Richie Sambora to Jon Bon Jovi: ‘It’s Time to Stop Singing’

 

Richie Sambora recently spoke with Premier Guitar about Jon Bon Jovi’s need for a vocal break following his surgery. Sambora stressed that after years of continuous touring and recording, resting the voice was crucial:

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“Especially, he needed to take a break, too, and he’s finally going, ‘Yeah, I should’ve taken a break.’ He should.”

Bon Jovi’s shrinking cords caused his singing issues in recent years. The guitarist noted:

“I talked to my singing teacher, and believe it or not, it grows back. But you have to just stop singing, and you have to stop talking sometimes for six months, and you have to do any kind of voodoo you can voodoo so well, like Reiki and any kind of new age kind of medicine and herbs. He just went for the plastic thing, and I was like, ‘Oh, dude, that must suck. How you doing?’”

The Guitarist Thinks The Singer Should Take Steven Tyler As An Example

Sambora cited Steven Tyler as an example for Jon Bon Jovi. Tyler injured his larynx in 2023 and later ‘mangled’ his vocal cords during a 2024 concert.

The ex-Bon Jovi guitarist shared meeting the singer at a fundraiser show for Lahaina, Hawaii, and explained:

“So, we raised a lot of money, and Steven shows up. Tyler and I know each other for way, way long. We played on each other’s records, and we know each other for a long time. And he busted a move with his throat where he was just like [imitates the sound]. It was like all night, and then, blood was coming out of his mouth. So, he had to stop.”

He added:

“He shows up looking fine, and I said, ‘Don’t you dare.’ Yeah, he just wants to get up there and do it and stuff like that, but he’s taking care of himself, and he didn’t go for the plastic thing. So, that’s a good idea because it will grow back eventually.”

Bon Jovi’s Vocals Are ‘Clearly Not’ Great, He Says

Jon Bon Jovi mentioned being in the recovery process 19 months after the surgery. He worked on his band’s new album, ‘Forever,’ in the studio, but noted that it was too early to talk about a tour.

The frontman’s performances in recent months met with criticism from fans due to vocal quality. Sambora pointed out that his former bandmate’s voice was ‘unfortunately clearly not’ great in early May.

Still, the guitarist said he was willing to reunite with Bon Jovi once he recovered.