“You couldn’t be in a rock band unless you looked a certain way”: Why Tim Pierce didn’t join Bon Jovi – despite playing guitar on their first hit
As Bon Jovi were forming in 1983, glam metal was reaching its peak, and the way a band looked was almost as crucial to success as the music they played.
It was for this reason that Tim Pierce – credited as a guitarist on Runaway from Bon Jovi’s self-titled debut – didn’t end up joining the band as a full-time member… at least according to him.
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In a new interview with Guitar World, Pierce recalls how he ended up recording “all the guitars” on Runaway, and why Richie Sambora ended up joining the band instead of him.
“That happened kind of by accident, as many great opportunities do,” he says of Runaway. “I was 23 and recording in New York. Jon Bon Jovi was living upstairs at the Power Station [recording studio]. Basically, his job was the janitor for his uncle, Tony Bongiovi.
“They put together a master demo and he asked me to play on it. I said, ‘Of course!’ I ended up doing all the guitars on Runaway, and Jon credited me on the back of the record. That was his first Top 40 hit, and I got full credit. It was great.”
Though his collaboration with Jon Bon Jovi saw them do “six or eight” master demos leading to Bon Jovi’s record deal with Mercury Records, he wasn’t asked to become a permanent member of the band Bon Jovi was putting together.
“Jon and I became friends,” Pierce recalls. “He came to LA when he was looking for musicians to join his band, but a couple of things happened. First, I didn’t have the image to be in the band. People forget that you couldn’t be in a rock band unless you looked a certain way. I didn’t have that image, so Jon never came out and asked.”
On whether he has any regrets about not joining Bon Jovi, the guitarist continues, “I missed out on being in one of the biggest rock bands in the world – but I don’t think I had the image!
“Richie was the perfect choice. The way he plays, looks and sings is great. They wrote some of the most amazing songs ever. Jon didn’t ask, and it probably had to do with the fact that I had another gig – and didn’t look like a rock star.”
After his work with Jon Bon Jovi, Pierce went on to join Rick Springfield’s band as Jessie’s Girl was picking up traction.
“It was a wonderful thing to jump into. I became Rick’s guitar player for five albums, and we’re friends to this day,” he remembers.
Tim Pierce also runs a comprehensive masterclass teaching guitarists of all skill levels, with over 1,800 videos and more than 150 hours of educational content.
Learn more at timpierce.com.
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Source: www.guitar-bass.net
