CLEVELAND — Barry Manilow is having a moment. In fact, likely much to the chagrin of his haters, Barry Manilow has pretty much been having a moment since his career began.
Back in 1978, five of his albums were on the best-selling charts simultaneously and he had 10 number-one singles in just five years. Manilow has sold more than 80 million records and he’s won more awards than Meryl Streep. And in what can only be considered a baller move, after writing a bunch of songs that made the whole world sing, he wrote a song about how he writes the songs that make the whole world sing. And THAT song went to number one on the charts.
That’s objectively impressive.
But to fully appreciate Barry Manilow’s importance in pop music history, you don’t have to be a die-hard “Fan-i-low," you just need a radio. The pop sensation has garnered countless hits during his almost 60 years in the industry and his music remains inescapable. I’m sure you know “Mandy," especially if your name is Mandy or you’ve dated one and had it not work out. If you don’t know the infectious “Can’t Smile Without You," be forewarned: I revisited it last week before my interview with Mr. Manilow and and it has been stuck in my head ever since. I’m considering seeking medical attention.
And and you’ve definitely heard someone ruin the song "Copacabana" at karaoke and he can’t be blamed for that.
But maybe you were not aware that he also wrote the famous “Like a good neighbor” ditty for State Farm Insurance while working as a commercial tune writer in 1971. And that is just ONE of many fascinating facts about Barry Manilow, whom I recently had the privilege to interview via telephone.
We discussed, among other things, his upcoming Cleveland show at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse, his new Broadway Musical, Bette Midler, and his brief foray into acting in the 1985 TV Movie, “Copacabana”.
The man contains multitudes.
And check this out: Barry Manilow's charity, The Manilow Music Project, is honoring teachers in each city that Barry performs in during his current tour. For his swing through Cleveland, The Manilow Music Project recognized Painesville Harvey High School band director Amir Jones with a $10,000 award. The prize consists of a $5,000 cash reward for Jones, as well as an additional $5,000 for Harvey to purchase instruments.
Mike caught up with Amir Jones as he was honored by Barry Manilow prior to Thursday's concert at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Watch below.
