"Unplanned Solo: How Tim Pierce's Impromptu Act Landed on a Bon Jovi Hit"

### Tim Pierce: The Session Guitarist Behind Jon Bon Jovi’s Debut Single ‘Runaway’

At 23, session guitarist Tim Pierce recorded one of his earliest successes alongside Jon Bon Jovi, which coincided with Bon Jovi’s rise to rock stardom. In 1981, Runaway, Bon Jovi’s debut single, was originally a demo. However, it ended up becoming the singer’s first solo release backed by a group of session musicians. This included the incredible guitar work of Pierce, Hugh McDonald on bass guitar, drummer Frankie LaRocka, and keyboardist Roy Bittan.

#### The Process Behind the Classic Guitar Solo

“I am sure the band, when he got his record deal, tried to redo it,” Pierce tells MusicRadar. “It just didn’t turn out. So we got full credit on the record and they put out the version that we did.”

Referring to his guitar solo, which captures the rock zeitgeist of the era with spontaneity, he says, “It was totally improvised. I had no idea that that song would go out into the world and be his first single.”

#### Simplicity in Gear for Lasting Tones

When it came to gear, Pierce kept it simple using a Les Paul, Marshalls, and a Schecter Stratocaster [copy]. Very simple gear. “Some of it was just borrowed. Some of it was rented. In my mind, I was just trying to play the best solo I possibly could. It is a combination of thinking and not thinking, y’know.”

Pierce recalls the single was the result of “pure collaboration” between the session musicians, Bon Jovi, and the team at Power Station – the recording studio co-founded by Bon Jovi’s cousin, producer Tony Bongiovi.

The single “Runaway” showcases Pierce’s masterful and spontaneous guitar work and represents the pure spirit of collaboration.

Earlier this year, Jon Bon Jovi reunited with the first guitar he ever owned, 45 years after he sold it.

For more details, you can view the full article from Guitar World [here](https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/guitarists/tim-pierce-on-how-his-solo-ended-up-on-a-jon-bon-jovi-classic).