Barry Manilow
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Background information
Birth name Barry Alan Pincus
Born 17 June 1943 (1943-06-17) (age 65)
Brooklyn, New YorkUSA
Genre(s) Popular music, soft rock
Occupation(s) Singer-songwriter, musician, arranger, producer, conductor
Instrument(s) Vocals, piano, keyboard, accordion
Years active 1973-present
Label(s) Bell, Arista, RCA
Concord
Website
www.manilow.com
Barry Manilow (born Barry Alan Pincus on June 17, 1943[citation needed]) is an American artist best known for such recordings as "I Write the Songs," "Mandy," "Weekend in New England" and "Copacabana."
Manilow's career achievements include sales of more than 76 million records worldwide. In 1978, five of his albums were on the best-selling charts simultaneously; a feat equalled only by Frank Sinatra and Johnny Mathis. He has recorded a string of Billboard hit singles and multi-platinum albums that have resulted in his being named Radio & Records number one Adult Contemporary artist and winning the American Music Award for Favorite Pop/Rock Male Artist for three consecutive years. Several well-known entertainers have given Manilow their "stamp of approval," including Sinatra, who was quoted in the 1970s regarding Manilow, "He's next." In 1988, Bob Dylan stopped Manilow at a party, hugged him and said, "Don't stop what you're doing, man. We're all inspired by you." Arsenio Hall cited Manilow as a favorite guest on The Arsenio Hall Show and admonished his audience to respect him for his work.[1]
As well as producing and arranging albums for other artists, such as Bette Midler, Dionne Warwick and Rosemary Clooney, Manilow has also written songs for musicals and movies.
Since February 2005, he has been the headliner at the Las Vegas Hilton, and has performed hundreds of shows since.
Biography
Born as Barry Alan Pincus on June 17, 1943,[citation needed] in Brooklyn, New York to Harold and Edna Pincus (who died in 1993 and 1994, respectively, were of Russian, Jewish, and Irish ancestry. After their divorce when he was two years old, he was raised by his mother and maternal grandparents, Joseph and Esther Manilow, in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn. Manilow's grandparents, who died in 1973 and 1975, had a strong influence on his life.[2] It was they who encouraged him to take up his first musical instrument, the accordion, which was popular in his Jewish and Italian neighborhood.
In 1948, as a five-year old he recorded "Happy Birthday" with his grandfather in a coin-operated recording booth as a present for his cousin Dennis.[3] Twenty five years later, a sample of this recording, known as "Sing It," served as the opening track on his first album.
When his mother later remarried, Manilow's stepfather, Willie Murphy, brought an extensive collection of jazz and swing records into the house. As a teenager, he listened to these records constantly, coming to idolize such conductors and composers as Harold Arlen, Irving Berlin, Leonard Bernstein, Cole Porter and Nelson Riddle. It was Murphy who gave him a piano for his 13th birthday, at the time of his bar mitzvah. Manilow then dropped the accordion and began practising on his new piano.
At this point, Edna Pincus legally changed her surname, as well as her son's, to her maiden name, "Manilow." Over the next few years, Manilow performed locally for small businesses and parties. He graduated from Eastern District High School in New York in 1961.
Following graduation, Manilow enrolled at the New York College of Music and The Juilliard School, while working in the mailroom at CBS to pay his expenses. At CBS in 1964, the 21-year-old Manilow met Bro Herrod, a director, who asked him to arrange some public domain songs for a musical adaptation of the melodrama, The Drunkard. Instead, he wrote an entire original score.[4] The musical became a success and ran Off-Broadway for eight years at the 13th Street Theatre in New York.[5]
Also in 1964, Manilow married his high school sweetheart, Susan Deixler. However, Manilow's devotion to his musical interests caused tension in the marriage. When he was 22, he sought advice about whether to take up music full-time from a column in Playboy magazine, which published his letter in its December, 1965 issue and recommended that he go "sow your notes".[6] On January 6, 1966, Manilow and Deixler signed the annulment decree she filed after he asked for a divorce.[7]
Manilow earned money by working as a pianist, producer and arranger. Manilow has said of that time that he played piano for anybody: "If the check cleared, I was there."[8]
Manilow worked as a commercial jingle writer/singer,[9] an activity that continued well into the 1970s. He penned many of the jingles that he performed, including those for Bowlene Toilet Cleaner, State Farm Insurance, Stridex acne cleanser and Band-Aid, amongst others. His singing-only credits included Kentucky Fried Chicken, Pepsi, Jack in the Box, Dr Pepper, and the famed McDonald's "You Deserve a Break Today" campaign.[10] Manilow won two Clio Awards in 1976 for his work for Tab and Band-Aid.[11]
By 1967, Manilow was the musical director for the WCBS-TV series Callback. He next conducted and arranged for Ed Sullivan's production company, arranging a new theme for The Late Show, while still writing, producing and singing his radio and television jingles. At the same time, he and Jeanne Lucas performed as a duo for a two-season run at New York's Upstairs at the Downstairs club.[12]
Career
1970s: Success
Manilow's association with Bette Midler began at the Continental Baths in New York City.[13] He accompanied her and other artists on the piano from 1970 to 1971, and Midler chose Manilow to assist with the production of her first two albums, The Divine Miss M (1972) and Bette Midler (1973), and act as her musical director on the The Divine Miss M tour.[14] Manilow worked with Midler for four years, from 1971 to 1975. In 1973, Bell Records released Manilow's first album, Barry Manilow, which offered an eclectic mix of piano-driven pop and guitar-driven rock music. The album included a song that Manilow had composed for the 1972 war drama Parades. Among the songs in the album were "Friends," "Cloudburst," and "Could It Be Magic." Bette Midler permitted Manilow to sing three of the songs in that album during intermission in her show.
As a result of a corporate takeover, Bell Records, along with other labels, was merged into a new entity named Arista Records, under the leadership of Clive Davis, who seized the opportunity to drop many artists. However, after seeing Manilow perform as the opening act at a Dionne Warwick concert, he was convinced that he had a winner on his hands, and a mentorship lasting decades resulted.
The partnership began to bear fruit in 1974, with the release of Manilow's second album, Barry Manilow II, on both Bell and Arista, which contained the breakthrough number-one hit, "Mandy". Ironically, Manilow had not wanted to record "Mandy," as he hadn't written it ?- but the song was included at the insistence of Clive Davis. Following the success of Barry Manilow II, the first Bell release was re-mixed and re-issued as Barry Manilow I. When Manilow went on his first tour, he included as part of his show "A Very Strange Medley," a sampling of some of the commercial jingles that he had written or sung. Beginning with Manilow's March 22, 1975 appearance on American Bandstand to promote Barry Manilow II (where he sang "Mandy" and "It's A Miracle"), a productive friendship with Dick Clark started.[15] Numerous appearances by Manilow on Clark's productions of Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve, singing his original seasonal favorite "It's Just Another New Year's Eve", American Bandstand anniversary shows, American Music Awards performances and his 1985 television movie Copacabana are among their projects together.
"Mandy" was the start of a string of hit singles and albums that lasted through the rest of the 1970s to the early 1980s, coming from the multi-platinum and multi-hit albums Tryin' to Get the Feeling, This One's for You, Even Now and One Voice. Despite being a solid songwriter in his own right, Manilow has had great success with songs by others. Among the hits which he did not write are "Mandy," "Tryin' to Get the Feeling Again", "Weekend in New England," "Looks Like We Made It," "Can't Smile Without You" and "Ready to Take a Chance Again." "I Write The Songs," for example, was written by Bruce Johnston of The Beach Boys. According to album liner notes, Manilow did, however, co-produce them with Ron Dante and arrange them. In addition, he wasn't allowed to curse, since if he did they'd never play him on the AM radio.
Manilow's breakthrough in Britain came with the release of Manilow Magic - The Best Of Barry Manilow, also known as Greatest Hits. On its initial release, the was accompanied by a large television advertising campaign, but the album was only available by mail order on the "Teledisc" label. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, ABC aired four variety television specials starring and executive produced by Manilow. The Barry Manilow Special with Penny Marshall as his guest premiered on March 2, 1977 to an audience of 37 million. The breakthrough special was nominated for four Emmys and won in the category of "Outstanding Comedy-Variety or Music Special".[16] The Second Barry Manilow Special in 1978, with Ray Charles as his guest, was also nominated for four Emmys.[17]
Manilow's "Ready To Take a Chance Again" and "Copacabana" originated in the film Foul Play.[18] "Ready To Take A Chance Again" was nominated that year for the "Best Original Song".[19] Copacabana would later take the form of a musical television movie starring Manilow and three musical plays. On February 11, 1979, a concert from Manilow's sold-out dates at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles, California was aired on HBO's series Standing Room Only, which was the first pay-television show to seriously challenge network primetime specials in the ratings. From the same tour in 1978, a one-hour special from Manilow's sold out concert at Royal Albert Hall aired in England.
On May 23, 1979, ABC aired The Third Barry Manilow Special, with John Denver as his guest. This special was nominated for two Emmy awards and won for "Outstanding Achievement in Choreography".[20] Also in 1979, Manilow produced Dionne Warwick's "comeback" album Dionne. The Arista album was her first to go platinum and spawned "I'll Never Love This Way Again" and "Deja Vu". He also scored a top ten hit of his own in the Fall of 1979 with the song "Ships" from the Album "One Voice".
1980s: Midlife
The 1980s gave Manilow the adult contemporary chart-topping hit songs "The Old Songs," "Somewhere Down The Road," "Read 'Em and Weep" and a remake of the 1941 Jule Styne and Frank Loesser standard "I Don't Want to Walk Without You." Manilow continued having high radio airplay throughout the decade. In the UK, Manilow had five sold-out performances at the Royal Albert Hall, for which nearly a half million people vied for the 21,500 available seats. In the United States, he sold out Radio City Music Hall in 1984 for 10 nights and set a box-office sales record of nearly $2 million, making him the top draw in the then 52-year history of the Music Hall.[21] In 1980, Manilow's One Voice special, with Dionne Warwick as his guest, was nominated for an Emmy for "Outstanding Achievement in Music Direction".[22]
Also in 1980, a concert from Manilow's sold-out shows at the Wembley Arena was broadcast while he was on a world tour. Manilow released the self-titled Barry (1980), which was his first album to not reach the top ten in the United States, stopping at #15. The album contained "I Made It Through The Rain" and "Bermuda Triangle." "We Still Have Time" was featured in the 1980 drama Tribute. The album If I Should Love Again followed in 1981, containing "The Old Songs", "Let's Hang On" and "Somewhere Down The Road". This was the first of his own albums that Manilow produced without Ron Dante, who had co-produced all the previous albums. Manilow's sold-out concert at the Pittsburgh Civic Arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania was aired nationally on Showtime, and locally on Philadelphia's now-defunct PRISM (a local sports and movie channel). In 1982, a concert from his sold out Royal Albert Hall show was broadcast in England. The live album and video Barry Live in Britain also came from his Royal Albert Hall shows.
On August 27, 1983, Manilow performed a landmark open air concert at Blenheim Palace in Britain. It was the first such event ever held at that venue and was attended by a conservative estimate of 40,000 people. In December 1983, Manilow was reported to have endowed the music departments at six major universities in the United States and Canada.[23] The endowments were part of a continuing endeavor by Manilow to recognize and encourage new musical talent.[24]
During his midlife years, Manilow began to expand his repertoire by exploring his own musical interests. The result was his 1984 collection of original barroom tunes 2:00 AM Paradise Cafe, a jazz/blues album that was recorded in one live take in the studio. In 1984, Showtime aired a documentary of Manilow recording the album with a number of jazz legends, such as Sarah Vaughn and Mel Tormé. In 1984 and 1985, England aired two one-hour concert specials from his National Exhibition Centre (NEC) concerts. In 1985, Manilow left Arista Records for RCA Records. There he released the pop album Manilow, and began a phase of international music, as he performed songs and duets in French, Spanish, Portuguese and Japanese, among other languages. The Manilow album was a complete about face from the Paradise Cafe album, containing a number of tracks that were of a modern uptempo and synthesized quality. In 1985, Japan aired a concert special Manilow did there where he played "Sakura" on the koto.
In his only lead acting role, he portrayed Tony Starr in a 1985 CBS film based on Copacabana which also featured Annette O'Toole as Lola Lamarr and Joseph Bologna as Rico. This was named one of the top TV specials of the year by TV Guide magazine. Manilow penned all the songs for the movie, with lyrics provided by established collaborators Bruce Sussman and Jack Feldman. RCA records also released a soundtrack album of the movie. In October 1986, Manilow, along with Bruce Sussman, Tom Scott, and Charlie Fox went to Washington, D.C. for two days of meetings with legislators, including lunch with then Senator Al Gore (D-TN).[25] They were there to lobby against a copyright bill put forward by local television broadcasters that would mandate songwriter-producer source licensing of theme and incidental music on syndicated television show reruns and would disallow use of the blanket license now in effect. The songwriters said without the blanket license, artists would have to individually negotiate up front with producers, without knowing if a series will be a success. The license now pays according to a per-use formula. Manilow said that such a bill would act as a precedent for broadcasters to get rid of the blanket license entirely.[26]
The following year, McGraw-Hill published his autobiography Sweet Life: Adventures on the Way to Paradise which had taken him about three years to complete. While promoting his autobiography, Manilow defended his music in a telephone interview: "I live in laid-back L.A., but in my heart, I'm an energetic New Yorker and that's what has always come out of my music. I've always been surprised when the critics said I made wimpy, little ballads".[27] Manilow returned to Arista Records in 1987 with the release of Swing Street. The album contained a mixture of traditional after-dark and techno jazz. It contained "Brooklyn Blues", an autobiographical song for Manilow, and "Hey Mambo" an uptempo Latin style duet with Kid Creole, produced with the help of Emilio Estefan, Jr., founder of Miami Sound Machine.
In March 1988, CBS aired Manilow's Big Fun on Swing Street special that featured songs and special guests from his Swing Street and 2:00 AM Paradise Cafe albums including Kid Creole and the Coconuts, Phyllis Hyman, Stanley Clarke, Carmen McRae, Tom Scott, Gerry Mulligan, Diane Schuur, Full Swing, and Uncle Festive a band within Manilow's band at the time. The special was nominated for two Emmys in categories of "Outstanding Lighting Direction (Electronic): For a Variety/Music or drama series, a miniseries or a special" and won in the category of "Outstanding Art Direction for a Variety or Music program".[28] England also aired another NEC one-hour concert special Manilow did while on his Big Fun Tour de Force tour.
In 1988, he performed "Please Don't Be Scared" and "Mandy/Could It Be Magic" at That's What Friends Are For: AIDS Concert '88, a benefit concert for the Warwick Foundation headed by Dionne Warwick and shown on Showtime a couple of years later. In the 1988 Walt Disney Pictures cartoon movie Oliver & Company Bette Midler's character sung a new Manilow composition called "Perfect Isn't Easy". The 1989 release of Barry Manilow, which contained "Please Don't Be Scared", "Keep Each Other Warm" and "The One That Got Away", ended Manilow's streak of albums of original self-written material. Except for two songs, the songs were neither written nor arranged by himself and was the beginning of a phase of his recording career consisting of covers and compilations.[29]
In 1989, Manilow put on a show named Barry Manilow at the Gershwin from April 18 to June 10, 1989 where he made 44 appearances.[30] By coincidence, the Gershwin Theatre (formally called the Uris Theatre) was the same one where Barry Manilow Live was recorded in 1976. A bestselling 90-minute video of the same show was released the following year as Barry Manilow Live On Broadway. The Showtime one-hour special Barry Manilow SRO On Broadway consisted of edited highlights from this video. Manilow followed this set of shows with a sold out world tour of the Broadway show.
1990s: Under cover
In the 1990s, Manilow's album career changed significantly. His recordings switched from him being primarily a singer-songwriter to him being a cover artist. A trend that started with the 1989 release Barry Manilow, continued with his 1990 Christmas LP Because It's Christmas. Consequent "event" albums followed including: Showstoppers, a collection of Broadway songs (1991), Singin' with the Big Bands (1994) and a late 1970s collection Summer of '78 (1996) which included the hit "I Go Crazy", formerly a hit for Paul Davis in 1978. Many consider this to be the weakest effort of Manilow's career. The decade ended with Manilow recording a tribute to Frank Sinatra Manilow Sings Sinatra (1998) released months after Sinatra's death.
In 1990, Japan aired National Eolia Special: Barry Manilow On Broadway where he sang the title song "Eolia", which was used as a song there in a commercial for an air conditioner company of the same name, as well as other songs from his 1989-1990 Live on Broadway tour. In the early 1990s, Manilow signed on with Don Bluth to compose the songs with lyricists Jack Feldman and Bruce Sussman for three animated films. He co-wrote the Broadway-style musical scores for Thumbelina (1994) and The Pebble and the Penguin (1995). The third film, entitled Rapunzel, was shelved after the poor performance of Pebble. Manilow was also to be cast as the voice of a cricket. Manilow also composed the score and wrote two songs with Bruce Sussman for Disney Sing Along Songs: Let's Go To The Circus. But unfortunately, because of a contract agreed by both of them, Andrew Belling and Domenick Allen were credited as composers, meaning that nobody isn't supposed to know that a celebrity like Manilow should be credited in that movie.
On February 19, 1992, Manilow testified before the Subcommittee on Intellectual Property and Judicial Administration House Committee in support of H.R. 3204 The Audio Home Recording Act of 1991.[31] The bill was signed into law on October 28, 1992 by President George H. W. Bush. The Act, an historic compromise between the consumer electronics and music industries, became effective immediately. In 1993, PBS aired Barry Manilow: The Best of Me, taped at Wembley Arena in England that year, to fundraise. The BBC also played a one-hour version of the same show including "The Best of Me" sung during the concert, a bonus song or "lucky strike extra" as Manilow says, not seen in The Greatest Hits...and then some, the video release of the show; however, the song was included on the DVD of the same title, with Manilow seated in front of a black curtain, lip-syncing to the recording. Manilow branched out in another direction and with longtime lyricist Bruce Sussman launched Copacabana, a musical play based on previous Manilow-related adaptations. They wrote new songs and it ran for two years on the London West End and a tour company formed.
In December 1996, A&E aired Barry Manilow: Live By Request, the first of two Live By Requests he does. The broadcast was A&E's most successful music program, attracting an estimated 2.4 million viewers. The show was also simulcast on the radio. In March 1997, VH-1 aired Barry Manilow: The Summer of '78, a one-hour special of Manilow solo at the piano being interviewed and playing his greatest hits as well as songs from Summer of '78 his latest release at the time. In another collaboration between Manilow and Sussman they co-wrote the musical Harmony, which previewed October 7 to November 23, 1997 at the La Jolla Playhouse in La Jolla, California.[32] Later in 2003, Harmony was originally scheduled for a tryout run in Philadelphia before going to Broadway, but was cancelled after financial difficulties. After a legal battle with Mark Schwartz, the show's producer, Manilow and Sussman in 2005 won back the rights to the musical.[33]
On October 23, 1999, NBC aired the two-hour special StarSkates Salute to Barry Manilow taped at the Mandalay Bay Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada featuring numerous figure skaters performing to Manilow's music. Manilow also performed as well.
2000s: Comeback
In the beginning of the new century Manilow had two specials, Manilow Country and Manilow Live!, taped over two consecutive days at the Tennessee Performing Arts Center in Nashville, Tennessee. On April 11, 2000, The Nashville Network (TNN) aired the two-hour Manilow Country, which featured country stars Trisha Yearwood, Neal McCoy, Deana Carter, Jo Dee Messina, Lorrie Morgan, Kevin Sharp, Lila McCann, Gillian Welch and Jaci Velasquez singing their favorite Manilow hits with a "country" twist. Manilow performed as well. The special was TNN's first high definition broadcast and became one of TNN's highest rated concert specials.
In June 2000, DirectTV aired the two-hour concert special Manilow Live! where Manilow had his band, a 30-piece orchestra, and a choir. This HDTV special documented his most recent concert tour with the greatest hits of his career and was released to video. Also in 2000, he worked with Monica Mancini on her Concord album The Dreams of Johnny Mercer which included seven songs Manilow wrote to Mercer's lyrics. Meanwhile, Manilow's record contract with Arista Records was not renewed due to new management. He then got a contract at Concord Records, a jazz-oriented label in California, and started work on the long-anticipated concept album, Here at the Mayflower. The album was another eclectic mix of styles, almost entirely composed and produced by Manilow himself.
While Manilow was at Concord Records, the Barry Manilow Scholarship was awarded for four consecutive years from 2002 to 2005 to the six highest-achieving students to reward excellence in the art and craft of lyric writing. The UCLA Extension course "Writing Lyrics That Succeed and Endure," taught by long time Manilow collaborator Marty Panzer and each student received three additional "master class" advanced sessions as well as a three-hour private, one-on-one session with Mr. Panzer. Scholarship recipients were selected by the instructor based on progress made within the course, lyric writing ability, and the instructor's assessment of real potential in the field of songwriting.[34] In February 2002, Manilow's recording career bounced back into the charts when Arista released a greatest hits album titled Ultimate Manilow. On May 18, 2002, Manilow returned to CBS with Ultimate Manilow, his first special at the network since his 1988 Big Fun on Swing Street special. The special was filmed in the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, California and was nominated for an Emmy in the category of "Outstanding Music Direction".[35]
Produced by Manilow, Bette Midler Sings the Rosemary Clooney Songbook was first released on September 30, 2003. It was the first time that Bette Midler had worked with Barry in more than twenty years. Instantly successful, the album went gold and they worked together again on a 2005 follow-up album entitled Bette Midler Sings the Peggy Lee Songbook. On December 3, 2003, A&E aired A Barry Manilow Christmas: Live by Request, his second of two concerts for the series. The two-hour special had Manilow taking requests for Christmas songs performed live with a band and an orchestra. Also on the special were guests Cyndi Lauper, Jose Feliciano, and Bette Midler (Midler, busy preparing her own tour in LA, appeared only in a pre-taped segment).
2004 saw the release of two albums. These were, consecutively, a live album, 2 Nights Live! (BMG Strategic Marketing Group, 2004), and Scores: Songs from Copacabana & Harmony, an album of Manilow singing his musicals songs were both released in 2004. Scores was the last of Manilow's creative project with the Concord label.
During his third appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show on September 15, 2004, Winfrey announced that Manilow is one of the most requested guests of all time on her show. On the show he promoted his One Night Live! One Last Time! tour. It was around this time period where Manilow appeared for the first time on the mainstream FOX program American Idol in which his back-up singer, Debra Byrd, doubles as voice coach on the series. It was also during this period that several in the media felt the meteoric rise of Idol runner-up Clay Aiken and the constant comparisons of him to Manilow caused the revitalization of Manilow's career in the mainstream with a lot of younger music listeners learning of Manilow by way of the comparisons of Clay Aiken to him. Manilow appeared on Aiken's TV special, A Clay Aiken Christmas. It was reported that Manilow often introduced himself to younger audiences with comments such as "I'm Barry Manilow.... This is what Clay Aiken will look like in 30 years."
Las Vegas Hilton executives in a press conference with Manilow on December 14, 2004 announced his signing to a long-term engagement as the house show.[36] In March 2006, Manilow's engagement was extended through 2008.[37]
Manilow returned to Arista Records under the guidance of Davis for a new album of cover versions released on January 31, 2006 called The Greatest Songs of the Fifties. Manilow said he was blown away with the idea, which Davis presented to him when he visited his Las Vegas show. "When he suggested this idea to me, I slapped my forehead and said, 'Why hasn't anyone thought of this idea?'" Manilow said. "But of course there is only one Clive Davis. I feel honored and terribly fortunate to be working with him again after all these years. It's like coming home."[38] The album included classic songs from that decade, like "Are You Lonesome Tonight?" and "Unchained Melody". It was an unexpected hit, debuting at number one in the Billboard 200, marking the first time a Manilow album debuted at the top of the album chart as well as the first time a Manilow album has reached number one in 29 years. It was eventually certified Platinum in the U.S., and sold over three million copies worldwide.
In March 2006, PBS aired Barry Manilow: Music and Passion, a Hilton concert taped exclusively for the network's fundraising drive. Manilow was nominated for two Emmys, winning for "Outstanding Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program". A sequel album to his best-selling fifties tribute album, The Greatest Songs of the Sixties was released on October 31, 2006 including songs such as "And I Love Her" and "Can't Help Falling in Love". It nearly repeated the success of its predecessor, debuting at #2 in the Billboard 200.
In January 2007, Manilow returned to his hometown of New York City for three shows at Madison Square Garden. One highlight was the showing onscreen of Manilow performing in one of his first television appearances while the "live" Manilow played along onstage. In July 2007, it was revealed that Manilow will release a CD spotlighting the decade he became a super-star: the 1970s. The Greatest Songs of the Seventies is set to be released September 18, 2007. Released September 18, 2007 was Manilow's new album. "The Greatest Songs of the Seventies" was a follow-up album to the record-breaking previous two albums "Greatest Songs of the Fifties" and "Greatest Songs of the Sixties." Manilow surpassed any other artist on QVC selling thousands of albums while performing live during an interview. The album also contained "Acoustic" versions of several Manilow hits.
A television special taped for PBS took place in Manilow's home town, Brooklyn, New York. The show will appear on television soon. Although Manilow is now mostly located at the Las Vegas Hilton, he returned to the road in 2007. Several shows were played on the east coast of the United States in August of 2007. Four more shows are coming to Uniondale, New York, East Rutherford, New Jersey, Cleveland, Ohio, and Detroit, Michigan, all in December of 2007. Manilow launched another short tour in early 2008, visiting several large venues including the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, MN
Newsmaker
Throughout his career, Barry Manilow has made media headlines on various subjects from his health to crashing his Range Rover. Some of the most memorable ones include:
Edna Manilow, the mother of Barry Manilow, explained how her son got a scar on his right cheek by his nose: "How did you notice that? The scar on his cheek here? Well, when he was little, he had a little girlfriend, Elizabeth, and she pushed him and he fell and I didn't pay too much attention to it and then it started infecting ?- you know, it got an infection, and I had to take him to the hospital and it healed. But it stayed, obviously, you all noticed it. He puts on make-up."[39]
On October 25, 1978, one hour before his scheduled debut at the Olympia Theatre he fractured his ankle.[40] Manilow was rushed to a doctor who taped the injury minutes before he stepped onstage. Manilow insisted on going on and doing his complete show, which included an intricate disco dance in the popular "Copacabana" production number.[41]
In an April 1979 Ladies Home Journal interview, Manilow admitted to experimenting with marijuana, stating he lost the taste for it quickly.[42]
A young woman's letter was published in the syndicated Dear Abby advice column in late 1981 expressing her sincere desire to meet "lonely" Manilow, or actor Burt Reynolds.[43]
On February 4, 1982 Manilow who was bedridden in a Paris hotel with bronchial pneumonia, had been ordered by doctors to cancel a nine-concert European tour.[44] He was ordered to remain in bed for at least a week and would probably return to his Los Angeles home when he was able to travel, said publicist Heidi Ellen Robinson. Manilow became ill in Paris earlier that week after completing a month-long United Kingdom tour.[45]
Manilow sprained his ankle October 6, 1983 on the stage at London's Royal Festival Hall while performing at a sold-out benefit concert before the Prince and Princess of Wales, who hosted the show.[46] Manilow was treated and released from a London hospital.
Manilow made headlines when on December 7, 1986 he underwent emergency oral surgery at the Hospital of the Good Samaritan in Los Angeles to remove a non-cancerous cyst in his upper jaw that exploded.[47] Three days later he was released in good condition from the hospital. During the emergency, he used his friend Elizabeth Taylor's dental surgeon.[48]
On May 13, 1989 Manilow was rushed to Lenox Hill Hospital during intermission at Broadway's Gershwin Theater cancelling the second half of his show. His agent Susan Dubow said he was "feeling fine" after being forced from the Broadway stage because of an adverse reaction to medication prescribed for a stomach ailment. Dubow also added that Manilow was ready to return to the stage to complete the run of his concert show, which was then extended one week to June 3.[49]
In 1989, Manilow made headlines again when he told Us Magazine he was hoping for a dinner invitation from his new Bel-Air neighbors, Ronald and Nancy Reagan, but complains they cramp his style of sunbathing in the nude.[50] "I thought it was pretty hot, but there is Secret Service all over the place. I always know when they are coming home because of all the helicopters. If I am out there sunbathing in the nude, I go, 'S---, the Reagans are coming home.' But, who knows, maybe they will invite me over for dinner one night."[51]
Manilow's personal life caused quite a stir in the late 1980s when an American tabloid claimed he was engaged to porn star Robin Byrd. On a June 22, 1989 appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, Manilow was asked by Carson about the headline story.[52] He disputed the story telling Carson he is just friends with Byrd and an innocent picture was taken and that there is no truth to them being engaged. After he met Byrd, his band gave him a videotape of Debbie Does Dallas as a present for his birthday. Manilow added to Carson that he can't watch his friend doing that.[53] It turned out to be a publicity stunt by Byrd who used Manilow to gain greater fame.
To help with the aftermath of Hurricane Hugo in 1989 which affected the Charleston, South Carolina, area, Manilow held a benefit concert November 12, 1989 at the University of South Carolina's Carolina Coliseum in Columbia, where the $10 tickets sold out in three hours, and asked concertgoers to bring canned food to be donated to residents in disaster areas.[54] Before his concert, Mayor T. Patton Adams named that day "Barry Manilow Day" and Manilow presented the Red Cross and the Salvation Army with checks of $42,500 each.[55]
On February 27, 1992, Manilow was the Master of Ceremonies for friend Elizabeth Taylor's 60th birthday bash at Disneyland in Anaheim, California and sang "I Made It Through the Rain" to Taylor who was accompanied by her eighth husband, Larry Fortensky.[56]
On January 15, 1994, three hours before showtime Manilow abruptly cancelled a concert at the Convention Center in Atlantic City, New Jersey, disappointing thousands of fans who had braved freezing temperatures to see him perform at an Ethnic Pride and Heritage Festival to benefit the Community Foundation of New Jersey as well as United Hospitals Medical Center Foundation and Newark Museum in Newark during the pre-inaugural activities for then New Jersey Governor-elect Christie Whitman. Manilow said in a statement that he was specifically told in writing the concert would be part of a non-partisan event.[57] Donald Trump stepped in and shuffled his entertainment schedule at Trump Plaza and dispatched Paul Anka to substitute for Manilow. The charities went after Manilow for the $200,000 advance he took for the concert which he refunded over a month later.[58] The Trentonian newspaper gave the "Geek of the Week" award to Manilow, and Trump banned him from Atlantic City for a dozen years.
In another headline story, Manilow, on February 8, 1994, sued Los Angeles radio station KBIG (104.3 FM), seeking $13 million in damages and $15 million in punitive damages because their ad was causing irreparable damage to his professional reputation. The ad, a 30-second spot introduced that January 31, suggested that people listen to KBIG because it does not play Manilow's music. The lawsuit, was filed in Orange County Superior Court by Manilow's attorney C. Tucker Cheadle of Hastings, Clayton & Tucker in Los Angeles.[59] Two days later, KBIG/104.3 FM agreed to drop the commercial poking fun at the singer, but a lawyer representing his business interests stopped short of agreeing to withdraw a $28 million lawsuit.[60]
On February 20, 1996, just after noon, Manilow wrecked his 1993 Range Rover in a four-vehicle crash on a rain-slick interstate in Los Angeles while heading to his Bel-Air home.[61] No one was injured in the accident. Manilow, who wasn't hurt, stood on the shoulder of Interstate 5 signing autographs and posing for snapshots until an aide showed up and took him home, his spokeswoman Susan Dubow said.[62]
In March 1996, Manilow had photorefractive keratectomy eye surgery done on one of his eyes.[63] People Weekly, in their June 26, 2000 issue, reported that Manilow had eye surgery done by Los Angeles doctor Robert K. Maloney, but incorrectly stated it was LASIK. Manilow is quoted saying he now connects with the audience instead of "seeing a blur."[64][65] Manilow defended his doctor against comedian Kathy Griffin, who claims Maloney botched her LASIK eye surgery.[66]
In October 1996, it was reported that Manilow sold his gated, two-acre Bel-Air home of 17 years with a recording studio for close to its $2.45 million asking price and was looking to buy another residence in the Los Angeles area. He had multiple offers on the 1950s home of 3,700 square feet with many pathways, a long driveway and city views. It finally went to a local television producer. The nearby Hotel Bel-Air supposedly regularly provided Manilow with room service.[67]
On June 26, 1997, Manilow was diagnosed with bronchitis before a scheduled performance in Austin, Texas, his spokeswoman Susan Dubow said the following day.[68] Four other shows also had to be postponed. Manilow was back on the road that July 8 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Dubow said this is only the second time in Manilow's career that illness forced him to postpone a performance.[69]
Arizona Court of Appeals Judge Philip Espinosa, in another notable headline story, sued Manilow over the volume of a December 23, 1993 concert he attended with his wife.[70] The judge said in a lawsuit he has had a constant ringing in his ears and nearly blew his ears out. Espinosa sought unspecified damages, and the trial was set for September 23, 1997. The suit also names Manilow's production company, an Arizona concert promoter and the city of Tucson, which runs the convention center where the concert was held. In July 1997, to settle the suit it was reported that Manilow donated $5,000 to American Tinnitus Association, an ear-disorder association.[71]
On May 22, 1999, Manilow was rushed to a Los Angeles hospital after suffering an adverse reaction to dental surgery. According to Manilow's spokesperson Susan Dubow, he spent two days in the hospital with an infected mouth and then was "resting comfortably at home." Since the initial operation in 1986 when Manilow had a benign tumor removed from the roof of his mouth he has had to have minor dental surgery several times over the years. It was following such a procedure that Manilow's mouth became infected, Dubow explained.[72]
In October 2001, Manilow visited Ground Zero in New York City.[73]
On May 28, 2003, Manilow injured his nose in the middle of night when he awoke disoriented and walked into a wall when he returned to his Palm Springs home after spending two weeks in Malibu working on longtime friend Bette Midler's upcoming Rosemary Clooney tribute album. He passed out for four hours after the accident but was OK, his manager said.[74]
On July 29, 2003, Manilow had a complete upper and lower facelift, which includes the removal of drooping skin from the eyelids and the general tightening of facial skin. Manilow was photographed after the surgery with what looked like a surgical wrap under his chin while leaving a plastic surgeon's office wearing a disguise of dark glasses and a blonde wig in the streets of Beverly Hills, California in an effort to escape without recognition.[75]
On January 31, 2004, Manilow was treated for stress-related chest pains during a 24-hour stay at the Desert Regional Medical Center in Palm Springs, California. Manilow was rushed to the hospital after two days of arbitration in a lawsuit where he was fighting to win back the rights to the original stage musical "Harmony" from producer Mark Schwartz. Manilow was diagnosed with an atrial fibrillation. After his heart rate returned to normal, doctors permitted him to return home.[76]
Some fans were unhappy that Manilow, through a Platinum Package, began charging his fans $1,000 each to meet him after concert shows for a meet-and-greet, champagne, photo session and front row seats. The money goes to Manilow's foundation and each participant is only allowed to do this one time. They do keep track..[77]
To help in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, for every US dollar donated by his fans to the American Red Cross through the Manilow Fund for Health and Hope website, Manilow personally matched, and the fund itself also matched, tripling the original donation. The fund delivered $150,000 in less than 48 hours to the American Red Cross, and hoped to raise a grand total of $300,000.[78][79]
Manilow made headlines in June 2006 when Australian officials blasted his music between 9pm until midnight every Friday, Saturday and Sunday to deter gangs of youths from congregating in a residential area late at night.[80] On July 18, 2006, Manilow released a tongue-in-cheek statement saying that the youths might like his music.[81]
On August 29, 2006, Manilow had hip surgery at a Southern California hospital. According to his press release, he tore the labrum (cartilage) in both hips. When the symptoms of extreme pain and discomfort did not go away following preliminary treatment, an MRI arthogram was performed and the labrum tears were discovered.[82]
On September 17, 2007, producers of ABC's The View cancelled a scheduled appearance of Manilow on the show because his reps demanded that Elisabeth Hasselbeck not be on the show during his appearance because of her conservative stance. He stated, "I strongly disagree with her views. I think she's dangerous and offensive. I will not be on the same stage as her."[83] His objections came despite having appeared twice on the show with Hasselbeck the previous year. Many believe that this was prompted by previous The View host Rosie O'Donnell, who is a good friend of Manilow. Both have been involved with gay rights organizations.
Political donations
Manilow has donated money to the presidential campaigns of Hillary Clinton, John Edwards, Barack Obama, Ron Paul, and Joe Biden.[84]
Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers sang and danced to it in "Follow the Fleet" a long, long time ago.
