Chris Botti

Trumpeter Chris Botti decided to be a trumpeter as a kid, after seeing Doc Severinsen leading The Tonight Show’s band. ∙ Botti first played Carnegie Hall at age 14 as part of the All-American High School Band. ∙ In 1981, he dropped out of Indiana University to go on tour with Frank Sinatra. ∙ While Botti was a member of Sting’s touring band, his solo career was born when the ex-Police frontman invited him to perform as an opening act. ∙ An appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show in 2004 caused his record sales to soar by 310% in a single week, propelling him to stardom. ∙ Botti’s Impressions won the Grammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental Album in 2013.