Barry Manilow

In his two-hour interview, Barry Manilow talks about his early life, including the bands he played with as a teen and his early interest in orchestration. He discusses working in the CBS mail room, which led to a job on the local WCBS series Call Back. He details his career writing commercial jingles for companies including State Farm, Band-Aid, Dr. Pepper, and McDonald’s. He speaks of being the accompanist for Bette Midler, and going out on tour. Manilow recounts his first huge hit record, “Mandy," which was shepherded by Clive Davis and led to appearances on the music series Midnight Special, Rock Concert, and Soundstage. He details his many successful television specials, and recalls guest-stars Ray Charles, John Denver, and Penny Marshall. He outlines his guest appearances on sitcoms Murphy Brown and Will & Grace, as well as his stint as mentor/guest judge on American Idol. He sums up by discussing how the industry has changed since he started, and with advice to aspiring musicians. Adrienne Faillace conducted the interview on January 24, 2019 in Palm Springs, CA.