Unlike many of the rock bands and teen music heartthrobs from the eighties, Jon Bon Jovi never went off the rails. When his band Bon Jovi started in 1983, the band’s success boomed from the word go. They started recording albums and performing worldwide sold-out tours, and their list of hits is spectacular, including “Livin’ On A Prayer” and “It’s My Life.”
To date, the band has sold more than a hundred million records worldwide. Jon was a standout musician, able to create both soulful rhythms and blistering solos from his guitar. He’s been called one of the most powerful and influential people in the music business and the sexiest rock star in the world.
Billy Idol
Billy Idol's first claim to fame was as part of the punk rock band Generation X. He quickly moved on to a solo career, finding huge success with singles such as “Dancing with Myself” and “White Wedding.” He was part of the MTV-driven “Second British Invasion” in the United States, which saw the popularity of punk rockers grow quickly.
In 1994, his rocker lifestyle got the better of him, causing him to collapse outside a club. In 1998 Idol made a cameo appearance in the Adam Sandler movie "The Wedding Singer." As for his music career, it had pretty much been on the decline since the 90s.
Billy Idol Today
Billy Idol's first album in twelve years came in 2005, jumping him back into the music scene. In 2006 he returned to performing and collaborated with other artists on their records. His eighth studio album came in October 2014. He'd been working on it for four years, and “Kings & Queens of the Underground” ended up performing well.
Idol still shows no signs of slowing down to either his music or his life. In early 2020 he starred in a public service campaign called “Billy Never Idles” about air pollution caused by idling vehicles in New York City.
Jon Bon Jovi Today
Jon Bon Jovi still tours around the world, happy to perform for his millions of adoring fans. Aside from his music, Bon Jovi has also become big in the philanthropy world. He often makes public appearances for the American Red Cross, Habitat for Humanity, and his own charity, The Jon Bon Jovi Soul Foundation, which works to address hunger and homelessness in the United States.
He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2018 after winning the 2017 fan ballot with over eleven million votes. He has been married to his wife Dorothea since 1989 and has three sons.
Steven Tyler of Aerosmith
Consistent problems with certain substances tended to overshadow Aerosmith's output in the seventies, but they still made hit after hit. Frontman Steven Tyler, in particular, had big problems keeping himself in check.
He had to enter rehab in the eighties, which helped reignite the band. Their 1989 album “Pump” sold over five million copies in the U.S. alone and also produced three top-ten hits. Tyler's performance, in particular, was award-winning, earning the band its first Grammy award. Of course, the band had a good number of hits before this, but it shot the band into the upper level of rock musicians.