Michael Bolton

Michael Bolton (born Michael Bolotin, February 26, 1953, in New Haven, Connecticut, USA) is an American singer, songwriter, and producer known for his powerful, raspy voice and ballads that defined the late 1980s and early 1990s. He began his career as a rock and heavy metal singer (even performing as a member of the band Blackjack), but achieved worldwide fame with soft rock and pop-soul covers as well as his own compositions.

His breakthrough came with the album Soul Provider (1989), which included hits such as How Am I Supposed to Live Without You (earning him the Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance in 1990), How Can We Be Lovers, and Soul Provider. Even greater success followed with the album Time, Love & Tenderness (1991), highlighted by his cover of Percy Sledge’s When a Man Loves a Woman, which brought Bolton his second Grammy.

Over the course of his career, he has sold more than 75 million albums, won six American Music Awards, and collaborated with music legends such as Luciano Pavarotti, Ray Charles, Céline Dion, and B.B. King. As a songwriter, he has penned songs for others, including How Am I Supposed to Live Without You (originally for Linda Ronstadt) and I Found Someone (for Cher).

Bolton is also active in philanthropy, having founded The Michael Bolton Charities to support women and children at risk. In recent years, he has continued to perform worldwide with orchestral concerts and to release music blending his classic ballad style with elements of jazz and soul.