His band, Blackjack, once toured with heavy metal singer Ozzy Osbourne. Michael got his first big hit as a songwriter, co-wrote "How shall I live without you" for Laura Branigan, previously best known for singing pop hit "Gloria".
He has performed with Placido Domingo, Luciano Pavarotti, Jose Carreras, Tony Cetinski, Lucia Aliberti, Renee Fleming, Zucchero, Patti LaBelle, Celi ne Dion, Ray Charles, Percy Sledge, Wynonna Judd, and BB King. Bolton performed a duet entitled "Il Mio Amico" with Italian singer Anna Tatangelo in Sanremo Festival 2008.
