Michael Bolton, Smooth jazz Artist
In keeping with the holiday spirit, our music will be covering the season. This week’s Featured Artist is a musician and prolific singer-songwriter, who has written songs for legendary artists such as Kenny Rogers, Peabo Bryson, Cher, Barbra Streisand, Kenny G., and Patti Labelle to name a few. Over the years he has achieved worldwide stardom status by having eight top 10 albums and two number one singles on the Billboard charts, and winning a number of Grammys and American Music Awards. Meet – Michael Bolton
Born in New Haven, Connecticut, USA
Genre: Adult Contemporary, Pop, Soft Rock
Over the course of his extraordinary career, Michael Bolton-singer, songwriter, and social activist- has sold over 53 million albums and singles worldwide, and has won two Grammys for best male vocalist, and six American Music Awards among many other accolades.
In his album BOLTON SWINGS SINATRA, Bolton performs twelve of the songs Frank Sinatra made famous under his own point of view. One of them: “The Second Time Around” is performed on a duet with actress Nicollette Sheridan. A prolific songwriter, Bolton has penned songs for legendary artists including Barbra Streisand, KISS, Kenny Rogers, Kenny G., Cher, Peabo Bryson, PattiLabelle, among many others. He has also co-written songs with a host of gifted songwriters including Bob Dylan, BabyFace and Diane Warren, and performed with Luciano Pavarotti, Placido Domingo, Renee Fleming, Patti Labelle, Ray Charles, Percy Sledge, Wynonna Judd, and BB King.
In 1993, he established the Michael Bolton Foundation, now the Michael Bolton Charities, Inc (MBC), to provide assistance, education and shelter to children and women at risk from poverty, as well as physical, emotional and sexual abuse. In partnership with Connecticut Governor John Rowland, the MBC created “Safe Space,” a danger-free environment for youths, to foster self-esteem, leadership skills, job training, and awareness of social issues. Since its inception, MBC has granted well over $3.7 million in funding to local and national charities.
Bolton also serves as the Honorary Chairman of Prevent Child Abuse America, National Chairman for This Close for Cancer Research and Board Member for the National Mentoring Partnership and the Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital. Most recently, Bolton joined forces with Lifetime Television, Verizon Wireless and the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NCADV), the national leading advocacy group dedicated to the empowerment of battered women and their children. On behalf of NCADV, Bolton along with Lifetime, Verizon Wireless and many others participated in a weeklong lobbying effort in March 2003, urging legislation to provide more assistance-including affordable housing options-for victims of domestic violence.
Among the awards Bolton has received are the Lewis Hine Award by the National Child Labor Committee, the Martin Luther King Award by the Congress of Racial Equality and the prestigious Ellis Island Medal of Honor by the National Ethnic Coalition of Organizations for his philanthropic work. The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce also recently recognized Bolton with a star on the legendary “Walk of Fame” for his musical and charitable contributions. He also won the Connecticut’s Finest Award in 2.005.
Michael Bolton was born in the city of New Haven, in the state of Connecticut, North East of the United States of America, on February, 26th 1.953. His real name is Michael Bolotin. The surname has a Russian origin and he changed it at the beginning of the eighties because people found very difficult to pronounce it well and, besides, “Bolton” sounded better. His father, George, died when Michael was only 13 years old. His mother, Helen shows a marvelous appearance. She supports Michael in everything he does. The fact that his parents were divorced when he was very young has marked Michael someway. He always shows his adoration for his father (to his memory he dedicated his first solo album with his new name: “MICHAEL BOLTON”), because he was who made him feel interested in sports, while his mother showed him the beautiful path of music. Helen Bolotin was born in the city of Leeds, in the United Kingdom.
Michael has a brother, Orrin (who took Michael into the world of music bands when they both were still kids) and a sister, Sandra, both older than him, who was the “Benjamin” of the family. He divorced Maureen McGuire in 1991 after 16 years of marriage. With her he had three daughters: Isa, Holly and Taryn. The girls were born, respectively: on August, 3rd 1.975; July, 7th 1.977 and October,3rd 1.979. Michael was already a father of three at 26 years of age. On March, 2006, Michael announced his engagement with actress Nicollette Sheridan, now famous for his appearance on “Desperate Housewives”. The couple had already dated between 1993 and 1995. On August, 26th 2008 they announced the end of their relationship.
Michael’s first incursion in the world of music was being a member of the group called “The Nomads”. His parents rented him a saxophone when he was 7 years old, but the fact was that he didn’t learn how to play it. What he did was to emulate its sound with his voice. He began composing his own songs at twelve, when his mother gifted him his first guitar, and at fifteen years of age he was already recording for the first time in a studio. During his adolescence he played with his brother on a small group which used to be around the clubs and pubs near his home to become well known, although Michael was not still allowed into those places, at least in theory. Soon he would record, under his real name, two albums which were not very appreciated then, although today they are pieces of a great value for any fan or collector. They are: “Michael Bolotin” and “Everyday Of My Life”. Later he became a member as a soloist in a hard rock group called “Black Jack” (one of which members would finish belonging to the famous group “Kiss”).
He began to be recognized as a composer when he was quite young. He wrote songs for all kinds of singers and groups, like for example: Cher (“I Found Someone”), Joe Cocker (“Living Without Your Love”), Barbra Streisand (“We’re Not ’ Love Anymore”), Kenny Rogers (“Just The Thought Of Losing You”), Laura Branigan (“How Am I Supposed To Live Without You”)… and many more. It is calculated that the total number of Michael Bolton compositions is over 200 songs for other artists. Some years later he decided to perform his own songs, reaching with many of them the success that for so long he had been looking for and which he deserved with all honors.
In 1983, “Fools Game”, from his album “Michael Bolton”, was the first song that began to enter the music charts. The song “Everybody’s Crazy”, from the same title album released in 1985, was used for the soundtrack of the movie: “Back To School”. In 1987, with “The Hunger”, he began to establish as a singer, and it was in 1989 with “Soul Provider” when he started to be considered as an artist, composer and singer with an enormous talent. “How Am I Supposed To Live Without You”, which he composed for Laura Branigan in 1983 and he recorded for this album was the spark, which caused that Michael Bolton’s success at last, recognized all around the planet.
“The Hunger” is mainly represented by the song “That’s What Love Is All About”, its first single, (it was his big success as a solo artist) and (“Sittin’ On) The Dock Of The Bay”, that was also a number one. One of the most precious possessions that Michael has is a letter of Zelma Redding (Otis widow) where she congratulates him for the incredible version he made of her husband’s classic.
“Soul Provider” sold more than 7 million albums worldwide. “How Am I Supposed To Live Without You”, on this album, won him his first Grammy for “Best Male Pop Vocal Performance”. He received the award in February of 1990. In 1991, Michael recorded “Time, Love And Tenderness”, which catapulted him to the international super stardom. This record made him win many prizes and musical honors.
Biographical information courtesy of Michael Bolton Voice.com; for more reading see link below
http://www.michaelboltonthevoice.com/biography.htm