Kenny G facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Kenny G
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Kenny G in 2013
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Kenneth Bruce Gorelick
June 5, 1956 Seattle, Washington, U.S.
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| Education | Franklin High School |
| Alma mater | University of Washington (BS, magna cum laude) |
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| Years active | 1973–present |
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Janice DeLeon
(m. 1980; div. 1987)Lyndie Benson
(m. 1992; div. 2012) |
| Children | 2 |
| Awards | Full list |
| Musical career | |
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Kenneth Bruce Gorelick (born June 5, 1956), known as Kenny G, is a famous American saxophonist, songwriter, and music producer. He plays a type of music called smooth jazz. His album Duotones in 1986 made him very popular. Kenny G has sold over 75 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling music artists ever. He is also the best-selling instrumental musician in history!
Kenny G was born in Seattle, Washington, USA. He started playing the saxophone at age ten. He was inspired by a performance he saw on The Ed Sullivan Show. He went to several schools in Seattle, including the University of Washington. In high school, he took private saxophone lessons. He also played in his school's jazz band.
Kenny G's professional music career began when he was 17. He played with Barry White's The Love Unlimited Orchestra. Before starting his solo career, he played with the Seattle funk band Cold, Bold & Together. He also joined the Jeff Lorber Fusion in 1980. His solo career took off after he signed with Arista Records in 1982. His first album, Kenny G, came out in 1982.
His fourth album, Duotones (1986), was a huge success. It included the hit song "Songbird". His 1992 album, Breathless, became the best-selling instrumental album ever. His first holiday album, Miracles: The Holiday Album, sold over 13 million copies. Kenny G has also worked on movie soundtracks like The Bodyguard. He has played with many famous artists, including Andrea Bocelli and Frank Sinatra.
In the 2000s and 2010s, Kenny G released more albums. These included Paradise and Brazilian Nights. He appeared in commercials and music videos. He also continued to perform concerts all over the world. Kenny G is very popular in China. His song "Going Home" is often played in public places there. Even though some jazz musicians have criticized his style, Kenny G remains a very successful and important musician in instrumental music.
Contents
Early Life and Music Beginnings
Kenneth Bruce Gorelick was born in Seattle, Washington. His family was Jewish. He first discovered the saxophone when he heard someone play it on The Ed Sullivan Show. He began playing the saxophone, a Buffet Crampon alto, in 1966 when he was 10 years old.
He went to Whitworth Elementary School and Sharples Junior High School. He also attended Franklin High School and the University of Washington. All these schools were in his hometown of Seattle. When he first tried out for the jazz band in high school, he didn't get in. But he tried again the next year and earned the first chair spot. His high school friend, Robert Damper, plays piano and keyboards in his band today. While in high school, Kenny G also took private saxophone and clarinet lessons once a week for a year.
Kenny G's Music Career
Starting His Solo Journey
Kenny G's music career began in 1973. He was 17 and still in high school. He worked as a sideman for Barry White's Love Unlimited Orchestra. He continued to play music professionally while studying accounting at the University of Washington. He graduated with high honors.
Before becoming a solo artist, he played flute and saxophone. He was with the Seattle funk band Cold, Bold & Together from 1975 to 1976. Then, he became a member of the Jeff Lorber Fusion in 1980. He later left the band to pursue his own music.
In 1982, Kenny G signed with Arista Records as a solo artist. The president of the label, Clive Davis, heard him play "Dancing Queen" by ABBA. He decided to use "Kenny G" as his stage name because it sounded good. His first album, Kenny G, was recorded in 1981. It was released in 1982 and featured members of the Jeff Lorber Fusion. Critics liked the album, and it reached No. 10 on the Billboard Jazz Albums chart.
Kenny G released G Force in 1983 and Gravity in 1985. Both albums sold over one million copies in the US. During this time, he worked with musician Kashif on many songs. This included the 1985 single "Love on the Rise".
Big Success in the 1980s
The year 1986 marked the start of Kenny G's most successful period. His fourth album, Duotones, came out in September 1986. It featured an original song called "Songbird". This song was inspired by his move from Seattle to Los Angeles. The album sold five million copies in the US. It also made him famous around the world. "Songbird" reached No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The first single, "Don't Make Me Wait for Love", featured Lenny Williams singing. It reached No. 15 on the Hot 100 and No. 2 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart in 1987.
In the mid-to-late 1980s, Kenny G worked with jazz and R&B artists. These included George Benson, Patti LaBelle, and Aretha Franklin. In 1987, he was a guest saxophonist on the hit song "Love Power". This was a duet by Dionne Warwick and Jeffrey Osborne. It reached No. 12 on the Billboard Hot 100.
His first live album, Kenny G Live, included popular songs. One of these, "Going Home", became very popular in China. Kenny G has worked with many different artists. Some of them are Andrea Bocelli, Aaron Neville, Toni Braxton, and Frank Sinatra. His music is usually described as smooth jazz.
1990s: Record-Breaking Albums
Kenny G has contributed to several movie soundtracks. These include Dying Young and The Bodyguard. The song "Theme for Dying Young" was nominated for a Grammy Award. On The Bodyguard soundtrack, he performed "Waiting for You" and "Even If My Heart Would Break". His music was also featured in The Shadow and Miracle on 34th Street.
His sixth album, Breathless, was released in 1992. It became the best-selling instrumental album ever. It sold over 15 million copies worldwide. The album had many hits, like "Forever in Love". This song won a Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Composition. "Sentimental" reached No. 27 on the Adult Contemporary Chart. "By the Time This Night Is Over", a song with Peabo Bryson, reached No. 25 on the Hot 100.
His first holiday album, Miracles, sold over 13 million copies. This made it the most successful Christmas album at that time. He also played the "National Anthem of the United States" at the 1994 FIFA World Cup closing ceremony. This took place in Pasadena, California, on July 17, 1994.
In 1997, Kenny G set a Guinness World Record. He played the longest note ever recorded on a saxophone. Using a technique called circular breathing, he held an E-flat note for 45 minutes and 47 seconds. This happened at J&R Music World in New York City. In the same year, his song "Havana" was remixed. The remixes reached No. 1 on the Billboard Dance/Club Play Songs chart in April 1997.
Kenny G's second holiday album, Faith, was the best-selling holiday album of 1999 in the United States. It sold 2 million copies. The song "Auld Lang Syne" from the album reached No. 7 on the Hot 100. His version of "Auld Lang Syne" became popular for the New Year celebration in 2000. At the time, it was the oldest song to make the Hot 100 charts.
Music in the 2000s and 2010s
In February 2000, Kenny G performed at the White House. He played for state governors and members of the Clinton Cabinet.
He released his eighth album, Paradise, in 2002. This album featured R&B singer Brian McKnight. It also included the single "One More Time", a duet with Chanté Moore.
On his album At Last...The Duets Album, he worked with many friends. These included David Sanborn, David Benoit, and Daryl Hall. He also collaborated with Burt Bacharach and Barbra Streisand. The album features covers of songs like "Careless Whisper" and Elton John's "Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word". This last song was a collaboration with Richard Marx. The album has been certified Gold in the US.
In 2006, Kenny G released his eleventh album, I'm in the Mood for Love...The Most Romantic Melodies of All Time. It included his versions of The Beatles' songs. It also featured the love theme from Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. Other songs included "You Raise Me Up" and James Blunt's "You're Beautiful". He also covered the Chinese song "The Moon Represents My Heart".
By July 31, 2006, Kenny G was named the 25th highest-selling artist in America. He had sold 48 million albums in the U.S.
In October 2009, Kenny G appeared with the band Weezer. He played a solo during their song "I'm Your Daddy". Kenny G said he didn't know about Weezer before this performance.
His 2010 album Heart and Soul was influenced by R&B music. It featured Robin Thicke and Babyface. Critics gave it good reviews.
In February 2011, Kenny G appeared in a Super Bowl ad for Audi. He played a funny role as the Head of Riot Suppression for a luxury prison. He also appeared in the music video for Katy Perry's song "Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)" as Uncle Kenny. In October 2011, he performed with the band Foster the People on Saturday Night Live.
Kenny G hosts a radio show with Sandy Kovach on WLOQ in Orlando.
His album Brazilian Nights was released in January 2015. The album was inspired by bossa nova music. It helped Kenny G get back on the Billboard 200 chart at number 86. He then started "The Brazilian Tour" for the album. He traveled across North America and Asia that year.
In October 2019, Kenny G appeared on Kanye West's gospel album Jesus Is King. He played on the song "Use This Gospel". This song reached No. 37 on the Billboard Hot 100. This made him one of only five artists to have a top 40 song in every decade from the 1980s to the 2010s.
Recent Work in the 2020s
In October 2020, the Weeknd released a remix of his popular song "In Your Eyes" featuring Kenny G.
Kenny G also contributed to the soundtrack of The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run in 2021. He covered "My Heart Will Go On" and "Gary's Song". The TV show SpongeBob SquarePants even has a character named Kelpy G, who is a parody of Kenny G.
In 2022, he appeared on the song "Merkurius Gilded" by the band Imperial Triumphant. His son, Max Gorelick, played guitar on the song.
Popularity in China
Kenny G has recorded Chinese songs. These include "Jasmine Flower" (茉莉花) and "The Moon Represents My Heart" (月亮代表我的心).
Since 1989, Kenny G's song "Going Home" from the Kenny G Live album has become a huge hit in China. It is often played as the unofficial closing song for many businesses. You can hear it in food courts, outdoor markets, shopping malls, and train stations. Many businesses play the song over their speakers just before they close for the night. TV stations also play the song before ending their evening broadcasts. Many Chinese people connect the song with finishing their activities and going home. They might not even know the song's name or who plays it.
Instruments and Personal Life
Kenny G plays the Selmer Mark VI soprano, alto, and tenor saxophones. He has also created his own brand of saxophones called "Kenny G Saxophones".
Kenny G married Janice DeLeon in 1980, and they divorced in 1987. He then married Lyndie Benson in 1992. They had two sons together. His son Max was a guitarist for the band Imperial Triumphant in 2016. Kenny G and Lyndie Benson divorced in 2012.
Kenny G built a house in Hunts Point, Washington, in 1996. He sold it in 1999. He now lives in Malibu, California. He loves to play golf and is a very good golfer. He has played in the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am tournament many times. In 2001, he and Phil Mickelson shared the pro-am title.
Kenny G is also an aircraft pilot. He owns a De Havilland Beaver seaplane, which he flies regularly. He is a friend of Starbucks co-founder Howard Schultz. Kenny G was also an early investor in the coffee company.
Discography
Studio albums
- Kenny G (1982)
- G Force (1983)
- Gravity (1985)
- Duotones (1986)
- Silhouette (1988)
- Breathless (1992)
- Miracles: The Holiday Album (1994)
- The Moment (1996)
- Classics in the Key of G (1999)
- Faith: A Holiday Album (1999)
- Paradise (2002)
- At Last...The Duets Album (2004)
- I'm in the Mood for Love...The Most Romantic Melodies of All Time (2006)
- Rhythm and Romance (2008)
- Heart and Soul (2010)
- Namaste with Rahul Sharma (2012)
- Brazilian Nights (2015)
- New Standards (2021)
- Innocence (2023)
Awards and Tours
Concert Tours
- Brazilian Tour (2015)
- The Miracles Holiday & Hits Tour (2017)
Co-headlining Tours
- Moment of Truth World Tour with Whitney Houston (1987)
- Secrets Tour with Toni Braxton (1996)
- The Hits Tour with Toni Braxton (2016)
- The Breezin' & Breathless Tour with George Benson (2017)
See also
In Spanish: Kenny G para niños
