Bon Jovi Respects Country Music

April 18, 2007 — Jon Bon Jovi tells Billboard that he and his band decided to appeal to a country music audience following the success of their hit with Sugarland, "Who Says You Can't Go Home?," last year. The song became the first track by a noncountry act to reach the top of the US country music chart in decades.

"The line is so blurred between new country and adult Top 40, it wasn't a difficult leap," Jon said. "I didn't like what I heard on the Top 40. I had nothing in common with any of that stuff. But when I listened to Keith Urban, Gary Allan and Big & Rich, I heard the same kind of stories I'd been writing for 25 years. I thought, 'I get it: Write a record, go back to your storytelling days and say something about yourself.'"

Jon stresses that "we had to make sure we weren't patronizing the true country format. We're very respectful of it. All I can ask for is, 'Give us a chance and don't judge the book by its cover.'"

Bon Jovi's album Lost Highway, which features duets with LeAnn Rimes and Big & Rich, is set for release on June 19.

Bon Jovi topped the country charts with their duet with Sugarland's Jennifer Nettles, "Who Says You Can't Go Home"

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