With global sales totaling more than 75 million records, saxophonist
Kenny G is the biggest-selling instrumental artist of all time. Growing up as Kenny Gorelick in Seattle's Seward Park neighborhood, he came into contact with the saxophone when he heard a performance on
The Ed Sullivan Show and started playing at age 10. Gorelick started professionally with Barry White‘s Love Unlimited Orchestra in 1976, recorded with Seattle-based funk group Cold, Bold & Together and worked with Jeff Lorber Fusion before embarking on a solo career. His fourth album
Duotones, which featured the hit
Songbird, made him into a star and in demand for guest appearances on recordings of Aretha Franklin, Whitney Houston, and Natalie Cole. His sixth studio album, 1992’s
Breathless, went on to become the best-selling instrumental album ever; two years later, his album
Miracles became the best-selling Christmas album ever. Gorelick continues to tour all over the world; his latest album,
Brazilian Nights, was released in 2015.