Editing Richie Sambora (section)

===Early career===
Sambora was a guitarist for the band [[Message (band)|Message]], and with that band put out a 1982 independent record titled ''Lessons''. It was re-released in 1995 under the name ''Message'', and in 2000 as ''Lessons''. He was later in a band, Mercy, which was signed to [[Led Zeppelin]]-owned record label [[Swan Song Records]], and then Duke Williams & the Extremes, who were signed to [[Capricorn Records]]. Sambora was also in an improvisational club band called Richie Sambora & Friends. He was part-owner of a club in New Jersey, and at age 19 owned his own independent label Dream Disc Records. Sambora's first professional tour was as an opening act for [[Joe Cocker]] in the early 1980s. Shortly before joining Bon Jovi in 1983, Sambora unsuccessfully<ref name="guitarking">{{cite web|last1=Harding|first1=Mark|title=Play Like... Richie Sambora|url=http://www.guitar-king.com/play-like-richie-sambora/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160501200059/http://www.guitar-king.com/play-like-richie-sambora/|url-status=dead|archive-date=2016-05-01|website=Guitar King|access-date=26 June 2017}}</ref> auditioned for [[Kiss (band)|Kiss]], to be [[Ace Frehley]]'s replacement.