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113-579: Born in Milwaukee in 1929 to a family of musicians, Puerling had piano lessons but was a largely self-taught musician. A fan of vocal groups like Mel Torme 's The Mel-Tones , the Modernaires and the Four Freshmen , Puerling formed a vocal of his own during this time (The Shades), featuring baritone Bob Strasen who would become one of the original Hi-Lo's . After high school Puerling worked as

226-512: A DownBeat award for best male jazz singer. For several years, his appearances at Michael's Pub on the Upper East Side would unofficially open New York's fall cabaret season. During the 1980s and 1990s he performed often with George Shearing , recording six albums together for Concord Records . About this period Shearing wrote: It is impossible to imagine a more compatible musical partner... I humbly put forth that Mel and I had

339-403: A Grammy Award (winning once) as a producer, arranger and performer a total of fifteen times (and in every decade) from 1973 to 2015. He has also produced Grammy-nominated albums for Bette Midler , Dionne Warwick , Nancy Wilson , and Sarah Vaughan . Manilow has sold more than 85 million records as a solo artist worldwide, making him one of the world's bestselling artists . Barry Manilow

452-522: A disc jockey in Milwaukee WI . Moving to Los Angeles in 1950, Puerling got his start by singing on recordings of Les Baxter and Gordon Jenkins . Bandleader and film composer Jerry Fielding encouraged Puerling to arrange for voices and start his own group. Formed in 1952, Puerling's male vocal quartet ( The Hi-Lo's ) began recording for the small Starlite label in 1953 (became Trend Records and then Trend/Discovery). Fielding's orchestra backed

565-513: A Chance Again " (by Charles Fox and Norman Gimbel ). His number 1 hit " I Write the Songs " was composed by Bruce Johnston of The Beach Boys . According to album liner notes, Manilow did, however, perform co-production as well as arrangement duties on all the above tracks along with Ron Dante , most famous for his vocals on records by The Archies . Manilow's breakthrough in Britain came with

678-619: A Chance Again" and its songwriters Charles Fox and Norman Gimbel were nominated that year for the " Best Original Song " Oscar at the 51st Academy Awards . On February 11, 1979, a concert from Manilow's sold-out dates from his Even Now Tour at the Greek Theater in Los Angeles aired on the HBO series Standing Room Only , which was the first pay-television show to pose a serious threat to network primetime specials for ratings. From

791-744: A Variety or Music Program at the 58th Primetime Emmy Awards . A sequel album to his bestselling fifties tribute album, The Greatest Songs of the Sixties was released on October 31, 2006, including songs such as " And I Love Her " and " Can't Help Falling in Love ". It nearly repeated the success of its predecessor, debuting at number 2 in the Billboard 200. In January 2007, Manilow returned to his hometown of New York City for three shows at Madison Square Garden . These included showing onscreen Manilow performing in one of his first television appearances, while

904-579: A benefit concert for the Warwick Foundation headed by Dionne Warwick and shown on Showtime a few years later. In the 1988 Walt Disney Pictures animated feature Oliver & Company , Bette Midler's character sang a new Manilow composition called "Perfect Isn't Easy". The 1989 release of Barry Manilow , which contained "Please Don't Be Scared", " Keep Each Other Warm ", and "The One That Got Away", ended Manilow's streak of albums of original self-written material (he only wrote or arranged two of

1017-550: A black curtain, lip-syncing to the recording. He performed 14 concerts as part of an extended tour covering Germany, Austria and Denmark . Manilow branched out in another direction and, with long-time lyricist Bruce Sussman, launched Copacabana , a musical play based on previous Manilow-related adaptations. They wrote new songs and it ran for two years on the London West End , and a tour company formed. In December 1996, A&E aired Barry Manilow: Live By Request ,

1130-501: A collection of Broadway songs (1991), Singin' with the Big Bands (1994) and a late 1970s collection Summer of '78 (1996), which included the hit " I Go Crazy ", formerly a hit for Paul Davis in 1978. The decade ended with Manilow recording a tribute to Frank Sinatra Manilow Sings Sinatra (1998) released months after Sinatra's death. In 1990, Japan aired National Eolia Special: Barry Manilow On Broadway where he sang

1243-473: A concert from his sold-out Royal Albert Hall show was broadcast in England. The live album and video Barry Live in Britain also came from his Royal Albert Hall shows. On August 27, 1983, Manilow performed a landmark open-air concert at Blenheim Palace in Britain, an event that he told the audience was "one of the most exciting nights" in his life. It was the first such event ever held at that venue and

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1356-409: A copyright bill put forward by local television broadcasters that would mandate songwriter-producer source licensing of theme and incidental music on syndicated television show reruns and would disallow the use of the blanket license then in effect. The songwriters said without the blanket license, artists would have to negotiate up front with producers individually, without knowing if a series would be

1469-482: A good neighbor, State Farm is there") or Band-Aid ("I am stuck on Band-Aid, 'cause Band-Aid's stuck on me!"), for which he adopted a childlike voice and wrote the music (Donald B Wood wrote the lyrics). His singing-only credits include commercials for Kentucky Fried Chicken , Pepsi ("all across the nation, it's the Pepsi Generation "), McDonald's ("you deserve a break today"), and Dr Pepper . Manilow

1582-609: A group of studio musicians under the name "Featherbed" on the Columbia Pictures ' newly acquired Bell Records label." Manilow recorded and accompanied artists on the piano for auditions and performances in the first two years of the 1970s. He recorded four tracks as Featherbed, produced by Tony Orlando on Bell Records. Three of the tracks were: "Morning", a ballad; "Amy", a psychedelic-influenced pop song; and an early, uptempo version of his own co-composition (with Orlando), " Could It Be Magic ". The fourth tune recorded

1695-402: A guest vocal appearance on the 1983 album Born to Laugh at Tornadoes by the progressive pop band Was (Not Was) . Tormé sang the satiric jazz song "Zaz Turned Blue" about a teenager who is choked as part of an erotic asphyxiation ("Steve squeezed his neck/He figured what the heck") – and who may or may not have suffered brain damage as a result ("Now he plays lots of pool/And as a rule/He wears

1808-490: A largely black neighborhood and was heavily influenced by jazz. A child prodigy, he first performed professionally at age four with the Coon-Sanders Orchestra , singing " You're Driving Me Crazy " at Chicago's Blackhawk restaurant, a song he had learned on the radio. He was invited back and sang every Monday night for six months; he was paid $ 15 a night with a free dinner for his family. By 1931, during

1921-525: A new covers album, released January 31, 2006, called The Greatest Songs of the Fifties . Manilow said he was blown away with the idea, which Davis presented when he visited Manilow's Las Vegas show. "When he suggested this idea to me, I slapped my forehead and said, 'Why hasn't anyone thought of this idea?'" Manilow said. It was an unexpected success, debuting at number one in the Billboard 200 , marking

2034-526: A new theme for The Late Show , while writing, producing, and singing his radio and television jingles. At the same time, he and Jeanne Lucas performed as a duo for a two-season run at Julius Monk 's Upstairs at the Downstairs club in New York. By 1969, Manilow was signed by Columbia / CBS Music vice-president and recording artist, Tony Orlando , who went on to co-write with and produce Manilow and

2147-472: A new weekly, half-hour syndicated television musical-variety production The Rosemary Clooney Show . Puerling collaborated with Nelson Riddle who was hired as the musical director and orchestra conductor for the T.V. show. The show only lasted a year which featured The Hi-Lo's singing group and Nelson Riddle's orchestra before moving to NBC as The Lux Show with Frank DeVol and the Modernaires supplying

2260-527: A short time. He enrolled in the City College of New York , where he briefly studied before entering the New York College of Music . He also worked at CBS while he was a student to pay his expenses. Afterwards, he studied musical theater at Juilliard Performing Arts School . In 1964, Manilow met Bro Herrod, a CBS director, who asked him to arrange some songs for a musical adaptation of

2373-677: A silly grin/On his chin"). In 1991 Tormé published Traps, the Drum Wonder , a biography of drummer Buddy Rich , who was his friend since Rich left the Marines in 1944. He also owned and played a drum set that drummer Gene Krupa used for many years. George Spink, treasurer of the Jazz Institute of Chicago from 1978 - 1981, recalled that Tormé played this drum set at the 1979 Chicago Jazz Festival with Benny Goodman on " Sing, Sing, Sing ". Tormé's books include The Other Side of

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2486-540: A singer and wide-open ears were her only teachers, and she learned her lessons well. Though he spent most of his career singing jazz, Tormé had a deep appreciation for classical music , especially that of Frederick Delius and Percy Grainger . Rock and roll he considered "three-chord manure". In the '60s and '70s, Tormé covered pop tunes of the day, never staying long with one label. He had two minor hits: his 1956 recording of "Mountain Greenery", which did better in

2599-528: A solo like a brass or reed instrument. Children and stepchildren: Barry Manilow Barry Manilow ( / ˈ m æ n ɪ l oʊ / MAN -il-oh ; born Barry Alan Pincus on June 17, 1943) is an American singer and songwriter with a career that spans six decades. His hit recordings include " Could It Be Magic ", " Looks Like We Made It ", " Mandy ", " I Write the Songs ", " Can't Smile Without You ", " Weekend in New England ", and " Copacabana (At

2712-433: A song called "I Am Your Child", which Manilow had composed with Marty Panzer . Among other songs on the album were Jon Hendricks ' vocalese jazz standard "Cloudburst", most successfully recorded by his group Lambert, Hendricks and Ross in 1959, and a slower-tempo version of "Could It Be Magic". The latter's music was based on Chopin 's " Prelude in C Minor " and provided Donna Summer with one of her first hits. It

2825-450: A songwriter who hopes to preserve the character of his small town. Tormé also wrote the song that gave the episode its title, and performs it with Ball. Tormé made nine guest appearances as himself (and one as a guardian angel) on the 1980s situation comedy Night Court . The main character, Judge Harry Stone, played by Harry Anderson , was depicted as an unabashed Tormé fan, an admiration that Anderson shared in real life; he would deliver

2938-617: A success. The license now pays according to a per-use formula. Manilow said that such a bill would act as a precedent for broadcasters to get rid of the blanket license entirely. The following year, McGraw-Hill published Manilow's autobiography, Sweet Life: Adventures on the Way to Paradise , which took three years to complete. While promoting the work, Manilow defended his music in a telephone interview: "I live in laid-back L.A., but in my heart, I'm an energetic New Yorker and that's what has always come out of my music. I've always been surprised when

3051-717: A top ten hit of his own, in the fall of 1979, with the song " Ships " (written and composed by Ian Hunter, former lead singer of Mott the Hoople ) from the album One Voice . During the 1980s, Manilow topped the Adult Contemporary radio charts with songs such as " The Old Songs ", " Somewhere Down the Road ", " Read 'Em and Weep " (written by Jim Steinman ), and a remake of the 1941 Jule Styne and Frank Loesser standard " I Don't Want to Walk Without You ". Manilow's songs continued to receive frequent radio airplay throughout

3164-504: A two-hour variety show titled Happy New Year, U. S. A. on PBS television. The resurgence of vocal jazz in the 1970s resulted in a successful period for Tormé. His live performances restored his reputation as a jazz singer. He performed as often as 200 times a year in venues all over the world. In 1976, he won an Edison Award (the Dutch equivalent of the Grammy ) for best male singer, and

3277-469: A version of himself from a parallel universe in which he is a country music singer who is also an FBI informant. In the 1988 Warner Bros. cartoon The Night of the Living Duck , Daffy Duck has to sing in front of several monsters but lacks a good singing voice, so he inhales a substance called "Eau de Tormé" and sings like Mel Tormé, who provided the vocals. On December 31, 1988, Tormé hosted

3390-448: A vocal group to sing and record his commercial writing for advertisement soundtracks. From this period on, Puerling would rarely perform live, focusing his attention on innovative studio arranging for voices and vocal groups; namely The Singers Unlimited. Other than Puerling singing himself, three other singers are heard on the vast majority of his vocal writing: Bonnie Herman, Don Shelton and Len Dressler . Shelton had been brought over from

3503-755: A world tour of the Broadway show. Manilow released a number of cover tunes during the 1990s, starting with tracks on the 1989 release Barry Manilow , and continuing with his 1990 Christmas LP Because It's Christmas . On the Christmas album, Manilow was joined by pop girl trio Exposé and together they recreated, note for note, a 1943 million-selling recording of " Jingle Bells " by Bing Crosby and The Andrews Sisters . Manilow has credited Patty, Maxene, and LaVerne Andrews as inspiring him, perhaps most evident in his recording of "Jump, Shout Boogie". Consequent "event" albums followed, including: Showstoppers ,

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3616-409: Is based on lyrics left behind by famed composer Johnny Mercer that had never been set to music. Manilow was invited in 1993 by Mercer's widow to complete the songs. His own recording of " When October Goes ", with lyrics by Mercer, was released as a single in 1984, from his album 2:00 AM Paradise Cafe . Further Mercer compositions were set to music by Manilow over the following years, culminating in

3729-514: The 1982 Grammy for Best Vocal Arrangement for Two or More Voices . With the advent of stereo recording and high level solid state technology, Puerling developed a whole new style of writing and arranging for multi voices. Much like experimentation happening with the Beach Boys or the Beatles and other pop groups of the time, he utilized new, multiple tracking methods to double/triple up

3842-688: The 32nd Primetime Emmy Awards . Also in 1980, a concert from Manilow's sold-out shows at London England's Wembley Arena was broadcast while he was on a world tour. Manilow released the self-titled Barry (1980), which was his first album to not reach the top ten in the United States, stopping at number 15. The album contained the top 10 hits " I Made It Through the Rain " (originally a minor hit for its writer, Gerard Kenny ) and " Bermuda Triangle ". The album If I Should Love Again followed in 1981, with two top 40 recordings that both hit number 1 on

3955-573: The Great Depression , his father had lost his store and began work as a salesman, while his mother worked as a seamstress. The family moved to the South Side to live with his grandparents. His grandmother hired a black woman named Alberta to look after Mel and his sister during the day. On Friday and Saturday nights, Alberta played piano in a five-piece jazz band at the famed Savoy Ballroom . Tormé later recalled of Alberta, "She had it all,

4068-626: The Tennessee Performing Arts Center in Nashville, Tennessee . On April 11, 2000, The Nashville Network (TNN) aired the two-hour Manilow Country , which featured country stars Trisha Yearwood , Neal McCoy , Deana Carter , Jo Dee Messina , Lorrie Morgan , Kevin Sharp , Lila McCann , Gillian Welch and Jaci Velasquez singing their favorite Manilow hits with a " country " twist; Manilow also performed. This special

4181-508: The Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery in Los Angeles. In his eulogistic essay, John Andrews wrote: Tormé's style shared much with that of his idol, Ella Fitzgerald . Both were firmly rooted in the foundation of the swing era, but both seemed able to incorporate bebop innovations to keep their performances sounding fresh and contemporary. Like Sinatra, they sang with perfect diction and brought out

4294-567: The melodrama , The Drunkard . Instead, Manilow wrote an entire original score . Herrod used Manilow's composition in the Off Broadway musical, which had an eight-year run at New York's 13th Street Repertory Theatre . During this time, Manilow began work as a commercial jingle writer and singer, which continued through the remainder of the 1960s. He performed many of the TV jingles that he composed, including State Farm Insurance ("Like

4407-777: The "live" Manilow played along onstage. The same year saw him playing several shows on the east coast of the United States in August. Four more took place in December, half in the New York tri-state area in Uniondale and East Rutherford , and two in Cleveland and Detroit. Manilow launched another short tour in early 2008, visiting several large venues including the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minnesota . A further album in

4520-602: The 1985 television movie Copacabana , starring Manilow and executive produced by Clark. Despite being a songwriter in his own right, several of Manilow's commercial successes were songs written by others. In addition to "Mandy", other hits that he did not write or compose include " Tryin' to Get the Feeling Again " (by David Pomeranz ), " Weekend in New England " (by Randy Edelman ), " Ships " (by Ian Hunter ), " Looks Like We Made It " (by Richard Kerr and Will Jennings ), " Can't Smile Without You " and " Ready to Take

4633-543: The 1991 Nancy Wilson release. Manilow is featured in a duet on the record in the final cut "Epilogue". On February 19, 1992, Manilow testified before the Subcommittee on Intellectual Property and Judicial Administration House Committee in support of H.R. 3204, The Audio Home Recording Act of 1991. The bill was signed into law on October 28, 1992, by President George H. W. Bush and became effective immediately. In 1993, PBS aired Barry Manilow: The Best of Me , which

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4746-728: The AC chart – "The Old Songs" and "Somewhere Down The Road" and a third single that became a hit in the UK ;– a cover of the 1965 The Four Seasons smash " Let's Hang On! ". This was the first of his albums that Manilow produced without Ron Dante, who had co-produced all the previous albums. Manilow's sold-out concert at the Pittsburgh Civic Arena in Pittsburgh aired nationally on Showtime and locally on Philadelphia 's now-defunct PRISM . In 1982,

4859-624: The All-American Boy . He wrote his first song at 13. Three years later his first published song, "Lament to Love", became a hit for bandleader Harry James . He graduated from Hyde Park High School . From 1942 to 1943, he was a member of a band led by Chico Marx of the Marx Brothers . He was the singer and drummer and also created some arrangements. In 1943, Tormé made his movie debut in Frank Sinatra 's first film,

4972-588: The Andrews Sisters , one of the most successful show business acts of the 1940s, as one of his favorite vocalists, saying: They had more hit records to their credit than you could count, and one of the main reasons for their popularity was Patty Andrews. She stood in the middle of her sisters, planted her feet apart, and belted out solos as well as singing the lead parts with zest and confidence. The kind of singing she did cannot be taught, it can't be studied in books, it can't be written down. Long experience as

5085-558: The Boss Brass . In 1995 he toured with Ken Peplowski . For much of the later period of his career, Mel's trio was composed of John Colianni , piano; John Leitham, bass; and Donny Osborne, drums. With this group, Tormé recorded six albums and toured internationally. In some instances, Mel and this group were joined by Doc Severinsen and his Orchestra, Maureen McGovern, and Cleo Laine/John Dankworth. Guest conductors on symphonic gigs included Bob Krogstad and Keith Lockhart . Tormé made

5198-577: The Coconuts , Phyllis Hyman , Stanley Clarke , Carmen McRae , Tom Scott , and Uncle Festive, a band within Manilow's band at the time. The special was nominated for two Emmys in technical categories, and won in the category of Outstanding Art Direction for a Variety or Music Program at the 40th Primetime Emmy Awards . In 1988, Manilow performed "Please Don't Be Scared" and "Mandy/Could It Be Magic" at That's What Friends Are For : AIDS Concert '88 ,

5311-820: The Copa) ". Manilow has recorded and released 51 Top 40 singles on the Adult Contemporary Chart , including 13 that hit number one, 28 that appeared within the top ten, and 36 that reached the top twenty. Manilow has released 13 platinum and six multi-platinum albums. Although not a favorite artist of music critics, Manilow has been praised by his peers in the recording industry. In the 1970s, Frank Sinatra predicted: "He's next." As well as producing and arranging albums for himself and other artists, Manilow has written and performed songs for musicals, films, and commercials for corporations such as McDonald's , Pepsi Cola , and Band-Aid . He has been nominated for

5424-618: The Hi-Lo's on the first singles Peg O' My Heart and They Didn't Believe Me . The combination of Puerling's vocal quartet arrangements combined with Fielding instrumentals were innovative, a departure from earlier "block", pop style writing and arranging done for groups like the Andrews Sisters or the Moderniares . Gene Puerling's biggest break came as a writer and arranger in 1956; The Hi-Lo's were featured for one season on

5537-494: The Hi-Lo's split in late 1964; like other older, traditional vocal groups they had fallen out of vogue as a commercial entity. By that time, groups like The Beach Boys and The Beatles with much simpler vocal harmonies appealed to a younger generation of pop listeners. After the break up of the Hi-Los in 1964, Puerling moved to Chicago writing music for major advertisement firms. Puerling formed The Singers Unlimited in 1967 as

5650-722: The Hi-Lo's. Herman had established herself as a first-call female, Chicago studio vocalist and can be heard on the State Farm Insurance jingle "Like a good Neighbor..." (composed by Barry Manilow ). Dressler was another Chicago studio vocalist most known for his deep bass voice and heard on the Green Giant "Ho, ho, ho..." advertising campaign. By 1968 recording engineer and jazz enthusiast Hans Georg Brunner-Schwer founded MPS Records in Baden-Württemberg, Germany . He had signed pianist Oscar Peterson to

5763-477: The Peggy Lee Songbook . On December 3, 2003, A&E aired A Barry Manilow Christmas: Live by Request , his second of two concerts for the series. The two-hour special had Manilow taking requests for Christmas songs performed live with a band and an orchestra. Manilow told the audience that he was what Clay Aiken was going to look like in thirty years, thus acknowledging an ongoing comparison between

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5876-486: The Penguin (1995). The third film, entitled Rapunzel , was shelved after the poor performance of The Pebble and the Penguin . Manilow was also to be cast as the voice of a cricket. Manilow also composed the score and wrote two songs with Bruce Sussman for Disney Sing Along Songs: Let's Go To The Circus . Manilow produced the 1991 album With My Lover Beside Me by legendary jazz vocalist Nancy Wilson . The record

5989-464: The Rainbow (1970), a memoir of his time as musical adviser for Judy Garland's television show; Traps, the Drum Wonder (1991), a biography of Buddy Rich; My Singing Teachers: Reflections on Singing Popular Music (1994); Wynner (1978) a novel; and It Wasn't All Velvet (1988), his autobiography. Tormé wrote more than 250 songs, several of which became standards. He often wrote the arrangements for

6102-514: The Rainbow with Judy Garland on the Dawn Patrol (1970). Although the book was praised, some felt it painted an excessively unflattering picture of Garland and that Tormé had exaggerated his contributions to the program; it led to an unsuccessful lawsuit by Garland's family. In 1967, he appeared with Lucille Ball in a two-part episode of The Lucy Show — "Main Street U.S.A." — as Mel Tinker,

6215-577: The Singers Unlimited four voices creating a unique, homogeneous sound. His vocal arrangements and chord structures are instantly recognizable due to the experimentation he undertook over a 10 year period (through the 1970s). Collaborations with instrumental arrangers/groups were done separately. All Singers Unlimited vocal tracks were recorded in Germany by Brunner-Schwer while instrumental tracks are recorded in Los Angeles or Toronto; Puerling and

6328-406: The TV crime drama Dan Raven with Don Dubbins . He had a role in a cross-cultural western titled Walk Like a Dragon , starring Jack Lord . He played "The Deacon", a bible-quoting gunfighter who protects a female saloon owner and teaches a young Chinese man the art of the fast draw. In one scene, he tells a soon-to-be victim: "Say your prayers, brother Masters. You're a corpse," then delivers on

6441-519: The United Kingdom where it reached No. 4; and his 1962 R&B song " Comin' Home Baby ", arranged by Claus Ogerman , which reached No. 13 in the UK. The latter recording led the jazz and gospel singer Ethel Waters to say that "Tormé is the only white man who sings with the soul of a black man." "Comin' Home Baby" was later covered by Quincy Jones and Kai Winding . In 1960, Tormé appeared in

6554-787: The album's songs) and began a phase of his recording career consisting of covers and compilations. From April 18 to June 10, 1989, Manilow put on a show called Barry Manilow at the Gershwin , making 44 appearances at the Gershwin Theatre (also known as the Uris Theatre), where he had also recorded Barry Manilow Live in 1976. A bestselling 90-minute video of the same show was released the following year as Barry Manilow Live on Broadway . The Showtime one-hour special Barry Manilow SRO on Broadway consisted of edited highlights from this video. Manilow followed this set of shows with

6667-500: The best musical marriage in many a year. We literally breathed together during our countless performances. As Mel put it, we were two bodies of one musical mind. He reunited with Marty Paich for a tour and the albums Mel Tormé and the Marty Paich Dektette – In Concert Tokyo and Mel Tormé and the Marty Paich Dektette – Reunion . He performed with Rob McConnell 's big band and recorded Mel Tormé, Rob McConnell and

6780-620: The commercial jingles that he had written, composed, and/or sung in the 1960s. The medley appeared later on his triple-platinum 1977 album Barry Manilow Live . Beginning with Manilow's March 22, 1975, appearance on American Bandstand to promote the second album, a productive friendship with Dick Clark started. Among their projects together were numerous appearances by Manilow on Clark's productions of Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve , singing his original seasonal favorite " It's Just Another New Year's Eve ", American Bandstand anniversary shows, American Music Awards performances, and

6893-429: The contract with the group and in 1962 the Hi-Lo's were signed to Sinatra's new Reprise record label. Puerling's vocal arrangements are featured on two Reprise releases of American folk songs and bossa nova music. His vocal arrangements can also be heard on commercial television advertisements during this time for Hertz Rent a Car , Muriel Cigars and other companies. The popularity and advent of rock 'n' roll hastened

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7006-659: The critics said I made wimpy little ballads ." Manilow returned to Arista Records in 1987 with the release of Swing Street . The album, a mixture of traditional after-dark and techno jazz, contained "Brooklyn Blues", an autobiographical song for Manilow, and "Hey Mambo", an uptempo Latin style duet with Kid Creole , produced with the help of Emilio Estefan, Jr. , founder of Miami Sound Machine . CBS aired Manilow's Big Fun on Swing Street special in March 1988. It featured songs and special guests from his Swing Street and 2:00 am Paradise Cafe albums, including Kid Creole and

7119-487: The decade. In the UK, Manilow performed five sold-out concerts at the Royal Albert Hall . In the United States, at Radio City Music Hall , his 1984 ten-night run set a box-office sales record of nearly $ 2 million, making him the top draw in the 52-year history of the venue. In 1980, Manilow's One Voice special, with Dionne Warwick as his guest, was nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Music Direction at

7232-531: The decades themed series, The Greatest Songs of the Seventies , went on release September 18, 2007. Barry Manilow: Songs from the Seventies , a PBS concert special based on the work, was taped in Manilow's home town, Brooklyn, in October 2007. The show aired on PBS in December 2007 and was rebroadcast over New Year 2009. He appeared on American Idol on February 3, 2009, during Hollywood Week to give advice to

7345-445: The designation "Bell Records, Distributed by Arista Records, 1776 Broadway, New York, New York 10019" around the rim of the label. Davis' reorganization efforts continued to bear fruit in 1974, with the release of Manilow's second album, Barry Manilow II , with "Mandy" as the lead single. Manilow had not wanted to record the song, which had originally been titled "Brandy" when originally recorded by its co-writer Scott English , but

7458-420: The emotional content of the lyrics through subtle alterations of phrasing and harmony. Ballads were characterized by paraphrasing of the original melody which always seemed tasteful, appropriate and respectful to the vision of the songwriter. Unlike Sinatra, both Fitzgerald and Tormé were likely to cut loose during a swinging up-tempo number with several scat choruses, using their voices without words to improvise

7571-478: The eulogy at Tormé's funeral. Tormé appeared in Mountain Dew commercials and in a 1995 episode of the sitcom Seinfeld (" The Jimmy ") as himself. He recorded a version of Nat King Cole 's " Straighten Up and Fly Right " with his son, singer Steve March-Tormé . He worked with his other son, television writer-producer Tracy Tormé , on Sliders . The 1996 episode, entitled "Greatfellas," featured Tormé as

7684-622: The first jazz-influenced vocal groups, blazing a path later followed by The Hi-Lo's , The Four Freshmen , and The Manhattan Transfer . Tormé was discharged from the United States Army in 1946 and soon returned to a life of radio, TV, movies, and music. In 1947, he started a solo singing career. His appearances at New York's Copacabana led local disc jockey Fred Robbins to give him the nickname “the Velvet Fog” in honor of his high tenor and smooth vocal style. Tormé detested

7797-427: The first of his two Live By Request appearances. The broadcast was A&E's most successful music program, attracting an estimated 2.4 million viewers. The show was also simulcast on the radio. In March 1997, VH-1 aired Barry Manilow: The Summer of '78 , a one-hour special of Manilow solo at the piano being interviewed and playing his greatest hits as well as songs from Summer of '78 , his latest release at

7910-472: The first time a Manilow album debuted at the top of the album chart as well as the first time a Manilow album has reached number one in 29 years. It was eventually certified Platinum in the U.S., and sold more than 3 million copies worldwide. In March 2006, PBS aired Barry Manilow: Music and Passion , a Hilton concert recorded exclusively for the network's fundraising drive. Manilow was nominated for two Emmys, winning for Outstanding Individual Performance in

8023-501: The group are only known to have performed live once. Eventually Puerling moved to San Anselmo in Northern California. In the late 1970s, Puerling reunited the Hi-Lo's, with whom he recorded with and also performed at the Monterey Jazz Festival other jazz venues around the country. He taught workshops at the Marin County-based Harmony Sweepstakes. Gene Puerling passed away on March 25, 2008 due to complications from diabetes at 78 years of age near his home in Marin County, California . He

8136-440: The instructor based on progress made within the course, lyric writing ability, and the instructor's assessment of real potential in the field of songwriting. In February 2002, Manilow returned to the charts when Arista released a greatest hits album, Ultimate Manilow . On May 18, 2002, Manilow returned to CBS with Ultimate Manilow , his first special on the network since his Big Fun on Swing Street special in 1988. The special

8249-630: The label and eventually Peterson was Puerling's/The Singers Unlimited referral to Brunner-Schwer. Starting with the album a Capella in 1971, Puerling and the Singers Unlimited recorded 15 albums at MPS up through the early 1980's. Puerling would go onto earn 18 Grammy nominations for writing and arranging, primarily driven by his work with Singers Unlimited. His vocal arrangement for the Manhattan Transfer Mecca for Moderns album of A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square won

8362-538: The library of arrangements from Gene Puerling's estate. Mel Torme Melvin Howard Tormé (September 13, 1925 – June 5, 1999), nicknamed " the Velvet Fog ", was an American musician, singer, composer , arranger , drummer, actor, and author. He composed the music for " The Christmas Song " ("Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire") and co-wrote the lyrics with Bob Wells . Tormé won two Grammy Awards and

8475-459: The multi-platinum and multi-hit albums Tryin' to Get the Feeling , This One's for You , Even Now , and One Voice . Following the success of Barry Manilow II , the first Bell Records album was remixed and reissued on Arista Records as Barry Manilow I . When Manilow went on his first tour, he included in his show what he called "A V.S.M.", or "A Very Strange Medley", a sampling of some of

8588-570: The music. Due to their new national notoriety, during 1956/57 the vocal group was also signed to Columbia Records . During late 1950's and early 1960's, the Hi-Lo's appeared on television with Frank Sinatra , Benny Goodman and other stars and toured with Judy Garland . Puerling wrote and arranged for the Hi-Los releasing numerous singles and several albums for the Columbia label 1956 thru 1961; his collaboration with Les Brown 's staff arranger Frank Comstock are most notable. Columbia discontinued

8701-442: The musical Higher and Higher . His appearance in the 1947 film musical Good News made him a teen idol. In 1944, he formed the vocal quintet Mel Tormé and His Mel-Tones , modeled on Frank Sinatra and The Pied Pipers . The Mel-Tones, which included Les Baxter and Ginny O'Connor, had several hits fronting Artie Shaw 's band and on their own, including Cole Porter's " What Is This Thing Called Love? " The Mel-Tones were among

8814-591: The new venture. Bell had its final number 1 hit in January 1975 with Manilow's breakthrough 1974 release of the single " Mandy " (Bell 45,613), followed shortly by the label's final hit, as well as its final single, "Look in My Eyes Pretty Woman" by Tony Orlando and Dawn (Bell 45,620—US #11), after which the more successful Bell albums were reissued on Arista. The final releases using the Bell imprint have

8927-684: The nickname. He self-deprecatingly referred to it as "this Velvet Frog voice". As a solo singer, he recorded several romantic hits for Decca and with the Artie Shaw Orchestra for Musicraft (1946–1948). In 1949, he moved to Capitol , where his first record, "Careless Hands", became his only number-one hit. His versions of " Again " and " Blue Moon " became signature songs. His composition California Suite , prompted by Gordon Jenkins 's "Manhattan Tower", became Capitol's first 12-inch LP album. Around this time, he helped pioneer cool jazz . His radio program, Mel Tormé Time , appeared on

9040-427: The promise. Like Sammy Davis Jr. and Robert Fuller , Tormé was a real-life fast draw expert. He also sang the show's theme song. In 1963–1964, Tormé wrote songs and arrangements for The Judy Garland Show , where he made three guest appearances. When he and Garland had a dispute, he was fired. A few years later, after Garland's death, his time with her show became the subject of his first book, The Other Side of

9153-555: The pure voice of a cantor , had been an amateur dancer in his youth. His aunt Faye Tormé had risen to local fame in Chicago, where, dubbed the "Wonder Frisco Dancer," she raised money by dancing at war bond rallies in 1917–8. Mel's only musical education came from his Uncle Al Tormé, who played the ukulele and the Albert system clarinet . His only sibling, Myrna , was born a few weeks before his fourth birthday. Tormé grew up in

9266-646: The release of Even Now , the first of many top-20 albums on that side of the Atlantic, which contained four singles that became major hits in the US. This was quickly followed by Manilow Magic – The Best Of Barry Manilow , also known as Greatest Hits . In the late 1970s and early 1980s, ABC aired four variety television specials starring Manilow, who served as an executive producer. The Barry Manilow Special with Penny Marshall as his guest premiered on March 2, 1977, to an audience of 37 million. The special

9379-454: The same tour in 1978, a one-hour special from Manilow's sold-out concert at the Royal Albert Hall aired in the UK. On May 23, 1979, ABC aired The Third Barry Manilow Special , with John Denver as his guest. This special was nominated for two Emmy awards at the 31st Primetime Emmy Awards and won for Outstanding Choreography . Also in 1979, Manilow produced Dionne Warwick 's "comeback" album Dionne , her first to go platinum. He scored

9492-510: The series. Manilow also appeared on Clay Aiken's TV special, A Clay Aiken Christmas . Las Vegas Hilton executives in a press conference with Manilow on December 14, 2004, announced his signing to a long-term engagement as the house show. He began the residency in February 2005 with a show entitled Manilow: Music and Passion . In March 2006, Manilow's engagement was extended through 2008. Manilow returned to Arista Records under Davis for

9605-491: The short-lived Progressive Broadcasting System in the 1950s. From 1955 to 1957, he recorded seven vocal jazz albums for Red Clyde's Bethlehem Records , all with groups led by Marty Paich , most notably Mel Tormé and the Marty Paich Dek-Tette . He became known for his arranging skills, earning the respect of musicians. In his 1994 book My Singing Teachers , Tormé cited Patty Andrews, lead singer of

9718-753: The show's producer, Manilow and Sussman in 2005 won back the rights to the musical. In 1998, Manilow released the record album Manilow Sings Sinatra which earned him a Grammy nomination for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album at the 42nd Annual Grammy Awards in 1999. On October 23, 1999, NBC aired the two-hour special StarSkates Salute to Barry Manilow taped at the Mandalay Bay Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada , featuring numerous figure skaters performing to Manilow's music. Manilow also performed. In 2000, Manilow had two specials, Manilow Country and Manilow Live! , taped over two consecutive days at

9831-405: The six highest-achieving students to reward excellence in the art and craft of lyric writing. The UCLA Extension course "Writing Lyrics That Succeed and Endure" was taught by long-time Manilow collaborator Marty Panzer , and each student received three additional "master class" advanced sessions as well as a three-hour private, one-on-one session with Panzer. Scholarship recipients were selected by

9944-414: The song was included at the insistence of Davis. The title was changed to "Mandy" during the actual recording session on August 20, 1974, due to the fact that there had already been a song called " Brandy (You're a Fine Girl) " performed by Looking Glass and released in 1972 on Davis' Epic label. "Mandy" was the start of a string of hit singles and albums that lasted through the early 1980s, coming from

10057-483: The songs for the movie, with lyrics provided by his longtime collaborators Bruce Sussman and Jack Feldman . A soundtrack album for the TV film, Copacabana: The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack Album , was released on RCA Records. In October 1986, Manilow, along with Bruce Sussman, Tom Scott , and Charlie Fox , went to Washington, D.C. for two days of meetings with legislators, including lunch with then Senator Al Gore ( D - TN ). They were there to lobby against

10170-475: The songs he sang. He collaborated with Bob Wells on his most popular composition, " The Christmas Song " (1946); they wrote the song on a swelteringly hot and sunny day in California, sitting down and coming up with all the most 'mid-wintery' things they could think of, in an attempt to cool themselves down; it was recorded first by Nat King Cole . Tormé said that he wrote the music in 45 minutes and that it

10283-570: The studio. That same year, Showtime aired a documentary of Manilow recording the album with a number of jazz legends including Sarah Vaughan and Mel Tormé . In 1984 and 1985, England aired two one-hour concert specials from his National Exhibition Centre (NEC) concerts. In 1985, Manilow left Arista Records for RCA Records , where he released the pop album Manilow , and began a phase of international music, as he performed songs and duets in French, Spanish, Portuguese, and Japanese. The Manilow album

10396-416: The syncopation, the jazz conception, the deep feeling in her singing, the deliciously dissonant chords she played. She exposed me to all of it, and I ingested her musicality by some process of osmosis." To contribute to the family, he played drums in the drum-and-bugle corps at Shakespeare Elementary School. From 1933 to 1941, he acted in the radio programs The Romance of Helen Trent and Jack Armstrong,

10509-602: The time. In another collaboration between Manilow and Sussman, they co-wrote the musical Harmony: A New Musical , which previewed October 7 to November 23, 1997, at the La Jolla Playhouse in La Jolla, California . Later in 2003, Harmony was originally scheduled for a tryout run in Philadelphia before going to Broadway, but was canceled after financial difficulties. After a legal battle with Mark Schwartz,

10622-497: The title song "Eolia", which was used as a song there in a commercial for an air conditioner company of the same name, as well as other songs from his 1989–1990 Live on Broadway tour. In the early 1990s, Manilow signed on with Don Bluth to compose the songs with lyricists Jack Feldman and Bruce Sussman for three animated films. He co-wrote the Broadway-style musical scores for Thumbelina (1994) and The Pebble and

10735-687: The tour mounted for her first album. In 1973, Manilow was nominated for the Grammy Award for Album of the Year for his production role on The Divine Miss M at the 16th Grammy Awards . Manilow worked with Midler from 1971 to 1975. After the Featherbed singles failed to impact on the music charts, in July 1973, Bell Records released the album, Barry Manilow , which offered an eclectic mix of piano-driven pop and guitar-driven rock music, including

10848-412: The two. Also on the special were guests Cyndi Lauper , José Feliciano , and Bette Midler (Midler, busy preparing her own tour in Los Angeles, appeared only in a pre-taped segment). In 2004, Manilow released two albums: a live album, 2 Nights Live! ( BMG Strategic Marketing Group , 2004); and Scores: Songs from Copacabana & Harmony , an album of Manilow singing songs from his musicals. Scores

10961-668: Was "Rosalie Rosie", which was to be the flip side of "Could It Be Magic", but Bell Records went with "Morning" as the flip for Featherbed's second release instead. Neither of two singles released impacted on the charts. Bette Midler saw Manilow's act in 1971 and chose the young musician as her pianist at the Continental Baths in New York City that year, and subsequently as a producer on both her debut and second record albums The Divine Miss M (1972) and Bette Midler (1973). He also acted as her musical director on

11074-490: Was Jewish, though his grandmother was a Catholic of Irish descent. His Irish roots trace back to Limerick , Ireland. Barry's grandfather had his surname changed to Manilow a few weeks before Barry's bar mitzvah. Manilow grew up in the Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn and graduated in 1961 from the now-defunct Eastern District High School . While in high school, he met Susan Deixler, and they later married for

11187-600: Was TNN's first High Definition (HD) broadcast and became one of TNN's highest rated concert specials. In June 2000, DirectTV aired the two-hour concert special Manilow Live! where Manilow had his band, a 30-piece orchestra, and a choir. This HDTV special documented the concert tour at the time with the greatest hits of his career and was also released to video. Also that year, he worked with Monica Mancini on her Concord album The Dreams of Johnny Mercer , which included seven songs of Mercer's lyrics set to Manilow's music. Meanwhile, Manilow's record contract with Arista Records

11300-520: Was a complete about-face from the Paradise Cafe album, containing a number of uptempo tracks that featured synthesizers. In 1985, Japan aired a Manilow concert special where he played " Sakura " on the koto . In his only lead acting role, he portrayed Tony Starr in the 1985 CBS film Copacabana , which was based on his 1978 hit song "Copacabana", alongside Annette O'Toole as Lola Lamarr and Joseph Bologna as Rico Castelli. Manilow penned all

11413-544: Was a screenwriter and producer. James Tormé is a jazz vocalist based in Los Angeles, California. Steve March-Tormé is also a musician who lives and works in Appleton, Wisconsin. On August 8, 1996, a stroke ended Tormé's 65-year singing career. In February 1999, he was awarded the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award . He died from another stroke on June 5, 1999, at the age of 73. He is buried at

11526-627: Was also covered by Take That in the 1990s, as an up-beat disco version of the song. Take That have since performed Manilow's original version during their Beautiful World Tour. In 1974, Clive Davis became temporary president of Bell with the goal of revitalizing Columbia Pictures's music division. With a $ 10 million investment by CPI, and a reorganization of the various Columbia Pictures legacy labels ( Colpix , Colgems , and Bell), Davis introduced Columbia Pictures' new record division, Arista , in November 1974, with Davis himself owning 20% of

11639-479: Was attended by an estimated 40,000 people. This concert was also taped for airing on Showtime. In December 1983, Manilow was reported to have endowed the music departments at six major universities in the United States and Canada. The endowments were part of a continuing endeavor by Manilow to recognize and encourage new musical talent. In 1984, Manilow released 2:00 AM Paradise Cafe , a jazz / blues collection of original barroom tunes recorded in one live take in

11752-550: Was awarded an Honorary Clio at the 50th Anniversary Clio Awards in Las Vegas in 2009 for his 1960s work as a jingle writer and singer. When accepting the award, he stated that he learned the most about making pop music by working for three or four years as a writer in the jingle industry. By 1967, Manilow was the musical director for the WCBS-TV series Callback , which premiered on January 27, 1968. He next conducted and arranged for Ed Sullivan 's production company, arranging

11865-563: Was born Barry Alan Pincus on June 17, 1943, in Brooklyn , New York, the son of Edna Manilow and Harold Kelliher, a truck driver of Irish descent. Barry's mother made his father change his name to Pincus, which was the name of a Jewish uncle of his father from the 1800s. Barry's parents were divorced when he was a baby, and his mother's Jewish family allowed no further contact between Barry and his father. Barry's maternal grandparents were Russian Jewish immigrants, and his paternal grandfather

11978-651: Was filmed in the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood , California, and was nominated for an Emmy in the category of Outstanding Music Direction at the 54th Primetime Emmy Awards . Produced by Manilow, Bette Midler Sings the Rosemary Clooney Songbook was released on September 30, 2003. It was the first time that the pair had worked together in more than twenty years. The album went gold , and they collaborated again in 2005 on Bette Midler Sings

12091-489: Was nominated a total of 14 times. Melvin Howard Tormé was born in Chicago , Illinois , to William David Tormé (born Wowe Torma, also spelled as Tarme or Tarmo), a Polish Jewish immigrant from Brest (now Belarus ), and Sarah "Betty" Tormé ( née Sopkin), a New York City native. Named after the actor Melvyn Douglas , Tormé grew up in a home filled with music and entertainment. His father, whom he recalled as having

12204-466: Was nominated for four Emmys at the 29th Primetime Emmy Awards and won in the category of Outstanding Special–Comedy, Variety or Music . The Second Barry Manilow Special in 1978, with Ray Charles as his guest, was also nominated for four Emmys at the 30th Primetime Emmy Awards . Manilow's " Ready to Take a Chance Again " originated in the film Foul Play , which also featured " Copacabana ", from his fourth studio album Even Now . "Ready to Take

12317-526: Was not one of his favorites, calling it "my annuity". Mel Tormé was married four times, first to Candy Toxton (1949-1955); second to Arlene Miles (1956-1965); third to Janette Scott , Thora Hird 's daughter (1966-1977); and last to Ali Severson (from 1984 to his death in 1999). All his marriages except the last one ended in divorce. Tormé was survived by his wife Ali; five children: Steve March-Tormé , Melissa Torme-March, and Tracy , Daisy, and James Tormé ; and two stepchildren: Carrie Tormé and Kurt. Tracy

12430-566: Was not renewed due to new management. He then got a contract at Concord Records , a jazz-oriented label in California, and started work on the long-anticipated concept album Here at the Mayflower . The album was another eclectic mix of styles, almost entirely composed and produced by Manilow himself. While Manilow was at Concord Records, the Barry Manilow Scholarship was awarded for four consecutive years (2002–2005) to

12543-602: Was survived by his wife, Helen. In addition to the Hi-Lo's and The Singers Unlimited, Puerling has been directly influential on many singers and groups, including Jacob Collier and Take 6 . John Neal of Harmony Sweepstakes said after Puerling's death: "As a craftsman of the art of blending and harmonizing the human voice in song, Gene has no equal." Other groups heavily influenced by Puerling include The King's Singers , First Call , Chanticleer , Glad (band) , The Free Design , and Brian Wilson . In fall 2014, The University of North Texas College of Music and Music Library acquired

12656-529: Was taped at Wembley Arena in England earlier that year. The BBC also played a one-hour version of the same show including " The Best of Me ", sung during the concert, as a bonus song or "lucky strike extra" as Manilow says, not seen in The Complete Collection and Then Some... , the video release of the show; however, the song was included on the DVD of the same title, with Manilow seated in front of

12769-554: Was the last of Manilow's creative projects with the Concord label. During his third appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show on September 15, 2004, Winfrey announced that Manilow is one of the most requested guests of all time on her show. On the show, he promoted his One Night Live! One Last Time! tour. It was around this time period where Manilow appeared for the first time on the mainstream FOX program American Idol in which his back-up singer, Debra Byrd, doubles as voice coach on

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