Michael Bolton

Originally performing under his real name Michael Bolotin, Michael Bolton explored many styles before settling into the adult orientated/soulful rock niche which he practically made his own. 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 tumbling locks 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.