Michael Bolton

Originally performing under his real name Michael Bolotin, he anglicised his name to Bolton and began exploring many styles before settling into the soulful rock niche. In the late 1970s he was fronting hard rock band Blackjack but after signing to Columbia Records and releasing his self-titled 1983 debut solo album he didn't look back.

When Laura Branigan took his co-written song 'How Am I Supposed to Live Without You' into the charts, it raised his profile, along with his own hit 'Fools Game'. It wasn't, however, until he adopted a softer approach with the albums 'The Hunger' (1987) and 'Soul Provider' (1989) that Bolton achieved an international breakthrough. His emotive soul balladeer status grew with 1991's 'Time, Love & Tenderness' - including the hits 'Love Is a Wonderful Thing' and a cover of Percy Sledge's 'When a Man Loves a Woman' - though he was less recognisable after shearing off his trademark hair and he withdrew from the public eye in the late 1990s.

He was back in 2002 with 'Only a Woman Like You' and in 2006 with a Sinatra covers album, while his 2009 'One World One Love' album included collaborations with Lady Gaga and Ne-Yo. With further collaborations in mind, Bolton joined up with a host of famous artists including Rascal Flatts, A.R. Rahman, Delta Goodrem and Seal for his duets album 'Gems: The Duets Collection' in 2011. With 'Ain't No Mountain High Enough: Tribute to Hitsville' in 2013 and 'Songs of Cinema' in 2017, Bolton released greatest hits album 'A Symphony of Hits' in 2019.