Kenny G

Kenny G
Kenny G in May 2013
Kenny G in May 2013
Background information
Birth nameKenneth Bruce Gorelick
Also known asKenny G
Born (1956-06-05) June 5, 1956 (age 70)
OriginSeattle, Washington, US
GenresSmooth jazz
Adult contemporary
Occupation(s)Musician, songwriter, record producer
InstrumentsPrimary:
Soprano saxophone
Secondary:
Alto saxophone
Tenor saxophone
Flute
Years active1973–1982 (group)
1982–present (solo)
LabelsArista (1982–2006)
Concord (2008–present)
Websitewww.kennyg.com

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. Kenny G is the biggest-selling instrumental musician with global sales totaling more than 75 million records.

Early life

Kenny 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. 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.

Personal life

Kenny G married Lyndie Benson-Gorelick in 1992, and the couple had two sons. In January 2012, Benson-Gorelick filed for legal separation. Kenny G filed for divorce in August 2012.

Kenny G lives in Malibu, California. 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. 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. He was also an early investor in the Starbucks coffee house chain.

References

Kenny G onstage. This was before his concert at People's Bank Theatre, Marietta, Ohio. It was on 9 July 2023. He was announcing that one of his saxophones would be auctioned, for charity
  1. 1 2 "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.
  2. ↑ "Kenny G to jazz up Powell stage Saturday". The Telegraph (Alton). 2012-09-21. Retrieved 2014-01-05.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  3. ↑ 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.
  4. ↑ Fleeman, Mike (August 13, 2012). "Kenny G Files for Divorce after 20 Years of Marriage". People. Archived from the original on August 16, 2012. Retrieved January 5, 2014.
  5. ↑ "Girl hurt by item cast from Kenny G's home". Los Angeles Times. June 30, 2007. Retrieved January 5, 2014.
  6. ↑ Furlong, Lisa; Craig Bestrom (November 2008). "The Top 100 in Music". Golf Digest. Condé Nast Digital. Retrieved April 3, 2010.
  7. ↑ Strauss, Neil (October 31, 2006). "... And Two if by Seaplane". The New York Times. Retrieved January 5, 2014.
  8. ↑ Harding, Cortney (January 25, 2008). "Q&A: Kenny G explores Latin "Rhythm"". Reuters. Thomson Reuters. Retrieved January 5, 2014.

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