Jon Bon Jovi, born John Francis Bongiovi Jr., may be known now as one of the most successful rock musicians in the world, as the frontman for Bon Jovi (which has sold more than 130 million copies of its music worldwide), but his career beginnings were at once both humble and surprisingly high-profile.
Jon, 63, first formed the band Bon Jovi in 1983, but began writing and playing music since he was a preteen, eventually getting his first professional job at 18 while he was out of school and trying to make ends meet while chasing his musical dreams.
© Getty ImagesAs the story goes, in 1980, Jon began working at Power Station Studios in Manhattan, which was co-owned by his cousin Tony Bongiovi, and one day, he was approached by producer Meco to contribute to a Star Wars holiday companion album he was working on, Christmas in the Stars: The Star Wars Christmas Album.
He eventually recorded the track "R2-D2 We Wish You a Merry Christmas" for the album, his very first professional recording contract, and took to social media earlier this week to share a look at that very piece of paper that changed his life — and how much bank he made with it too.
© Instagram"First ever contract back in 1980, always fun finding these... No doubt it's online somewhere," he wrote beside the photo shared on his Instagram page, which contracted his services for an album based on the characters from the first two Star Wars films.
The contract, dated October 15, 1980, also revealed exactly how much he was paid for the song — $180 which, when taking inflation into account, is the equivalent of just over $700 in 2025. The standard "work-for-hire" contract did exclude him from additional incentive off of royalties, though.
For many fans of the "You Give Love a Bad Name" hitmaker, the blast from the past was truly a surprise, with many not realizing his start came with such an illustrious franchise. The album was moderately popular at the time, with one of its tracks charting on the Billboard Hot 100, and was seen as a pioneer of digital recording. However, it was also oft-parodied for its pop and disco take on Christmas and, more oddly, Star Wars.
"Wow, to think this was just the start of a rocketing career," one commented, with another similarly adding: "Super neat. Ha!! Now Jon can sit back and relax. Be proud of accomplishments and achievements," and a third going: "Wow, Jon! I'm sure this meant a lot to you back then. And you've never forgotten your roots!"
© Getty ImagesAs Jon told Forbes of how it all happened: "This guy Meco would hire session guys and they'd orchestrate stuff with disco beats. He did Star Wars rip-off stuff in the wake of all of George Lucas' success. And he needed a kid."
Meco needed someone with a high voice to sing lead on the track, but it turns out his own voice was too deep and mature, which led him to approach the teen Jon. "Meco tried to sing it himself, and he didn't sound like a young boy," the musician recalled.
© Getty Images"So he said, 'Can you really sing?' I said, 'Yeah,' and he said, 'Do it.' So they wrote me down like a session musician… It took 20 minutes, there was nothing to it."
