Kenny G
Kenneth Bruce Gorelick (born June 5, 1956), better known by his stage name Kenny G, is an American adult contemporary and smooth jazz saxophonist. His fourth album, Duotones, brought him breakthrough success in 1986.[1] Kenny G is the biggest-selling instrumental musician with global sales totaling more than 75 million records.[2]
Kenny G | |
|---|---|
 Kenny G in May 2013 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Kenneth Bruce Gorelick |
| Also known as | Kenny G |
| Born | June 5, 1956 |
| Origin | Seattle, Washington, US |
| Genres | Smooth jazz Adult contemporary |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, songwriter, record producer |
| Instruments | Primary: Soprano saxophone Secondary: Alto saxophone Tenor saxophone Flute |
| Years active | 1973–1982 (group) 1982–present (solo) |
| Labels | Arista (1982–2006) Concord (2008–present) |
| Website | www.kennyg.com |
Early life
changeKenny G was born in Seattle, Washington, to Jewish parents and grew up in the city's Seward Park neighborhood, which is a center of the city's Jewish community. His mother was originally from Saskatchewan, Canada. He came into contact with a saxophone when he heard someone performing with one on The Ed Sullivan Show.[1] He started playing the saxophone in 1966 when he was 10 years old. He learned how to play under the direction of trumpeter Gerald Pfister and by practicing along with records (mostly of Grover Washington, Jr.). His first saxophone was a Buffet Crampon alto.[3]
Personal life
changeKenny G married Lyndie Benson-Gorelick in 1992, and the couple had two sons. In January 2012, Benson-Gorelick filed for legal separation.[4] Kenny G filed for divorce in August 2012.[5]
Kenny G lives in Malibu, California.[6] He has been an avid golfer, with a handicap of +0.6. He had participated in the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am tournament seven times as of 2007 and teamed with Phil Mickelson to share the AT&T pro-am title in 2001 with the team of Tiger Woods and Jerry Chang. In the Golf Digest rankings of Top 100 in Music, according to golf handicap indexes of musicians, he was first in 2002 and second in 2006.[7] He has been a member at Sherwood Country Club in Thousand Oaks, California.
Kenny G is an aircraft pilot and has a De Havilland Beaver seaplane that he flies regularly.[8] He was also an early investor in the Starbucks coffee house chain.[9]
References
change
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Kenny G Is Still the Smooth Jazz King". Barnes & Noble.com. October 2002. Archived from the original on April 21, 2007. Retrieved April 7, 2007.
- ↑ "Kenny G to jazz up Powell stage Saturday". The Telegraph (Alton). 2012-09-21. Archived from the original on 2013-02-04. Retrieved 2014-01-05.
- ↑ Kenny G (June 19, 2009). "Some more Q & A". Kenny G Rhythm and Romance. Archived from the original on March 24, 2010. Retrieved April 1, 2010.
- ↑ Everett, Christina (January 20, 2011). "Kenny G's wife files for legal separation". Daily News (New York). Archived from the original on February 22, 2012. Retrieved January 5, 2014.
- ↑ Fleeman, Mike (August 13, 2012). "Kenny G Files for Divorce after 20 Years of Marriage". People. Retrieved January 5, 2014.
- ↑ "Girl hurt by item cast from Kenny G's home". Los Angeles Times. June 30, 2007. Retrieved January 5, 2014.
- ↑ Furlong, Lisa; Craig Bestrom (November 2008). "The Top 100 in Music". Golf Digest. Condé Nast Digital. Retrieved April 3, 2010.
- ↑ Strauss, Neil (October 31, 2006). "... And Two if by Seaplane". The New York Times. Retrieved January 5, 2014.
- ↑ Harding, Cortney (January 25, 2008). "Q&A: Kenny G explores Latin "Rhythm"". Reuters. Thomson Reuters. Retrieved January 5, 2014.
Other websites
change- Official website
- Kenny G at Myspace
- Kenny G at Legacy Recordings Archived 2009-01-22 at the Wayback Machine
- Kenny G Archived 2010-12-03 at the Wayback Machine at VH1.com
- Kenny G Interview – Billboard en Español Archived 2009-01-22 at the Wayback Machine
- Kenny G at Allmusic
- Kenny G on IMDb