Barry Manilow, The #44 Artist of the Rock Era, Part Two

 

(Continued from Part One)

ABC-TV granted Manilow his own special, The Barry Manilow Show, which 37 million people saw in 1977.  The special was nominated for four Emmy Awards, including a win for Outstanding Comedy--Variety or Music Special.  The Barry Manilow on Broadway show earned a special Tony Award.  The Second Barry Manilow Special in 1978 also garnered four Emmy nominations.  


 Manilow released one of his best career albums in Even Now in 1978.  The lead single "Can't Smile Without You" jumped to #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart and #3 Popular in the U.S. and #2 in Canada.  It was Barry's fourth #1 single in a little less than four years.

 

Even Now was nominated for Album of the Year and became his third consecutive to reach Triple Platinum status.  The title song also hit #1 on the AC chart.

In 1978, Manilow placed five albums in the Top 200, joining the Beatles, Michael Jackson, Bruce Springsteen, Frank Sinatra and Johnny Mathis as the only artists to accomplish that.  One of those was Barry's compilation Greatest Hits, which has sold over three million copies.

 

Partly due to his incredible success and because he persevered, Manilow had great control over his releases, and this cocktail lounge number showed hints of more Manilow versatility he would later display in full force in the latter part of his career. This is "I Was A Fool To Let You Go".

  Manilow won Favorite Pop/Rock Male Artist for a second consecutive year at the American Music Awards.  "Copacabana (At The Copa)" peaked at #6 AC and #8 overall in the United States while hitting #7 in Canada and selling over one million units.  The Copacabana is a famous nightclub in New York City named after a district in Rio de Janeiro, which is the locale for the song.

Manilow earned a Grammy Award for Best Pop Male Vocal Performance for "Copacabana" and earned Favorite Pop/Rock Male Artist for the third straight year at the American Music Awards, completing one of the most dominating reigns in the history of the category.  "Copacabana" was later made into a musical movie on television and three musical plays.

 Parker McGee, who wrote both "I'd Really Love To See You Tonight" and 'Nights Are Forever Without You" for England Dan & John Ford Coley, contributed "Where Do I Go From Here?"  Manilow utilized his tremendous arranging and producing skills to make it seem as if it was his song.  

 

Barry released "Ready To Take A Chance Again", featured prominently in the great comedy Foul Play, starring Goldie Hawn and Chevy Chase.  It made it to #4 on the Adult Contemporary chart and #11 overall in the U.S. and #4 in Canada and was nominated at the Academy Awards for Best Original Song.

 

 Manilow completed the most successful year of his career with the single "Somewhere In The Night", #4 AC and #9 Popular in the U.S. and #10 in Canada.  The song was originally recorded in 1975 by Helen Reddy.

The Third Barry Manilow Special with guest John Denver on ABC was nominated for two Emmy Awards and captured the award for Outstanding Achievement in Choreography.

Dionne Warwick called upon Manilow to produce her comeback album Dionne in 1979, her first to sell over one million copies.  Barry earned a Grammy nomination for Best Arrangement Accompanying Vocals for Warwick's song "I'll Never Love This Way Again".

 

Barry followed up that album with One Voice in 1980.  This song was written and originally recorded by Ian Hunter of Mott The Hoople.  Hunter included it on his solo album You're Never Alone With A Schizophrenic.  Asked later in an interview with Mojo magazine, Hunter said "That whole Manilow thing was quite amusing.  That guy's no slouch when it comes to arranging."  "Ships", about the distance between a son and his father, sailed to #4 on the Adult Contemporary chart and #9 overall.

Manilow was already in great demand in concert, selling out five shows at Royal Albert Hall.  His 10 performances at Radio City Music Hall in Manhattan, New York grossed $2 million, breaking a 52-year record at the famous venue.

 "When I Wanted You" gave Manilow his 10th #1 on the Adult chart.

 Manilow also starred with Warwick in the television special One Voice, which was nominated for Outstanding Achievement in Music Direction at the Emmy Awards. "I Don't Want To Walk Without You" shot up to #2 on The Adult chart, the 8th consecutive Top 10 for everyone except teenagers, an incredible streak that would reach 13.

The album has now sold over two million copies in the U.S. alone.

Join us for Part Three of this beloved artist!