Barry Manilow is a well-known American singer, songwriter, and actor whose career has spanned a variety of mediums, including singing, recording, songwriting, television, and film. He was one of the most gifted singer-songwriters during his height, with five of his albums being instant chartbusters. Michael Jackson, Bruce Springsteen, Frank Sinatra, and Johnny Mathis are among the musicians with whom he has collaborated. He has created tunes for a variety of well-known musicals, films, and advertisements in addition to producing his own albums. Aside from being a singer, he is most known for portraying ‘Tony Starr’ in the hit television series ‘Copacabana.’ Following his initial broadcast appearances, he quickly rose to prominence as a media mogul, starring in a variety of public events such as the ‘Let Freedom Ring’ pre-game show and headlining the legendary Las Vegas Hilton performances. He was a multi-talented artist who decided to branch out into new territories. He inked a three-film deal to write music for ‘The Pebble and the Penguin,’ ‘Thumbelina,’ and the third installment of ‘Rapunzel.’ A variety of theatre works, like ‘The Great White Way’ and ‘Copacabana-The Musical,’ have also been part of his long and colorful career.
Childhood and Adolescence
Edna Manilow and Harold Pincus had a son named Barry Alan Pincus. He is of Jewish faith and is of Irish-American origin. He attended Eastern District High School in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, where he was raised. In 1961, he graduated from the institute and applied to the Julliard School of Performing Arts. He was also working at CBS during this time to help pay for his education. Bro Herrod, the CBS director, approached him and requested him to collect songs for a musical adaptation of the drama ‘The Drunkard,’ for which he composed the whole score. Overnight, it became a smash hit.
Career of Barry Manilow
He began producing well-known jingles for ads for ‘Band-Aid’ and ‘Dr. Pepper’ after becoming the musical director of the CBS network television show in 1967. Bette Midler enlisted Manilow’s help on her sophomore albums, ‘The Divine Miss M’ and ‘Bette Midler,’ in the early 1970s. ‘Barry Manilow’, his debut album, was released at this time, in 1973, and was remixed and re-issued two years later. Meanwhile, his second album, ‘Barry Manilow II,’ was released.
In 1975, he published his third hit album, ‘Tryin’ to Get the Feeling,’ and the following year, ‘This One’s For You.’
He starred in and produced four television specials for the ABC Network in the late 1970s, one of which was dubbed “The Barry Manilow Special” and drew millions of viewers. In 1978, he released ‘Even Now,’ his fifth studio album, which went triple platinum and had four hit songs. ‘Manilow Magic- the Best of Barry Manilow,’ also known as ‘Greatest Hits,’ was released shortly after.
His song ‘Ready to Take a Chance Again’ was featured in the 1978 film ‘Foul Play,’ which was nominated for an Academy Award for ‘Best Original Score.’ He rose to fame in 1979 as the producer of Dionne Warwick’s album ‘Dionne,’ and with his song ‘Ships,’ from the album ‘One Voice,’ published the same year.
He played to a sold-out crowd at Wembley Stadium in England in 1980. In the same year, he published his self-titled album, ‘Barry,’ which charted in the top ten in the US. He released the album ‘If I Should Love Again’ the following year.
In 1982, he recorded his eleventh studio album live at the Royal Albert Hall in London, which was sold out. This record became known as ‘Barry Live in Britain,’ and it was a great hit in the UK, earning platinum certification.
In 1984, he released ‘2:00 AM Paradise Caf,’ a one-take recording. The next year, he released a self-titled album called ‘Manilow.’ During this period, he was cast as ‘Tony Star,’ the lead actor in the hit CBS sitcom ‘Copacabana.’
In 1987, he released his autobiography, ‘Sweet Life: Adventures on the Path to Paradise.’ The next year, he secured a new record deal with Arista Records and released ‘Swing Street.’ In 1989, he issued ‘Barry Manilow,’ his sixth self-titled album, which included the hits ‘Please Don’t Be Scared,’ ‘Keep Each Other Warm,’ and ‘The One That Got Away.’
In the same year, he performed 44 shows at the Gershwin Theatre, which became known as “Barry Manilow at the Gershwin.” ‘Because It’s Christmas,’ his first Christmas album, was published in 1990. ‘Showstoppers,’ ‘Singin’ with the Big Bands,’ ‘Summer of ’78,’ and ‘Manilow Sings Sinatra’ were among the ‘event’ albums he recorded between 1991 and 1998. He also co-wrote the Broadway musical scores for ‘Thumbelina,’ ‘The Pebble and the Penguin,’ and produced the CD ‘With My Lover Beside Me’ during this time.
In 2000, he was featured in the two-hour DirectTV recital special ‘Manilow Live!’ The next year, he released another concept album, ‘Here at the Mayflower.’ ‘Ultimate Manilow,’ ‘2 Nights Live!,’ ‘Scores: Songs from Copacabana & Harmony,’ and a covers CD, ‘The Greatest Songs of the Fifties,’ were all released between 2002 and 2006.
PBS broadcasted ‘Barry Manilow: Music and Passion,’ a Hilton concert taped for the network’s fundraising efforts, for which he won an Emmy Award. A follow-up CD, ‘The Greatest Songs of the Sixties,’ was released in 2006.
Another album, ‘Barry Manilow: Songs from the Seventies,’ was released in 2007, and he performed in a number of shows that year. He followed up with a new CD, ‘The Greatest Love Songs of All Time,’ three years later.
He hosted ‘They Write the Songs,’ a 10-part documentary series for BBC Radio 2 beginning in March 2011. ’15 Minutes,’ his CD, was also released. As part of ‘A Capitol Forth,’ he was spotted performing live on the west law of the United States Capitol. In the same year, he played at the BBC’s ‘Children in Need Rocks 2013’ event.
Major Projects of Barry Manilow
His second album, ‘Barry Manilow II,’ was released in 1974 and featured the popular song ‘Mandy,’ which made him famous. The album is regarded as one of his most significant to date, charting at #9 in the United States. It was also 2X Platinum certified.
In 1975, he published his next breakthrough album, ‘Tryin’ to Get the Feeling,’ which received triple platinum certification in the United States. Ray Stevens later mocked the album because of its popularity. ‘Tryin’ to Get the Feeling Again’ was a popular single from the album, as were other singles like ‘New York City Rhythm.’
Achievements & Awards
For ‘The Barry Manilow Special,’ he won an Emmy Award for ‘Outstanding Special – Comedy, Variety, or Music’ in 1977. He received the American Music Award for ‘Favourite Pop/Rock Male Artist’ in 1978. He won the Grammy Award for ‘Copacabana’ in 1979 for ‘Best Pop Male Vocal Performance.’ In 2002, he was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
For ‘Barry Manilow: Music and Passion,’ he earned an Emmy Award for ‘Outstanding Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program’ in 2006. He received an RIAA Plaque for breaking the worldwide record of 75 million copies sold. For his previous work with jingles at the start of his career, he received an honorary Clio Award.
Personal History and Legacy
He married Susan Deixler in 1964, but the union was annulled the following year. He was rumored to be having an affair with pornographic actress Robin Byrd almost two decades later, but he denied it. He had a variety of health problems throughout his career. He once had a sprained and fractured ankle, as well as bronchial bronchitis, which rendered him unable to work. He also had a non-cancerous cyst in his upper jaw repaired, as well as an eye surgery and two hip procedures.
Estimated Net Worth
Barry Manilow has a net worth of $100 million as an American singer and producer. Manilow has established himself as one of the most influential musical icons of recent memory during a career spanning more than half a century. Although Barry has a handful of significant singles of his own, he is also a well-known songwriter who has written hits for other musicians such as Bette Midler and Dionne Warwick.
Trivia
In 1996, this well-known American singer-songwriter, best known for the song “Copacabana,” was engaged in a four-vehicle accident in which no one was hurt. He stood on the roadway after the collision and posed for photos with his supporters before being led away by an assistant.