Biography
Raised amid the modest, marsh-fringed setting of Woodbridge, New Jersey, Richie Sambora—the virtuoso lead guitarist for the blockbuster rock outfit Bon Jovi—drew his earliest spark from 1960s blues-rooted figures like Jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton. After co-founding the band Message and issuing its self-released, self-titled hard-rock LP in 1980 alongside the late Dean Fasano, Sambora traveled to Los Angeles for a two-week audition with Kiss. Though that bid proved fruitless, a trusted confidant urged him upon his return to reach out to Jon Bongiovi, whose musical leanings aligned more closely with his own than those of Gene Simmons and his colleagues. By 1983 Sambora had supplanted Dave Sabo in Bon Jovi, and the group secured a deal with Mercury Records.
Bon Jovi’s third outing, Slippery When Wet, moved more than 28 million units and became the act’s commercial pinnacle while bringing hair metal to a broader audience. Sambora co-wrote nine of its ten songs, reaping considerable earnings from what ranked as the top-selling U.S. album of 1987. The windfall thrust him further into the public eye, and coverage of his high-profile romance and split with Cher proliferated. After an exhaustive push behind 1988’s New Jersey, the band entered a well-earned break. Sambora’s 1991 solo debut, Stranger in this Town, did not match the sales of Jon Bon Jovi’s Golden Globe-winning 1990 effort Blaze of Glory, yet it let him revisit the blues terrain he cherished. Clapton, his longtime idol, supplied a nimble solo on “Mr. Bluesman,” fulfilling another long-held goal.
Seven years elapsed before Sambora released his second solo set, Undiscovered Soul. During that stretch Bon Jovi delivered the well-received Keep the Faith and These Days, then reinforced their worldwide standing via a tour that reached 43 nations. Although critics viewed 1998’s Undiscovered Soul as a step down from its predecessor, most granted that it aimed higher, displaying a range that placed power ballads alongside arena-rock numbers.
The June 2007 arrival of Bon Jovi’s tenth release, the country-tinged Lost Highway, overlapped with turmoil in Sambora’s private life. After his marriage to actress Heather Locklear dissolved, his father died, prompting a stretch of alcohol dependence that required rehabilitation. Building on the stylistic breadth of Undiscovered Soul, Sambora’s third solo album, 2012’s Aftermath of the Lowdown, emerged with renewed resolve. The project gave him fresh latitude to probe musical territories Bon Jovi had bypassed, incorporating textures reminiscent of acts as varied as Coldplay and David Bowie.
Bon Jovi’s third outing, Slippery When Wet, moved more than 28 million units and became the act’s commercial pinnacle while bringing hair metal to a broader audience. Sambora co-wrote nine of its ten songs, reaping considerable earnings from what ranked as the top-selling U.S. album of 1987. The windfall thrust him further into the public eye, and coverage of his high-profile romance and split with Cher proliferated. After an exhaustive push behind 1988’s New Jersey, the band entered a well-earned break. Sambora’s 1991 solo debut, Stranger in this Town, did not match the sales of Jon Bon Jovi’s Golden Globe-winning 1990 effort Blaze of Glory, yet it let him revisit the blues terrain he cherished. Clapton, his longtime idol, supplied a nimble solo on “Mr. Bluesman,” fulfilling another long-held goal.
Seven years elapsed before Sambora released his second solo set, Undiscovered Soul. During that stretch Bon Jovi delivered the well-received Keep the Faith and These Days, then reinforced their worldwide standing via a tour that reached 43 nations. Although critics viewed 1998’s Undiscovered Soul as a step down from its predecessor, most granted that it aimed higher, displaying a range that placed power ballads alongside arena-rock numbers.
The June 2007 arrival of Bon Jovi’s tenth release, the country-tinged Lost Highway, overlapped with turmoil in Sambora’s private life. After his marriage to actress Heather Locklear dissolved, his father died, prompting a stretch of alcohol dependence that required rehabilitation. Building on the stylistic breadth of Undiscovered Soul, Sambora’s third solo album, 2012’s Aftermath of the Lowdown, emerged with renewed resolve. The project gave him fresh latitude to probe musical territories Bon Jovi had bypassed, incorporating textures reminiscent of acts as varied as Coldplay and David Bowie.
Albums
Undiscovered Soul (Expanded Edition)
1998
Undiscovered Soul
1998
Stranger In This Town (Expanded Edition)
1991
Stranger In This Town
1991
Singles
