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Barry Manilow: Singer Barry Manilow
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WEST CHESTER, Pa., Sept. 5 U.S. singer Barry Manilow is set to debut his latest album, "The Greatest Songs of the Seventies," on the TV retailer QVC -- nine days before it hits stores. Manilow's appearance on QVC last year marked the highest single-hour sales event in the multimedia retailer's 20-year history, with more than 43,000 copies of "The Greatest Songs of the Sixties" ordered, QVC said. He ... had the largest sales week of his career, debuting at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 albums chart, with the same release.
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In the 1990s, Manilow's album career changed significantly. His recordings switched from him being primarily a singer-songwriter to him being a cover artist. A trend that started with the 1989 release Barry Manilow, continued with his 1990 Christmas LP Because It's Christmas. Consequent "event" albums followed including: Showstoppers, a collection of Broadway songs (1991), Singin' with the Big Bands (1994) and a late 1970s collection Summer of '78 (1996) which included the hit "I Go Crazy", formerly a hit for Paul Davis in 1978. Many consider this to be the weakest effort of Manilow's career. The decade ended with Manilow recording a tribute to Frank Sinatra Manilow Sings Sinatra (1998) released months after Sinatra's death.
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Over the next three decades, Manilow played Vegas showrooms at venues including the Riviera, Las Vegas Hilton, Desert Inn, Caesars Palace and Mirage. With each appearance, his confidence and onstage persona became more and more apparent. No longer was there the nervous-appearing pianist sitting at the piano or standing stiffly center-stage just singing. By the '80s, there were Broadway-type production shows with names like "The Big Fun Tour" and "Swing Street." There was a story line, dancing and talented supporting players including Kid Creole, who with his band and back-up singer/dancers known as the Coconuts went on to build his own career, even performing at the Desert Inn before its closing, and Debra Byrd, now the vocal coach for FOX’s mega-hit, American Idol. Incidentally, Manilow appeared on American Idol where competitors sang his songs and he garnered lots of new, younger fans.
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During "Music and Passion," Manilow tells audiences he was hesitant about working in Las Vegas at first, worrying that it was "the place that old singers came to die." Apparently the apprehension was unfounded because he said Vegas "turned out to be the hottest gig I've ever done." The stage heats up from the minute Manilow steps onto it belting out hits like "It's "A Miracle," "This One's For You" and "Daybreak." The audience, filled with loyal "fanilows" loves every minute of it and Manilow humbly accepts their praise. "I'm so glad you still like these songs," he said. "I hope these songs are ruined in karaoke bars forever."
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In the early 1980s, Manilow began to position himself as a modern interpreter of showtunes and pop standards, working with singers Mel Torme and Sarah Vaughan and veteran jazz instrumentalists Gerry Mulligan and Shelly Manne on 1984's 2:00 AM Paradise Cafe. He followed this same path on 1987's Swing Street and 1991's Showstoppers, on which he sang with Michael Crawford and Barbara Cook. One of Manilow's self-described career highlights was scoring music to a collection of unpublished lyrics by Johnny Mercer, the famed lyricist who penned a multitude of pop standards from the 1930s to the 1950s. From pop standards to show tunes, Manilow has captured a devoted audience who continue to maintain his importance to American music and popular culture.
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In terms of both record sales and career longevity, Barry Manilow is one of the most successful adult contemporary singers ever. That success hasn't necessarily translated to respect (or even ironic hipster appreciation) in most quarters; Manilow's music has been much maligned by critics and listeners alike, particularly the romantic ballads that made his career, which were derided as maudlin schlock even during his heyday.
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Singer Barry Manilow