For Barry Manilow, it all started when he chose to pursue his dream of working in the entertainment industry. After his mother Edna and stepfather Willie Murphy saved up $800 for him to buy a piano over the course of five years, he developed an interest in music. Barry went on to have a prosperous career spanning several decades, so it turned out to be money well spent.
Before attending the New York College of Music, Barry enrolled at the City College of New York. Afterwards, he attended the Juilliard School to study musical theater before beginning a log clerk job at CBS.
He fell in love with Susan Deixler, the girl he had fallen in love with in high school, during that period of his life, and they were married at the age of barely 21. The marriage ended after only approximately two years due to his perception that he wasn’t ready to settle down just yet and that he was too focused on music. “I simply wasn’t prepared for marriage; every night I was out creating music and planting my wild oats.” “I wasn’t ready to settle down; I was too young,” the singer said.
Barry spent many years penning tunes for commercials prior to having his big break. He had the good fortune to feature in a Dr. Pepper commercial that, as he put it, “paid the rent for years.”
“The only way you can compete with other songwriters when you’re going for a commercial is to write the catchiest melody you can write in fifteen seconds, and if you don’t write the best one, then another songwriter will get the commercial,” Barry said to WHRB. “That’s how I got lucky into writing commercials.”
And I always write songs that are catchy by instinct. It’s just something I enjoy doing. I therefore started making jingles and won a lot of them as my tunes were catchier than those of the other men.
He continued, saying, “But it was incredibly beneficial because pop music is all about catchy melodies, hooks, and choruses, so when I found myself composing pop songs, which like I said I never really thought about doing, it was really helpful.When I eventually found myself composing pop songs, it was really helpful to have learned how to do that while I was writing commercials.
His debut album, Barry Manilow, was published in 1973, although it wasn’t a big hit right away. With his single Daisy, he didn’t achieve success in the industry until a year later.Then came hits that went straight to the top of the charts, like the well-known I Write the Songs, Could It Be Magic, and Copa (At the Copa).
Barry had five albums and 10 No. 1 singles on the best-selling charts at the same time, just five years after he released his debut album. Day by day, his fan base increased to such an extent that he started referring to them as “Fanilows.”
Barry bore a burden for a large portion of his life and eventually, at the age of 73, he made the decision to reveal it to the public. After coming out as gay, Barry Manilow disclosed that he had been dating Garry Kief for almost 40 years. He acknowledged that the two were wed at their Palm Springs mansion back in 2014.
The pair began dating a few years after meeting for the first time in 1978. They are still together today, with Garry serving as both President of Barry Manilow Productions and Manager of Barry.
When Barry first met Garry, he said, “I knew that this was it.” “Before that, I was pretty lonely, so I was one of the lucky ones.”
Being gay wasn’t as accepted in the past as it is now. Barry claimed that he had previously avoided disclosing his sexual orientation out of concern for his work and uncertainty about how others would respond. He’s glad that he came out as gay today because nothing has changed other than the adoration of his admirers.
Together, the two reared Kristen, Garry’s biological daughter.
That is this relationship’s miracle. We’ve never had disagreements since our relationship is based on respect, Barry told the Chicago Sun-Times.
I’ve never met a smarter guy than Garry. Great manager that he is. He looks after the business side of my job, I look after the music, and together we map out our goals. It tells the story of two guys who survived forty years.
“Perhaps coming out will cheer people up.” Perhaps it will show some young people that they are also capable of succeeding. It’s been a really happy love story for us. We continue to communicate with each other!
The well-known artist also talked candidly about his numerous plastic surgery procedures. Although he isn’t scared to admit that he underwent surgery, he doesn’t want to be known as the “Joan Rivers of the guys.”
Barry responded, “It’s just blind luck,” when asked how he stays young on the British morning program This Morning. I’m becoming old; please don’t bring it up. It is quite dismal.
Barry Manilow is delighted that he finally came out as gay, even if it took a lot of guts for him to do so at such a young age.
