Jon Bon Jovi 'humbled' to receive prestigious honour for his music and charity work
He's the 33rd MusiCares Person of the Year
Bon Jovi frontman and founder Jon Bon Jovi is set to be honoured for his musical contributions and philanthropic efforts.
The 61-year-old rock icon has been named as the 33rd musician to receive the MusiCares Person of the Year award.
Jon Bon Jovi joins previous MusiCares Person of the Year recipients including Aerosmith, Dolly Parton, Fleetwood Mac, Tom Petty, Bruce Springsteen, Neil Young, Don Henley, Sting, Bono, Billy Joel, Aretha Franklin, Paul McCartney, Bob Dylan, Elton John, Joni Mitchell and Phil Collins.
He will pick up his prestigious honour at the MusiCares Person of the Year Gala at the Los Angeles Convention Center On Friday 2nd February 2024. The event takes place two days before The Grammy Awards ceremony at Crypto.com Arena.
“MusiCares is thrilled to honor Jon Bon Jovi at the 2024 Person of the Year Gala,” says Laura Segura, Executive Director of MusiCares.
“His remarkable contributions to rock and roll have not only left an indelible mark on the music industry, but also in the hearts of countless fans around the world.
“Furthermore, his long-standing commitment to serving food-insecure and unhoused individuals inspires us all. We’re looking forward to celebrating him and the many ways he has made a difference in this world.”
“I’m truly humbled to be this year’s MusiCares honoree. MusiCares’ work with music professionals is vitally important in creating much needed support and wellness programs that cultivate a healthier and more vibrant community for us all.” adds Jon Bon Jovi.
“Philanthropic work has been a cornerstone of my life and has always run in tandem to my music career and achievements. Nearly two decades ago when I formed the JBJ Soul Foundation and JBJ Soul Kitchens, I saw first-hand and continue to see today the impact of charitable community-based work. I know this for sure: helping one’s community is helping one’s self.”
Explaining why they’ve picked Jon Bon Jovi, Musicares write: ‘MusiCares has named Jon Bon Jovi, GRAMMY Award winner, 11-time GRAMMY Award nominee, and founding member of American rock band Bon Jovi, as the 2024 MusiCares Person of the Year.
‘In addition to his extensive musical achievements, Jon Bon Jovi is recognized for his impactful philanthropic work. In 2006, he established the Jon Bon Jovi Soul Foundation, an organization dedicated to disrupting the cycle of hunger, poverty and homelessness.
‘The organization’s objective is to recognize and maximize the human potential in those affected by hunger, poverty and homelessness by offering programs that provide food and affordable housing while supporting social services and job training programs. As a health and human service charity, MusiCares is proud to shine a light on Jon Bon Jovi’s impactful philanthropy and hopes to raise awareness for these important human rights issues.’
Bon Jovi last performed in the UK in June 2019 when they played stadium shows in Liverpool, London and Coventry.
The childhood homes of 20 rock stars, including Jon Bon Jovi:
Joe Elliott’s childhood home
Def Leppard frontman Joe Elliott was born and raised at 61 Crookes Road in Sheffield. Ahead of Def Leppard's homecoming gigs at The Leadmill and Bramall Lane in May 2023, Joe visited the property. He wrote: "The house I was born in, grew up in, met Sav & Tony Kenning for the very time in that upstairs room you can see above me …. Sigh …. Memories!!"
Ozzy Osbourne’s childhood home
One of six children, Ozzy Osbourne spent his formative years in this small two-bedroom terraced house on Lodge Road in Aston. Ozzy told Huffington Post in 2014: "I've been back to that house a few times over the years and I can't believe there were eight of us living in a two-and-a-half-bedroom house. It is tiny! I have wardrobes bigger in my house."
John Lennon’s childhood home
Now a lovingly restored Grade II listed building preserved by the National Trust, John Lennon lived at 251 Menlove Avenue in Liverpool with his Aunt Mimi from 1945 to 1963. It featured on the cover to Oasis single 'Live Forever' in 1994 and in 2000 it was adorned with an English Heritage blue plaque.
Paul McCartney’s childhood home
Sir Paul McCartney's childhood home at 20 Forthlin Road in Allerton, south Liverpool. It became a listed building in 2012 and is owned by the National Trust. The Trust markets the house as "the birthplace of the Beatles" as it was where McCartney and Lennon penned the earliest Beatles songs.
Ringo Starr’s childhood home
Ringo Starr (aka Richard Starkey) spent his very early childhood years at a terraced house on Madryn Street in Liverpool but moved to at two-up, two-down house 10 Admiral Grove in Dingle when he was 3 with mum Elsie when his parents separated. He lived there for the next 20 years. Pictured is 10 Admiral Grove in 1964.
David Bowie’s childhood home
40 Stansfield Road in Brixton where a young David Jones - aka David Bowie – lived until he was six years old. The house became a shrine for Bowie when the music legend died in January 2016.
Kurt Cobain’s childhood home
Kurt Cobain's childhood home in Aberdeen, Washington. Nirvana fan Lee Bacon bought the house in 2018 for $225,000 (around £170,000) and told Rolling Stone: "My goal is to preserve and restore it for my generation and for my kids."
Kurt Cobain’s childhood home
Kurt Cobain's Led Zeppelin graffiti is still on the walls in his attic bedroom.
Little Richard’s childhood home
The late rock and roll pioneer was brought up alongside his eleven siblings in this detached home in the Pleasant Hill neighbourhood of Macon, Georgia in the 1930s and 40s. Now named The Little Richard Resource Center, the home is now open to the public and hosts a number of community events.
Bruce Springsteen’s childhood home
Bruce Springsteen grew up in this home at 39 1/2 Institute Street in Freehold, New Jersey from the years 1955 to 1962. It was while living at this house aged 7 in 1956 that Springsteen witnessed Elvis Presley on The Ed Sullivan Show and decided he wanted to be a musician himself.
Johnny Cash’s childhood home
Meticulously restored in 2014 thanks to funds from Arkansas State University, Johnny Cash's boyhood home is in the tiny town of Dyess, Arkansas.
Jim Morrison’s childhood home
Jim Morrison's home in Albuquerque, New Mexico where he lived in his teens while his dad worked at the nearby Kirtland Air Force Base.
Bono’s childhood home
Paul 'Bono' Hewson's parents bought this house on Cedarwood Road, Dublin seven weeks after his birth in 1960 and he spent his entire childhood here. The U2 song 'Cedarwood Road' on their 2014 album 'Songs of Innocence' is a nostalgic musical celebration of Bono's boyhood abode.
Freddie Mercury’s childhood home
Aged 17, Freddie Mercury and his family fled the Zanzibar revolution to live at 22 Gladstone Avenue in Feltham, West London. Pictured is Queen's Brian May and Freddie's younger sister Kashmira Cooke at the unveiling of a Blue Plaque at the house in September 2016.
Lars Ulrich’s childhood home
Lars Ulrich lived in this uniquely designed property in Hellerup, Denmark with his family until he moved to America aged 17.
Mick Jagger’s childhood home
Sir Mick Jagger was brought up in this semi-detached house in Dartford, Kent. His future bandmate Keith Richards lived just around the corner.
Keith Richards’ childhood home
Keith Richards spent the first six years of his life living in this two-bedroom flat above a florists in Dartford, Kent.
Axl Rose’s childhood home
Axl Rose lived at this humble Lafayette, Indiana house from 1962 to 1982 before moving to Los Angeles in his early twenties.
Marc Bolan’s childhood home
The young Mark Field (Marc Bolan) lived at this terraced property on Stoke Newington Common, London from his birth in 1947 to aged 15 in 1962. In 2005, the London Borough of Hackney honoured Bolan with a plaque outside the property.
Elvis Presley’s childhood home
The humble two-bedroom house in Tupelo, Mississippi where The King himself Elvis Presley was born on 8th January 1935. It was built by his father Vernon after he successfully secured a $180 loan.
Jon Bon Jovi's childhood home
John Francis Bongiovi Jr.'s childhood home in Sayreville, New Jersey. Astonishingly, MTV bought the home in 1989 and gave it away in a competition. Jon Bon Jovi was reported to be "angry" at the publicity stunt and the competition winner soon sold the property.
Noel and Liam Gallagher's childhood home
Soon after Liam's birth, the Gallaghers moved to Ashby Avenue and then to Cranwell Drive in Burnage (pictured). With a violent and alcoholic father, Noel and his brothers had an unhappy childhood before mum Peggy left Thomas in 1982 with her three children.