By Brian Dukes
Staff writer
Quick, name the first two words that come to mind when you think of Michael Bolton.
Grammy winner?
Power ballad?
Jack Sparrow? Huh?
All of those are correct, actually, as Grammy Award-winning singer and songwriter Michael Bolton, the king of crooning, will perform Saturday night at the Crown Coliseum. Jazz saxophone virtuoso Kenny G. also will be performing.
Bolton's hip factor got a huge shot in the arm when he performed with Andy Samberg's Lonely Island guys on a viral video for "Saturday Night Live." Their PG-13-rated "Jack Sparrow" video features Bolton, a movie-lover who is obsessed with "Pirates of the Caribbean," singing about the fictional Captain Jack Sparrow.
It's a hilarious self-effacing send-up that Bolton's embraced fully; the video has racked up more than 22.5 million views on YouTube.
It's doubtful Bolton will perform the silly song Saturday night. That's OK, however, as he's known for a few other tunes you may have heard of, such as: "How Am I Supposed to Live Without You," "When a Man Loves a Woman," "Love Is a Wonderful Thing," "Time, Love, and Tenderness," "How Can We Be Lovers?" "When I'm Back on My Feet Again" and "To Love Somebody."
Over the course of his 30-plus year career, Bolton has sold more 53 million records, won two Grammy Awards for Best Pop Male Vocal Performance, six American Music Awards, and received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
He's a prolific songwriter, too, earning numerous awards, including the Hit Makers Awards from the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
Bolton is currently in the midst of an expansive world tour, many dates of which include Kenny G, making him a busy guy.
Kenny G, by the way, also is having a pop culture moment. He and his sax have cameos in pop star Katy Perry's newest video, "Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)" Kenny plays Katy's "Uncle Kenny" and does what he does best - a blistering sax solo on the roof.
Earlier this year, Bolton shared his thoughts on a number of topics with reporters in a teleconference interview. Here are excerpts:
On what people can expect at his show: It's primarily the greatest hits with a few surprises. And something from the latest project I'm working on. But at the end of the day, if you've had a career that's spanned say, three decades of four decades, you're going to have a lot of those people in that audience who are waiting to hear their favorite song from one of the early albums.
On going most of his career without realizing his vocal range: I'm a tenor. I never consider myself a tenor because in R&B and pop, and even in blues when I was a kid, nobody classified themselves by their vocal range unless, you know, a voice teacher sat you down at a piano and said, "OK, you're a tenor, you're a baritone." ... We didn't do that. So I realized while singing along that I have these notes, I have a high C full voice and above, the high C.
On working with Lady Gaga: Her CD was about to come out in about three months. The label was very excited about it. I got a phone call from one of the record executives who said, "We have this great artist who is also a great songwriter who is a big fan of yours and would like to write with you for this new CD." And they said her name is Lady Gaga.
I hadn't heard of her yet. And I said, "Well, you know, I'm busy. I'm doing a lot of writing and producing." And they said, "She's amazing. We're going to send you some MP3s and you can decide for yourself." And I heard the MP3s and I thought she was great.
I drove back to Los Angeles and we really hit it off - like the first minute we met - and then worked until 6:30 in the morning. ... I just got the sense while I was in the room with her that this is a budding superstar.
On discovering he's reaching a younger audience: I'm looking into the audience, and I'm seeing definitely a lot of core fans, but I'm also seeing these 25-year-olds and (fans in their) late 20s who were teenagers when a lot of this music was being played. And I hope that (my) music became the soundtrack of their lives, going through the becoming years as a teenager, becoming a young human being, a young adult where during whatever they were going through, they were hearing my music.
On his enduring musical legacy: (My) music becomes music that got people through some of the hardest moments of their lives and music that celebrates some of the high points of their lives. From getting married or engaged to having children to raising them to some letters and correspondence that is, you know, heartbreaking. You read about what people have been through and you realize, this is life. And this song really meant a lot at this time for this person, and that's the journey that you take them on.
Facts about the saxophonist, brought to you by the letter G:
G is for Gorelick
The Grammy Award-winning Mr. G's real name is Kenneth Bruce Gorelick. He has sold more than 75 million albums, making him the most successful instrumental musician of the modern era.
G is for Guinness
The saxophonist earned a spot in the Guinness Book of World Records in 1997 by playing the longest note ever recorded on a saxophone using a circular breathing technique, which allowed him to hold an E-flat note for 45 minutes and 47 seconds.
G is for Gliding
Kenny G makes more than just notes soar. He's an aircraft pilot, taking to the skies often in his De Havilland Beaver seaplane.
G is for Golf
He's also an avid golfer and was ranked first in 2006 and second in 2008 in the Golf Digest rankings of Top 100 in Music, according to golf handicap indexes of major musicians.
