Barry Manilow Biography

Barry Manilow (born Barry Alan Pincus in Brooklyn, New York on June 17, 1943) is an American singer and songwriter best known for his hit recordings "I Write The Songs", "Mandy" and "Copacabana (At The Copa)".

Manilow dominated the charts for much of the 1970s with a string of major hit singles and multi-platinum albums. His music has often been considered by some to be "kitsch" or "camp", owing to its difference in style from the majority of the pop or rock charts. Despite barbs from critics, as well as lampooning by comedians, he continues to maintain a large fan base, especially among baby-boomer women in his native United States. This is evidenced by the No. 1 debut of his 2006 album The Greatest Songs of the Fifties. In 1990, Rolling Stone proclaimed him "the showman of our generation".

He has sold more than 75 million records worldwide.

Manilow was born to humble origins in Brooklyn, New York on June 17, 1943. Shortly after his birth, his father, Harold Pincus (born to a Russian-Jewish father and Irish mother) and his mother Edna Manilow divorced. The young Manilow was then brought up by his mother and grandparents, Russian-Jewish immigrants who had a strong influence on his life. He began singing shortly before his Bar Mitzvah at the age of 13. At this point, he legally changed his surname to his mother's maiden name of Manilow. He took up the accordion, but preferred and switched to the piano - a move which would one day prove to be vital for his future career.

In the late 1970s, ABC aired four variety television specials starring and produced by Barry Manilow. The Barry Manilow Special with actress Penny Marshall and Manilow's backup ladies Lady Flash as the guest stars, premiered on March 2, 1977 to an audience of 37 million, was nominated and won him his first Emmy and vaulted him into being a household name. The special was nominated and won in the category of "Outstanding Comedy-Variety or Music Special" against Neil Diamond, Carol Burnett, and magician Doug Henning. Manilow followed up in 1978 with The Second Barry Manilow Special with Ray Charles as his guest; in 1979 with The Third Barry Manilow Special with John Denver as his guest; and in 1980 with his One Voice Special with Dionne Warwick as his guest. All specials had high ratings.

On cable, Home Box Office (HBO) in 1979 aired a concert from Manilow's sold out dates at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles, California which was the first pay-television show to seriously challenge network primetime specials in the ratings. A concert from the same tour also aired in England from Manilow's sold out concert dates at the National Exhibition Centre (NEC).

In 1980, England aired a concert from Manilow's sold out shows at the Wembley Arena while he was on his "One Voice" tour. In 1981, Manilow's sold out concert at the Pittsburgh Civic Arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania aired nationally on Showtime and locally on Philadelphia's now defunct PRISM, a movie and local sports channel. In 1982, England aired a concert from his sold out Royal Albert Hall shows where he premiered the song "Stay" as a trio sung with Kevin DeSimone and James Jolis, his then back-up singers who are also the song's co-writers.

In 1983, Showtime aired Manilow's record attendance breaking outdoor concert at Blenheim Palace in England where an estimated 40,000 were on hand. In 1984, Showtime aired a special of Manilow recording his 2:00 AM Paradise Cafe album with jazz legends Gerry Mulligan, drummer Shelly Manne, vocalists Sarah Vaughn and Mel Torme, guitarist Mundell Lowe, pianist Bill Mays, and George Duvivier. In 1984 and 1985, England aired two one-hour specials from his NEC concerts where he sang "Jingle Bell Rock" with the audience and showstopper "That's Why They Call Her Sugar" where he danced and played the clarinet. In 1985, Japan aired an 84 minute concert Manilow did there where he played "Sakura" on the koto.

In March 1988, CBS aired Manilow's Big Fun on Swing Street that featured special songs and guests from his Swing Street and 2:00 AM Paradise Cafe albums including Kid Creole & The Coconuts, Phyllis Hyman, Stanley Clarke, Carmen McRae, Tom Scott, Gerry Mulligan, Diane Schuur, Full Swing, and Manilow's band within his band Uncle Festive. The special was nominated for an Emmy, but had low ratings.

In 1989, Showtime aired the one-hour special Barry Manilow SRO On Broadway where Manilow was at the Gershwin Theatre, formally called the Uris Theatre the same theater where Manilow's concert shots from his first ABC special were filmed. The special was a sampling of Barry Manilow Live On Broadway a 90 minute video of the same show that was released the following year. England also aired another NEC one-hour concert Manilow did on the same tour.

In the 1990s while Manilow's career dipped, he had three noteworthy specials. In 1993, PBS aired his concert at Wembley Arena in England that year to fundraise. The BBC also played a one-hour version of the same show with "Please Don't Be Scared", 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. 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 hits as well as songs from Summer of '78 his latest release at the time.

Manilow made an appearance (performing "Can't Smile Without You", "Mandy", "I Write The Songs" and songs from his latest album) on the Oprah Winfrey show on April 7, 2005, and also made a guest appearance on the hit show Ally McBeal, playing himself and singing to Ally. He was also a guest star on Will & Grace.

Manilow also wrote original songs for a handful of films such as the 1978 slap-stick comedy Foul Play starring Goldie Hawn and Chevy Chase where "Ready To Take a Chance Again" and "Copacabana" originated, the 1980 drama Tribute starring Jack Lemmon and Robby Benson where his song "We Still Have Time" was featured and the Walt Disney cartoon movie Oliver & Company (1988) where Bette Midler's character sung Manilow's song "Perfect Isn't Easy". He also co-wrote the Broadway-style musical scores for the Don Bluth animated films Thumbelina (1994) and The Pebble and the Penguin (1995). Manilow was also contracted to score a third Don Bluth movie, Rapunzel, but it is not known to ever have been released or made. Manilow was supposed to be the voice of a cricket in it.

Manilow has appeared in two movies. He portrayed Tony Starr in a 1985 CBS made-for-television film based on Copacabana that had Annette O'Toole as Lola Lamarr and Joseph Bologna was Rico. He also portrayed himself in a cameo in the 2002 Kathy Bates and Rupert Everett dark political comedy Unconditional Love, in which his hit "Can't Smile Without You" plays a key role in the plot. October 30, 2006 appeared on The Colbert Report and signed "Peace Treaty" with Stephen Colbert, followed by a duet with Colbert of "I Write The Songs."