Kenny G Might Have Invented The Frappuccino

Kenny G: Grammy award winner, popular jazz icon, and Starbucks drink mastermind.

Arguably the world's most popular modern saxophonist, Grammy winner, hair icon, and toilet paper sellout Kenny G might also be the creator of the world's most popular calorie-packed brain freeze.

Arista Records

Kenny G's history with the company goes back over 20 years, when his uncle reportedly became "the very first guy that gave [chairman and CEO] Howard Schultz money to get Starbucks growing."

Arista Records / Via youtube.com

"My uncle called me and said, 'I know you been selling some CDs, meet this guy Howard Schultz, give him some money for this company Starbucks. You’re gonna like Howard,'" Kenny G told Bloomberg. His lack of coffee knowledge didn't deter him: "I thought, 'I don’t know what he’s really talking about when it comes to coffee, but this is a winner.'"

As an investor, Kenny made his opinion known. The self-proclaimed “sweet guy” let his tastes dictate his suggestions. "At the beginning, Starbucks didn’t have anything but coffee,” he explained, harkening back to a time most of us would find unimaginable.

Bloomberg / Via bloomberg.com

"... There was another company, Coffee Bean, that had something called 'blended' that was a sweet drink, and people were lined up around the block. And I would always call Howard and say, 'Howard, there's this thing that they do there that's like a milkshake or whatever.' And so I think that part of the reason that they did Frappuccino was people like me giving them that kind of feedback. So I'd like to think that I was partially responsible for that."

Watch Kenny discuss his love of golf, his immense popularity in China, and his opinion on Starbucks' success here.