Michael Buble biography

Synopsis

Early Life

Singer, actor. Born Michael Steven Buble; on September 9, 1975, in Burnaby, British Columbia. Buble's father, Lewis, was often out at sea. This left his mother, Amber, and grandfather, Demetrio Santanga, as the primary caregivers for Buble; and his two younger sisters, Crystal and Brandee.

Santanga's huge collection of records was the foundation of Buble's passion for classic jazz and soul music. Thanks to famed artists such as Ella Fitzgerald, Stevie Wonder, Frank Sinatra, and Tony Bennett, it wasn't too long before young Michael decided that he wanted to follow in their famous footsteps. Said Buble;, "I wanted to be a singer and I knew that this was the music that I wanted to sing."

With the encouragement of his grandfather, Buble entered and won a local talent contest. When the organizer, Beverly Delich, later discovered that Buble was only 17; a year younger than the contest requirements; she disqualified him. Even still, she was so impressed by his talents that she suggested he enter the British Columbia Youth Talent Search instead. Having learned all of his grandfather's favorite tunes, Buble entered the British Columbia competition and won.

Aspiring Singer

Buble's success prompted Delich to help him record his first independent CD. In the meantime, Santanga had spread the word that he would offer free plumbing service for anyone who could provide career opportunities for his grandson. Buble became a regular at several local music venues.

In 1996, Buble landed a role portraying Elvis in the Vancouver run of the musical "Red Rock Diner," and soon caught the eye of Debbie Timuss, a fellow dancer and singer in the production. Two years later, the couple moved to Toronto to perform in the cast of another musical revue; this time a big band effort called "Forever Swing" (1998).

Big Break

But Buble's real break came during a performance at a party for Michael McSweeney, a former advisor to the Canadian Prime Minister. McSweeney was so impressed with Buble's performance that he began circulating the performer's independent album, which soon fell into the hands of Prime Minister Brian Mulroney and his wife. In 2000, the couple invited Buble to sing at their daughter's wedding. At the event, he wowed the bride and her guests with a rendition of Kurt Weill's "Mack The Knife."

During the festivities, the singer was introduced to wedding guest David Foster, a Grammy-winning producer and Warner Bros. music executive. The following year, Foster signed Buble; to the 143 Records label, and the two began work on the singer's first major-label release. "The last thing we wanted to do was a tribute album or a lounge act," says Buble.