For music fans: Before The Moment with Nile Rodgers

Nile Rodgers (0:09)

A lifetime spent making music is a lifetime made up of individual moments. And no moment is more important than the one before the big change.

That turning point where a hobby becomes a profession, when struggle becomes success, when pretty good becomes legendary. I'm Nile Rodgers, co-founder of the band Chic and producer of Pop Hits with some of the industry's top artists. I'm driving around the country in my Lincoln Navigator SUV, talking to some of the coolest, most interesting people in music to discuss their journey before the moment.

Picture this, it's the late 70s here in New York City. Studio 54 is just one block away, and I'm at this studio called The Power Station. I'm here doing albums like Sister Sledge, Diana Ross, Sheik. I mean, life is a party. And there's this young kid, we call them a gopher. That's because he would run errands and gopher stuff for us, even me. The next thing you know, he becomes one of the biggest rock and roll stars in the world. Well, that kid was none other than Jon Bon Jovi. Jon's music has become part of the fabric of our culture, and that's because his music speaks to people. It makes us all think and believe in something. I'm so happy to be here in New York City, where it all began with my friend, Jon Bon Jovi.

Man, this is so amazing to me. This is where it all began for both of us, The Power Station.

Jon Bon Jovi (2:13)

Wow.

Nile Rodgers (2:15)

Take me back, man. How does it feel?

Jon Bon Jovi (2:18)

Well, it's a moment in time, and I'm glad that it's still here, the way we remember it. I remember you and Bernard and Tony, next door was your house.

Nile Rodgers (2:29)

That was our smoking house.

Jon Bon Jovi (2:31)

Studio B would belong to Sheik, it belonged to you and Bernard. So when I came here in September of 1980, you guys taught me a great adage that I lived by ever since.

The bigger the star, the nicer the person. Wow. I was the coffee boy. I was the runner.

Nile Rodgers (2:55)

The runner.

Jon Bon Jovi (2:56)

My job was to go get lunch, to dry cleaning, OTB, go to the bank, whatever it took, so that I could just be around it.

Nile Rodgers (3:05)

Right.

Jon Bon Jovi (3:07)

Of course, I had had bands and I was doing my thing, and my second cousin who I had never met, got a phone call from my dad who was his first cousin.

Nile Rodgers (3:18)

Right.

Jon Bon Jovi (3:19)

My dad said to him, listen, my kid is just hell bent on being a singer in a rock band. He's writing songs. Would you come and see him? Because this is it for him. And Tony Bon Jovi, who built this place, designed this famous, world famous studio, came to see my band. He said to my dad, the band sucks, but the kids got something special.

And I said, nice to meet you. And then he left. But what he'd said was, if I can ever do something for you, give me a call. So once I graduated high school, the summer passed, I was playing the clubs in Jersey. And I called because college was not in the cards and I didn't have any. This was it. I said, what can I do?

And he says, I don't know, but I'll give you 50 bucks a week, which was bus fare, come on in and run errands. And I was deeply grateful. And so in September of 1980 until the spring or summer of 1983, when I finally got a record deal, I was that guy here. But I'll never, ever, ever forget, no matter who you worked with. And I'd go and bring beer upstairs and there's you and David Bowie and Stevie Ray or I'd go in and I got yelled at by Diana Ross. But you guys were always so cool.

And how you doing, Johnny? Like would remember my name and be kind and you know, and then of course I'd go and do my job, but I never forgot that.

Nile Rodgers (4:48)

Oh man, thank you. To me, I never worked with anyone here that I thought was rude or crude or anything like that. To me, the person who was edgiest but still fun was Madonna, but she was fun. Like I could make a joke, she was being like tough on an assistant or something like that, because she was. Because she would say, time is money and the money is mine.

Which I had to love her for that because it did keep us going. Because you obviously know if you came to hang with us, we were very relaxed about being in this temple, if you will. But we got shit done. You did the work.