Bon Jovi Tour: Greek-Canadian Phil X to Replace Richie Sambora

While rumor has it that Richie Sambora might be fired from Bon Jovi after 30 years, Greek-Canadian guitarist Phil X (Phil Xenidis) takes his place on the 2013 Bon Jovi world tour.

In 2011 Xenidis performed with the world famous band for 13 shows while Sambora was in rehab. Then Sambora came back to his position as Bon Jovi’s guitarist. However, this time we may see Phil X to replace Sambora permanently according to sources.

On Aug. 21, RumorFix.com reported Sambora was fired from the tour. “Sources close to the band tell us it’s all about money,” says the website.

In early April, TMZ reported Sambora and Bon Jovi were “fighting over money.”

At the group’s April 2 concert in Calgary, singer Jon Bon Jovi told the crowd Sambora “won’t be performing for awhile.” A message on the band’s official website explained Sambora had left the tour “due to personal issues.”

Us Weekly reported on Aug. 23 Sambora “parted ways” with Bon Jovi and quoted a source as saying: “There were a lot of well-documented problems, so this was the best decision for now.”

Phil Xenidis, or Phil X as he is known in the music world, was born in 1966 in Toronto. In 1982 he formed the hard rock/heavy metal band Sidinex (naming it after himself, the moniker being his last name spelled backwards) with singer Todd Farhood, bassist Kevin Gingrinch and drummer Scott Masterson. The band released only one EP in 1985, Forever Young, before changing name to Flip City in 1987 and disbanding soon after.

An opportunity in Xenidis’s career came when he was asked in 1990 to tour with Randy Coven, whom he met through Aldo Nova; in 1991, he toured the US with Aldo Nova. From 1992 to 1993 he played with Triumph, recording Edge of Excess and touring with them.

Phil X is a prolific session guitarist, having played on albums by Tommy Lee, Methods of Mayhem, Avril Lavigne, Kelly Clarkson, Orianthi, Rob Zombie, Chris Daughtry, Alice Cooper, Thousand Foot Krutch and many others. He wrote the song “Tired” and also played guitar on Tommy Lee’s Tommyland: The Ride album.

Phil X declares himself a proud Greek and he is often seen playing the bouzouki. “Manolis Hiotis was a HUGE inspiration when i was growing up,” he states in one of his videos.

Watch Phil X playing the bouzouki:

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Sambora, 54, has been in Bon Jovi since its formation in 1983 and co-wrote most of the band’s songs with Jon Bon Jovi.

Bon Jovi is scheduled to perform Oct. 2 in Vancouver, Nov. 1 in Toronto and Nov. 8 in Montreal. The band’s Because We Can tour ends Dec. 17 in Australia.

Watch a tribute to Phil X after playing with Bon Jovi in 2011:

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For more on Phil X visit his website or follow him on twitter.