He was also on his high school golf team. In addition to his studies while in high school, he took private lessons on the saxophone and clarinet from Johnny Jessen, once a week for a year. His Franklin High School classmate Robert Damper (piano, keyboards) plays in his band. When he entered high school he failed at his first attempt to get into the jazz band but auditioned again the following year and earned first chair. Kenny G attended Whitworth Elementary School, Sharples Junior High School (renamed Kurose Middle School), Franklin High School, and the University of Washington, all in his home city of Seattle. He started playing the saxophone, a Buffet Crampon alto, in 1966 when he was 10 years old. He came into contact with the saxophone when he heard a performance on The Ed Sullivan Show. His mother was a Canadian Jew from Saskatchewan, Canada. Kenny G was born in Seattle, Washington to a Jewish family. Kenny G is one of the best-selling artists of all time, with global sales totaling more than 75 million records.
His 1986 album Duotones brought him commercial success.
Kenneth Bruce Gorelick (born June 5, 1956), known professionally as Kenny G, is an American smooth jazz saxophonist, composer, and producer.
