| Real Name: | Barry Manilow |
| Birthday: | June 17, 1943 |
| Net Worth | $100 million |
| Height: | 183 cm |
| Occupation: | Singer-songwriter, arranger, musician, producer and actor |
Barry Manilow is an American singer, producer, musician, and songwriter. He has a career spanning more than 50 years with hit singles like Mandy, I Write the Songs, Copacabana, Could it be Magic, Can’t Smile Without You, Looks Like We Made It, and more.
During his career, Manilow recorded and released more than 40 Top 40 Singles, 13 of which hit Number One. He has several multi-platinum albums. Now, Barry is not a favorite artist of music critics. But entertainers praise him.
He writes and produces songs for himself, but also for other artists. Manilow also writes and performs for musicals, commercials, and films. He has more than 80 million record sales, 3 Grammy Awards.
More than 50 Years in the Music Business
Barry started his career in the 1960s. Today, he is still active in the music business. His career started when he met with Bro Herrod, a CBS director. He asked Barry to arrange some songs for a musical adaptation of the melodrama The Drunkard. Manilow wrote an entire original score.
In the 1960s, Barry worked as a commercial jingle writer and singer. For some of the commercials, he adopted a childlike voice. In 1968, Barry arranged a new theme for The Late Show.
When the 1970s came along, Manilow started recording and accompanying artists on the piano for auditions and performances. Bette Midler saw Barry perform in 1971 and chose him as her pianist. In 1973, Bell Records released his first album, Barry Manilow, reaching gold certification.
In 1974, Clive Davis was the new president of Bell Records. He wanted to revitalize Columbia Pictures’ music division. The next year, Barry had his first breakthrough number-one hit, Mandy. Barry released his second album, with Mandy as the lead single. After Mandy, Barry had a string of hit singles and albums lasting up to the early 1980s.
In the 1980s, Manilow started performing in Britain, as he rose on the UK Charts. In 1980, he sold out shows at Wembley Arena. He also performed at Blenheim Palace in 1983, which he considered one of the most exciting nights in his life. In the 1980s, Manilow changed style more toward jazz and blues.
During the 1980s, Manilow had a show called Barry Manilow at the Gershwin, making 44 appearances at the Gershwin Theatre. There he recorded Barry Manilow Live in Broadway, a 90-minute video of the show.
When the 1990s came along, Barry started releasing cover tunes. For example, he released the 1990 Christmas LP Because It’s Christmas. He released a Christmas album, working with the pop girl trio Expose. They also recorded Jingle Bells.
His international exposure continued in the 1990s. Japan aired his Barry Manilow on Broadway, with Barry singing the title song Eolia. He used the same song for a commercial for an air conditioner company. In 1991, he produced the movie With My Lover Beside Me, by jazz vocalist Nancy Wilson.
Barry continued his legal battles during the 1990s. In 1992, he testified before the Subcommittee on Intellectual Property Judicial Administration in support of H.R. 3204. This is the Audio Home Recording Act of 1991.
In December 1996, A&E aired Barry Manilow: Live by Request, which was one of the two Live By Request appearances. It was the most successful music program for A&E, attracting more than 2 million viewers.
In 1998, Manilow released Manilow Sings Sinatra. The album earned him a Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album Grammy nomination. And in 1999, NBC aired a two-hour special dedicated to Manilow. The special, called StarSkates Salute to Barry Manilow, featured figure skaters performing his music.
In 2000, Manilow had two specials. His first Manilow Country, and then Manilow Live. He taped them in two consecutive days. The first one features country stars singing their favorite Manilow hits with a country twist. He also performed. It is still one of TNN’s highest rated concert specials.
In the 2000s, he put more focus on producing and helping others. While he was at Concord Records, they awarded the Manilow Scholarship for four consecutive years. They gave the scholarship to six highest-achieving students for excellence in the art and craft of lyric writing.
In the 2000s, Manilow worked with Bette Midler again. They produced the Bette Midler Sings the Rosemary Clooney Songbook. It was their first collaboration in more than 20 years. They worked together for Bette Midler Sings the Peggy Lee Songbook.
In 2004, he released two albums. The first one was a live album, 2 Nights Live, and the second was Scores: Song from Copacobana and Harmony. He sang songs from his musicals for the second album. He promoted his One Night Live One Last Time tour in 2004 during a visit to the Oprah Winfrey show.
In 2004, he also worked with Las Vegas Hilton to sign a long-term engagement as the house show. His show lasted from February 2005 until December 2009. He had more than 300 performances and 450,000 fans visiting them.
He continued working well into the 2010s. He released his The Greatest Love Songs of All Time album in January 2010. The same year, he opened his new show at the Paris Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. He finished his residency on December 11, 2012. That ended his seven-year stay in Las Vegas. Following his Vegas departure, Manilow returned to Broadway with concert series.
Personal Life and Relationships
Barry grew up in Brooklyn and graduated in 1961 from Eastern District High School. During high school, he met Susan Deixler. She would become his wife later on. The marriage was short-lived. Their marriage lasted only one year and they did not have any children.
He opened about his sexuality in 2017. He spoke to People magazine for the first time about his homosexuality. He told the magazine he met Garry Kief in 1978 and knew that was it. The couple kept the relationship a secret for many years.
Barry and Garry are together for more than 40 years. Together, they raise Kief’s daughter from his first marriage. When the two got together, Garry was in a marriage and had his 1-year old daughter, Kirsten.