Bon Jovi Is Now ‘Forever’ In Nashville

As a Jersey girl now living in Nashville, the news of Bon Jovi opening a bar here brought my two worlds together, and I could not be happier. I've seen the band countless times over the years, but to see them live in action at their new bar, JBJ's Nashville, was something special.

Jon Bon Jovi himself, along with band members Tico Torres, David Bryan, and Hugh McDonald, made a visit to their dynamic venue in the heart of Music City this week; the doors officially open on Saturday. I had the chance to take a tour of what is now the tallest bar on Broadway, and it definitely lives up to the hype.

Between the iconic memorabilia on every wall, the two outdoor rooftops, Bon Jovi-inspired cocktails ("Tommy," "Gina," "Shot Thru The Heart"), state-of-the-art stage which designed in part by Jon Bon Jovi, the three-tiered honkytonk is one you'll not want to miss the next time you're in town.

"Well, this is Music City. This is where all kinds of musical styles have come together for decades now. It's a place that we're very familiar with. We've done several albums here. So many of our big hits were written here, and now we have a place to call home. So it's a little bit of New Jersey on the strip in Nashville," Bon Jovi said.

McDonald added, "It is Nash Jersey in here."

Bon Jovi spoke on vivid memory of writing their track, "I Love This Town," featured on the 2007, Lost Highway album.

"I remember having a burger and a beer across the street on a Sunday morning, and one of the three of us said, 'I love this town.' And I went, check, please. We went home and when we wrote the song. So, you know, there's a lot of memories here," Bon Jovi recalled.

JBJ's Nashville is located on 405 Broadway Nashville and is "dedicated to a rock 'n' roll revolution along with carrying forward the roots of country music." It is by far one of the nicest bars on Broadway, inside and out.

While talking to the Rock and Roll Hall of Famers, it was clear that they were all still taking it in, and that includes their new Hulu documentary, Thank You, Goodnight: The Bon Jovi Story, and their sixteenth studio album, Forever, which was released today.

"It was emotional, but the reaction to it has been unbelievable. And so it's time to be very proud of the first 40 years," Bon Jovi said. "The album has been received as well as the documentary. I mean, it's a big hit. It's been a joy to make this record and share it with the world."

Torres added, "We have the same feeling we had when we did Slippery [When Wet, their 1986 hit album]. It was like one of those things where it just came together really fast and comfortably, and a lot of love and joy went into this one."

With it being CMA Fest week in Nashville, I also had to ask the guys which country stars at the moment really caught their attention. As for those who stick out to the rockers right now in the country genre, they mentioned Morgan Wallen, Lainey Wilson, Jelly Roll, Zach Bryan and Luke Bryan. Plus, Torres and Bon Jovi gave a shout out to Willie Nelson and his new music. Willie released his latest album, The Border (his 75th solo album!), last week.

Ed Sheeran is the latest pop star to consider a switch to country music, He performed a new song with his buddy Luke Combs at the ACM Awards last week (5/11) in Texas. Over the years, several pop or rock stars have tried their hand at country music.

Sheryl Crow released a country album a few years back. She never left Nashville, living in the community and performing at events and benefits despite the fact that her country music career never really took off. Cyndi Lauper recorded a country album in 2015 and spent some time in Nashville doing interviews. She talked about the country songs she leaned on throughout her life.

In 2013, Kelly Clarkson released a song just for country radio that never really had success called "Tie It Up." It was about getting married. Her marriage to Reba's stepson Brandon Blackstock, which she gushed about in an interview for the song, didn't make it either. They got divorced in 2020.

While many pop and rock stars have tried their hand at country music, only a few really made it all the way to becoming a country star. We wish Ed Sheeran well if he really wants to give country music a try. Here, we look at five pop and rock stars that had their sights set on country music superstardom.

In 2016, Aerosmith singer Steven Tyler signed with Nashville's Big Machine record label and released a solo country album called We're All Somebody From Somewhere. It didn't do much to bring the rocker into country music. But he didn't quit his day job - Aerosmith has just announced their farewell tour.

In the spring of 2012, Lionel Richie released a country album featuring many collaborations with country stars called Tuskegee. It featured Lionel's own popular songs with Shania Twain, Tim McGraw, Blake Shelton, Kenny Chesney, Luke Bryan, and many more. The country album wasn't a huge hit, but it did start the friendship between him and his now fellow American Idol judge Luke Bryan.

Ed is just beginning his dip into country music. He performed a song called "Life Goes On" with Luke Combs at the ACM Awards show. Sheeran said he would like to move towards country music in the future.

Elle King has been very successful in her dive into country music as she has already charted two number-one country songs, one with Miranda Lambert, "Drunk (And I Don't Wanna Go Home)," and "Different For Girls" with Dierks Bentley. King released her debut country album Come Get Your Wife in January. She is currently touring and has been embraced by the country music community and fans.

Darius has been the most successful pop/rock star that switched to country music. So far, he has released five country albums, charted eight number-one country songs, and became a member of the Grand Ole Opry in 2012. He has been nominated for numerous country music awards and got a Country Grammy for Best Solo Country Performance for "Wagon Wheel" in 2013.