Imagine coming together as a very talented singer with a keyboardist, a drummer, a guitarist, and a bassist. Everything seems to be going well musically; your chemistry is perfect, your ambitions are similar, and there are even some material, some melodies, and some lyrics in your mind that could be your first songs. So, you decide to form a band. There’s only one thing left: to come up with a name for your new act.
After putting together a group of musicians, one of the most exciting parts is the process of deciding on a name, as it will demonstrate ‘who you will be’ and reflect your band’s sound and stance. It also needs to be a catchy name for your audience because you will be forever stuck with that name if you are lucky and talented enough to make that big entrance on the stage.
When the Bon Jovi members got together, everything went like in the first scenario above: five ambitious young people found each other in New Jersey, and they were all remarkably talented and eager to jump on the stage. Soon, the band attracted the attention of record executive Derek Shulman, who signed them to Mercury Records after they started playing some gigs and opening for local artists.
The deal was already done. Now all that remained was to come up with a memorable band name. The first idea that came to their mind was Johnny Electric. However, there was a trend in the music scene at that time. Many famous bands had chosen a two-word name, and the band’s founders often called the act after themselves as it helped them stand out and be ‘the face.’
Pamela Maher, an employee of their first manager, Doc McGhee, thought they should do it that way too. They joined the caravan following the advice of Maher and opted for the name Bon Jovi instead of Johnny Electric. The rest is history. Bon Jovi has put this name at the top of the ‘best of’ list many times, and the band continues their journey without slowing down.
