then Duke Williams & the Extremes, who were signed to Capricorn Records. Sambora was also in an improvisational club band called Richie Sambora & Friends. He was part-owner of a club in New Jersey, and at age 19 owned his own independent label Dream Disc Records. Sambora's first professional tour was as an opening act for Joe Cocker in the early 1980s. Shortly before joining Bon Jovi in 1983, Sambora unsuccessfully [14] auditioned for Kiss, to be Ace Frehley's replacement.
Sambora joined Bon Jovi in 1983, [15] [16] replacing the band's original lead guitarist Dave Sabo, who went on to form Skid Row. [17] Alec John Such had been playing in a band with Sambora and joined Bon Jovi while Sambora was away in Los Angeles auditioning for Kiss. When Sambora returned home, Such promptly invited him to see the band play. Sambora was impressed with Bon Jovi after seeing the band perform live, describing the band as "magic", and he subsequently approached Jon Bon Jovi backstage and "gave him a verbal résumé". Though Sambora initially believed Bon Jovi was not interested in him, he received a phone call several days later inviting him to rehearse with the band. When Jon arrived and heard the band with Sambora, he hired him on the spot. That night, the pair returned to Bon Jovi's mother's house and wrote the songs "Come Back" and "Burning for Love", both of which would appear on the band's 1983 debut album. [18]
The song "Next 100 years" from the album Crush, written by Sambora and Bon Jovi, is a self cover. The Japanese version, with lyrics by B'z's Koshi Inaba, was recorded first in 1999 by Johnny & Associates's special unit called J-Friends as part of the relief efforts for the 1995 Great Hanshin earthquake. The live version of the song was also included in a DVD released in April 2003, "J-FRIENDS Never Ending Spirit 1997-2003". It included performances from several of the agency's groups, as well as by the special unit. [19] [20] [21] [22] [23] [24] [25]
Sambora left the band in 2013 [15] [16] prior to a concert in Calgary during the band's Because We Can tour. Since his departure, Sambora has only played with Bon Jovi at their Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction in 2018. In 2016, Sambora stated that his reason for leaving the band was in order to give his family more of his attention. "I really needed to take some time to be with my daughter," he stated "She needed me and I needed her, actually." [26]
Sambora also released a solo EP with Orianthi, and performed alongside the RSO band member and his girlfriend on April 7, 2018. [27] [28]
Sambora's first solo album was 1991's Stranger in This Town , a blues-influenced album that charted at No. 36 on the Billboard 200 and No. 20 on the UK Albums Chart. The lead single, "Ballad Of Youth", reached a high of No. 63 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and No. 59 in the UK. "One Light Burning" was released as the second single and the album titled track, "Stranger In This Town" as the third which charted at No. 38 on the Mainstream rock charts. Eric Clapton played the lead guitar on the promo single Mr Bluesman, backed by Sambora on acoustic guitars. Sambora did a short US tour in support of the album, featuring Tony Levin (bass), Dave Amato (guitar), Crystal Taliefero (percussion) and Bon Jovi bandmates Tico Torres (drums) and David Bryan (keyboards). The track "Rosie" was co-written by Jon Bon Jovi and was initially intended for the fourth Bon Jovi album New Jersey . It was also released as a promo single in Japan. "Ballad of Youth" was released in the UK in summer 1991 and despite plugs from The Friday Rock Show on BBC Radio 1 the song barely skimmed the top 75.
Undiscovered Soul was Sambora's second solo album, released in 1998. The album was produced by Don Was. The album charted at No. 174 on The Billboard 200 and No. 24 on the UK Albums Chart. The lead single "Hard Times Come Easy" charted at No. 39 on the Mainstream rock chart and No. 37 in the UK, the second single "In It For Love" charted at No. 58 on the UK Singles Chart. The title track "Undiscovered Soul" and "Made in America" were also released as singles. In support of Undiscovered Soul, Sambora toured Japan, Australia and Europe in the summer of 1998. The band featured Richie Supa (guitar), Ron Wikso (drums), Kasim Sulton (bass), Tommy Mandel (keyboards), Everett Bradley (percussion; Japan only), Gioia Bruno (percussion; Australia only) and Crystal Taliefero (percussion; Europe only).
In 2001, Sambora had a single for a movie soundtrack On The Line which was titled "Take Me On".
Fourteen years after his previous solo album, Sambora announced via his Twitter page that recording of Aftermath of the Lowdown had been completed with hopes that the album would be released in July 2012. Photographs were published of Sambora working in a recording studio. The new album was produced by Luke Ebbin, who produced Bon Jovi's Crush and Bounce albums. Aftermath of the Lowdown was released in September 2012. The album charted at No. 10 on the "Top Hard Rock Albums", No. 34 on the Top Independent Albums, No. 149 on The Billboard 200 and No. 35 on the UK Albums Chart. [29]
The track "Every Road Leads Home to You" was released as a single for the album and features a music video. The song is also featured as one of the bonus tracks on Bon Jovi's 2013 album What About Now . A special edition single, "I'll Always Walk Beside You'" featuring Alicia Keys was released as the second single of the album. All the profits from the sale of the special edition single goes to the ongoing recovery efforts of the Red Cross for the devastation from Hurricane Sandy. [30] The track "Sugar Daddy" was released as a promo single and a music video was made for the song "Taking a Chance on the Wind".
In 2013 following his departure from Bon Jovi, Sambora released the solo single "Come Back As Me". [31]
Sambora announced in early 2015 that he is working on a new album in collaboration with fellow musician and girlfriend Orianthi. [32] In 2016, they performed as RSO together in Australia, South America, and England, where they opened for Bad Company. [33] In September 2017, RSO released a five-song EP called Rise [34] followed by another EP Making History which was also released in 2017. The duo released their debut album Radio Free America in May 2018.
Sambora composed television theme songs for Entertainment Tonight and The Insider . Sambora (along with Jon Bon Jovi) is part of the ownership group of the Philadelphia Soul, an Arena Football League football team. [35] [ needs update ]
Sambora is featured on the track "Baby Rock Remix" from LL Cool J's 2008 album Exit 13. [36]
Sambora made a guest appearance [37] on Bo Diddley's 1996 album A Man Amongst Men, playing guitar on tracks "Can I Walk You Home" and "Oops! Bo Diddley".
In 1999, Sambora was a guest vocalist on the Stuart Smith album Stuart Smith's Heaven & Earth, performing a cover of the Deep Purple song "When a Blind Man Cries". Also in 1999, Sambora played the guitar solo on the track "Why Don't You Love Me" on the album Tuesday's Child, by Canadian singer Amanda Marshall.
In 1992 Sambora was on the soundtrack for Red Shoe Diaries with the feverish song “You Never Really Know”. Sambora sang "Long Way Around" for the 1997 Steven Seagal action film Fire Down Below . The song, written by Seagal and David Pomeranz, appears in the final scene. In a 1998 interview Sambora said his version is in the film itself but a different person's performance of the song is included on the film's soundtrack album, despite Sambora's name appearing on the album credits. [38] Sambora also recorded the song "One Last Goodbye" for movie The Banger Sisters , and covered Jimi Hendrix's "The Wind Cries Mary" for the soundtrack of 1990 comedy The Adventures of Ford Fairlane .
In 2004, Sanctuary Records released a self-titled album which had been recorded in 1978 by Shark Frenzy, documenting Sambora's first recorded material. The mix tapes had been damaged in a flood and band member Bruce Foster had remastered them for release many years later.
Sambora co-wrote several tracks and played guitar on Australian rock/pop artist Shannon Noll's third album Turn It Up. It was released in Australia in September 2007.
To coincide with his solo album Aftermath of the Lowdown , Sambora and friends performed as the house band on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson on CBS for one week (December 3–7, 2012). [39] Several guests sang along with the band over the week, including Ferguson (singing Sugar Daddy), [40] Denis Leary, Eddie Izzard and even Larry King, who sang the Late Late Show theme song. [41]
Sambora competed on the fourth season of the British version of The Masked Singer as the Jacket Potato. [42]
Sambora married actress Heather Locklear in Paris on December 17, 1994. [43] Their daughter Ava Elizabeth Sambora, was born on October 4, 1997. [44] [45] Locklear filed for divorce in February 2006 citing irreconcilable differences. [46] The divorce was finalized on April 11, 2007. [47] On April 20 2007, Sambora's father, Adam, died of lung cancer. [48]
On June 7, 2007, it was announced that Sambora was entering an undisclosed rehab facility in Los Angeles for treatment related to alcoholism. [49] [50] Following his release, he told an interviewer, "I was just drinking too much and I needed to get my life together. I'm still in therapy and stuff like that, but it's good. I'm great. I feel fine." [51] In the Bon Jovi documentary When We Were Beautiful, Sambora talks candidly about his addiction to painkillers following a fall in his bathroom. He credited his bandmates and mother with helping him through the difficult time. [52] [53]
On March 26, 2008, Sambora was arrested for drunk driving in Laguna Beach, California where he was a longtime resident. [54] [55] [56] Both his ten-year-old daughter and her friend were in the vehicle. [55] At his May 2008 arraignment, he pleaded no contest "to driving with a blood alcohol level of .08 or higher", was fined $390, placed on probation for three years, and was required to attend a driver's education course. [57]
On April 28, 2011, it was announced that Sambora had made the decision to enter rehab again. He was absent from the band for thirteen shows during the Bon Jovi Live tour, and his guitar and vocal duties were handled by session musician Theofilos "Phil X" Xenidis. [58] [59] This was Sambora's second stint in rehab and was announced just a week after he finished probation for drunk driving charges. [60] Sambora returned to join the band in June 2011 in Zagreb, Croatia, for the start of the European leg of the tour.
From his early days, Sambora was strongly influenced by blues and 1960s rock and roll. His most important influences were Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, Jeff Beck, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Johnny Winter, Jimmy Page, Joe Perry, Brian May, George Harrison, Hank Marvin, Dave Davies, Pete Townshend, Ritchie Blackmore, Tony Iommi, Manny Charlton, Bernie Leadon, Don Felder, Joe Walsh, and B. B. King, [61] and he has also cited psychedelic soul singer Janis Joplin as having a big influence on his musical style.
Over the years, Sambora has raised money for many charities, [62] such as Dream Street, the Steve Young Forever Young Foundation [ citation needed ] and Michael J. Fox's Parkinson's disease charity. He has donated money privately to various cancer charities since the death of his father, including both hospitals where his father was treated, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and M D Anderson. [63] Sambora's fundraising with the charity Stand Up For a Cure allowed for three mobile full service hospital units to be brought to the streets of New York, two of which were named after his parents, respectively. [64]
In May 2004, Sambora was bestowed with an Honorary Doctorate of Letters by Kean University [65] where he attended the awards ceremony and gave a speech of acceptance. He attended Kean University as a freshman, but dropped out to pursue a career as a professional guitarist and session musician. [66]
Sambora and his songwriting partner Jon Bon Jovi were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame on June 18, 2009. [67]
On November 24, 2009, Sambora launched charitable effort You Can Go Home [68] in his home town of Woodbridge Township, New Jersey, which unveiled a street renamed Richie Sambora Way. He also donated funds to renovate part of his alma mater Woodbridge High School, which opened a new weight room, the Adam Sambora Fitness Center, dedicated to Sambora's father. [69]
Sambora has been known to use a wide variety of equipment throughout his career. He has an extensive guitar collection, featuring more than 130 instruments, [70] about a third of which are various Fender Stratocaster models. [71]
In the 1980s, Sambora mostly played Kramer, Jackson, Charvel and Hamer superstrats as well as modified and custom Gibson Les Paul models, such as his Rod Schoepfer model. In early-mid 1987, Kramer put out a Richie Sambora signature model with three humbuckers, pointy headstock, gold hardware, star-shaped fingerboard inlays and a Floyd Rose Original locking tremolo. In the early 1990s, Fender put out a Richie Sambora Stratocaster signature model with Floyd Rose locking vibrato and three pickups: a DiMarzio humbucker at the bridge, and two single coil Texas Special pickups, one at the neck and one at center. [71]
In 2000, Taylor started the production of a Richie Sambora signature model, a six-string acoustic made of koa wood, called the RSSM. Only 100 were made. All of his double-neck acoustics feature a six-string neck on top and a 12-string neck on bottom, opposite of normal. Sambora's guitar solo in the song "Bullet" from the 2009 album The Circle was played through a Dunlop Cry Baby wah pedal. In 2010 he said that he was keeping his vintage guitars at home for studio work, and bringing his less expensive guitars on the road to his concerts, including "some Strats, a few Teles, some Les Pauls and Les Paul Juniors" along with a number of Richie Sambora signature models made by ESP Guitars. [70] Other notable guitars in Sambora's collection include the Kramer Jersey Star, Gibson SG Junior, Gibson ES-335, Gibson Firebird, Gibson Flying V, Gibson Explorer, Martin guitars, Ampeg Dan Armstrong Plexi, Ovation, Taylor and Fender Telecaster double neck guitars, and an Ovation triple neck guitar. [72]
Bon Jovi is an American rock band formed in Sayreville, New Jersey in 1983. The band consists of singer Jon Bon Jovi, keyboardist David Bryan, drummer Tico Torres, guitarists John Shanks and Phil X, percussionist Everett Bradley, and bassist Hugh McDonald. Original bassist Alec John Such left the band in 1994, and longtime guitarist and co-songwriter Richie Sambora left in 2013.
Bon Jovi is the debut studio album by American rock band Bon Jovi, released on January 23, 1984, by Mercury Records. Produced by Tony Bongiovi and Lance Quinn, it is significant for being the only Bon Jovi album in which a song appears that was not written or co-written by a member of the band. The album charted at number 43 on the US Billboard 200.
Slippery When Wet is the third studio album by American rock band Bon Jovi, released on August 18, 1986, by Mercury Records in North America and Vertigo Records internationally. It was produced by Bruce Fairbairn, with recording sessions taking place between January and July 1986 at Little Mountain Sound Studios in Vancouver. The album features many of Bon Jovi's best-known songs, including "You Give Love a Bad Name", "Livin' on a Prayer", and "Wanted Dead or Alive".
New Jersey is the fourth studio album by American rock band Bon Jovi, released on September 19, 1988, by Mercury Records. The album was produced by Bruce Fairbairn and recorded at Little Mountain Sound Studios in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The album was the follow-up to the band's third album, Slippery When Wet, and reached number one on the Billboard 200 chart in its second week of release after debuting at number eight. It remained at the top for four consecutive weeks and was Bon Jovi's last album to do so until Lost Highway (2007). The album was named after the birth state of Jon Bon Jovi, New Jersey.
Keep the Faith is the fifth studio album by American rock band Bon Jovi, released on November 3, 1992, by Mercury Records. It is Bon Jovi's last studio album to feature all five original band members as bass guitarist Alec John Such was dismissed from the band in 1994, though it was not his last release with the band. It is Bon Jovi's first album to not be produced by either Lance Quinn or Bruce Fairbairn. The album was produced by Bob Rock and was recorded at the Little Mountain Sound Studios in Vancouver, British Columbia. Keep the Faith marked a change to a "more serious interpretation of the band's pop-metal groove". It is also Bon Jovi's longest album to date, clocking in at 66 minutes.
These Days (stylized as (these Days)) is the sixth studio album by American rock band Bon Jovi, released on June 27, 1995, by Mercury Records. This was the first album Bon Jovi released after the dismissal of original bass guitarist Alec John Such, and their first album to be recorded officially as four-piece band (without an official bassist, but featured Hugh McDonald as a session/touring member on bass guitar). The album, produced by Peter Collins, Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora, is praised by many critics and fans as their best album. These Days is overall a darker album in contrast to the band's usual brand of feel-good, inspiring rock songs and love ballads.
Crush is the seventh studio album by American rock band Bon Jovi. It was released on May 29, 2000, by Mercury Records in the UK and on June 13, 2000, by Island Records in the US. It was produced by Jon Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora, and Luke Ebbin. The album marks the longest timespan between studio albums for the band, with five years between the release of These Days (1995) and this album. After the initial plan to team up with producer Bruce Fairbairn fell through because of his death a year earlier, Bon Jovi and Sambora hired Luke Ebbin to update their sound.
"Livin' on a Prayer" is a song by the American rock band Bon Jovi from their third studio album, Slippery When Wet. Written by Jon Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora and Desmond Child, the single, released in late 1986, performed strongly on both rock and pop radio and its music video was given heavy rotation at MTV, giving the band their first song to reach No. 1 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart and their second consecutive No. 1 Billboard Hot 100 hit.
Stranger in This Town is the first solo studio album by Richie Sambora, the guitarist from the New Jersey band Bon Jovi. The album was released in 1991, while Bon Jovi was on a 17-month hiatus. Jon Bon Jovi also released a solo album, Blaze of Glory (1990), during this period.
"Wanted Dead or Alive" is a power ballad by American band Bon Jovi. It is from their 1986 album Slippery When Wet. The song was written by Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora and was released in 1987, as the album's third single. During a February 20, 2008 encore performance in Detroit, Jon Bon Jovi told the crowd about running into Bob Seger at a Pistons game. As he introduced his song "Wanted Dead or Alive", he said it was inspired by Seger's "Turn the Page" hit and called the song the band's anthem. The song peaked at number 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and number 13 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, making it the third single from the album to reach the Top 10 of the Hot 100. As a result, Slippery When Wet was the first glam metal album to have 3 top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100.
"I'll Be There for You" is a song by American rock band Bon Jovi, released as the third single from their 1988 album, New Jersey. The power ballad was written by Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora. The single reached number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number five on the Album Rock Tracks chart.
Billy Falcon is an American musician, composer and music producer. He released rock albums throughout the late 1970s and 1980s, as well as appearing on The Way International's "High Country Caravan". He is currently active in the Nashville, Tennessee, area with the band The Sowing Circle.
Theofilos Xenidis, better known as Phil X, is a Canadian musician, singer and songwriter. Since 2013, he has played lead guitar with Bon Jovi and officially replaced former lead guitarist Richie Sambora in 2016.
"Whole Lot of Leavin'" is a song by American rock band Bon Jovi. It was written by Jon Bon Jovi and John Shanks and it was released only in Europe as the fourth single from the band's album Lost Highway.
Orianthi Penny Panagaris, known mononymously as Orianthi, is an Australian guitarist, singer and songwriter who rehearsed in 2009 with Michael Jackson in preparation for his This Is It concert series, and performed with Alice Cooper's touring band. Her 2009 debut single "According to You" peaked at No. 3 in Japan, No. 8 in Australia and No. 17 in the US; her second album, Believe, received a worldwide release in late 2009. The same year, she was named one of the "12 Greatest Female Electric Guitarists" by Elle magazine. She also won the "2010 Breakthrough Guitarist of the Year" award hosted by Guitar International magazine.
"What Do You Got?" is a song by American rock band Bon Jovi. It is one of four songs written for the band's Greatest Hits album, released in November 2010. The song is the first single from the compilation album. The song was released on the band's official website on August 27. It was also released to radio airplay on August 27. It was officially released on September 21, 2010 as a digital download, but the physical single was released in Germany on October 22, 2010.
Aftermath of the Lowdown is the third solo studio album by Richie Sambora which was released in Japan on September 12, 2012, in the United Kingdom on September 17, and in the United States on September 18, 2012 as digital download and on September 25, 2012 as physical CD. For the first time in his 30-year career, Sambora signed with an independent label, Dangerbird.
What About Now is the twelfth studio album by American rock band Bon Jovi. Produced by John Shanks, the album was released on March 8, 2013 in Australia and March 12, 2013 in the United States. The album was promoted throughout the band's 2013 Because We Can: The Tour. It is the last album to feature lead guitarist Richie Sambora before his departure from the band the following month.
Burning Bridges is the thirteenth studio album by American rock band Bon Jovi consisting of new songs, as well as formerly unreleased and unfinished songs. Released on August 21, 2015 by Mercury Records. Produced by John Shanks, it was the first release since the departure of former guitarist Richie Sambora in 2013, with Shanks handling the lead guitar parts. Burning Bridges is their last album to be released through Mercury, marking the end of their 32-year relationship with the label. According to Jon Bon Jovi, the album serves as a "fan record" to tie in with an accompanying international tour: "It's songs that weren't finished, that were finished, a couple of new ones like the one we released as a single 'We Don't Run'." Burning Bridges was followed by This House Is Not for Sale, the band's fourteenth studio album released in 2016 which featured all new songs.
Radio Free America is the debut studio album released by RSO, a duo featuring Bon Jovi ex-guitarist Richie Sambora and Australian guitarist Orianthi. The album was released May 11, 2018.
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