- Barry Manilow is a Grammy award-winning singer and songwriter, known for the famous single Copacabana
- He was perceived to be straight and was married for a year until he turned out to be gay and had an alleged relationship with his manager Garry Kief that lasted 40 years before their 2014 marriage
- The 81-year-old is currently managing AFid- a life-threatening disease
Barry Manilow is an award-winning American singer, songwriter, producer, and actor. His career has spanned over five decades and some of his songs have top different charts in the U.S and Beyond. Manilow has sold more than 85 million records worldwide, making him one of the world’s best-selling artists.
He got married to his High School sweetheart, Susan Deixler in 1964 but their marriage hit the rocks after one year. He is currently married to Garry Kief, a TV executive who later became his manager.
Biography of Barry Manilow
Barry Manilow was born on July 17th, 1943 in Brooklyn, Newyork City, United States. The American singer and songwriter’s birth name is Barry Alan Pincus. He was born to a Jewish father and an Irish-American mother. They were abandoned by his father when he was still young, causing him to adopt his Mother’s Maiden name, Manilow.
He attended Eastern District High School in Brooklyn and then moved to study advertising at the City College of the City University of New York. He also took classes at the New York College of Music and Juilliard School of Music.
Who is Barry Manilow Married to and How Many Children do they have?
Barry Manilow got married to his childhood heartthrob, Susan Deixler, in 1964 when she was just 19 years old. They met while they were both students at the Eastern District High School in Brooklyn, New York but their marriage did not last as it hit the rocks after one year.
Manilow admitted to leaving his Wife in the pursuit of a “wondrous music career”, he owed his decision to a lack of maturity. He referenced Diexler in his 1987 autobiography Sweet Life where he referred to her as “the Perfect Wife”. Their marriage was officially annulled in 1966. The couple did not have a child together, However, Deixler has gone ahead and gotten married and is blessed with two children.
Barry Manilow came out as Gay and is currently married to TV Executive Garry Keif.
Songs that are Considered Barry Manilow’s Best
Many of Manilow’s songs have been considered to be fans’ favorites. However, below are the songs we consider the top five.
1. Mandy (1974)
This song was initially titled Brandy but there was already a hit song with the same title so it was changed to Mandy. it topped the charts. Westlife score their own hit with a cover version in 2003
2. Weekend in New England (1976)
It is a song about Forbidden Love written by Randy Edleman. It was never released in the UK but it topped the charts in 10 states.
3. I Write the Songs (1975)
This Barry Manilow hit was written by Bruce Johnston and it became a hit for Barry in 1976
4. Copacabana (at the copa) (1978)
This song was written by Jack Feldman, Barry Manilow, and Bruce Sussman. It became a popular hit at clubs. A movie was also created from the story
5. Ship (1974)
This song was first recorded by British Singer Ian Hunter about his relationship with his Father. Barry recorded a cover version of the song to explain the kind of relationship he had with his father.
Manilow’s Copacabana won the Best Pop Male Vocal Performance in the Grammy award in 1978. He has also won the Emmy Awards twice for outstanding special- Comedy, Variety, or Music category and for Outstanding Individual Performance in a Variety or Music program in 1977 and 2006 respectively. Other awards he has won include the Special Tony Award, American Music Award, Society of Singers Lifetime Award, RIAA, and Clio Awards.
7 Interesting Facts about Barry Manilow
1. He started his career at CBS
Manilow started off as a mail boy in CBS to support his Education, which eventually led him to get a job as a film editor. In 1967, he became a music director for a talent show and his career spiraled from there.
He began to write and arrange songs for an Off-Broadway Theatrical Production and also wrote a couple of jingles for national broadcast television commercials.
Manilow met Bette Midler while he worked as a piano accompanist in nightclubs and became her music director. He co-produced her first two albums and accompanied her on tours.
2. Barry Manilow has been Diagnosed with AFib- A Life-Threatening Disease
In 2011, The Singer revealed his 15-year struggle with a Heart disease called Atrial Fibrillation -AFib. This Disease causes the heart to race and beat out of rhythm. It can cause the heart to change in shape and size known as remodeling. AFib can lead to permanent heart damage, attack, and failure. It can also lead to stroke and death.
Manilow wanted to keep his health struggles personal but then he thought of his fans who might be going through the same thing and are not aware of the dangers of the ailment, so he made it public to help people be more concerned about their health and also to raise awareness about AFid.
3. Barry Manilow was Prohibited from Talking or Singing
In 2016, Manilow was asked not to speak or sing by his doctors. This happened after he had to undergo oral surgery.
The Award-winning singer was rushed to a hospital in Los Angeles after his sold-out Concert in Memphis as part of his One Last Time – One Last Tour. This was due to complications from an earlier oral surgery. It led to the cancellation of some of his scheduled concerts and also his attendance at the Grammy Awards.
4. He is Gay and has been Dating his Manager for Forty Years
Since 1978, Manilow has been in a private relationship with Garry Kief, a TV executive who later became his manager. They kept their relationship private until same-sex marriage was legalized in California. Their private wedding ceremony in Manilow’s home in Palm Springs made the headlines in 2014 when a friend of the couple disclosed the information to the public.
Manilow said he knew Garry was the one from the moment they met. As to why he kept their relationship under the wraps, Manilow said he was afraid of disappointing his fans, especially the female population.
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5. He was involved in a Controversy with Spotify
Barry Manilow was involved in a squabble with Spotify where all his songs were taken own from the platform. it was alleged that he was discouraging people from taking the Covid-19 vaccine.
Manilow, however, has come out to refute the claims and disassociated himself from the allegations.
6. Barry Manilow is also an Actor
Barry Manilow was not only a good singer but also a good actor. He created a production of his hit song Copacabana and for many of his concerts, he dressed up as Desi Arnaz in a silver ruffled shirt and his singers would wiggle behind him.
He pitched the Copacabana idea to CBS-TV and they gave the project the green lights in 1985. Manilow played the character Tony in “Copacabana” the Television Movie, the employee with dreams bigger than bartending.
He has also featured in Daddy’s Home 2 (2017) as a song performer, Jack, and Jill (2011) as a song performer, and Paul Blart: Mall Cop (2009) as a song performer among others
7. His Net Worth is estimated to be $100 Million
The Award-winning singer-songwriter has sold over 85 million records and is one of the best-selling musicians globally. He has also featured in some movies and written songs for different productions.
