Barry Manilow one of the True Icons

When you talk about Barry Manilow, you are taling about somebody who has legions of fans all around the world, and deservedly so. Here we look at the life of Barry.

The beginning.

The early days for Barry were in New York where he was born in June of 1943. It was also in the early days, when Barry was just seven years old, that he began to learn to play the piano and accordion.

Prior to his Bar Mitzvah at age 13, Barry began to sing. It was also at this time that he changed his name to match that of his mothers maiden name – Manilow. In several ways, 1956 was the year Barry Manilow was born.

Budding Career.

His singing ability blossomed throughout his high school days and he was accepted into the Julliard school of music, paying his way by working in the CBS mail room.

For a couple of years Barry got along by writing and performing, but things started to really take off after a successful period with Bette Midler as her pianist and musical director.

Potential Reached

And it was reached with his second album, Barry Manilow ll. Amongst the songs on that album was the smash hit single Mandy which reached number one both in the UK and the US.

And in fact over the years Barry has had 13 number one albums which is an unbelievable feat of success. During this time his style has changed and evolved from love songs and ballads to smooth jazz.

Nearly every venue that he sings at is a total sell out and this is not really surprising when you consider that his fans number in the millions.

During his time Barry has won two Grammy Awards and has been inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. He has also been called the best performer of his generation by Rolling Stone magazine.

Generally, there are many reasons to take in a Barry Manilow show. It would be well worth your time to see one of the true icons of musical performance.

This is one of a series of articles on musical icons. If you would like me to let you know when the next one comes out then please contact me through my website below.