Michael Bolton Biography

Michael Bolton’s breakthrough came when The Hunger, actually his third album, was released in 1987 and showcased the singer’s talent for not only original content, but also beautiful cover tributes, such as “(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay.” His follow-up, Soul Provider (1989), rocketed him to superstardom, providing five Top Ten singles and selling four million copies, and securing Bolton as one of the era’s most notable vocalists.

“How Am I Supposed to Live Without You," was Soul Provider’s biggest hit, but "How Can We Be Lovers" and "When I'm Back on My Feet Again” were equally successful hits. The album, and the single “How Am I Supposed to Live Without You" earned Michael Bolton a Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance. Between 1991 and 2006, Michael Bolton released a string of albums and successful singles, including Time, Love & Tenderness, which was even more successful than Soul Provider, selling six million copies, and featuring the singles “When a Man Loves a Woman," and "Love Is a Wonderful Thing.” Other albums include: Timeless: The Classics, an album made up entirely of cover songs; The One Thing, which sold three million copies; Greatest Hits 1985-1995, which debuted in the Top Ten; This Is the Time: Christmas Album; All That Matters; My Secret Passion; Bolton Swings Sinatra, a tribute to Frank Sinatra; and Ain’t No Mountain High Enough – Tribute to Hitsville, in 2013.

Aside from his work as a performer, Bolton is a notable philanthropist; he founded his own charity (Michael Bolton Charities) to raise funds to combat a variety of social challenges, including poverty and abuse. To date, he has raised more then 3.7 million dollars. Bolton is also a board member for the National Mentoring Partnerships, and serves as national chairman for This Close for Cancer Research and Prevent Child Abuse America.

Michael Bolton continues to perform and record, and has accumulated numerous awards in recognition of his talents and charitable contributions, including the Martin Luther King Award and the Ellis Island Medal of Honor. So far, Bolton has had nine singles hit number one on either the Billboard or Adult Contemporary charts. His most recent album, Songs of Cinema, arrived in 2017.