Michael Lington

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 and Radio & Records (R&R) contemporary jazz radio charts.

Lington has worked with Michael Bolton, Barry Manilow, Aaron Neville, Mike Love, Randy Crawford, Bobby Caldwell, Kenny Lattimore, Ryan Shaw, Little Richard, Joan Sebastian, Cristian Castro, Booker T. Jones, The Dap-Kings, Ray Parker, Jr., Taylor Dayne, Brian Culbertson, Chuck Loeb, William Bell, Dave Stewart, Vince Gill, 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.

Lington was born and raised in Copenhagen, 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 and King Curtis and by American soul music artists like Sam Cooke, Wilson Pickett and Ray Charles, 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 and soon became heavily involved in LA's contemporary jazz scene.

After playing various gigs around Southern California, he met Bobby Caldwell, with whom he toured with for four years (1994–1998), and subsequently, Randy Crawford, with whom he toured with for three years (1998–2001).

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. Bobby Caldwell), 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 Randy Crawford singing the Burt Bacharach/Hal David 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 and released the albums Stay With Me (2004) [feat.

Michael Sembello] and 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.

In 2008, Lington re-signed with Nugroove Records and released the album Heat, which reached the Top 5 on Billboard's Contemporary Jazz albums sales chart and was chosen as Jazztrax's 2008 Album of the Year.

The album featured singers Aaron Neville and "American Idol" finalist Ace Young.

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 and Greg Phillinganes.

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 Michael Bolton, Jonathan Butler, Lee Ritenour, Jeff Golub, and former American Idol and Tonight Show bandleader Rickey Minor.

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

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 Kenny Lattimore 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 Taylor Dayne and Sy Smith, as well as Booker T. Jones, Ray Parker Jr.., Paul Jackson Jr.., and Brian Culbertson.

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

Lington’s first Christmas album, A Foreign Affair Christmas, was released on November 8, 2019, with the lead-off track being George Michael’s Last Christmas featuring French Keyboardist and Vibraphonist Philippe Saisse.

The album contains 9 traditional Christmas songs with arrangement styles that includes Jazz, Latin, Cuban, R&B and Gospel.