BlackJack...

Michael Bolton, whose real name is Mikhail Bolotin, is an American singer who can boast of having sold no less than 75 million records to date around the world, of having placed 8 albums in the Top 10 American albums, as well as 2 No.1 in the Billboard Charts.

His first major artistic experience was under the name of Bolotin with the release of a first album in 1975. Album which will go completely unnoticed.

Then we find him at the end of the 1970s in the hard rock sphere with a group called “Blackjack”, a group with which he will produce two albums which, for their part, will be a significant success.

The solo career began in the early 80s and everything suddenly accelerated in 1983 when he composed what would become a huge hit namely "How am I supposed to live without you", version first intended for Laura Branigan. For which he will write a little later “I found someone”.

As a singer, he had his first notorious hit in 1987 with his cover of "(Sittin 'on) the dock of the bay" by Otis Redding. Single from the album "The hunger".

The major hits came in 1989 with her own version of "How am I supposed to live without you", which performed even better than the primary version performed by Laura Branigan. As well as "How can we be lovers", 2 flagship Singles present on the album "Soul provider".

As for the supreme consecration, it arrives in 1991 with the album “Time, love and tenderness” which remains to this day its biggest commercial success and which contains in particular the hits “Love is a wonderful thing” and its cover of “When a man loves a woman ”.

He will have two last major hits with "To love somebody", taken from the album "Timeless : the classics" and written by the Gibbs brothers. As well as "Said I loved you ... but I lied" from the album "The one thing".

Which will not prevent him from continuing the adventure in a very good way in the decades that follow.

To discover or rediscover...

Discography (among others ...) :

70s Decade :

If I had your love 1976
Love me tonight (Blackjack) 1979
Without your love (Blackjack) 1979

80s Decade :

Fools game 1983
Carrie 1983
Save our love 1985
Can't turn it off 1985
Call my name 1985
That’s what love is all about 1987
(Sittin' on) The dock of the bay 1987
Wait on love 1988
Walk away 1988
Soul provider 1989
How am I supposed to live without you 1989

90s Decade :

How can we be lovers 1990
When I’m back on my feet again 1990
Love is a wonderful thing 1991
Time, love and tenderness 1991
When a man loves a woman 1991
Missing you now 1992
Steel bars 1992
To love somebody 1992
Drift away 1992
Reach out I'll be there 1992
Said I loved you…but I lied 1993
Soul of my soul 1993
Completely 1994
Ain't got nothing if you ain't got love 1994
Lean on me 1994
Once in a lifetime 1994
Can I touch you…there ? 1995
A love so beautiful 1996
This river 1996
I found someone 1996
I promise you 1996
Love is the power 1996
Go the distance 1997
The best of love 1997
Safe place from the storm 1998
Nessun dorma! 1998

2000s Decade :

Sexual healing 2000
Whiter shade of pale 2001
Only a woman like you 2002
Dance with me 2002
When I fall in love 2003
Hear me (Tears into wine) 2005
Til the end of forever 2006
The second time around 2006
Just one love 2009
Need you to fall 2009

2010s Decade :

Break free 2010
Jack Sparrow 2011
I'm not ready 2011
Pride (In the name of love) 2011
Ain't no mountain high enough 2013
Ain't nothing like the real thing 2013
Gotta keep dreaming 2013
Stand by me 2017
I will always love you 2017
The prayer 2019

2020s Decade :

Beautiful world 2022
Spark of light 2023
Just the beginning 2023
Whatever she wants 2023
Home 2023
Safe 2023
We could be something 2023
Running out of ways 2023
Christmas isn't Christmas 2023

Tracks :

1976 ... the first steps. Who would imagine at this stage the incredible career that awaits this young singer in the years to come ...

1979 ... we find him at the end of the 1970s in the Blackjack group. Ephemeral group which will produce two albums and which will experience a semblance of glory with this title

1979 ... this other title will also know a nice success of esteem. Even if the Blackjack adventure will no longer produce anything interesting, the young Mikhail is now ready for a sequel that promises to be super ...

1983 ... these are not the singer's first steps, far from it, but this title marks the official start of a sumptuous solo career that will remain as one of the most prolific of the decade...

1983... it is clear that the singer still has to work to really move from shadow to light because this title will pass somewhat 'through' despite an obvious quality. The road is long to glory...

1985...the proof with this new opus which also will pass somewhat under the radar. For the moment still no major improvement in sight...

1985...and this despite an obvious desire to do well. What is certain is that everything is there in terms of sound and style to do great things...

1985...sometimes you have to leave time to time and not try to understand more than that. Things happen when they have to be done...

1987...he will have to wait 2 more years to get his first planetary hit. On a large caliber Ultimate Slow, Ultimate Slow which will surely not be the last...

1987 ... he goes straight to this luxury cover of the flagship title of Otis Redding. A title so promising that it offers him its biggest hit to date

1988 ... after a year 1987 which propelled him to the top of the Charts, the year 1988 will prove to be somewhat disappointing. Hit, certainly, but small ...

1988 ... we find him once again in the Intimist register, an area that suits him perfectly. The proof with this title of very high class. MA-GIC !

1989 ... from this track, it's more than 15 sumptuous hits that will follow one another in an incredible way. Yes Yes, it's possible !

1989 ... his 'Mona Lisa'. A monument of emotions and finesse which will remain as the biggest success of his career. MO-NU-MEN-TAL !

1990 ... the 80s ended in apotheosis with one of the most beautiful Ultimate Slows of all time. The following decade started again on the hats of wheel with a very clear acceleration of the tempo ...

1990 ... the year 1990 will see him produce no less than 3 mega hits. This one will be the least prestigious. It is to say ...

1991 ... after a beautiful end of the year 1990 thanks to a new luxury cover this time of the cult title of Ray Charles "Georgia on my mind", we find him in great shape at the beginning of the year 1991. He definitely excels in all areas, slow and fast !

1991 ... on average, it's 1 Intimist track for 1 rock track. The previous one was spinning at the speed of light, so this one will be much more restrained. What a year again !

1991 ... he loves to end the years with sumptuous covers of which he has the secret. He delivers here his most famous with this huge cover of the equally huge title of Percy Sledge released in 1966. MAG-NI-FI-CENT !

1992 ... the year with 5 hits ! Incredible but true ! Admittedly, he will not deliver 5 titles more hallucinating than the others but all will know their hour of glory. Who says better ?

1992 ... the singer is on a truly incredible dynamic of success which sees him outclass all his competitors with disconcerting ease ...

1992 ... every time he gives in the register 'With emotions', it is a guaranteed mega hit. This one will be no exception in the matter !

1992...after having transcended a title of the Bee Gees dating from 1967 on his previous title, he now revisits the John Henry Kurtz dating him from 1972. The success will be less but all the same...

1992 ... in the series of luxury covers, here he is tackling one of the flagship titles of the Four Tops dating from 1966. A nice version which will not transcend the original but which is far from undeserving, it's clear...

1993 ... each year its Ultimate Slow of phew. For the year 1993, it will be that one. And guess what ...? This title will become, as if by chance, one of his biggest hits ...

1993... in an ocean of mega hits, this title goes there will go somewhat unnoticed despite a certain quality. It happens even to the best as they say...

1994 ... difficult to stay on top all the time. After 5 exceptional years which saw him enter definitively and indisputably into the musical legend of the 80s, he begins here the beginning of a slow deceleration. Despite a new Ultimate Slow of very high class...once again !

1994...nothing to worry about at this stage but it is clear that the best years now seem behind him. But the adventure is far, far from over...

1994 ... when I told you he loved covers. This time, he pays homage to Bill Withers through his flagship title released in 1972. And of course, the copy is of very high quality...

1994... the frequency of titles that pass 'through' begins to 'accelerate, it is clear. And this despite a title once again of more than obvious quality...

1995 ... only one title for the year 1995. Indeed, that decelerates more and more strongly. This does not prevent him from signing his last global mega hit here

1996 ... he comes back in force in 1996 with the release of several titles. Only this one will succeed. And what a title ! MA-GIC !

1996 ... as incredible as it may seem, this title will go under the radar. And yet, it is far from demerit, it is clear ...

1996... here he performs the title he composed for Laura Branigan 10 years earlier. And paradoxically, it is Cher's version, which dates from 1987, which will remain as the most famous...

1996...plethora of titles in this year 1996 but few elected in the end. It's hard to understand why so little success for some but sometimes you shouldn't try to understand...

1996... he will save the end of the year in extremis with this title. And it's only fair reward when you see all the efforts made that year...

1997 ... his last notorious hit. Specially made for the soundtrack of the Disney movie Hercules. The artist will have also accomplished incredible work and will leave in history absolutely amazing titles of which he can be proud !

1997...a 90's decade which began much better than it ended but the singer still manages to keep his head above water without too much trouble. It's already that...

1998 ... anyway, the adventure is not quite over. Of course, he will never regain its incredible level of success from the beginning of the decade, but what he continues to offer largely holds up !

1998...a decade which ends in lyrical mode and not in any way since he attacks here one of the titles among the best known of the register. Very daring bet to attack the 'Nessun dorma' of Turandot but successful bet in any case !

2000... the art of going from one extreme to another because here he covers here the world famous title of Marvin Gaye. Nice version but too close to the original unfortunately...

2001...here he is now revisiting the flagship title of Procul Harum dating from 1967. Good job once again but nothing more...

2002...after a somewhat sluggish start to the decade on the Charts side, business picked up somewhat in 2002. Like what, nothing is ever over !

2002...the desire to do well is obvious but the competition is already light years ahead and he will never get back into the leading pack again. But what he continues to offer is far from unworthy, that's clear !

2003...new luxury cover this time on the title of Jeri Southern dating from 1952. Title whose most famous version will undoubtedly remain that of Nat King Cole dating from 1956...

2005...here he is in 100 % male duo mode, something extremely rare about him. A very fine duo that works very well...

2006...certainly the level of success encountered is no longer what it was, but the singer is still there, almost 30 years after his debut. An exceptional longevity...

2006...here he is in shock but above all charming duo mode on this title full of finesse and lightness. A finesse and a lightness which paradoxically will not pay more than that...

2009...a 2000 decade which will have seen him regress in the Charts in a certain way without disappearing completely. It's already that...

2009...in any case, he continues to believe in it and in principle he is absolutely right because in music, as we know, everything is always possible...

2010...an astonishing duo but not devoid of interest, that's clear. Unfortunately, it will go somewhat unnoticed...

2011...after a somewhat disappointing 2000 decade, he is back with the younger generation. A winning return given the level of success achieved by this title. Not sure he can repeat the feat in future years...

2011...he multiplies the duos of shock and charm, it is clear for some time. Good surprise, this one will go a little less unnoticed than its predecessors...

2011...reviving one of U2's flagship titles dating from 1984 is a daring bet to say the least. Even if the copy will not do better than the original, it is not devoid of interest, far from it !

2013...in the series of luxury covers, here he covers Marvin and Tammi Terrell's flagship title from 1967. As always, nothing exceptional but a high quality revisited version...

2013...here he revisits the same couple once again through this title, an original title that dates from 1968. And as before, the result is up to par !

2013... what is certain in any case is that he absolutely does not intend to stop there. As long as he takes pleasure in doing what he does, it is out of the question that he throws in the towel sooner than expected...

2017... the series of luxury covers continues with this time this revisited version of Ben E. King's mythical title dating from 1961. At some point too many covers unfortunately kill the covers...

2017...and no, this song is not originally from Whitney Houston but from Dolly Parton, who would have believed it. An original title dating from 1974...

2019...a new opus where he only resumes and re-orchestrates most of his hits of yesteryear. It starts from a good feeling but it will not bring much more to the building...

2022...and here he is starting his 6th decade of career, who would have thought that possible when he started his career in 1975 ? Not many people, that's for sure and it's certainly not over !