With his spiraling long locks, ever-present smile, and smooth saxophone licks, Kenny G has become the best- selling instrumentalist of all time and a frequent citation by old-school, hardcore jazz buffs that the anti-Christ is alive and well and living among us. However, young Kenny merely aims to please. Born Kenneth Gorelick, he grew up in the Seattle area and practiced his instrument in the school music program. An early music teacher spotted Kenny's aptitude for the saxophone and encouraged him to try harder and perform with the school band. At age 17, he began playing professionally for Barry White's Love Unlimited Orchestra, though this brush with success did not prevent young Kenny from pursuing an accounting degree from the University Of Washington. After college, he joined the Jeff Lorber Fusion and recorded an album with them before being spotted by Arista Records, who signed him as a solo artist and released his self-titled first album in 1982. But it wasn't until his fourth album, 1986's Duotones, that his career took off. 'Songbird' became a hit and immediately established Kenny as an easy-listening instrumentalist. The album's success led him to work with a number of notable artists, including the first lady of soul, Aretha Franklin. Kenny continued to record and sell records in astounding quantity; Breathless alone sold over 8 million copies. While this success led to a critical backlash, Kenny never considered his music jazz, and though the release of Classics In The Key Of G--which includes a Louis Armstrong piece among others--would indicate otherwise, he maintains the position that he is merely an instrumentalist. He has even set up the Kenny G Miracles Foundation to raise money for public school music programs, determined to get instruments into the hands of children everywhere.
Kenny G.