He was also on his high school golf team. 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. His Franklin High School classmate Robert Damper (piano, keyboards) plays in his band. When he entered high school he failed at his first attempt to get into the jazz band, but tried again the following year and earned first chair. Kenny G attended Whitworth Elementary School, Sharples Junior High School, Franklin High School, and the University of Washington, all in his home city of Seattle.
He started playing the saxophone in 1966 when he was 10 years old, his first saxophone being a Buffet Crampon alto.
He came into contact with the saxophone when he heard a performance on The Ed Sullivan Show. Kenny G was born in Seattle, Washington, to Jewish parents (his mother was originally from Saskatchewan, Canada) and grew up in the city's Seward Park neighborhood, which is a center of the city's Jewish community. Kenny G is the biggest-selling instrumental musician of the modern era and one of the best-selling artists of all time, with global sales totaling more than 75 million records. His 1986 album, Duotones, brought him commercial success. Faith: A Holiday Album was released that same year, followed by a limited-edition re-release of the 1997 Greatest Hits disc.Kenneth Bruce Gorelick (born June 5, 1956), better known by his stage name Kenny G, is an American saxophonist. He also recorded his own version of the Celine Dion/Titanic smash “My Heart Will Go On” in 1998, but the following year he released Classics in the Key of G, a collection of jazz standards like “‘Round Midnight” and “Body and Soul,” possibly to reclaim some jazz credibility. The holiday album Miracles, released in 1994, and 1996’s Moment continued the momentum of his massive commercial success. his total album sales top 30 million copies. Kenny G’s own records have sold remarkably well, particularly Breathless, which has easily topped eight million copies in the U.S. Soon he was in demand for guest appearances on recordings of such famous singers as Aretha Franklin, Whitney Houston, and Natalie Cole. His fourth album, Duotones (which included the very popular “Songbird”), made him into a star. Soon he was signed to Arista, recording his debut as a leader in 1982. After graduating from the University of Washington, Kenny G worked with Jeff Lorber Fusion, making two albums with the group. Kenny Gorelick started playing professionally with Barry White‘s Love Unlimited Orchestra in 1976. 16 as part of his The Miracles Holiday & Hits Tour. Come see Kenny G perform holiday classics at the Palace Theater on Dec. Never one to rest idle, Kenny G continues to tour all over the world to adoring fans of all demographics. To add to his accolades, Kenny G has both the best-selling instrumental album of all time with Breathless and the best-selling Christmas album of all time with Miracles. With global sales totaling more than 75 million, Grammy and American Music Award winner KENNY G is the biggest-selling instrumental musician of all time.