A singer who turned soul covers and big-hearted originals into a signature sound.
For the full Bolton effect, start with "When a Man Loves a Woman" and "Said I Loved You But I Lied." They frame the voice and the sentiment he never really left behind.
His version of "When a Man Loves a Woman" became a global hit, defining his approach to emotive, vocal-driven pop. Songs like "Said I Loved You But I Lied" stuck to that straightforward, soulful lane, whether critics loved it or not. He built a catalog around that voice, plain and simple.
He began as Michael Bolotin, fronting the hard rock band Blackjack in the late '70s. By the mid-'80s, he'd pivoted to pop ballads, a shift cemented by his 1987 cover of "When a Man Loves a Woman." He kept recording in that vein through the '90s and after.
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Keep it compact: a lyric you come back to, a live memory, or the part of the catalog you would point someone toward first.
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