Ali Foundation
American Airlines Special Services
AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am
Barking Dog
Beverly Hills Hotel
BMI
Bullseye Studio
Creative Artists Agency
Callaway Golf
Christophe’s (especially Alex and Hilda)
CityKids Foundation
City of Hope
Clinton Foundation
Columbia Records
Congress of Racial Equality
Dr Pepper
Emerald Studios
EMI Music Publishing and Sony/ATV
FIJI Water
Gentlemen’s Club
Harlem School of the Arts
Harman
The Hit Factory
The Ivy
Jive Records
Lifetime Television
The Lodge at Pebble Beach
Louisville Slugger
T. J. Martell Foundation
Martin Luther King Jr. Center
Motown Museum
Music Express
National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences
National Conference of Diocesan Vocation Directors
National Mentoring Partnership
New Act Travel
Ocean Way Recording
Ojai Valley Inn and Spa
Passion Studios
The Peninsula (hotel)
Polo Lounge (especially Jerome, Pepe, and Nancy)
Quicken Loans
Record Plant
Resolute
Rockrimmon Country Club
St. Regis (hotel)
Sony Music Entertainment
Steadman Clinic
Sterling Sound
Toscana Country Club
Travelers Insurance
Tree House
United Negro College Fund
Universal Studios
USO
Vail Valley Medical Center
Valbella
Verizon Wireless
VH1
Vincent Limousine
Wally’s World
Walter Reed National Military Medical Center
Westlake Recording Studios (especially Steve Burdick and Steve Rusch)
Yellow Elephant Music
The bravest of our brave… the men and women of our armed forces
In everlasting memory of…
George Louis Bolotin
Isadore “Izzy” and Rose Gubin
Nick Ashford
Bobby Brooks
Ray Charles
Dick Clark
Rodney Dangerfield
Laura Branigan
Joe DiMaggio
Gary “Gaz” Douglas
Tom Dowd
Marvin Gaye
Whitney Houston
Coretta Scott King
Reverend Martin Luther King Jr.
Marvin Davis
Paul Newman
Maestro Luciano Pavarotti
Frances Preston
Otis Redding
David Sorin-Collyer
Patrick Swayze
Tammi Terrell
About the Author
Michael Bolton, the multiple Grammy Award–winning singer, songwriter, and social activist, has sold more than fifty-three million albums and singles worldwide. Known for his soulful voice and poignant lyrics, he continues to tour the world, all while writing and recording for a wide array of projects, spanning the realms of music, film, television, and theater. Bolton remains committed to humanitarian causes, especially through his Michael Bolton Charities, and donates his time and talent to several social and political organizations. His timeless style, charm, and good looks have earned him a spot in several People magazine “Sexiest Man Alive” issues, most recently in 2012. In 2011, he was featured in the Lonely Island’s hugely popular “Jack Sparrow” video, which became a viral sensation after it launched on Saturday Night Live. The Emmy-nominated video has racked up more than ninety million views on YouTube, where it was the third most viewed video of 2011. Bolton credits his fans with being the best in the world, and loves nothing more than bringing his timeless hits to audiences globally.
In recognition of his artistic achievements, Bolton won two Grammys for Best Pop Male Vocal Performance (he was nominated in this category four times), six American Music Awards, and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. As a songwriter, he has earned more than twenty-four BMI and ASCAP awards, including Songwriter of the Year and the Million-Air Award, as well as the Howie Richmond Hitmaker Award from the Songwriters Hall of Fame. To date, he has seen eight of his studio albums rank in Billboard’s Top 10; from these albums have come nine number one singles.
Bolton has recorded and performed with musical icons who have inspired and influenced his own career. He joined Luciano Pavarotti onstage in a highly praised rendition of “Vesti la giubba” and pays homage to the Italian tenor when performing the aria “Nessun dorma” at each of his concerts on tour. He has sung with Placido Domingo, José Carreras, and Renée Fleming, and has played guitar with B. B. King. He earned a Grammy nomination for “Georgia on My Mind,” and was invited to sing the classic song to Ray Charles when Charles was honored at the International Jazz Hall of Fame Awards in 1997. Bolton performed duets with both Seal and Lara Fabian to standing ovations for a 2011 David Foster and Friends PBS special.
A versatile and prolific songwriter, Bolton has collaborated with some of the greatest songwriters and producers of our time, including Lady Gaga, Diane Warren, Desmond Child, David Foster, Walter Afanasieff, Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds, Robert John “Mutt” Lange, Dann Huff, A. R. Rahman, Phil Ramone, Ne-Yo, and Billy Mann, among others. He is one of the very few artists to have co-written a song with the legendary Bob Dylan, resulting in the megahit “Steel Bars.” He has penned songs that have been recorded and performed by a diverse list of more than one hundred artists, ranging from country-and-western legend Conway Twitty to hip-hop superstar Kanye West, in concert with Jay-Z and John Legend. Other greats who have performed Bolton’s songs include Marc Anthony, Wynonna Judd, Joe Cocker, Peabo Bryson, Kenny Rogers, and Patti LaBelle. Bolton has written number one hit singles that have boosted the careers of artists such as Laura Branigan (“How Am I Supposed to Live Without You”), KISS (“Forever”), Barbra Streisand (“We’re Not Making Love Anymore”), Cher (“I Found Someone”), and Kenny G (“By the Time This Night Is Over”).
Bolton has always balanced a love for writing new songs with a passion for covering the classics. On his breakthrough album, The Hunger, he authored the number one single “That’s What Love Is All About” and sang his chart-topping version of Otis Redding’s “(Sittin’ on) The Dock of the Bay,” which was a hit in four radio formats. That album was certified double platinum and shipped four million copies worldwide.
He seized his true signature success with the album Soul Provider, which sold more than 12.5 million copies worldwide and showcased several hit singles, including the number one song “How Am I Supposed to Live Without You,” which earned him his first Grammy. This pivotal album also includes “When I’m Back on My Feet Again,” “How Can We Be Lovers If We Can’t Be Friends,” “Soul Provider,” and, of course, the Grammy-nominated “Georgia on My Mind.”
Soon after, Bolton released the number one album Time, Love & Tenderness, which has sold more than sixteen million copies worldwide and features his Grammy Award–winning vocal performance of the blockbuster hit “When a Man Loves a Woman.” This album also produced the hit singles “Love Is a Wonderful Thing,” “Time, Love and Tenderness,” and “Missing You Now,” as well as “Steel Bars,” co-written with Bob Dylan.
Bolton followed this album with a collection of soulful classics on Timeless, delivering the hit singles “To Love Somebody” and “Reach Out I’ll Be There.” Timeless sold more than seven million copies worldwide.
From his next album, The One Thing, came Bolton’s massively popular single “Said I Loved You…
But I Lied,” which spent twelve weeks at No. 1 on the adult contemporary charts and earned him another Grammy nomination.
Bolton has always been attracted to a wide array of musical genres, from Sinatra favorites (Bolton Swings Sinatra) to classical arias (My Secret Passion, which stayed at No. 1 on the classical charts for six consecutive weeks). His most recent studio album features an authentic approach to Motown and soulful classics, as well as original songs written in the same vein.
Bolton’s songs and performances have been featured in numerous television and film sound tracks, including that of Walt Disney’s blockbuster animated film Hercules, for which Bolton wrote the Oscar-nominated theme song, “Go the Distance.” He also executive-produced the documentary Terror at Home, which addresses domestic violence in America, and wrote its Emmy-nominated theme song, “Tears of the Angels.” Most recently, he was cast to act and sing in the season premiere of CBS’s hit prime-time television show Two and a Half Men, and has landed his own new comedy series on ABC, entitled Michael Bolton’s Daughter Is Destroying My Life.
For his dedication to social activism, Bolton has been honored with several philanthropic awards, including the Humanitarian of the Year Award, granted by the Congress of Racial Equality (C.O.R.E.) at their annual Martin Luther King Jr. dinner; the Lewis Hine Award, from the National Child Labor Committee; the Ellis Island Medal of Honor, from the National Ethnic Coalition of Organizations; and the Frances Williams Preston Lifetime Music Industry Award, from the T. J. Martell Foundation. He is especially proud of the initiatives carried out by his own foundation, Michael Bolton Charities, now in its twentieth year of advocacy on behalf of women and children at risk.
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My very good-looking parents, George and Helen Lila Bolotin.
George Louis Bolotin.
My mom had her hands full with me, Orrin, and Sandra. No wonder I always thought I was a short kid at 5′11.
I’m wondering if this is my new coat, or just a leftover from my sister.
Me, Sandra, and Orrin. I don’t recognize this building… maybe this is where our parents dropped us off hoping some other family would pick us up!
Anchor Beach with the family.
Anchor Beach in Milford with Dad and Sandra, and Orrin goofing off in the background.
My mom (on the far right) tolerating another visit with my father’s relatives. Clearly she’s having the time of her life! Left to right: Uncle Ken, Harriett (my father’s sister), Grandmother Sophie (my father’s mother), Aunt Rose (my father’s sister), and that’s me on the bottom right sitting next to my sister Sandra and our cousins.
My band the Inmates (left to right: Richard Miller, Jimmy Rosen, David Simons, and me). We were the house band for David’s bar mitzvah, the debut of my $100 Kay guitar.
Our band George’s Boys. Left to right: Larry Miller (bass), Bob Brockway (drums), me, Tom Pollard (keys), and Peter Earl (guitar), circa 1967.
… And etched on the back of the photograph is the note I wrote to Cory Morrison from the road.
Me with my broken glasses, sitting in the back of a friend’s parents’ Hertz.
Me, the introvert… rehearsing in Marc’s basement.
… And a lover letter to Cory etched on the back of the photograph I mailed her.
(Left to right) Me with Jeff Shapiro, his friend, and Marc Friedland in downtown New Haven near the Yale University campus, in front of Cutler’s Record Shop. Jeff was the only one with a license and we nicknamed him Richie Rich because he and his family had the kind of things that all of us could only dream about (note: new Porsche). Jeff turned out to be the hardest-working and later opened a marina in CT.
Inside the Oogy Ahhgy. Yes, we slept in there! But we spent more time pushing this bus than riding in it. It was only one of Marc’s transportation manifestations; he also owned “The Enterprise” (an ambulance), and the Wonder Bread truck (great for baking!).
Bree Belford’s father’s house on Alston Avenue, which I rented with Maureen, Orrin, and a couple other friends for about a year. Maureen and I had our wedding in the backyard.
Marc Friedland and me after opening for Leon Russell at the Spectrum in Philadelphia in 1972.
Isadore “Izzy” and Rose Gubin.
Orrin, the hippie heartthrob.
Orrin, the bodhisattva.
Trying to write songs for my next record deal. My mom, in the background, at our Coldwater Canyon, North Hollywood, home.
Me with my mom and Orrin after one of my MBC fundraising events.
Mom still comes out to my shows and MBC fundraisers whenever she can.
Isa practicing controlling her dad at just a few months old.
Me trying my songs out on Isa, my biggest fan at the time.
Me and Isa having a heart to heart.
The girls with lifelong family friend and our first nanny, Anita Lomartra.
Left to right: Holly, Isa, Taryn. My little angels…
Left to right: Taryn, me, Holly, Isa. Still angels, but not so little!
At one, Gwen is too cute for words. And Millie is a hard act to follow!
Left to right: Holly, Taryn. When they got along, they got along beautifully!
Isa and me at an academic graduation.
Our trusted nanny Laura McKinley during the girls’ teenage years. Here at Taryn’s high school graduation.
“I Found Someone” by Cher
“Forever” by KISS
“How Am I Supposed to Live Without You” by Laura Branigan
“We’re Not Making Love Anymore” by Barbra Streisand
With my good friend Rodney Dangerfield, who flew in to help raise money for “This Close” for cancer research.
There are no words to describe what playing guitar and singing with the one and only B. B. King was like on the televised Essence Awards at the Paramount Theater in New York City.
Singing “A Change Is Gonna Come” at Bill Clinton’s first inauguration—one of the most powerful experiences I’ll ever have! Fighter jets were flying in perfect unison above us and a new era (and did I mention eight years of our greatest prosperity?) would follow.
At the 17th Annual American Music Awards (at The Shrine Auditorium in L.A.) with the eternal and legendary teenager Dick Clark, who loved to kid around (and Louis Levin in the background).
Me with my little league team. I forgot we were taking pictures that day and showed up without my uniform!
During a Bombers vs. The Hollywood All-Stars game, at La Cienega Park in Beverly Hills.
Thirty-five years later, I remembered to show up in uniform for our group photo! My semi-pro softball team the Bolton Bombers and me. Our sponsor was Louisville Slugger. That’s our coach Dave Carrol kneeling in the foreground, with Louis Levin (#57), and Killer Kim Turner (#14). The rest of these guys were “ringers,” professional players we’d fly in to replace band and crew so we could win big! We raised money for charities across the country.
One of the most incredible gifts of my job is that it has allowed me to meet so many of my heroes.
Looking back on some precious time with Joe DiMaggio… as you can imagine, he had a lot of great stories to share.
My Soul Provider photo shoot in 1988, my big break. My stylist had taken me shopping for the first time to Barney’s in New York City, and I kept thinking they must have misplaced the decimal points on the price tags.
I once told Cher she looked great in white.
With my Columbia Records label mates. Mariah Carey with her unrivaled instrument and Tony Bennett, the ultimate example of enduring greatness.
Ray Charles and me; a priceless moment for me, the student, with the master (at a David Guest event).
At “The Night of 200 Stars” Second Annual Int
ernational Achievement in Arts Award to benefit my foundation, with Whitney Houston, a most beautiful and graceful icon and easily one of the greatest voices the world will ever hear.
Recently speaking on the Hill to try and make sure VAWA (the Violence Against Women Act) continues and is fully funded.
Me with my dear friend Mickey Rooney and Ashley Judd while I was promoting All That Matters in Spain.
My, we were kids! Surrounded by beauty and talent. René and (my then opening act) Celine Dion, and Nicollette at the 22nd Annual American Music Awards.
After twenty-five years of never saying no to Frances Preston (who raised more money for more people all around the world), I was honored in 2011 to receive the first Frances William Preston Lifetime Music Industry Award.
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