RichieSambora
The arena-rock melodist whose talk box and hooks powered Bon Jovi
Richie Sambora
The arena-rock melodist whose talk box and hooks powered Bon Jovi
Richie Sambora grew up in the industrial towns of central New Jersey, absorbing the British blues-rock boom and the guitar heroes who followed it. Through his late teens he played the Jersey Shore bar circuit, gigging with local bands and briefly recording with the hard-rock outfit Message. Those years of covers and club sets gave him a working musician's instincts: how to serve a song, how to sing a harmony and how to make a solo land with a crowd that had not come to hear guitar pyrotechnics.
In 1983 he stepped into the lineup Jon Bon Jovi was assembling around his hit demo, replacing the original guitarist before the band's self-titled debut arrived in 1984. The follow-up, 7800° Fahrenheit, built a following, but the real explosion came with Slippery When Wet in 1986. Sambora co-wrote much of that record with Jon and Desmond Child, and his talk-box hook and melodic leads on the band's anthems became part of the soundtrack of the late 1980s. New Jersey in 1988 extended the run of multi-platinum success.
Stepping out on his own, he released Stranger in This Town in 1991, a moodier, bluesier album that revealed a strong, soulful lead voice and featured an appearance by Eric Clapton. Bon Jovi returned with Keep the Faith, These Days and, after a hiatus, the comeback single It's My Life in 2000, which revived the talk-box sound for a new generation. His second solo album, Undiscovered Soul, followed in 1998, and his public profile grew through his marriage to actress Heather Locklear.
Sambora and Jon Bon Jovi entered the Songwriters Hall of Fame together, recognition of a partnership that had produced dozens of hits. In 2013 he stepped away from Bon Jovi in the middle of a world tour, later explaining he wanted to focus on family. He issued Aftermath of the Lowdown in 2012, then teamed with guitarist Orianthi as RSO, and in 2018 he rejoined his old bandmates on stage for their induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
The 10 greatest Richie Sambora solos
- 1Bon Jovi · solo by Richie Sambora · 1987
- 2Bon Jovi · solo by Richie Sambora · 1986
- 3Bon Jovi · solo by Richie Sambora · 1992
- 4Bon Jovi · solo by Richie Sambora · 1992
- 5Bon Jovi · solo by Richie Sambora · 1988
- 6Richie Sambora · solo by Richie Sambora · 1991
- 7Bon Jovi · solo by Richie Sambora · 1988
- 8Bon Jovi · solo by Richie Sambora · 2000
- 9Bon Jovi · solo by Richie Sambora · 1986
- 10Bon Jovi · solo by Richie Sambora · 1988
The sound
Sambora is a song-first player whose solos are built like second choruses: short, singable and resolving exactly where the listener hopes. His vocabulary is rooted in blues bends and pentatonic runs borrowed from the British greats, dressed in the saturated, chorus-tinged tone of 1980s arena rock. He is famous for the talk box, which he turned into a hook instrument rather than a novelty, and for blending acoustic and electric textures, most memorably on a double-neck guitar. His slide playing, gritty rhythm work and strong harmony vocals make him as much an arranger as a soloist, and his phrasing always leaves room for the singer.
- Kramer Richie Sambora signature model (guitar) His star-shaped and superstrat Kramers were fixtures of the Slippery When Wet and New Jersey era.
- Fender Richie Sambora Stratocaster (guitar) Fender issued a signature Strat for him, reflecting his move toward more classic tones in the 1990s.
- Ovation double-neck acoustic (6/12-string) (guitar) Used to perform Wanted Dead or Alive live, switching between 12-string strumming and 6-string lines.
- Gibson Les Paul (guitar) A go-to for thicker, bluesier rhythm and lead sounds in the studio and on stage.
- Heil Talk Box (effect) The voice-like effect behind the signature hooks of Livin' on a Prayer and It's My Life.
- Marshall stacks (amp) Supplied the high-gain arena roar of Bon Jovi's peak touring years.
Covers
- The Wind Cries Mary, originally by The Jimi Hendrix Experience Sambora sings and plays a warm, faithful reading that shows how deeply Hendrix shaped his feel.
- Please Come Home for Christmas, originally by Charles Brown His bluesy fills give the band's holiday cover a smoky, late-night mood.
- I Don't Like Mondays, originally by The Boomtown Rats A live rendition where his playing supports rather than overwhelms the piano-driven song.
- Shout, originally by The Isley Brothers The band routinely tacked this party classic onto Bad Medicine, with Sambora leading the call-and-response energy.
- Rockin' in the Free World, originally by Neil Young A staple of their 1990s encores that let him trade raw, distorted leads.
Timeline
- 1959 Born in Perth Amboy, New Jersey
- 1983 Joins Bon Jovi as lead guitarist
- 1984 Bon Jovi releases its self-titled debut album
- 1986 Slippery When Wet makes the band global superstars
- 1988 New Jersey continues the run of multi-platinum success
- 1991 Releases debut solo album Stranger in This Town
- 1998 Issues second solo album, Undiscovered Soul
- 2009 Inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame with Jon Bon Jovi
- 2013 Leaves Bon Jovi partway through a world tour
- 2018 Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with Bon Jovi
Facts
- Before joining Bon Jovi, Sambora auditioned for Kiss.
- He replaced Bon Jovi's original guitarist Dave Sabo, who later co-founded Skid Row.
- Sambora co-wrote Livin' on a Prayer with Jon Bon Jovi and Desmond Child.
- His talk-box riff on Livin' on a Prayer is one of the most recognizable uses of the effect in rock.
- Eric Clapton guested on his first solo album, Stranger in This Town.
- He sings lead on his solo albums and was Bon Jovi's key harmony voice for three decades.
- He performed Wanted Dead or Alive on a double-neck acoustic guitar at many concerts.
- Fender released a Richie Sambora signature Stratocaster.
- He was married to actress Heather Locklear from 1994 until their divorce was finalized in 2007.
- With Orianthi he formed the duo RSO, which released the album Radio Free America in 2018.