Bio : Barry Manilow
"In a world forever striving for peace, could Barry Manilow be the answer?" - Washington Post after Barry Manilow's headlining performance at the Nobel Peace Prize Concert in Oslo, Norway.
"Among the few things one can count on in life: the taste of McDonald's cheeseburgers, "I Love Lucy" reruns are still funny—and Barry Manilow never wearing out his welcome at the top of the charts." -Billboard Magazine.
The GRAMMY®, TONY®, and EMMY® Award-winning musician Barry Manilow has had an astonishing 51 Top 40 singles, including 13 #1s and 28 Top 10 hits.
A Songwriters Hall of Fame inductee, Manilow has triumphed in every medium of entertainment. He is one of the world's all-time bestselling recording artists, with worldwide sales of more than 85 million records, and his success is a benchmark in popular music. His concerts sell out instantly. He is ranked as the top Adult Contemporary chart artist of all time, according to R&R (Radio & Records) and Billboard Magazines. Rolling Stone crowned him "a giant among entertainers… the showman of our generation." Dave Grohl of the Foo Fighters stated, "Barry Manilow is the coolest motherf***er in the world," Frank Sinatra summed up Manilow best when Ol' Blue Eyes told the British press, "He's next."
Music is Manilow's passion -- both in the studio and classroom. While he has released over 40 albums, Manilow has also raised millions through his Manilow Music Project. In response to drastic budget cuts in arts programs across the U.S., the Manilow Music Project is keeping the music alive by ensuring that middle school and high school students have instruments in their hands to use in their music classes.
Manilow's roots are in his native Brooklyn, where music was integral to his life. By age seven, he was taking accordion lessons and playing on a neighbor's piano. Choosing a career in music while still in his teens, he attended New York College of Music and the Julliard School of Music while working in the CBS mailroom. Subsequently, he became musical director for the CBS show "Callback" (American Idol's predecessor), leading to a lucrative sideline on New York's advertising jingle circuit.
In 1971, Barry Manilow met Bette Midler and became her music director, arranger, and pianist. He signed with Bell Records the following year to record his debut solo album.
In 1974, Clive Davis founded a new label, Arista, along with Columbia Pictures. Davis had the right to choose any artist on the Columbia Pictures-owned Bell Records to bring to Arista. Davis chose Manilow, and the rest is history. He famously brought Manilow a recent U.K. hit rock song, "Brandy" (written by Scott English). Clive and Barry changed the title to "Mandy" so it wouldn't be confused with the Looking Glass U.S. hit "Brandy."
Using his arranging and producing abilities, Manilow changed the rock song into the sweeping ballad that the world knows. When the Arista single reached Number One in early 1975, it ignited one of the most incandescent careers in pop music.
Manilow would describe himself as a musician before calling himself a singer. From the beginning, his love of music was, and still is, in arranging, composing, and songwriting. All of which were evident in his most recent original album, 15 MINUTES, released in 2011. Over two years in the making, Manilow produced the album with Michael Lloyd and reunited with lyricist Enoch Anderson. Inspired by the Andy Warhol quote, "In the future, everybody will be world-famous for fifteen minutes," this edgy, guitar-driven pop album is a captivating musical odyssey exploring the perils and pinnacles of fame's double-edged sword. Since its release, 15 MINUTES has seen great success; the album debuted at #7 on the Billboard Top 200 and #1 on the Independent Chart.
On May 12, 2012, Manilow released his highest-charting live album since 1974, LIVE IN LONDON. This album features several of his most popular hits, including "Can't Smile Without You," "Mandy," and "Copacabana (At The Copa)." LIVE IN LONDON has seen great success, earning the #1 spot on Billboard's Top Internet Albums, #5 Indie Albums, and #24 on Billboard's Top 200. It is the highest-charting live album since 1977.
Beginning in 2006, Manilow triumphed with his hugely successful series of albums celebrating the great songs of four decades. The platinum album THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE FIFTIES entered at #1 on the Billboard 200 album chart.
Next came the platinum THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE SIXTIES, also released in 2006. It entered the chart at #2 and was the all-time highest first sales week debut chart entry of Manilow's career. With the "FIFTIES" and "SIXTIES" albums, Manilow became the first artist since 1981 to have two albums in the top two positions on the Billboard chart in one calendar year.
The success of the decades series continued with THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE SEVENTIES. Released in 2007, this album's chart debut made Manilow the only artist to have three top-four debuts on the Billboard 200 chart in two years.
THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE EIGHTIES marked the fourth album of the decades series to enter the Top 10.
In the winter of 2010, Manilow completed his remarkable decades series with a Grammy® nomination for THE GREATEST LOVE SONGS OF ALL TIME, co-produced by Manilow, Clive Davis, and Michael Lloyd (Somewhere in Time and Dirty Dancing).
Other Manilow album highlights touching on many music styles include the ground-breaking album called 2:00 AM PARADISE CAFÉ. In 1985, Manilow stepped out of his pop comfort zone to create this original jazz album. Set in an imaginary nightclub and featuring jazz legends Sarah Vaughan, Mel Tormé, and Gerry Mulligan, this album was the pinnacle of Manilow's originality. Packed with all of Manilow's original compositions, the platinum 2:00 AM PARADISE CAFÉ received the best reviews of Manilow's career.
The Techno-Jazz SWING STREET (1987) featured guest appearances by Stan Getz, Phyllis Hyman, Kid Creole, and Diane Schuur.
Later came SHOWSTOPPERS (1991), spanning nearly a century of Broadway show tunes.
For 1994's SINGIN' WITH THE BIG BANDS, Manilow was paired with the orchestras of Les Brown, Duke Ellington, Jimmy Dorsey, Benny Goodman, Harry James, and Glenn Miller on a glorious set of Swing Era standards.
1998's MANILOW SINGS SINATRA paired Barry with Grammy-winning producer Phil Ramone, paying homage to the great songs made famous by the legendary Frank Sinatra.
Manilow is ranked as the top Adult Contemporary chart artist of all time, according to R&R (Radio & Records), with 51 Top 40 Hits. The list includes all-time favorites that Manilow still sings today: "Mandy," "It's A Miracle," "Could It Be Magic," "I Write the Songs," "Tryin' To Get the Feeling Again," "This One's For You," "Weekend In New England," "Looks Like We Made It," "Can't Smile Without You," "Even Now," and the Grammy Award-winning "Copacabana (At the Copa)." All these songs (and more) were anthologized on the commemorative 1992 four-CD boxed set, BARRY MANILOW: THE COMPLETE COLLECTION AND THEN SOME.
To date, 29 of Manilow's albums have been certified platinum, while BARRY MANLOW/LIVE (1977), EVEN NOW (1978), and GREATEST HITS (1978) are each certified triple platinum.
Every album produced by Manilow for other artists—including Bette Midler, Nancy Wilson, and Dionne Warwick—has been nominated for Grammy® Award.
A winner of Grammy®, Emmy®, and Tony® Awards, Manilow's film credits include the Oscar®-nominated song "Ready To Take A Chance Again" (from 1978's "Foul Play"), the production of Bette Midler's "Perfect Isn't Easy" (from Walt Disney's "Oliver and Company"), and writing and scoring the soundtracks for the animated features "Thumbelina" and "The Pebble and the Penguin."
Highlights of Manilow's theater career range from his Tony® Award-winning Broadway debut in 1977 (the same year ABC-TV presented "The Barry Manilow Special" to an audience of 37 million) to an eight-week SRO run on the Great White Way in 1989. Beginning in 1997, Barry Manilow's "Copacabana – The Musical," an elaborate two-act spectacular, played to packed houses in London's West End for 18 months before touring the U.S., Australia, and Asia. June 2001 saw the opening of "Could It Be Magic? – The Barry Manilow Songbook."
The singer has made countless television appearances, ranging from Emmy®-winning network specials to cable concerts, and has released best-selling long-form home videos such as "Live On Broadway" and "Because It's Christmas." His two-hour 1996 A&E special, "Barry Manilow: Live by Request," was the highest-rated music show in the network's history. Manilow also has appeared on the highly-rated TV series "Murphy Brown," "Ally McBeal," and "Will & Grace." In 2006, Manilow received his fifth Emmy® nomination and Emmy® win for the PBS special, "Manilow: Music and Passion." The broadcast celebrated Manilow's 100th performance at the Las Vegas Hilton. Produced by STILETTO Television, the Rhino DVD of the PBS special was soon certified triple platinum. "Barry Manilow: Happy Holiday!" is Manilow's holiday-themed television special from A&E's "Live By Request." Originally broadcast from New York City on a snowy December night in 2003, this show is among the highest-rated A&E "Live By Request" performances ever.
In June 2002, Manilow was inducted into the National Academy of Popular Music's Songwriters Hall of Fame alongside Ashford & Simpson, Michael Jackson, Randy Newman, and Sting. 2012, he was inducted into the Great American Songbook Hall of Fame.
Manilow is a member of the Board of Governors of the National Academy of Jazz member. His autobiography, Sweet Life: Adventures on the Way to Paradise, was published by McGraw-Hill in 1987. In addition to his foundation, the Manilow Fund for Health and Hope, other involvements include The Prince's Trust, United Way, the Starlight Foundation, and several leading organizations for AIDS prevention and research. Manilow is the national spokesperson for the Foundation Fighting Blindness and a member of the Music Center of Los Angeles.
In 2008, Manilow created The Manilow Music Project as part of his Manilow Fund for Health and Hope. Answering the call of need at a time when arts and music programs in most schools are the first casualties of budget cuts, The Manilow Music Project was launched by providing 300,000 dollars worth of musical instruments, as well as sheet music and music stands, to 21 local schools in California's Coachella Valley. Manilow performed his first-ever Hollywood Bowl concert on October 24, 2009, where, in association with the Manilow Music Project and the Grammy® Foundation, Manilow raised $100,000 for musical instruments for the Los Angeles United School District. He also organized an instrument drive and a $500,000 donation for the Las Vegas/Clark County School District. The Manilow Music Project has given away more than $10 million in instruments and donations to schools across the United States. Manilow also provides music scholarships at ten leading universities.
As CNN reported in 2011, "Barry Manilow not only writes the songs, he makes sure kids can too," referring to Manilow's cavalcade charge to assist the tornado-ravaged town of Joplin, Missouri. Manilow personally delivered $300,000 in musical instruments to the town's only high school upon learning that the storm had blown away the school's musical instruments. As Manilow says, "Anyone can make a difference. Just call your local schools and ask them what they need. Get 'em a new set of drums! Music changes a young person's life."
In 2013, Manilow's dedication to helping others in need was again recognized when he was honored with the Dream Foundation's Humanitarian Award. A testament to Manilow's philanthropic impact, Dream Foundation Founder and President Thomas Rollerson said, "Without the years of support of advocates like Barry, we simply would not have the resources needed to touch the lives of the families we serve."
In October 2013, Legacy Recordings released THE CLASSIC CHRISTMAS ALBUM, a compilation of Manilow's three successful Christmas albums over the past 15 years. The album's single, "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town," became Barry's 50th Top 40 hit.
Manilow celebrated the 40th Anniversary of Mandy and received his 15th Grammy nomination for MY DREAM DUETS. Modern technology gave Manilow the opportunity to record his "dream" duets with his musical heroes. The album was released on VERVE/Universal on October 27, 2014. The original vocal tracks for each guest artist were extracted from their original source recordings, allowing Manilow to re-orchestrate the arrangements, record new musical tracks, and then transport the guest vocals into vibrant new settings. From cherished idols like Judy Garland and Louis Armstrong to contemporary icons like Whitney Houston and John Denver, they have all joined Barry in his "virtual recording studio."
In 2017, Barry Manilow received the BMI Icon Award and was ranked as the #1 Adult Contemporary Artist of all time by Billboard and R&R magazines.
His residency in Las Vegas, MANILOW: LAS VEGAS—The Hits Come Home!, debuted in May 2018 to rave reviews and sold-out audiences. He has been named BEST OF LAS VEGAS by the city's major daily newspaper, LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL, and included in the inaugural class of Las Vegas Magazine's Hall of Fame. Other honors include Best Resident Performer/Headliner and Best New Show. This past year, his phenomenal success as a headliner in Las Vegas included surpassing Elvis Presley's legendary achievement of a record number of shows at the famous International Theater in the Westgate Hotel Las Vegas.
2023 marked another pinnacle in Manilow's career. His original Broadway musical, "HARMONY," opened to rave reviews, including a New York Times Critic's Pick. The musical chronicles the remarkable journey of The Comedian Harmonists, a harmony ensemble of six young men from 1930s Germany. Their meteoric rise to fame was overshadowed by the religious diversity within their group. The collision between their Jewish and Gentile backgrounds thrust them into the tumultuous currents of history.
Manilow returned to the charts in 2023 with his rendition of Mariah Carey's classic hit "All I Want for Christmas Is You," marking his 51st Top 40 hit. He continued to sell out shows, with five consecutive nights at Radio City Music Hall and being honored by The NY Pops at Carnegie Hall. 2023 culminated in his starring in two NBC specials: his very own Holiday special, "A Very Barry Christmas," and a headlining performance on NBC's Rockefeller Center Tree Lighting Special.
Manilow shows no signs of slowing down. Following a run of twelve consecutive sold-out shows and a recent honor as “Best Las Vegas Show” by USA TODAY, Manilow: Las Vegas – The Hits Come Home! remains one of the city’s most sought-after experiences. Manilow has been named Best Resident Performer by the Las Vegas Review-Journal, made history in 2024 by signing the first-ever Lifetime Residency Contract with Westgate, and was recently inducted into the Las Vegas Magazine Hall of Fame with their Lifetime Achievement Award.
After spending an unprecedented ten years at the top of the pop music charts, this multi-talented producer, arranger, musician, composer, singer, and performer has succeeded with albums focused on 50s Jazz, Techno-Jazz, Big Band Swing, Show Tunes, Sinatra Swing, songs from the Great American Songbook, Christmas music, and rock 'n roll. It makes one's head spin. No wonder Rolling Stone dubbed him "The Showman of Our Generation."