A crossover jazz icon, saxophonist Kenny G has enjoyed phenomenal success across the pop, jazz, and R&B charts for over three decades. Influenced by players like Stan Getz and Grover Washington, Jr., G is known for his lyrical and emotive style, a sound that has garnered a loyal fan base and made him one of the biggest-selling instrumentalists of all time. He initially broke through with 1986's Duotones, which reached the Top Ten on the pop and jazz charts and spawned the hit single "Songbird." He gained yet wider attention with 1992's Breathless, which reached number two on the Billboard 200, topped the jazz charts, and won the Grammy for Best Instrumental Composition for "Forever in Love." G has more than ten number one Billboard Jazz Albums, including 2004's At Last...The Duets, 2010's Heart and Soul, and 2015's Brazilian Nights. With 2021's New Standards, he showcased his compositional skills, writing songs inspired by his love of '50s and '60s traditional pop standards. He emphasized his soft touch with 2023's Innocence, a collection of lullabies.

Born Kenny Gorelick in 1956, G grew up in Seattle where started on the alto saxophone at age 10. Along with playing golf (a life-long passion), he took private lessons on the sax and clarinet, and was a member of his school's band and orchestra program. It was while still in high school at age 17 that he began playing professionally, working with Barry White's Love Unlimited Orchestra. He also recorded with the Seattle-based funk outfit Cold, Bold & Together and began freelancing locally, all while earning his accounting degree from the University of Washington. After graduating, he joined the Jeff Lorber Fusion, making two albums with the group before leaving to focus on his solo career.

By the early '80s, the saxophonist had caught the ear of legendary music executive Clive Davis who signed him to Arista Records. It was around this time that he adopted the stage name Kenny G and in 1982 released his eponymous debut album. It reached number 10 on the jazz charts and paved the way for his follow-ups, 1983's G Force and 1985's Gravity, both of which cracked the top 20 of Billboard's Jazz chart and landed on the Billboard 200. However, it was his fourth album, 1986's Duotones which proved to be his major breakthrough. Buoyed by the number four Hot 100 single "Songbird," the album was a cross-genre success, topping the Contemporary Jazz Albums chart, reaching number six on the Billboard 200, and cracking the top ten on both the Jazz and R&B Albums charts. A bevy of guest appearances followed, including spots on albums by Aretha Franklin, Whitney Houston, and Natalie Cole. G's chart dominance continued with 1986's Kenny G Live and 1988's Silhouette, both of which again topped the Contemporary Jazz Albums chart and cracked the top twenty of the Billboard 200. He also moved into movie soundtrack work, picking up a Grammy-nomination for his work on the theme to 1991's Dying Young. He also contributed several songs to the soundtrack to the hit 1992 Whitney Houston romantic-thriller The Bodyguard.

With 1992's Breathless G reached yet another milestone, selling over eight million copies in the U.S. and topping 30 million copies worldwide. The album hit number on the Contemporary Jazz Albums chart and reached number 2 on both the Billboard 200 and R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts. Breathless also spawned the number 18 Hot 100 single "Forever in Love," which took home the Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Composition. G's first holiday album Miracles, released in 1994, and 1996's Moment continued the momentum of his massive commercial success, both reaching the upper echelon of the jazz and pop charts. He also released a popular version of Celine Dion's Titanic theme "My Heart Will Go On" before putting his distinctive stamp on jazz standards like "'Round Midnight" and "Body and Soul" with 1999's Classics in the Key of G. Also that year, he released a second holiday-collection, Faith: A Holiday Album.

Paradise, a tropical and Latin-influenced production, arrived in 2002 and featured guest appearances by Brian McKnight and Chanté Moore. This was followed the same year by a third holiday album, Wishes, as well as a second greatest-hits collection, 2003's Ultimate Kenny G. In 2004, Kenny G released At Last...The Duets Album, which featured performances with LeAnn Rimes and Chaka Khan. It topped the contemporary jazz albums chart as did the 2006 covers album I'm in the Mood for Love...The Most Romantic Melodies of All Time. Also that year, the avid golfer was dubbed the best golfer in music by Golf Digest, beating out Vince Gill for the number one spot.

In 2008, Kenny G reached number 14 on the Billboard 200 with the Latin-infused Rhythm and Romance. The R&B influenced Heart and Soul arrived in 2010, featuring guest vocals from Robin Thicke and Babyface. A number one Billboard Jazz album, it also picked up a Grammy-nomination for Best Pop Instrumental Album. A collection with Rahul Sharma called Namaste followed in 2012, and in 2015 Kenny G released a tribute to bossa nova titled Brazilian Nights, which peaked at number one on the Billboard Jazz Albums chart. In 2017, G kept up his active concert schedule, even pairing with fellow smooth jazz legend George Benson for the limited engagement Breezin' & Breathless Tour. In 2019, G reached number 37 on the Hot 100 with his guest appearance on Kanye West's song "Use This Gospel." He returned to his solo work with 2021's New Standards, which found him writing songs inspired by the classic standards of the '50s and '60s. Also that year, he appeared on the soundtrack to The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run and was the subject of director Penny Lane's documentary film Listening to Kenny G. G returned in 2023 with Innocence, a collection of lullabies accompanied by an orchestra. ~ Matt Collar