STAR PERFORMANCES

	The one and only Mel Tormé joined Barry in 1984 to capture the mood for 2:00 AM Paradise Cafe on "Big City Blues".  About six years later, Barry recorded the Tormé/Wells holiday standard, "The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire)."
	Barry with Mel Tormé in 1984, caught up in the Big City Blues... Mel Tormé (1925-1999)

The First Barry Manilow Special featured Penny Marshall and Barry singin' and swingin' on a duet of "Bandstand Boogie." Ray Charles sang "One Of These Days" and (with Barry) "It's A Miracle" during a guest appearance on the Second Barry Manilow Special. Barry performed a medley of Everly Brothers hits with "Class Act" John Denver on the Third Barry Manilow Special. Sarah Vaughan performed the duet, "Blue", with Barry for the "2:00 AM Paradise Café" album. Barry produced Dionne Warwick's 1979 comeback album ("Dionne"), featuring the hits "Deja Vu" and "I'll Never Love This Way Again" (Dionne and Barry performed both as duets on the 1980 TV Special One Voice). In 1985, Dionne and Barry got together to perform the Bee Gees 1972 hit, "Run to Me". Barry produced the song "No One There" performed by Dionne Warwick on Dionne's album "Friends" (1985). In 2007 Barry recorded the Bee Gees' "How Can You Mend A Broken Heart" on "The Greatest Songs of the Seventies." Barry's "Swing Street" album featured a number of guest artists including Kid Creole & the Coconuts ("Hey Mambo"), Phyllis Hyman and Tom Scott ("Black And Blue"), Gerry Mulligan ("One More Time"), Diane Schuur & Stan Getz (George Gershwin/Dubose Heyward's "Summertime") and Uncle Festive ("Stardust") (featuring Ron Pedley). Included on the 1988 TV Special, Big Fun on Swing Street, was Barry and Diane performing "It Don't Mean A Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)" (1988). Speaking of Gershwin, Barry recorded "Love Is Here To Stay" penned by George & Ira Gershwin for "The Greatest Love Songs of All Time" (2010). In 2003, Eddie Arkin and Barry produced/created Diane Schuur's "Midnight" which included songs written by Barry and lyricists Bruce Sussman, Johnny Mercer, Marty Panzer, and Adrienne Anderson. The album features the Barry and 'Deedles' duet, "Anytime." Barry co-produced and provided the music to Johnny Mercer's lyrics on the 1991 Nancy Wilson album, "With My Lover Beside Me" (pictured, right). Barry recorded Johnny Mercer and Rube Bloom's "Fools Rush In" on "The Greatest Love Songs of All Time" (2010, UK edition). Muffy Hendrix and Barry performed the Nick Ashford / Valerie Simpson classic "Ain't Nothing Like The Real Thing" for the 1985 "Manilow" album. A song that sort of got Lost in the 80's was Barry's duet with Ronnie Milsap, "Put A Quarter In The Juke Box". As a trio, Michael Crawford, Hinton Battle and Barry Manilow brought Frank Loesser's "Fugue for Tinhorns" (from "Guys and Dolls") to life on Barry's "Showstoppers" album. Other Frank Loesser songs recorded by Barry include "Baby, It's Cold Outside" (with K.T. Oslin), "I Don't Want To Walk Without You" (J. Styne/F. Loesser), "Luck Be A Lady", and "Once In Love With Amy". It was definitely magic when Barry performed the duet of Smokey Robinson's "My Girl" and Barry's "No One In This World", with Sweet Melissa Manchester! Barry and Melissa reunited in 2007 for a duet of the Carole King classic, "You've Got A Friend" (a 1971 hit for James Taylor), included on Barry's "The Greatest Songs of the Seventies." Who could forget the "Can't Smile Without You" duet with Dame Edna on the "Hollywood" television special (January 1993)? Rosie O'Donnell joined Barry on opening night at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, April 1997, during "Copacabana". Barry and Rosie did a duet of "Because It's Christmas" for "Rosie's Another Rosie Christmas" album in 2000 to benefit the For All Kids Foundation. Barry may have been Singin' With The Big Bands in 1994, but he also sang with the incomparable Rosemary Clooney on the Nilo Menendez/Adolfo Utrera song "Green Eyes" featuring the Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra. In 1998, Barry got together with Rosemary and the Count Basie Orchestra on the cheerful duet, "How About You". Barry performed and co-produced tracks on Bette Midler's top ten album from 1973, "The Divine Miss M." Barry later produced and co-wrote the track "Perfect Isn't Easy," performed by Bette Midler on the Oliver & Company Soundtrack (1988). Barry re-teamed with Bette Midler in 2003 to co-produce (with Robbie Buchanan) "Bette Midler Sings The Rosemary Clooney Songbook," a tribute album to one of America's great women of traditional pop and vocal jazz, Rosemary Clooney (1928-2002). This included the Bette and Barry duet, "On A Slow Boat To China." In 2005, Barry produced another album for Bette entitled "Bette Midler Sings The Peggy Lee Songbook," paying tribute to one of the great female jazz vocalists of all-time, Peggy Lee. On Barry's 2004 album, "Manilow Scores: Songs From Copacabana and Harmony," Barry performs the Copacabana duet "This Can't Be Real" with Olivia Newton-John. The duo returned in 2007 to record a duet of "A Gift Of Love" on Olivia's album "Christmas Wish." Barry Manilow and Eric McCormack co-wrote the song "Living With Grace" from the TV Show-inspired "Will & Grace: Let The Music Out!" (2004). In 2006 Stephen Colbert and Barry gave new life to "I Write The Songs" on the Colbert Report. The Association accompanied Barry on "Cherish/Windy" for Barry's "The Greatest Songs of the Sixties" (2006), while the Association's "Never My Love" was featured on Barry's 1996 release "Summer of '78" AND as a bonus track/medley in 2006 with "I Swear," a 1994 hit for both country star John Michael Montgomery and pop group All-4-One. Dave Koz featured Barry Manilow on the track "Moon River" -- a signature Andy Williams classic -- from Dave's "At The Movies" CD (2007). "Where Do I Begin (Theme from Love Story)" -- popularized by Andy Williams, Henry Mancini and Francis Lai in 1971 -- was recorded by Barry on his album "The Greatest Love Songs of All Time" (2010). Henry's daughter, Monica Mancini, recorded an album called "The Dreams of Johnny Mercer" (2000) which included songs that Barry wrote to lyrics by Johnny Mercer. Barry asked Straight No Chaser to open for him at the Hollywood Bowl in 2009. They later collaborated on a unique a cappella version of "One Voice" (featured on the group's 2010 album "With A Twist").

Star Performances | Inspirations

This Page Created March 19, 1996 (Last Updated April 11, 2010)

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