John Francis Bongiovi Sr Is Jon Bon Jovi’s Father Who Has Always Been Supportive of His Career
John Francis Bongiovi Sr. is the father of the Rock and Roll legend and co-founder of Bon Jovi. Throughout his son’s career, John Sr. has remained a pillar of support and did not limit his help, going as far as feeding his son’s bandmates under challenging times.
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John Francis Bongiovi Sr. is the father of Jon Bon Jovi, or as he is legally known, John Francis Bongiovi Jr. His son is famed for his musical contributions with his bandmates from Bon Jovi —yes, indeed, the band’s name was initially inspired by the phonics of John’s last name.
Bongiovi Sr. married a fellow Marine named Carol, whose life story is as enjoyable as her husband’s, and they didn’t hesitate to give their son the support and leeway he needed during his youth to start building a career in music.
Jon Bon Jovi and John Francis Bongiovi Sr. posing at the Bongiovi Brand chef station at Ronzoni’s La Sagra Slices at Esurance Rooftop Pier 92 in New York City on October 16, 2014. | Source: Getty Images
John Francis Bongiovi, SR. And His Wife Are Both Former Marines
The rockstar’s father is a former Italian-American Marine who left the life of warfare for a less turbulent project as a beauty salon owner. It was here that John Jr. got his iconic hairdo, which has been toned down in recent years—considerably—according to the Telegraph. John Jr. said that his father’s decision to recreate who he was and open the business was “bravely aspirational.”
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The singer’s father was a plumber who married an ex-Playboy bunny who reinvented herself as an entrepreneur—chose a life away from the glam of Playboy and became a florist instead. John Sr. grew up in New Jersey, and according to his son, quite a few things about him exhibit his willingness to go against the grain regarding societal expectations.
John Sr.’s wife was also a member of the US Marines, and he met her in the Marine corps. The singer made mentioned their wholesome family dynamic growing up. He credited his parents for being present and loving in his siblings’ lives. The rockstar’s father filled many shoes throughout his life and did not fall short when it came to being eye candy.
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After John Jr.’s parents served in the army, they settled in Sayerville. John Sr., who used to prepare sausage and pasta meals for Ney Jersey artists in the 1980s, regularly visits the Bon Jovi Soul Kitchen restaurant and shares the credit for making the Bongiovi signature pasta sauce. Jon’s brother, Matthew Bongiovi, once said:
“My dad made them sausage and pasta, and they were filled to the gills. It must have been hard to attempt to perform on a full stomach.”
John Sr. and Carol welcomed their rockstar son on March 2, 1962, and he then became one of the biggest rock stars of all time—something he admits to having foreseen as a teen in New Jersey. Establishing a legacy like John Jr.’s is not often seen and takes a certain level of dedication, which he perhaps inherited from his hardworking parents.
John Sr. welcomed two more sons with his wife: Anthony Bongiovi was born in 1967, and Matthew followed eight years later, in 1975. They were born into the hard-work mentality that their parents possessed at the time, but they always had time for leisure and as a family. John once said:
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“I really admire that my parents stayed together; they toughed it out, the good and the bad. Everyone worked hard; you came home, you drank your six-pack of beer, you watched TV, and you went to bed and did it again the next day. Sunday, you went out the backyard and barbecued; maybe you played golf.”
Jon Bon Jovi and John Francis Bongiovi as guests on “The Chew” on Friday, December 19, 2014, on Walt Disney Television. | Source: Getty Images
John Francis Bongiovi, SR. Fed All Bon Jovi Band When They Were Starting Their Career
The musician himself claims that he was never a problem child. He relayed an example of the extent of his mischief, saying, “When I was four, I’d get up really early in the morning as a kid and knock on the neighbor’s door and say, ‘My mommy’s still sleeping, do you have any cereal?'” apart from that, John Jr. always did the right thing and stayed in line.
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Although John Sr.’s son was obedient regarding his behavior, however, he had to be lenient as a parent to support his son in pursuit of a music career. John Jr. would return home in the early morning hours after doing gigs at bars nearby their home and would have to wake for school in the morning.
Jon Bon Jovi before the start of Super Bowl LIII played by the New England Patriots and the Los Angeles Rams at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on February 3, 2019, in Atlanta, Georgia. | Source: Getty Images
who owned a music studio in New York City called Power Station. When John Sr. informed his cousin about his son’s dream of becoming a musician, Tony provided the necessary support to help his nephew make music. Five years later, they were engulfed in a feud, fighting over Tony’s claims of being responsible for a considerable amount of John Jr.’s success.
After a European tour in the early days of Bon Jovi, the boys returned to the United States and were roughing it out together in a two-bedroom apartment. With a lack of consistent income, it is reported that John Sr. would visit the band members with food and blankets. According to reports, Carol had indirectly acquired four more sons.
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Jon Bon Jovi looks on during a Navy Midshipmen and Notre Dame Fighting Irish match-up at Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, Indiana, on November 16, 2019. | Source: Getty Images
John Francis Bongiovi, SR. Is Helping His Son with His Restaurant Business
John Sr. was bought a car by his eldest son when the band began to earn more money. However, “Jon Bon Jovi: The Biography” reveals that John Sr. and his wife would turn down the help their son offered when his career took off, and they refused to retire despite Jon showing them that it would all be fine if they did.
Though they did not feel at ease accepting lavish gifts from their son earlier on, John Sr. and his wife eventually began to warm up to the idea. They maintained a supportive role in Jon’s life and did so with a 2021 cameo appearance in a Bon Jovi music video for “Story of Love.”
John Jr. mentioned that his parents gave him the ability to materialize his dreams. They were supportive regardless of talent and taught him that he just had to believe and work on getting better to reach his goals. Since childhood, his parents have instilled in him the belief that he can go to the moon—figuratively, at least.
John Jr. feels he was strangely made the poster boy for the married rockstar, but his 33-year marriage justifies the praise he gets in that regard. Despite their split in the mid-1980s, John Jr. found love with his partner Dorothea Hurley again and eventually walked down the aisle together.
