Jon Bon Jovi "was in awe" of Bob Dylan, Queen, Bowie & The Stones as Power Station errand boy

1 May 2024, 13:54 | Updated: 1 May 2024, 14:02

The Bon Jovi frontman has recalled his days working as a "gofer" at his cousin Tony's recording studio.

Jon Bon Jovi has recalled his early days working as an errand boy at the Power Station and the musical legends that he encountered.

The Bon Jovi frontman - whose real name is John Francis Bongiovi Jr. - began his music career as a helper in the famous studio, which was owned by his cousin Tony Bongiovi and saw everyone from David Bowie to The Rolling Stones come through its doors.

"That’s history," he said of the famous studios to Gold's James Bassam. "The Power Station was probably as famous as Abbey Road in its moment in time for the legendary records that were made there and some of which were made during the time when I was the gofer."

He went on: "I saw when Nile Rodgers was producing David Bowie. I saw when Queen and Bowie were singing the vocals to Under Pressure. I saw when the E-Street Band were in there or Chic or Madonna or Diana Ross or Devo or The Rolling Stones. It was unbelievable”.

Asked if he was as starstruck of them as people might be of him now, he gushed: "I was in awe. The crazy memories that I have.

"I remember standing up on the roof and looking up over 53rd Street, just sort of running away from my responsibilities and staring over the roof, but what I saw was Bob Dylan walking down the street carrying a guitar case. I mean, that was very surreal… There’s Bob Dylan walking down the street, carrying his own guitar and walking to the studio and you’e thinking [wow] there’s a moment in time."

“Or The Rolling Stones opening their door for me and my little band of friends," added the Always singer. "They were coming in from rehearsal and making small talk, you know, and things like that. I tell you what, it would have been cute now to say, ‘Remember that little kid? It grew up to be me.’ Pretty good stories.”

• What are Bon Jovi's biggest songs?

The interview also saw the New Jersey native reveal that he didn't think much of the band's iconic 1986 hit Livin' On A Prayer at first and it didn't have key change when it was first written.

He divulged: "Well, certainly on the day that we wrote it, I absolutely positively thought, 'Yeah, it's good. It's fine. Who cares?' It's just another good song to put on the [Slippery When Wet album]."

He added: "It was when we went to rehearsal that it took on a life of its own because we were aware that we needed to develop a line and we were thinking of 'sugar pie, honey bunch', and like Motown, stuff like that. And so we knew it was in mind.

"But on the day we wrote it on a stand-up piano and an acoustic guitar, although the lyrics and the melodies were intact, we left there with that."

The 62-year-old admitted: "I would venture to say, and I have two other witnesses that would have to corroborate this, I don't know that we had the key change on the day. I think that came during the practice, during the pre-production, during the rehearsal.

"I don't see how we could have said, 'And then it should be a key change'. I think that probably came in that same rehearsal when we worked up that bass line and [lead guitarist] Tiko [Torres] came in and you went, 'Oh, there's something unique here'."

Bon Jovi have also taken a look back at their career with a new documentary, Thank You, Goodnight: The Bon Jovi Story.

The series, which arrived on Disney+ for UK audiences on 26th April 2024, sees the It's My Life rockers discuss the highs and lows of their time as a band amid Jon Bon Jovi's carer-threatening vocal surgery and his road to recovery.

Watch the trailer for the expansive documentary below:

Thank You, Goodnight: The Bon Jovi Story (Official Trailer)

Thank You, Goodnight: The Bon Jovi Story in the UK is available on Disney+ now.

Meanwhile, their 16th studio album, Forever, is released on 7th June and is available for pre-order HERE .

BON JOVI - Forever tracklisting

1. Legendary
2. We Made It Look Easy
3. Living Proof
4. Waves
5. Seeds
6. Kiss The Bride
7. The People’s House
8. Walls Of Jericho
9. I Wrote You A Song
10. Living In Paradise
11. My First Guitar
12. Hollow Man

• Jon Bon Jovi: Livin' on a Prayer didn't always have a key change
• Bon Jovi announce Forever album and share Legendary single