Barry Manilow grew up in Brooklyn in the ‘40s and ‘50s and actually recorded his first song with his grandfather at the age of five. That song was the “Happy Birthday” and the producer was a coin-operated recording booth. It took another 25 years before he would record again as a main artist. He worked his way up, performing as a session musician, writing songs for others, arranging music for television shows, and accompanying musicians no stage on the piano.

At the age of 30 he got his break when Clive Davis saw him open for Dionne Warwick. His first hit record was Barry Manilow II thanks to an entry, “Mandy”, he reluctantly agreed to put on the record. The album took his career on a huge upswing that found five of his records on the best-selling charts at the same time just four years later. His albums were selling well, his concerts were selling out, and his tours were in high demand. Manilow even found success on television, winning Emmy’s for variety show specials on ABC.

The close of the ‘70s brought Barry Manilow waning success in the United States that kept him relevant with the aid of his many fans within show business. Bette Midler and he were long time friends who used to play together as both were coming up, Frank Sinatra gave him the stamp of approval, and Arsenio Hall was a huge fan of his and brought on his popular late night show often.

All the support could not stop the inevitable dip in his career that found him searching for relevance by the ‘90s. His songs like “I Write The Songs”, “Copacabana”, “Read ‘Em and Weep”, and “Ready To Take A Chance Again” had fallen out of favor as the music scene shifted. Barry Manilow songs were being used by police to keep youth away in Australia, so he made light of the fact and took a drastic chance. In the ‘90s Barry began to release albums of covers instead of using his own material.

The move kept Manilow’s fan base alive and kept him in the public eye. Though he was no longer as top selling artist in terms of record sales, his concerts and tours brought his fans out in strength. His schedule now is full of shows in Las Vegas, but he will be selling tickets for a concert series in London at the O2 Arena in December, where he seems to have never lost his touch.