Dave Koz Gets A Star On The Hollywood Walk Of Fame
Instrumental Saxophone musician Dave Koz, who I have been a fan of for many years (ever since my marching band days in high school), was on hand here in Hollywood today to receive the 2,389th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in a ceremony that took place in front of the Capitol Records building. Now, I’m sure 99% of you do not know who Dave Koz is but I can assure you, he is an extremely talented musician and I couldn’t be more happy that he received this honor today. Here are a few photos from Dave’s Walk of Fame ceremony today and some deets about his career accomplishments:
In a career spanning two decades, Dave Koz has established himself as a platinum-selling artist, humanitarian, entrepreneur, radio host, and instrumental music advocate. A six-time Grammy® nominee, the list of artists he has played with bears testament to his talent and includes such musical luminaries as Burt Bacharach, Ray Charles, Natalie Cole, Celine Dion, Kenny Loggins, U2, Barry Manilow, Michael McDonald, Luther Vandross, and Rod Stewart. Many of his own hits – smash singles such as “You Make Me Smile,” Koz’s signature song, “Castle of Dreams,” “Can’t Let You Go” featuring the late Luther Vandross, “Together Again,” “Honey-Dipped,” “All I See Is You,” and “Faces of the Heart,” which was the theme song for “General Hospital” for more than 10 years – were collected in his first-ever retrospective album, Dave Koz – Greatest Hits, which bowed at No. 1 on both Billboard’s Top Contemporary Jazz Albums chart and iTunes’ Jazz Album chart in September 2008. “Life In The Fast Lane,” one of four new songs included on the album, spent seven weeks at No. 1 on the Smooth Jazz chart and “Bada Bing” hit No. 2. Koz’s latest single, “And Then I Knew,” produced by Rob Cavallo (Dave Matthews Band, Green Day) just went to radio … Koz also serves as the host of a weekday afternoon radio show that’s nationally distributed on the Smooth Jazz Radio Network; and, on weekends, as the host of the Dave Koz Radio Show, now in its 15th year and syndicated in approximately 120 markets. As an entrepreneur, Koz founded Rendezvous Entertainment. As a philanthropist, he has served for 17 years as global ambassador for the Starlight Children’s Foundation. He recently partnered with Vinum Cellars, a Napa Valley boutique winery, and Whole Foods Market® to introduce three types of KOZ wines. He is donating all his proceeds from KOZ wines – available exclusively at Whole Foods Market stores in Southern California, Arizona and Nevada – to help Starlight continue its vital mission. Koz completed a four-year term on the Grammy Foundation Artists Committee, has served as National Trustee for the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences (NARAS) and is an ongoing member of the Board Of Governors for the Grammy® Foundation.
I met Dave Koz at an in-store meet and greet many years ago while I was still in high school and his kindness and encouragement helped me remain steadfast in my music studies in school. He signed an autograph for me telling me that he would like to hear me play one of his songs, Castle of Dreams, one day and that alone inspired me to keep practicing. When Koz came out publicly as a gay man, his influence spoke to me even more. My good friend Sherri and I have seen Koz perform live in concert many times … and I’m just so happy that he has reached this level of success in his career. Much love and congrats goes out to Dave Koz on his big day. Instrumental jazz fans might want to check out Dave Koz’s albums … they’re really great :)
[Photo credit: Wireimage]
Tags: Barry Manilow, Chris Gardner, Dave Koz, Hollywood Walk of Fame, Leron Gubler
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September 22nd, 2009 at 2:27 pm
I love Dave Koz! Good for him!
September 22nd, 2009 at 2:32 pm
@Mariah — OMG, I love you :) I’m always so happy to meet other Dave Koz fans :) xoxoxoxo
September 22nd, 2009 at 2:38 pm
Oh my gosh, yes! My favorite album of his is “Off The Beaten Path”. Soooo good. We have good taste, Trent :)
September 22nd, 2009 at 3:33 pm
Ha! I saw all the ads in the trades today and was like, “who”? Good for him and all of his fans, though!
September 22nd, 2009 at 8:13 pm
Cool! I know who Dave Koz is – he played music on General Hospital when I used to watch it back in the late ’90s. Congrats to him on the star!
September 23rd, 2009 at 12:50 am
I LOVE Dave Koz…congrats to him, well deserved. He was always playing in my house growing up, especially when my mom had dinner parties. Honey Dipped will always be on my iPod.
September 23rd, 2009 at 8:10 am
oh i love him! he’s brilliant on the sax.
b/c of him i adore that General Hospital opening and so many other songs
November 12th, 2009 at 7:49 pm
If your a fan but need to find Dave Koz’s star or you can’t get to Hollywood to see it, use this link. The site shows you all of the stars, a photo of the star, its exact location, photos, background, stats and even links to IMDb.