Barry Manilow Height, Weight, Age, Body Statistics

Barry Manilow is an American singer, songwriter, and music producer who is widely regarded as the greatest chart artist of all time in the adult contemporary genre. In a career span of more than 50 years, he has won each of the Big 3 awards – Grammy, Tony, and Emmy. He has also released more than 40 albums and sold more than 75 million records as a solo artist, worldwide. Apart from being a solo musician, Barry has also produced Grammy-nominated albums for the likes of , , Nancy Wilson, and Sarah Vaughan. He has also written and performed songs for numerous films, musicals, and commercials. Barry founded the Manilow Music Project in 2008, through which he has raised more than 10 million dollars in instruments and funds for arts programs in more than 50 middle and high schools across the United States, which have been affected by budget cuts.

Sun Sign

Gemini

Residence

Palm Springs, California, United States

Nationality

Manager

He is represented by Garry Kief, Manager, Barry Manilow Productions/Stiletto Entertainment, California, United States.

Genre

Pop, Soft Rock, Adult Contemporary

Instruments

Vocals, Piano

Labels

• Bell Records
• Arista Records Inc.
• RCA Records
• Concord Records
• Verve Records

Girlfriend / Boyfriend / Spouse

Barry has dated –

1. Susan Deixler (1964–1966) – Barry had met Susan Deixler in high school and proposed to her in 1964, when they were just 21 and 19 years old, respectively. They got married in the same year. However, by 1965, their relationship became strained due to Barry’s maddening pursuit of a music career. In 1966, Susan got the marriage annulled. Barry, in a 2017 interview, admitted that it was his lack of maturity that made him walk out on his high-school love after just one year of marriage.
2. (1972-1974) – Barry dated actress and singer Lorna Luft in the early 70s. They had first met at a 1972 concert. Although they separated after a courtship of 3 years, they have stayed very close friends. Lorna has stated that she considers him the closest person in her life, outside of her immediate family. Barry even helped Lorna connect with oncologist David Agus, when she was suffering from breast cancer in 2012.
3. Linda Allen (1984-1991) – Barry dated and lived with TV production assistant Linda Allen for a significant period in the late 80s and early 90s. There have been some rumors, though unsubstantiated, that this relationship was just a ruse to hide Barry’s true sexual orientation and his same-s*x relationship with his manager, Garry Kief.
4. Garry Kief (1978-Present) – Barry first met TV executive and his future manager, Garry Kief in 1978 and they remained acquaintances for the longest time. They got married secretly in 2014 at his Palm Springs residence, once same-sex marriage was legalized in the state of California. The pair had kept their relationship and Barry’s sexual orientation private for decades. However, the secret was out when Barry’s close friend accidentally divulged details of the marriage on a chat show. Barry officially came out in April 2017 in an interview with People Magazine.

Sexual Orientation

Bisexual

Distinctive Features

• Striking blue eyes
• Smooth complexion
• Baritone voice
• Conspicuous long nose

Brand Endorsements

Barry has endorsed brands such as Sanofi.

Religion

Judaism (Non-practicing)

Best Known For

His evergreen hit songs such as Could It Be Magic (1971), Mandy (1971), I Write the Songs (1975), Can’t Smile Without You (1978), and Copacabana (1978)

First Album

Barry’s first album was the self-titled Barry Manilow. It was released on July 7, 1973, by Bell Records and went on to achieve ‘Gold’ certification.

First Film

Barry made his theatrical film debut with the 2002 film Unconditional Love as “Himself”.

First TV Show

Barry made his TV show debut as “Himself” on The Mike Douglas Show in 1974.

Barry Manilow Favorite Things

• Singers – , Tom Waits, , , , and
• Music Genre – Jazz, Classical, and Electronic
• Pets – Dogs
• TV Show – What’s My Line? (1950-1975)

Source – , , ,

Barry Manilow Facts

1. He had started early as a musician. He used to practice on his neighbor’s piano and by the age of 7, he was taking accordion lessons. Barry was also part of his high school’s orchestra class and credits those classes for molding his musical direction.
2. As a college student, Barry used to work in the mailroom at the broadcast network CBS to cover his expenses. Eventually, he became the musical director for a CBS show named Callback.
3. Barry’s career got a jump-start in 1974 when Clive Davis, the ex-president of Columbia Records founded a new label called Arista. As part of his settlement, Clive had the right to bring one artist to Arista from Columbia Pictures-owned Bell Records. He selected Barry, impressed by his multiple skills as a singer, composer, and producer.
4. In 1975, Clive introduced Barry to a hit British rock song entitled Brandy. Barry transformed the song from rock to a ballad and changed the title to Mandy to avoid confusion with another hit American song of the same name. As the single reached number one on the charts, Barry’s career took off.
5. Barry won the “Favorite Pop/Rock Male Artist” at the American Music Awards for 3 years in a row – 1978, 1979, 1980.
6. In 1980, Barry was honored with a star on the iconic Walk of Fame at the Hollywood Boulevard.
7. In 1989, Barry staged a benefit concert at the University of South Carolina to help the victims of Hurricane Hugo. Tickets were sold out within 3 hours of the announcement and he contributed USD 42.5k each to the Red Cross and the Salvation Army.
8. Other than his singing exploits, Barry is also a theatre producer. His elaborate 1997 two-act play Copacabana – The Musical played to packed houses for 18 months in London’s West End.
9. In 2002, Barry was inducted into the National Academy of Popular Music’s “Songwriters Hall of Fame” along with , Randy Newman, and . In 2003, he was honored by the Society of Singers with a “Lifetime Achievement” Award.
10. To help the victims of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, Barry urged his fans to donate to the Manilow Fund for Health and Hope’s website. He then matched the amount donated by fans and so did the fund. Thus, the fans’ amount was tripled and within 48 hours, Barry transferred $ 150k to the American Red Cross.
11. In 2006, Barry released an album called The Greatest Songs of the Fifties. The album was a means to celebrate the hit songs of the decade. It entered at number 1 on the Billboard 200 album charts and eventually earned ‘Platinum’ certification.
12. He released another album in 2006 titled The Greatest Songs of the Sixties. This album too received ‘Platinum’ certification and by entering at number 2 in the charts, it made Barry the first artist since 1981 to secure the top 2 positions with 2 different albums in the same calendar year on the Billboard charts.
13. In 2012, Barry was inducted into the Great American Songbook “Hall of Fame”.
14. In 2013, for his humanitarian work with the Manilow Fund for Health and Hope, Barry was honored with the Dream Foundation’s “Humanitarian Award”. Barry has also been involved with several other charitable organizations such as The Prince’s Trust, United Way, and Starlight Foundation.
15. As of October 2019, 13 of his singles have the distinction of reaching the top position on the Adult Contemporary charts. Barry has been nominated numerous times for a Grammy Award (winning once) in various capacities – producer, arranger, and performer.
16. For his work as a jingle writer in the early part of his career, Barry was awarded an Honorary Clio Award at the 50th Anniversary Clio Awards in 2009.
17. Barry has featured on the covers of magazines such as the August 8, 1977 issue of People Weekly (US), the November 25, 1978 issue of Veronica (Netherlands), and the May 19, 2017 issue of The Lady (Great Britain).
18. Visit his official website @ barrymanilow.com.

Featured Image by MATTHEW BECKER / / CC BY-3.0