Wednesday, December 7, 2022
Greatest Hits & Holiday Favorites
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December 7, 2022 ARTS CENTE R
Michael Bolton: Greatest Hits and Holiday Favorites
Michael Bolton, the multiple Grammy Award-winning singer, songwriter and social activist, who has sold more than 65 million albums and singles worldwide, continues to tour the world every year, all while writing, recording and taping for a wide array of projects spanning music, film, television and branded entertainment. Bolton remains committed to humanitarian causes, especially through The Michael Bolton Charities as well as other philanthropic organizations. 2022 marks Michael’s 53rd year of making contributions to the entertainment industry, having been signed at age 16. Michael’s recent release A Symphony of Hits, a #1 album on the Billboard Classical Chart, is a collection of his favorite Greatest Hits newly arranged and recorded with a full symphony orchestra. To date, Michael has seen 9 studio albums rank in the Top Ten, with 9 #1 singles. In recognition of his artistic achievements, Michael won 2 Grammys for Best Pop Male Vocal Performance (nominated four times), 6 American Music Awards, and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. As a songwriter, he has earned over 24 BMI & ASCAP Awards, including Songwriter of the Year, 9 Million-Air awards, and the Hitmakers Award from the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Known for his soulful voice and poignant lyrics, his timeless charm and good looks have also earned him a spot in several “People Magazine’s Sexiest Man” issues, including “Sexiest Man Alive.” He executive produced and starred in the Netflix show Michael Bolton’s Big Sexy Valentine’s Special, which has already become a seasonal cult classic. Most recently, Michael had a featured cameo in the Showtime hit series Billions. In
his autobiography, The Soul of it All (Hachette/Center Street), Bolton states he is just teeing off on the back nine of his career. Michael became a viral sensation in The Lonely Island’s Emmy nominated video, “Captain Jack Sparrow” that launched on Saturday Night Live and has racked up nearly 200 million views on YouTube. He earned another Emmy nod for his collaborations with the Screen Junkies channel popular “Honest Trailers” and partnered with Funny Or Die to release a spoof on the cult-classic Office Space which achieved Immortal Status. Bolton’s comedic appearances span several episodes of CBS’s hit series Two and a Half Men, the hit Fox network show Glee, ABC’s hit comedy Fresh off the Boat, and HBO’s hit series Last Week Tonight with John Oliver. He has produced original digital content with Buzzfeed’s Tasty channel, Vanity Fair, Wired, PitchFork, and has ongoing campaigns with American Greetings. Michael makes guest appearances on shows like Lip Sync Battle, Beat Shazam, Hollywood Game Night, To Tell the Truth, and his songs are frequently heard on Idol, The Voice, Got Talent and X-Factor all around the world. Bolton has launched his own music competition show in Asia with Fox Network Group, which features the singer unearthing hidden talent to mentor and challenge into a position on his next tour. Michael’s wide appeal has led to his featured appearance in major commercial campaigns for brands such as Starburst, Pizza Hut, Honda, Audible, Optimum and his songs have been featured in ads for Doritos, Samsung, Subaru, Knorr, and many more.
December 7, 2022
Internationally renowned, Michael has recorded and performed with musical icons that have inspired and influenced his own career. He joined Luciano Pavarotti on stage 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 while on tour. He has sung with Placido Domingo, Jose Carreras and Renee Fleming and played guitar with BB King. Bolton earned a Grammy-nomination for “Georgia on my Mind,” and was invited to sing the classic song to Ray Charles when Ray was honored at the International Jazz Hall of Fame Awards in 1997. A diverse and prolific songwriter, Bolton has worked 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, John “Mutt” Lange, Dann Huff, A.R. Rahman, Phil Ramone, and Ne Yo, among others. He is one of the very few artists to have co-written with the legendary Bob Dylan, resulting in the mega hit, “Steel Bars.” Michael has penned songs that have been recorded and performed by a diverse list of over 100 artists, ranging from country western legend Conway Twitty to hip hop superstar Kanye West featuring 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. Michael has written #1 hit singles impacting 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”).
Michael has always balanced a love for writing new songs with a passion for covering the classics. On his breakthrough album The Hunger, Bolton authored the #1 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 on 4 radio formats. That album was certified double platinum and shipped 4 million copies worldwide. Bolton’s signature success was seized with the album Soul Provider, selling more than 12.5 million copies worldwide, and showcasing several charttoppers including the #1 hit single “How Am I Supposed to Live Without You,” which earned Michael his first Grammy. This pivotal album also includes the hit singles “When I’m Back on My Feet” Again,” “How Can We Be Lovers,” “Soul Provider,” and of course the Grammynominated “Georgia on My Mind.” Soon after, Bolton released the #1 album Time, Love & Tenderness, which has sold over 16 million copies worldwide, and features his Grammy Awardwinning vocal performance of the #1 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 the Dylan co-write “Steel Bars.” Bolton followed this up with a collection of soulful classics on Timeless, delivering the hit singles “To Love Some Somebody” and “Reach Out I’ll Be There.” Timeless sold over 7 million copies worldwide. From his next album The One Thing came Michael’s massive single “Said I Loved You…But I Lied,” which spent 12 weeks at #1 on the AC charts and earned him another Grammy-nomination.
Michael Bolton: Greatest Hits and Holiday Favorites
Michael has always been attracted to a wide array of musical categories and themes, from Sinatra favorites (Bolton Swings Sinatra), to classical arias (My Secret Passion), which achieved #1 on the classical charts for 6 consecutive weeks. He paid homage to the musical influences of his childhood with Ain’t No Mountain High Enough: A Tribute to Hitsville USA, and celebrated beloved songs from great films in Songs of Cinema. Michael’s songs and performances have been featured in numerous television and film soundtracks, including the Oscar-nominated theme song “Go the Distance” from Walt Disney’s blockbuster animated film Hercules and the title song for Russell Crowe film Fathers & Daughters. He also executive produced the documentary Terror at Home addressing domestic violence in America, and was Emmy-nominated for writing the title song “Tears of The Angels”. Michael recently completed a feature-length documentary, American Dream: Detroit about the 21st Century Renaissance of Detroit. Bolton was first drawn to Detroit to explore Hitsville USA, the roots of his greatest musical influences, but what he realized there was so much more. Told through
the eyes of Michael’s own discovery over the course of filming for 5+ years, the film celebrates the golden age of Detroit - featuring its native entertainment legends like Francis Ford Coppola, Jerry Bruckheimer, Aretha Franklin, Smokey Robinson, Alice Cooper and many more - and reveals the landscape of the new Detroit being built by entrepreneurial moguls Dan Gilbert, Michael Ilitch, Big 3 as well as young innovators across new industries. The comeback of Detroit is poised to be the greatest turnaround story of American history. This is the story of the American Dream. For his dedication to social activism, Michael has been honored with several humanitarian awards – including the Martin Luther King Award granted by the Congress of Racial Equality (C.O.R.E.), the Lewis Hine Award from The National Child Labor Committee, the Muhammed Ali Humanitarian Award, the Ellis Island Medal of Honor from the National Ethnic Coalition of Organizations, and the Frances Preston Lifetime Achievement Award. Michael is especially proud of the initiatives carried out by his own foundation, the The Michael Bolton Charities, now in its 29th year of advocating on behalf of women and children at risk.
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