With credits as a jingle writer and piano player with Bette Midler in the early ‘70s, Brooklyn's Barry Manilow was always a solo artist waiting to be hatched. The singer/songwriter took some time to find his footing, but 1974's Barry Manilow II connected with the multi-platinum masses and kicked off an 80 million album selling streak. After penning soft pop material through the early ‘80s, the next two decades of specialty projects spanned standards to show tunes. Original material (including a musical) returned in the ‘00s, followed by a popular Las Vegas residency and farewell tour.