Kenneth Bruce Gorelick (born June 5, 1956), better known by his
stage name Kenny G, is a
Grammy winning 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 of the modern era, with global sales totaling more than 75 million albums.
Early life
Kenny G was born in
Seattle,
Washington to a
Jewish family and first 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 local trumpeter
Gerald Pfister and by practicing along with
records (mostly of
Grover Washington, Jr.), trying to emulate the sounds that he was hearing. His first saxophone was a
Buffet Crampon alto.
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Kenny G attended Whitworth Elementary School, Sharples-Jr High School,
Franklin High School, and the
University of Washington, all in his home town of Seattle, Washington. When he entered high school, he failed on his first try to get into the
jazz band, but tried again the following year and earned first chair.
In addition to his studies while in high school, he took private lessons on the saxophone and clarinet from Johnny Jessen, once a week for a year.
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