Michael Bolton was a popular performer in the 1990s. He delighted fans with unique romantic ballads, and also performed cover versions of many compositions.
But Michael Bolton is a stage name, the singer's name is Mikhail Bolotin. He was born on February 26, 1956 in New Haven (Connecticut), USA. His parents were Jewish by nationality, emigrated from their native country.
Before marriage, the guy's mother had the surname Gubina, was the granddaughter of a native Jewess who left Russia. But the other grandparents of the singer had exclusively Russian roots. In addition to Michael, the family also had an older brother and sister.
Musical career of Michael Bolton
Bolton recorded his first composition back in 1968, but then he failed to achieve significant success.
Michael could really declare himself only after seven years. Then he presented his debut disc, calling it by his own name.
Most listeners and critics agreed that the artist's work was seriously influenced by the songs of Joe Cocker.
In his younger years, the performer, along with members of his own group, played in the style of hard rock, and once they were even invited to "warm up" to Ozy Osbourne as part of a tour.
Michael Bolton even received an offer for the position of vocalist, but he himself does not like to talk about this topic, only occasionally claiming that these are inventions of the yellow press.
In 1983, the performer released a hit, becoming a co-author of the composition How Am I Supposed to Live Without You, performed by Laura Branigan.
The song instantly took the lead on all the charts and was the leader for three weeks. This led to the continuation of cooperation, and two years later, Bolton wrote another song for Laura. But she did not enjoy the same popularity.
And when Cher performed the composition a few years later, she received worldwide recognition. From that moment on, Michael began to create songs for both singers.
But the peak in his career came when Michael Bolton decided to perform rock ballads. The debut creation was a cover version of the song (Sittin' On) The Dockof the Bay, performed by Otis Redding.
His widow in an interview said that Michael's performance brought tears to her and reminded her of how good it was for her husband who had gone to another world.
Later, the performer released several more cover versions of famous compositions, and almost all of them were real hits.
Grammy Award
In 1991, another disc, Time, Love & Tenderness, was released, thanks to which Bolton received the long-awaited Grammy Award. Several songs from this album were at the top positions of the chart for almost a month.
Thus, Michael, who began his career as a lyricist, gradually became a sought-after singer. But his career did not go as smoothly as it might seem at first glance.
The cover versions released by him were both popular and subjected to impressive criticism.
The singer was even sued for the fact that the music for the song Love is a Wonderful Thing was borrowed from the Isley brothers. And Michael, unfortunately, failed to prove his case.
He had to transfer to the brothers an impressive part of the profits from the sale of the composition (by court order), as well as give 28% of the sale of the album, in which it was included.
Despite the legal red tape, the singer did not break down and continued to devote himself to creativity. He released several more hits that were incredibly popular.
Some of them were even used as musical accompaniment for films, as well as the cartoon "Hercules", filmed by Disney himself.
The musician was not afraid of experiments. So, in 2011, he agreed to a duet with Alexei Chumakov. Together they performed the song "Here and There."
One part of the song was sung in Russian by Alexey, and the second part in English by Michael. At the same time, Bolton spoke flatteringly about the vocals of Alexei Chumakov, and also reported on the high quality of the song written by Chumakov.
The personal life of an artist
In 1975, the wedding took place with Maureen McGuire. The wife gave Michael three wonderful daughters. Despite having common children, the couple divorced in 1990.
Media representatives stated that after breaking up, the performer started a stormy romance with Teri Hatcher, but this remains a mystery.
Significant changes occurred in 1992, when Michael began to live with Nicolette Sheridan. The relationship lasted three years, then resumed in 2008, and three years later they broke off again, but forever. Today the artist's heart is free.
What are the artist's hobbies besides music?
Michael Bolton is involved in charity work, created his own foundation, specializing in helping women and children suffering from domestic violence.
In 2018, the performer pleased the residents of the UK with a concert tour and performed in Birmingham.
He also tries his hand at directing, has already presented the first film about American Detroit. He said that he literally fell in love with him, decided to tell the world about the beauty of this area and the economic structure of life.
Despite a very busy life, Michael is not going to leave the music and soon plans to write another song to the delight of the fans!
