Barry Manilow

Barry Manilow, born Barry Alan Pincus on June 17, 1943, is an American singer, songwriter, arranger, and producer whose career spans more than sixty years. He is widely recognized for his successful recordings, including hits such as "Mandy," "Could It Be Magic," "I Write the Songs," "Looks Like We Made It," "Can't Smile Without You," and "Copacabana (At the Copa)." Having sold over 85 million records globally as a solo artist, Manilow is among the world's bestselling musical artists.

Born in the Brooklyn borough of New York City to Harold Kelliher and Edna Manilow, he was raised in Williamsburg. His surname was changed to Manilow prior to his bar mitzvah. Manilow graduated from Eastern District High School in 1961 and was briefly married to Susan Deixler. He attended the City College of New York, worked at CBS to fund his education, and studied at the New York College of Music and the Juilliard Performing Arts School.

Manilow began his musical career in the 1960s writing scores for Off-Broadway theatre and working as a commercial jingle writer and performer. He created or sang notable jingles for brands including State Farm, Band-Aid, McDonald's, Pepsi, Dr Pepper, and Kentucky Fried Chicken. By the late 1960s, he served as musical director for the television series Callback, arranged music for Ed Sullivan's production company, performed in a musical duo with Jeanne Lucas, and was signed to record music under the group name Featherbed.

In the early 1970s, Manilow worked as a pianist and producer for Bette Midler, earning a Grammy nomination for his work on her debut album. He launched his solo recording career with his 1973 debut album, followed by Barry Manilow II in 1974. The latter featured "Mandy," which became his breakthrough number-one hit. Throughout the remainder of the decade, Manilow released popular albums such as Tryin' to Get the Feeling, This One's for You, Even Now, and One Voice, producing hits like "Tryin' to Get the Feeling Again," "Weekend in New England," and "Ready to Take a Chance Again."

Alongside his recording career, Manilow starred in and executive-produced several network television specials, winning an Emmy Award for his 1977 special. He also produced platinum records for other artists, including Dionne Warwick's comeback album. During the 1980s, he continued to achieve success on Adult Contemporary radio with singles like "The Old Songs" and "I Made It Through the Rain," set a box-office sales record at Radio City Music Hall, and performed major international concert tours. Across his career, he has logged 51 Top 40 Adult Contemporary singles, released 13 platinum albums, and earned fifteen Grammy nominations.