--- title: Kenny G Talks Starbucks Frappuccino in Bloomberg Interview description: Or rather, he urged Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz to start selling them canonical: https://time.com/3688207/kenny-g-starbucks-frappuccino/ author: Samantha Grossman article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-01-29T19:06:56.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-04-13T07:16:22.549Z og:title: Kenny G Says He Basically Invented the Starbucks Frappuccino og:description: Or rather, he strongly encouraged Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz to start selling them og:url: https://time.com/3688207/kenny-g-starbucks-frappuccino/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt17e4ec9035ae6c78/69877ca4428a9ed679cc6df1/460635532.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2656 og:image:height: 1494 og:image:alt: Kenny G og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Kenny G Says He Basically Invented the Starbucks Frappuccino twitter:description: Or rather, he strongly encouraged Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz to start selling them twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt17e4ec9035ae6c78/69877ca4428a9ed679cc6df1/460635532.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Kenny G Says He Basically Invented the Starbucks Frappuccino > Sponsored content. 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It curates the day's top headlines with TIME's reporting and analysis across politics, world affairs, business, health and culture. It is free to join at time.com/newsletters. #### How do I sign up for The Brief? The Brief is available free at time.com/newsletters, where readers can select it along with any of TIME's other six newsletters. There is no subscription required to receive it. #### Is The Brief free? Yes. The Brief is a free daily email newsletter from TIME. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes The Brief? The Brief is led by editor Richard Hall and draws on reporting from TIME's newsroom. Every edition is assembled by TIME editors rather than generated automatically. by [Samantha Grossman](https://time.com/author/samantha-grossman/) ## Samantha Grossman Jan 29, 2015 7:06 PM UTC  Musician Kenny G at Capitol Records Studio on December 17, 2014 in Hollywood, California. Musician Kenny G at Capitol Records Studio on December 17, 2014 in Hollywood, California. Paul Redmond—Getty Images by [Samantha Grossman](https://time.com/author/samantha-grossman/) ## Samantha Grossman Jan 29, 2015 7:06 PM UTC You probably haven’t thought about Kenny G in a while, but here’s some fun new information about him: the smooth jazz legend says he’s _basically_ the reason Starbucks Frappuccinos exist. In a recent [interview with Bloomberg](http://www.bloomberg.com/news/videos/2015-01-28/kenny-g-saxophonist-golfer-starbucks-investor), Mr. G reflected on his early days as one of Starbucks’ first investors, when the store sold nothing but coffee. But another company, called Coffee Bean, was selling a sweet “blended” drink had people lined up around the block. He said he would always call up Starbucks founder Howard Schultz and tell him about this great drink that was essentially a milkshake. Soon enough, Starbucks created its signature Frappuccino and everyone fell in love with. “I’d like to think I was partially responsible for that,” Kenny G said. So next time you’re kneeling before the Kenny G shrine we know you have in your closet, thanking him for the sweet musical bliss he has given the world, be sure to thank him for this other sweet gift. 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