Late 1960s: After attending the New York School of Music
and Julliard, Barry Manilow got his first job at a label
by working in the mailroom at CBS. He also started
writing jingles for commercials and would eventually
write themes for major buyers like Dr Pepper and
McDonald's.
1971: Manilow became music
director, arranger and pianist for Bette Midler.
1972: Manilow's first solo album
was released by Bell Records.
1974: Clive Davis, looking for
artists for his new label, Arista, signed Manilow off
Bell and gave him the song "Brandy" from writer Scott
English. The title was changed to "Mandy" to avoid
confusion with the Looking Glass hit "Brandy."
Between 1975 and 1983: Manilow had
25 consecutive Top 40 hits including "Could It Be
Magic," "Tryin' to Get the Feeling Again," "Ready to
Take a Chance Again," "Weekend in New England," "Looks
Like We Made It," "Can't Smile Without You" and "I Write
the Songs," which, of course, he did not write. In 1977
"The Barry Manilow Special" on ABC drew 37 million —
today's top show, "American Idol," draws in the low 20s.
2002: The National Academy of
Popular Music's Songwriters Hall of Fame inducted
Manilow with Ashford & Simpson, Michael Jackson, Randy
Newman and Sting.
2006: Much to Stephen Colbert's
comic distress, Manilow won an Emmy for his PBS special
"Manilow: Music and Passion." His album "The Greatest
Songs of the Fifties" debuted at No. 1, his first No. 1
album in 29 years. His only other No. 1 album was the
1977 "Live" album.
