Michael Lington (born June 11, 1969) is a Danish-American contemporary saxophonist, songwriter, producer, recording artist and a purveyor of soul and contemporary jazz. Lington has released 11 solo albums and has 25 singles that have charted on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' and '' Radio & Records (R&R)'' contemporary jazz radio charts. Lington has worked with

Michael Bolton Michael Bolotin (born February 26, 1953), known professionally as Michael Bolton, is an American singer and songwriter. Bolton performed in the hard rock and heavy metal music genres from the mid-1970s to the mid-1980s, both on his early solo a ...

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Aaron Neville Aaron Joseph Neville (born January 24, 1941) is an American singer renowned for his distinctively smooth, vibrato-heavy tenor and a genre-crossing career that spans R&B, soul, gospel, jazz, country, and pop. He gained national prominence with hi ...

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, Ryan Shaw,

Little Richard Richard Wayne Penniman (December 5, 1932 – May 9, 2020), known professionally as Little Richard, was an American singer, pianist, and songwriter. He was an influential figure in popular music and culture for seven decades. Described as the "Ar ...

Joan Sebastian José Manuel Figueroa Sr. (April 8, 1951 – July 13, 2015), known professionally as Joan Sebastian (), was a Mexican singer and songwriter. Born in Juliantla, Guerrero, he composed more than 1,000 songs, including compositions for artists such ...

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, The Dap-Kings, Ray Parker, Jr.,

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, William Bell, Dave Stewart,

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, Sheléa Frazier, and many others. Lington has performed at the Royal Wedding of Denmark's future king, Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary Donaldson at Fredensborg Castle and has also played numerous other times for the Danish royal family. He is the grandson of Danish composer and band leader Otto Lington.

Early life

Lington was born and raised in

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...

, Denmark, where he began his career at the age of seven as a clarinetist. He was a member of the Tivoli Boys Guard for seven years (1978–1985), which is where he began his formal music education, receiving a gold medal for his efforts. At 15, he became influenced by saxophonists

David Sanborn David William Sanborn (July 30, 1945 – May 12, 2024) was an American alto saxophonist. He worked in many musical genres; his solo recordings typically blended jazz with instrumental pop and R&B. He began playing the saxophone at the age o ...

and

King Curtis Curtis Montgomery (February 7, 1934 – August 13, 1971), known professionally as King Curtis, was an American saxophonist who played rhythm and blues, jazz, and rock and roll. A bandleader, band member, and session musician, he was also a musi ...

and by American soul music artists like

Sam Cooke Samuel Cooke (; January 22, 1931 – December 11, 1964) was an American singer and songwriter. Considered one of the most influential soul music, soul artists of all time, Cooke is commonly referred to as the "King of Soul" for his distin ...

Wilson Pickett Wilson Pickett (March 18, 1941 – January 19, 2006) was an American singer and songwriter. A major figure in the development of soul music, Pickett recorded more than 50 songs that made the US R&B charts, many of which crossed over to the '' ...

and

Ray Charles Ray Charles Robinson (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004) was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. He is regarded as one of the most iconic and influential musicians in history, and was often referred to by contemporaries as "The Gen ...

, which precipitated his decision to take on the saxophone as an instrument of choice. After attending college, Lington co-owned a recording studio with songwriter John Hatting while touring regularly throughout Europe. During this time, he performed on several of Denmark's Eurovision song contest entries. He also competed in the Danish newspaper Berlingske Tidene / Rhythmic Conservatory music youth competition, judged by musician Nils-Henning Ørsted Pedersen, where he won First Prize in 1987 and won the Gold Prize in 1988. In 1990 (at age 21), Lington moved to Los Angeles with the assistance of drummer

Mark Schulman Mark Schulman (born September 4, 1961, in Los Angeles, California) is an American musician, music producer, audio engineer and corporate speaker who has performed with Foreigner, Pink and Cher as their tour drummer for more than 30 years. Schul ...

and soon became heavily involved in LA's contemporary jazz scene. After playing various gigs around

Southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and Cultural area, cultural List of regions of California, region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Its densely populated coastal reg ...

, he met

, with whom he toured with for four years (1994–1998), and subsequently,

, with whom he toured with for three years (1998–2001).

Career

Lington signed his first recording contract in 1996 with Nugroove Records and released his self-titled debut album in 1997. It produced the hit "Tell It Like It Is" (feat.

), a song that became a Top 10 '' Radio & Records (R&R)'' NAC/Smooth jazz song and a Top 20 R&R Adult Contemporary song. In 2000, Lington signed with Gold Circle Records and released his 2nd album, ''Vivid'', which produced two R&R charting singles, "Twice In A Lifetime" (#2) and "Sunset (Por Do Sol)" (#4). The album featured

singing the

Burt Bacharach Burt Freeman Bacharach ( ; May 12, 1928 – February 8, 2023) was an American composer, songwriter, record producer, and pianist who is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential figures of 20th-century popular music. Start ...

Hal David Harold Lane David (May 25, 1921 – September 1, 2012) was an American lyricist. He was best known for his collaborations with composer Burt Bacharach and his association with Dionne Warwick. Early life David was born and raised in New ...

classic, " Message to Michael." In 2002, he signed with Three Keys Music and released the album ''Everything Must Change'', which also produced two R&R charting radio singles; "Still Thinking Of You" (#5) and "Off The Hook." In 2004, Lington signed with

Rendezvous Music Rendezvous Music (formerly known as Rendezvous Entertainment) is a record label founded by multiple-Grammy Award nominee and RIAA Certified Gold recording artist Dave Koz, radio entrepreneur Frank Cody and music business veteran Hyman Katz in 200 ...

and released the albums ''Stay With Me'' (2004) eat. Michael Sembello">Michael_Sembello.html" ;"title="eat. Michael Sembello">eat. Michael Sembelloand ''A Song For You'' (2006) (the latter of which featured a full orchestra arranged and co-produced by Randy Waldman). ''Stay With Me'' produced three Top 5 R&R charting radio singles; "Show Me" (#2), "Two Of A Kind"(#2), and "Pacifica" (#6). ''A Song For You'' also featured the notable single, "It's Too Late," penned by songwriter

Carole King Carole King Klein (born Carol Joan Klein; February 9, 1942) is an American singer-songwriter and musician renowned for her extensive contributions to popular music. She wrote or co-wrote 118 songs that charted on the Billboard Hot 100, ''Billbo ...

. In 2008, Lington re-signed with Nugroove Records and released the album ''Heat'', which reached the Top 5 on

's Contemporary Jazz albums sales chart and was chosen as Jazztrax's 2008 Album of the Year. The album featured singers

and "American Idol" finalist

Ace Young Brett "Ace" Young (born November 15, 1980) is an American singer, songwriter, and actor. He gained national recognition while appearing on the fifth season of ''American Idol''. Young is married to ''American Idol'' season-three runner-up Dian ...

. It also featured Brazilian guitarist Torcuado Mariano, and the Academy Award-nominated songwriting team of Allan Rich and Jud Friedman. It was produced, in part, by

Keith Olsen Keith Alan Olsen (May 12, 1945 – March 9, 2020) was an American record producer and sound engineer, who worked with Magnum, Rick Springfield, Fleetwood Mac, Ozzy Osbourne, Grateful Dead, Whitesnake, Pat Benatar, Heart, Santana, Saga, For ...

and

Greg Phillinganes Gregory Arthur Phillinganes (born May 12, 1956) is an American keyboardist, vocalist, and arranger. A session musician, Phillinganes has contributed to numerous albums over a broad array of artists and genres. He has toured with artists includin ...

. ''Heat's'' lead single, "You and I," reached #2 on R&R's Smooth Jazz radio chart. Lington's duet with Neville, "That's When You Save Me", tied that year as JazzTrax Best Vocal Song of the Year. In 2012, Lington released ''Pure'' on Trippin ‘N’ Rhythm Records, which featured guest artists

Jonathan Butler Jonathan Kenneth Butler (born 10 October 1961) is a South African singer-songwriter and guitarist. His music is often classified as R&B, jazz fusion or worship music. Biography Born and raised in Athlone, Cape Town, South Africa, during apa ...

Lee Ritenour Lee Mack Ritenour ( ; born January 11, 1952) is an American jazz guitarist who has been active since the late 1960s. Biography Ritenour was born in 1952, in Los Angeles, California. At the age of eight he started playing guitar and four years l ...

Jeff Golub Jeff Golub (April 15, 1955 – January 1, 2015) was an American jazz guitarist who had a solo career and who led the band Avenue Blue. He worked as a sideman for a number of rock and pop musicians. He was arguably best known for his work with Rod ...

, and former ''

American Idol ''American Idol'' is an American Music competition, singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle (company), Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It a ...

'' and ''

Tonight Show ''The Tonight Show'' is an American late-night talk show A late-night talk show is a genre of talk show, originating in the American Media, United States. It is generally structured around humorous monologues about the day's news, guest inte ...

'' bandleader

Rickey Minor Rickey Minor is an American bass player, music director, composer and music producer. He was the musical director and bandleader on '' The Tonight Show with Jay Leno'' from 2010 to 2014, taking over after Kevin Eubanks left. Minor worked as ...

. It produced the ''

'' Top 5 radio single "Road Trip," which also hit #1 on the instrumental radio chart.

Copenhagen Music

In 2014, Lington established his own label, Copenhagen Music, along with business partner Roy McClurg, on which he's since released the albums ''Soul Appeal'' (2014) and ''Second Nature'' (2016). ''Soul Appeal'' featured vocalists

and Ryan Shaw and produced 4 Billboard jazz radio singles; "Soul Appeal," "Uptown Groove," "In The Pocket" and "Taking Off." The self-titled first single becoming the #1 song of 2014 on the Groove Jazz music chart. Lington released ''Second Nature'' in April 2016. The album has been described as an "audio love letter to the city and sound of Memphis," a place that the artist has said influenced him significantly as a young man. Special guests on the album include vocalists

and

Sy Smith Sy Smith is an American singer. Early life and career beginnings Smith grew up in Washington, D.C. She began her career leading a six-person Washington D.C. go-go band called "In Tyme". After graduating from Howard University with a bachelor ...

, as well as

Ray Parker Jr. Ray Erskine Parker Jr. (born May 1, 1954) is an American guitarist, songwriter, and record producer. As a solo performer, he wrote and performed the theme song for the 1984 film '' Ghostbusters'' and also sounds from the animated series '' The ...

Paul Jackson Jr. Paul Milton Jackson Jr. (born December 30, 1959) is an American Jazz fusion, fusion/urban jazz composer, arranger, producer and guitarist. In addition to being a recording artist in his own right, Jackson is also a session player, with a career ...

, and

. ''Second Nature'' debuted at #3 on the Billboard Contemporary Jazz sales chart and #7 on the ''

'' Combined Jazz sales chart. The album's first two radio singles, "Beale Street" and " Memphis Strut," were both Top 15 Billboard jazz radio singles... and the third single, "Midnight Drive," reached number one on multiple charts including The Radio Wave and Groove Jazz Music Chart.

''A Foreign Affair Christmas''

Lington’s first Christmas album, ''A Foreign Affair Christmas'', was released on November 8, 2019, with the lead-off track being

George Michael George Michael (born Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou; 25 June 1963 – 25 December 2016) was an English singer-songwriter and record producer. Regarded as a pop culture icon, he is one of the List of best-selling music artists, best-selling rec ...

’s ''Last Christmas'' featuring French Keyboardist and Vibraphonist

Philippe Saisse Philippe Saisse (; born 1957) is a French jazz musician, composer, record producer, and arranger. Career He was born in Marseille and raised in Paris. After studying at the Paris Conservatory he won a scholarship to the Berklee College of Music. ...

. The album contains 9 traditional Christmas songs with arrangement styles that includes Jazz, Latin, Cuban, R&B and Gospel. It features an international line-up of guest artists including:

, Marc Antoine, Chris Standring,

Dave Koz David Stephen Koz (born March 27, 1963) is an American saxophonist, composer, record producer, and radio personality based in Los Angeles, California. Early life Dave Koz was born in Encino, California, to Jewish parents: Norman, a dermatologis ...

, Rick Braun, Sheléa and Russ Freeman. Musicians on the album includes: Gregg Phillinganes, Paul Jackson Jr, Luis Conte, Alex Al, Eric Valentine, David Garfield, Luis Conte, and more. The album is produced by Michael Lington, Mixed by Paul Brown and Mastered by

Bernie Grundman Bernie Grundman (born 16 December 1943, Minneapolis) is an American audio engineer. He is most known for his mastering work and his studio, Bernie Grundman Mastering, which he opened in 1984 in Hollywood. The studio, which includes engineers Chr ...

''Silver Lining''

Lington's tenth solo album, ''Silver Lining'', was released June 8, 2018 on Copenhagen Music. "City Life," the lead-off track and first single, was #2 Most Added at Contemporary/Smooth Jazz Radio its first week at radio. The song features Dave Stewart from the

Eurythmics Eurythmics were a British New wave music, new wave duo formed in 1980, consisting of Scottish vocalist Annie Lennox and English musician and producer Dave Stewart (Eurythmics), Dave Stewart. They were both previously in the Tourists, a band t ...

on guitar. The album's second single, "Deja Vu," was released to radio October 22, 2018. The first two radio singles are two of nine songs Lington and his producer, Barry Eastmond, co-wrote for ''Silver Lining''. In addition to Lington's alto sax and Eastmond's keyboards on all tracks, the participating musicians include

and

on guitars, Freddie Washington and Alex Al sharing bass duties,

Teddy Campbell Glendon Theodore "Teddy" Campbell, Sr. (born February 24, 1975) is a gospel drummer & singer. He was the drummer on ''The Tonight Show with Jay Leno''. He is the lead singer for the Soul Seekers. Biography Christian Youth M.B. of Chicago, is ...

on drums,

Lenny Castro Lenny Castro (born September 19, 1956) is an American percussionist from the Los Angeles area. He is one of the most prolific percussionists of all time, appearing on hundreds of albums, including those by the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Adele, Maroon ...

on percussion, and a number of other musicians appearing on other tracks – including one of the original FunkBrothers,

Jack Ashford Jack Ashford (born May 18, 1934) is an American musician who was a percussionist for Motown Records' in-house Funk Brothers band during the 1960s and early 1970s. Ashford is most famous for playing the tambourine on hundreds of Motown recordings ...

Stax Stax can refer to: * StAX, (Computer Programming) Streaming API for reading and writing XML in Java * Stax Ltd, a Japanese brand of electrostatic headphones * Stax Records Stax Records is an American record company, originally based in Memphis, ...

soul legend William Bell, a 2017

Grammy The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious a ...

-winner, sings lead on Lington's version of the

Curtis Mayfield Curtis Lee Mayfield (June 3, 1942 – December 26, 1999) was an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. Dubbed the " Gentle Genius", he is considered one of the most influential musicians of soul and socially conscious Afric ...

-penned "

People Get Ready "People Get Ready" is a 1965 single by the Impressions, and the title track from the '' People Get Ready'' album. The single is the group's best-known hit, reaching number three on the ''Billboard'' R&B chart and number 14 on the ''Billboard'' ...

" and Dorian Holley handles vocals on the classic

Tower of Power Tower of Power is an American R&B and funk based band and horn section, originating in Oakland, California, that has been performing since 1968. The band has had a number of lead vocalists, the best-known being Lenny Williams, who fronted ...

hit "

So Very Hard to Go "So Very Hard to Go" is a torch song performed by American rhythm and blues band Tower of Power, issued as the second single from their eponymous third album. It was produced by the band and written by band members Emilio Castillo and Stephen K ...

." ''Silver Lining'' was recorded live at several studios, including

Sunset Sound Sunset (or sundown) is the disappearance of the Sun at the end of the Sun path, below the horizon of the Earth (or any other astronomical object in the Solar System) due to its rotation. As viewed from everywhere on Earth, it is a phenomenon th ...

in Los Angeles and

Royal Studios Royal Studios is a recording studio located in Memphis, Tennessee, United States. Established in 1956, it is one of the oldest continuously operated music recording studios in the world. It is widely known for producer, recording artist and owne ...

in Memphis.

Touring

Lington has toured regularly his entire career, averaging 60-80 shows per year. In recent years, from 2010 to 2013, Lington joined

on tour as his opening act & special guest. Lington and Bolton performed over 350 shows together in more than 40 countries. Venues on the tour included

Royal Albert Hall The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London, England. It has a seating capacity of 5,272. Since the hall's opening by Queen Victoria in 1871, the world's leading artists from many performance genres ...

Sydney Opera House The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue Performing arts center, performing arts centre in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Located on the foreshore of Sydney Harbour, it is widely regarded as one of the world's most famous and distinctive b ...

Universal Amphitheatre Universal Amphitheatre (later known as Gibson Amphitheatre) was an indoor amphitheatre located in Los Angeles, California, within Universal City, California, Universal City. It was built as an outdoor venue, opening in the summer of 1972 with a p ...

, and the Kuwaiti Embassy in Washington, D.C. (where they performed for President Bill Clinton). In February 2016,

invited Lington to join his "One Last Time" arena tour. Lington opened the show and joined Manilow on the song "Brooklyn Blues" during the headliner's main set. In April 2018, it was announced that Michael Lington will join Barry Manilow once again as his opening act starting June 8 at Wolf Trap in Vienna, Virginia. In Nov. 2016, Lington performed for the

Memphis Music Hall Of Fame The Memphis Music Hall of Fame, located in Memphis, Tennessee, honors Memphis musicians for their lifetime achievements in music. The induction ceremony and concert is held each year in Memphis. Since its establishment in 2012, the Hall of Fame has ...

ceremony, honoring 2016 inductee, (Memphis saxophonist) Charles Lloyd.

Stax Records Stax Records is an American record company, originally based in Memphis, Tennessee. Founded in 1957 as Satellite Records, the label changed its name to Stax Records in September 1961. It also shared its operations with sister label Volt Records. ...

soul singer William Bell and

Snoop Dogg Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. ( ; born October 20, 1971), better known by his stage name Snoop Dogg (previously Snoop Doggy Dogg), is an American rapper, record producer, and actor. Rooted in West Coast hip-hop, he is widely regarded as one of t ...

also performed at the induction ceremony. In September 2019, it was announced that Lington would join the ''

and Friends; Gifts Of The Season Christmas'' tour alongside Koz,

Melissa Manchester Melissa Manchester (born February 15, 1951) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. Since the 1970s, her songs have been played by adult contemporary radio stations. She has also appeared on television, in films, and on stage. Early li ...

and Chris Walker. The tour will travel across the U.S. between November 29 and December 23, 2019. Lington is signed to the

Agency for the Performing Arts IAG (also known as Independent Artist Group) is a talent agency in the entertainment industry with headquarters in Los Angeles, New York, Nashville, Atlanta, Toronto, and London. the company represented actors, writers, producers, showrunners, d ...

(APA) for worldwide representation and has a publishing administration deal with Kobalt Music Publishing. He is an

ASCAP The American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) () is an American not-for-profit performance-rights organization (PRO) that collectively licenses the public performance rights of its members' musical works to venues, broadc ...

songwriter/publisher and a 20-year voting member of the

Recording Academy National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences, Inc. (NARAS), doing business as The Recording Academy, is an American learned academy of musicians, producers, recording engineers, and other musical professionals. It is widely known for its Gramm ...

(

NARAS National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences, Inc. (NARAS), doing business as The Recording Academy, is an American Learned society, learned academy of musicians, producers, recording engineers, and other musical professionals. It is widely kno ...

). He is a Yamaha Saxophone,

Vandoren Vandoren is a manufacturer of mouthpieces, reeds, and accessories for the clarinet and saxophone families. History Vandoren was founded in 1905 by Eugène Van Doren (1873-1940), a clarinetist for the Paris Opera. The original location was eventual ...

reeds, Westone audio and

Sennheiser Sennheiser electronic GmbH & Co. KG (, ) is a German audio equipment manufacturer headquartered in Wedemark. Sennheiser specializes in equipment for both the consumer and professional audio markets, including microphones, headphones, and loudsp ...

performing artist. Lington was nominated for International Instrumentalist of the Year at the 2009 Canadian Smooth Jazz Awards.

Musical style

Lington's style has been described as "soulful and authentic." He plays alto, tenor and soprano sax, although he favors the alto sax for his solo projects.

Personal life

Lington manages his own wine company, Lington Wines, which is based in California's central Paso Robles region, as well as a cigar company, Michael Lington Cigars, which manufactures its product in Honduras. He has served as a cigar columnist for ''Wine and Jazz'' magazine. He was married to Shivaune Field from 2007 to 2013.

Discography

Albums

Singles

References

External links

Michael Lington official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lington, Michael 1969 births Living people Danish jazz saxophonists Male saxophonists Smooth jazz saxophonists Musicians from Copenhagen 21st-century saxophonists 21st-century male musicians Male jazz musicians