BayFest

By Amanda Hardy

Lagniappe intern

When people hear the name “Michael Bolton,” they normally think of adult contemporary songs dripping with cheesy pick-up lines and facial expressions of constipation. Let’s face it; Michael Bolton is generally thought to have little, if any, cool factor. Although bringing tears to the eyes of middle-aged women across the country made him famous, there is more to Bolton than ‘90s love songs.

Bolton (known to his parents as Michael Bolotin) was born in 1954 to a Jewish family in New Haven, Connecticut. Bolton made a name for himself among the general public in the mid 80s and early 90s as an adult contemporary singer.

Bolton’s first experience in the music business, however, was a little less ordinary. At the age of 15, Bolton received his first record label contract and first national exposure with Blackjack in the early ‘70s, a band that once toured with heavy metal singer Ozzy Osbourne.

He began recording adult contemporary music in 1983 after gaining his first major hit as a songwriter, co-writing “How Am I Supposed To Live Without You” for Laura Branigan. Branigan took the song to number one on the Adult Contemporary charts for three weeks.

Throughout his entire career, Bolton has recorded more than 25 albums, beginning in 1975 with his self-titled album. He has written songs for such artists as Barbra Streisand, KISS, Kenny Rogers, Kenny G, Peabo Bryson and Patti Labelle.

He was also co-written songs with higher-profile writers such as BabyFace, Diane Warren and Bob Dylan. As a singer, he has performed with Plácido Domingo, Luciano Pavarotti, Renee Fleming, Patti Labelle, Ray Charles, Percy Sledge, Wynonna Judd and BB King. Kanye West and John Legend have also sampled him on hip-hop tracks.

Bolton has sold 53 million albums and has had eight Top 10 albums and nine number one singles on the Billboard charts. He has also received numerous awards from both the American Music Awards and Grammy awards.

Bolton not only has amazing credentials in the music world, but he also has a heart for those less fortunate. In 1993, he established the Michael Bolton Foundation (now Michael Bolton Charities, Inc.) to assist women and children at risk from the effects of poverty and emotional, physical and sexual abuse. The foundation has provided over $3.7 million in funding to local and national charities.

Although Bolton is extremely successful, he realizes that he is often the object of ridicule and the butt of jokes with the MTV generation.

Bolton says in an interview with Pitch.com, “Before you get famous, you don’t take heat from anybody. Your rent checks are bouncing. You’re a starving artist in a blues band. When I started recording pop ballads, I learned to take the knocks. This happens in every great career. They use you to set up a joke in a film. But did I mention that I recorded with Ray Charles and wrote with Bob Dylan? I mean, seriously, I’m pretty cool.”

With a resume so extensive, it would be hard to predict Bolton’s next move. Inspired by a love of Frank Sinatra, his latest project has been recording an album of Sinatra classics.

Bolton comments on his Web site, “For years I’ve kept a list of dream projects. At the top of that list was an album of songs made famous by Frank Sinatra.” He takes on classics like “New York, New York,” “Night and Day,” “My Funny Valentine,” and “Fly Me to the Moon.”

Bolton can be heard crooning at BayFest live on the Pepsi/Buffalo Rock stage on Friday, October 6, at 9:15 p.m.

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