Michael Bolton biography

Synopsis

Early Life

Singer-songwriter Michael Bolton began his musical career as a solo artist, performing under his original last name: Bolotin. His first albums appeared in the mid-1970s, comprising a mix of cover songs and his own material, delivered in a gruffer voice than his later fans would grow to love. When success as a solo artist proved elusive, Bolton signed on as the lead singer of a heavy-metal band called Blackjack, which produced two albums before parting ways in the early 1980s. His next move was to change his last name to Bolton and embrace the solo career he had given up years before. With the launch of the new Michael Bolton, he hit the scene as a soft-rock balladeer.

Acclaimed Musician

Bolton's first solo record upon relaunch was the self-titled Michael Bolton. The album was released in April 1983, and made its way onto the Top 100 chart. With this moderate success came another bigger breakthrough: the Bolton-penned (he was a co-writer) "How Am I Supposed to Live Without You," a ballad sung by Laura Branigan, became a Top 40 hit, and it proved that he could write a hit song as well as sing one.

With his second solo album falling short critically and with audiences, his real foray into the mainstream would come with The Hunger, which appeared in 1987. Gone was the hard-rock sound of old, and in its place was a soulfulness he hadn’t explored previously. A song that he wrote, "That's What Love Is All About," and a cover of Otis Redding's "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay" became his first Top 40 hits, and it was off to the races from there, with Soul Provider (1989) transforming Bolton into a chart-topping superstar. The album sold 4 million copies and had five singles land in the Top 40 during the album’s climb into the Top 10. The record featured Bolton’s own version of "How Am I Supposed to Live Without You," which hit No. 1 and won Bolton a Grammy Award (best male pop vocal performance).

His next album, Time, Love & Tenderness, came out in April 1991 and sold more than 8 million copies domestically and 16 million worldwide, hitting No. 1 and producing several hits, including "Love Is a Wonderful Thing," which later cost Bolton and his production team $5.4 million when the Isley Brothers sued him for plagiarism.

Subsequently, Bolton released an album of covers, an album of original songs, a greatest hits compilation, and a Christmas album, all of which were smash hits.

In Recent Years

With all of the success he had experienced, it was surprising to have him release a flop, which is just what happened 1997's All That Matters, which cracked the top 40 by the skin of its teeth.