“It was totally improvised. I had no idea that song would go out into the world and be his first single”: Veteran session guitarist Tim Pierce on how his off-the-cuff solo ended up on a Bon Jovi classic

Left-Tim Pierce holding a guitar; Right- Bon Jovi Jon Bon Jovi live at Nakano Sun Plaza, Tokyo, April 20, 1985.

Session guitarist Tim Pierce started his career side by side with Jon Bon Jovi – and at 23, Pierce scored one of his earliest successes, coinciding with 19-year-old Bon Jovi's ascent to rock stardom.

Runaway, Bon Jovi's debut single and a track with incredible staying power, was originally recorded in 1981 as a demo. However, it ended up being the singer’s first solo outing, backed by session musicians – namely, the tour de force of Pierce on guitar, Hugh McDonald on bass guitar, drummer Frankie LaRocka, and keyboardist Roy Bittan.