WHAT ABOUT NOW

He says the Bon Jovi documentary didn't capture his side of the story — or the band's spirit. In a Guitar Player exclusive, Richie Sambora comes clean about the past and talks about the new songs that define his future.

-  JOE BOSSO

IN THE 11 YEARS since he left Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora hasn’t exactly flooded the market with new music. In 2017 and ’18, he teamed with his then girlfriend, Australian guitarist Orianthi, and released a pair of EPs and an album, but in the ensuing six years he’s been relatively quiet.

Or has he? “I write every day,” he says. “People think I stopped working since I left Bon Jovi, but I went right back to work on solo records and the music I did with Ori. I look at myself as a new artist. Now, other people might not — they relate to me for what I’ve done, and I love what I did with Bon Jovi. I’m not ever saying anything bad about that because we did a bunch of damage in this world, and we had a great time. But right now, it’s a new game.”

Seated in his kitchen after a threehour photo shoot, Sambora motions to the array of recording equipment set up in his adjacent living room. “It’s my laboratory here,” he says. “Everything works. It’s got great mics, Neve compressors and all that good stuff. It all sounds great.” It’s here that he’s been whacking away at songs with his longtime friend and producer Bob Rock, along with a group of musicians that includes Paul McCartney touring drummer Abe Laboriel Jr. and Mötley Crüe’s Tommy Lee, bassists James “Hutch” Hutchinson and Paul Bushnell, and keyboardists Adam Greenholtz and Zac Rae. “It’s great to work with Bob Rock again, and we’ve got a beautiful team,” Sambora exclaims. “Being in the studio with real human beings, it’s been one of the most pleasurable experiences I’ve had in a long time.”