Barry Manilow (born Barry Alan Pincus in Brooklyn, New York on June 17, 1943) is an American singer and songwriter best known for his hit recordings " I Write The Songs", " Mandy" and " Copacabana (At The Copa)".
Manilow dominated the soft rock scene in the 1970s with a string of top ten hits and multi-platinum albums. His music is considered by some to be kitsch or camp, even when it was released, owing to its difference in style to the pop or rock mainstream. Despite the frequent barbs from critics and lampooning by comedians, he continues to maintain a large fan base, especially among baby-boomer women in his native United States, as evidenced by the No. 3 debut of his 2002 greatest hits album Ultimate Manilow. A quote from 20 years ago that is still used today in his publicity: "most probably he's the showman of our generation" by Rolling Stone.
Born to humble origins in Brooklyn, New York, June 17, 1943. Shortly after his birth, his father Harold Pincus (born to a Russian- Jewish father and Irish mother) and his mother Edna Manilow divorced. Barry was then brought up by his mother and grandparents, Russian- Jewish immigrants who had a strong influence on his life. He began singing shortly before his Bar Mitzvah at the age of 13 when he legally changed his surname to his mother's maiden name Manilow. He took up the accordion, but preferring the piano, persevered with it, a decision which would be vital for his career.
Manilow's record label Arista took three years off his announced age when he was really 32 (in 1975) and made him 29 years old so he would appeal to teens; this made him appear to have been born in 1946 instead of his actual birth year, 1943. Manilow reportedly wrote to Playboy in 1965 when he was 22 asking for advice about music.
