Barry Manilow

Biography

Barry Manilow (born Barry Alan Pincus; June 17, 1943) is an American singer-songwriter, arranger, musician, and producer with a career that has spanned over 50 years. He is best known for a long string of hit recordings such as ''Mandy'', ''Can't Smile Without You'', and ''Copacabana (At the Copa)''.

In 1978, five of his albums were on the best-seller charts simultaneously, a feat equaled only by Herb Alpert, The Beatles, Frank Sinatra, Michael Jackson, Bruce Springsteen, and Johnny Mathis. He has recorded and released 47 Top 40 singles, including 12 that hit number one and 27 of which appeared within the top ten, and has released many multi-platinum albums. He is ranked as the top Adult Contemporary chart artist of all time, according to R&R (Radio & Records) and Billboard Magazines, and Rolling Stone crowned him ''a giant among entertainers... the showman of our generation.'' Although not a favorite of music critics, Manilow has been praised by several well-known entertainers, including Sinatra, who was quoted in the 1970s saying, ''He's next.'' In 1988, Bob Dylan stopped Manilow at a party, hugged him and said, ''Don't stop what you're doing, man. We're all inspired by you.''

As well as producing and arranging albums for other artists, including Bette Midler and Dionne Warwick, Manilow has written songs for musicals, films, and commercials. From February 2005 to December 30, 2009, he was the headliner at the Las Vegas Hilton, performing hundreds of shows before ending his relationship with the hotel. Since March 2010, he has headlined at the Paris hotel in Las Vegas. He has sold more than 80 million records worldwide, making him one of the world's best-selling artists of all time. [wikipedia.org]