Jon Bon Jovi

I think Paris has the best phrase for this..."That's hot!"

I make no pretenses; I love Jon Bon Jovi. I simply don't get those who have the elitist need to "set themselves apart" by not liking a band who has stood the test of time, in this case 23 years and counting. Plain rock and roll, a terrific voice, and good presentation throughout his glam rock years until today, he has continued where others haven't.
He has avoided following in the hedonistic, self-destructive footsteps of so many others. He married his high school sweetheart and after 18 years and four children they are still together - no overdoses or break-ups, just a man who loves what he does and wants to make a difference in his world.

Presently, while still recording and touring, he is also co-owner of The Philadelphia Soul arena football team; he has all sorts of solid philanthropic projects and founded the The Philadelphia Soul Charitable Foundation which is currently coupled with Project HOME, Habitat for Humanity, to build homes for those people in need of decent housing. He's sure not just another pretty face. He is a caring, hands on individual - one always looking for ways to improve the lives of those less fortunate than he is.
I admire Jon so much.

In fact, I admire all people who will use their money and their talents to give something back - better the lives of many and not just themselves.

People have always been shocked when I say I'm a Bon Jovi fan...why? They've sold over 125 million albums worldwide - 40 million in the US alone so I'm certainly not alone.

They have consistently sold millions of copies of each of their nine albums.

I doubt that Jon cared whether people thought his band was less than cutting edge tho'. He'd found a formula - crank out pop-rock anthems with easily palatable social messages - tunes his fans wanted to hear and he stuck to it. Think about it! While other quintessentially 80's bands have disbanded and disappeared, Bon Jovi has stayed in the charts. They have a unique sound, influenced by rock, pop, metal and blues. A very distinctive sound. The Bon Jovi sound and people knew what they were getting when they bought a cd. Jon's formula clearly worked.

And Richie is not to be overlooked either. He ranks as my top ten as best guitarist to hit a stage. He has my sound - that mix of blues/Spanish/rock...okay, heavy on the rock, but he can peel off the sweetest, pure notes that my ear has heard. I've always favored Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page and Jeff Beck and it's pretty obvious this is who Richie fashions himself after learning the guitar. Man, did he picked the best.

This song really has a special place in my heart.

More good works from Jon came about after the supposed landslide election win of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on June 12th of this year. The announcement claimed Ahmadinejad had garnered 63% of the votes cast, and that Mir-Hossein Mousavi had received 33% of the votes cast. The European Union, United Kingdom and several western countries expressed concern over alleged irregularities during the vote, and many analysts and journalists from the United States, Europe and other western based media voiced doubts as well, about the authenticity of the results.

Meanwhile, many OIC member states, as well as Russia, China, India, and Brazil, have congratulated Ahmadinejad on his victory. It was clearly a corrupt election from the outset and Iranian citizens were outraged at yet another abuse of their civil rights and liberties. Many took to the streets to protest this apparent unprincipled farce of an election.

So it was that on June 24, 2009 this "Stand By Me" event took place. Iranian Superstar Andy Madadian went into an LA recording studio with Jon Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora and American record producers Don Was and John Shanks to record a musical message of worldwide solidarity with the people of Iran. This version of the old Ben E. King classic is not for sale - it was not meant to be on the Billboard charts or even manufactured as a CD.....it's intended to be downloaded and shared by the Iranian people...to give voice to the sentiment that all people of the world stand together....the handwritten Farsi sign in the video translates to "we are one".

If you know someone in Iran - or anyone who knows someone in Iran - please share this link.

http://www.MyDamnChannel.com/Don_Was/...

Free MP3 download: http://content.mydamnchannel.com/data...

Love ya, Jon. Sure hope we can have lunch together some day. And bring Richie...