Manilow, who is known for hits including Mandy, Copacabana and Can’t Smile Without You, is one of the last holdovers from the pre-rock era. Between the release of his self-titled debut album, in 1973, and 1981, he notched nine Top 10 singles on the pop charts and 12 No. 1 hits in the mellow Adult Contemporary radio format. He has won a Grammy, a Tony and an Emmy, and been nominated for an Oscar.
As a teenager, Manilow learned to play the accordion, and then a cheap spinet piano. In his 20s, he wrote commercial jingles and later became Bette Midler’s pianist, music director and producer. He also sang his own songs in her show.
Some of his biggest hits came from the partnership he formed with producer Clive Davis, who early in Manilow’s career brought him Brandy, a British song that the singer initially hated.
“I fought Clive constantly because I didn’t want to do outside material,” he told The New York Times in 2019. Manilow transformed the song into Mandy, a career-defining hit.
Manilow songs were suddenly playing alongside pop songs. “When I found myself on the radio next to Kung Fu Fighting and Boogie Oogie Oogie, I was humiliated,” he said. “Believe it or not, I was hoping it would stop.”
Asked by the Times if he ever considered retiring, Manilow suggested that he did not.
Using an expletive, he described himself as “old as the hills.” But, he added, “I can still hit an F natural.”
The New York Times
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