What is Michael Bolton's net worth? Singer lost to Isley Brothers in a lawsuit
Michael Bolton is undoubtedly one of the most powerful singers of all time and has been creating award-winning music since the 1980s. The singer-songwriter initially began his career as a hard rock vocalist throughout the '70s and mid-'80s, but could not find much success. However, he decided to quickly change his gears and immersed himself in creating pop-rock ballads in the late '80s.
The transition helped in reaching greater heights and turned him into a legend. The musician has given several hits during his illustrious career and his music has been well-received by the critics as well as the fans. With more than 40 years in the music industry, Bolton has left a lasting impression on the fans with his terrific music.
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Let's take a look at his career and all the major achievements he has made over the years.
Early life and music career
Born on February 26, 1953, Bolton started his musical career in 1975 by recording an album while using his original family name of Bolotin. At the initial part of this career, he performed a lot with Blackjack's hard rock band, a group that once opened for legendary Ozzy Osbourne while he was on tour. However, he quickly got himself into writing songs and came out with his first hit song as a songwriter.
The song’s name was ‘How Am I Supposed to Live Without You’ and was written for Grammy-nominated singer Laura Branigan. The musician garnered a lot of success in the late 1980s and early 1990s and collaborated with a lot of iconic artists like Celine Dion, Ray Charles, Renee Fleming, Wynonna Judd, Lucia Aliberti, and Placido Domingo.
Narrowly missing the Top 10 on the US pop chart, Branigan took the song to number one on the Adult Contemporary chart for three weeks in 1983.
In 1997, Bolton came out with another number-one hit ‘Go the Distance’. The song was featured in the Disney movie ‘Hercules’. He has sold over 75 million copies throughout his career and achieved a lot of success on the Billboard charts as well.
As a whole, Bolton produced 17 studio albums and 35 singles. Nine of his singles have gone on to achieve the number one position on Billboard Hot 100 and Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks charts in the US.
Film and television appearances
Bolton made his acting debut in 1997 with the comedy movie ‘Meet Wally Sparks’ alongside Rodney Dangerfield and Debi Mazar. Five years later, he also made an appearance in the film ‘Snow Dogs’ which starred Cuba Gooding Jr and James Coburn in pivotal roles. The movie also featured four of Bolton’s songs.
The musician was also featured on four episodes of the hit TV show ‘Two and a Half Men’. Apart from acting in movies, Bolton has also served as a producer on several projects such as ‘Good Advice’, ‘The Other Side of the Tracks’ and ‘American Dream: Detroit’.
In addition, Bolton has emerged as an established director. He directed the film ‘American Dream: Detroit’, a documentary that highlighted the economic comeback of Detroit. The documentary featured interviews from legendary personalities like Francis Ford Coppola, Aretha Franklin, Jerry Bruckheimer, and Alice Cooper.
Charity work
Bolton is widely known for his charity work. In 1993, he established The Michael Bolton Foundation and assisted women and children from the vulnerable communities who have been not as lucky as others. The foundation helped them in getting out of the situations where they experienced physical, sexual, and emotional abuse.
The musician also serves as the honorary chairman of Prevent Child Abuse America and the national chairman for This Close for Cancer Research.
Legal issues
Bolton landed himself in legal trouble after he was sued by Isley Brother, an R&B hand. The group claimed that Bolton’s hit song ‘Love is a Wonderful Thing’ was copied from one of their songs, which had the exact same name and was released many years back in 1966. The verdict was in the favour of the Isley Brother as a Los Angeles jury identified five different areas in which Bolton plagiarized the band’s work.
As a result, he, his songwriter, and Sony Publishing were told to pay $5 million to the Isley Brothers as compensation.
The musician appealed the verdict and fought the band for almost seven years in court. The case finally came to an end in 2001 and Isley Brothers received $4.2 million from Sony, $932,924 from Bolton, and $220,785 from the songwriter.
Awards and achievements
Bolton received several awards for his tunes throughout his career. The singer received his first Grammy award in 1990 for ‘How Am I Supposed to Live Without You’ and went on to win his second Grammy for ‘When a Man Loves a Woman’ in 1992.
Apart from Grammy’s, the ‘Georgia in my Mind’ hitmaker has also won 7 American Music Awards.
He has also received many awards and recognitions for his charity work. Bolton has received the Lewis Hine Award from the National Child Labor Committee, the Martin Luther King Award from the Congress of Racial Equality, and the Ellis Island Medal of Honor from the National Ethnic Coalition of Organizations.
What is Michael Bolton’s net worth?
Bolton has been a part of the industry since 1975 and has produced several hit albums. Most of his earnings come from his music and all the parts he played in different movies and TV shows. According to Celebrity Net Worth, Bolton has a net worth of $80 million.
As per the estimates, Bolton makes $27,671 per day.