Oh, Canada!

Bublé (pronounced “Boo-blay”), was born in British Columbia, September 9, 1975, into a loving family. Bublé tells interviewer Paul Cashmere that he gre up in a wonderful place in a wonderful country. His father was a Salmon fisherman, his grandfather was a plumber. Bublé spent several years, helping his dad on the boat but he quickly realized that this was not the kind of work he wanted to do.

Strong Family Ties

It was his grandfather who influenced Bublé’s love for melody and harmony and lyrics you can understand. According to Bublé’s official website, his grandfather was his best friend when he was a child. In fact, Bublé says, he knew that he wanted to be a singer and he knew the type of music he wanted to sing, the first time his grandfather played a Mills Brothers record for him. Bublé says that he felt a connection to the standards done by singers like the Mills Brothers, Keely Smith, Bobby Darin, and of course, Frank Sinatra.

He learned the old songs as a favor to his grandfather and won a local talent contest, tho he was later disqualified for being underage. His grandfather gave his performing career a boost by offering free plumbing services to musicians who would let Bublé get up on stage with them and sing a few songs.

Early Struggles

By the time he was 17, Bublé knew that college was not in his immediate future, and he says his family was incredibly supportive of his decision. He won the Canadian Youth Talent Search, appeared as Elvis in a Red Rock Diner road show and recorded a couple of albums on his own. One was a present for his grandfather.

Bublé got work in clubs in Vancouver, Winnipeg, Calgary and Toronto, but success was illusive and Bublé was becoming discouraged. He tells interviewer Paul Cashmere, that he wasn’t making any money, after eight years, and that he realized that he was going to have to cut his losses. He says that he was about to seque into a career in the media, when fate took a hand.

Friends in High Places

A performance at a corporate function in Toronto brought Bublé to the attention of Former Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney in 2000. Mulroney’s daughter was getting married, and Mulroney thought that would be the perfect opportunity for Bublé to be heard by one of the guests, David Foster. Foster has won a number of Grammys, producing albums for Celine Dion, Barbra Streisand, Whitney Houston and Josh Groban.

Signed, Sealed, Delivered

Bublé tells interviewer John Beaudin that even with Mulroney’s considerable influence, it took a little while, but eventually, Foster signed him to his 143/Reprise label then spent several years working on Bublé’s debut album.

He had some help from producer Humberto Gatica and another Canadian legend, Paul Anka. Anka began mentoring Bublé after the two met in 2001, in Las Vegas where Bublé had opened for Jay Leno.

Playing It Safe

Bublé’s first album, Michael Bublé, released in 2003, quickly went platinum. The recording is an eclectic mix of standards, most of them connected to a performer, like Peggy Lee’s “Fever”, and several Sinatra classics including “That’s All” and “Come Fly With Me”, but done with a Bublé twist. He sings a jazzy version of Van Morrison’s “Moondance”, and a super slow version of Lou Rawls’ “You’ll Never Find”.

Bublé says the songs were chosen by Foster, Gatica, Anka and himself, each man contributing to the choices, tho he was the one lobbying for the older songs.

A year later, Bublé was out with another two disc CD/DVD combination that included video of some of his concerts along with more of the old songs, titled Come Fly With Me, another nod in the direction of Sinatra.

Sounds Like... Sinatra

Bublé is often compared to Sinatra, much as Harry Connick, Jr. was when he came on the scene. And, predictably, Bublé is frequently compared to Connick. Bublé says he’s okay with that, although, he says he has no desire to be another Sinatra, that he wants to be Michael Bublé In that, he echoes another of his musical mentors, Bobby Darin. Bublé includes “Mack The Knife” on Come Fly With Me, and is quoted in interviews as saying that he is a big fan of Darin’s.

Bublé says he loved Darin’s versatility as an artist, his ability to jump from country to pop to rock, to folk music so effortlessly.