'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/2wBDAAYEBQYFBAYGBQYHBwYIChAKCgkJChQODwwQFxQYGBcUFhYaHSUfGhsjHBYWICwgIyYnKSopGR8tMC0oMCUoKSj/2wBDAQcHBwoIChMKChMoGhYaKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCj/wgARCAAHAAoDASIAAhEBAxEB/8QAFQABAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABgf/2gAIAQEAAAAAgxf/xAAUAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAE/9oACAECEAAAAG//xAAUAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAC/9oACAEDEAAAAB//xAAeEAACAgICAwAAAAAAAAAAAAABAgMFERIAMQQyQf/aAAgBAQABPwC7uq15kauqIvHjkZ5dFkYpqV16P0Fc8dw7s3WTn1HP/8QAFxEBAAMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQADMf/aAAgBAgEBPwBtXZ//xAAVEQEBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAEf/aAAgBAwEBPwCP/9k='%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Kenny G, an American adult contemporary and smooth jazz saxophonist, is one of the best-selling artists of all time. He has had an illustrious career, marked by collaborations with some of the biggest musicians and a staggering sale of 75 million records globally.
His 1986 album Duotones skyrocketed him to success. The album went 5X platinum, with the most popular track being Songbird, to day one of the only two instrumentals to make it to the Top 5 of Billboard Hot 100. His other commercially successful albums include Breathless, G Force, Gravity, and Miracles: The Holiday Album.
Kenny G's inspiring and glorious career has now taken the shape of an HBO documentary, Listening to Kenny G, directed by Penny Lane. Apart from his musical career, Kenny G is also known for his wise investments, and has amassed a net worth of $100 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth. Read on to find out more about his fortune.
The rise of Kenny G
The celebrated saxophonist was born Kenneth Bruce Goelick in Seattle, Washington, on 5 June 1956. Ironically, he was rejected by his high school jazz band after his first audition. He landed his first professional gig as a sideman for Barry White's Love Unlimited Orchestra at age 17.
Record executive Clive Davis has played a crucial role in the artist's rise to stardom. In 1982, he signed Kenny G to a deal with Arista Records. Subsequently, the artist's debut album, released on 1 August 1982, went gold. His next two albums G Force (1983) and Gravity (1985) went platinum, followed by Duotones (1986) going 5X platinum.
His later albums were also commercial successes, with Breathless (1992) selling 12 million copies and Miracles: The Holiday Album selling 8 million copies.
With 75 million records sold worldwide, Kenny G is the most successful instrumentalist of this era and one of the 100-best selling musicians.
Kenny G's investments
Kenny G studied accounting at the University of Washington to have a fall back option in case his musical career didn't pan out. It's safe to say that these accounting lessons proved to be really advantageous in his amassing remarkable wealth.
In addition to his booming musical career, Kenny G is also a highly successful real estate and financial investor. Over the years, he has owned numerous properties around the country. His primary residence since 1998 has been a Malibu mansion he spent over $18 million building.
In early 1980s, Kenny G invested some of his music royalties in an up-and-coming coffee startup called Starbucks, which is now synonymous with coffee itself. While there is no information on how much his investment is worth today, a $1,000 invested in the company's IPO in 1992 would be more than $300,000 today. Since Kenny G invested in a pre-IPO, his stake could be worth hundreds of millions today.
The musician also maintains stakes in Apple, Microsoft and United Airlines.
Listening to Kenny G will release on HBO Max on 2 December 2021 as part of HBO's Music Box docuseries.
