109-552: Martin Ramon Razon Nievera (born February 5, 1962) is a Filipino singer and songwriter. Known for his contemporary love ballads and on-stage personality, he is celebrated as one of the most important figures in local Filipino music. With a career spanning four decades, he has garnered 18 platinum, 5 double platinum, 3 triple platinum, and 1 quadruple platinum albums, listing him among the highest-selling Filipino recording artists of all time. Nievera began his career in 1982 with
218-403: A Grammy Award (winning once) as a producer, arranger and performer a total of fifteen times (and in every decade) from 1973 to 2015. He has also produced Grammy-nominated albums for Bette Midler , Dionne Warwick , Nancy Wilson , and Sarah Vaughan . Manilow has sold more than 85 million records as a solo artist worldwide, making him one of the world's bestselling artists . Barry Manilow
327-572: A 2011 television interview with Boy Abunda , he recalled going to church and venting his anger on God, screaming "What the hell is happening? What else can I do?" Inspired by his father, Nievera returned to the Philippines in 1982 to begin his own singing career. By June 1983, he released his first LP, Martin...Take One . Nievera began co-hosting the TV variety show The Penthouse Live! with Pops Fernandez , who would later become his wife. Nievera's second LP
436-504: A Chance Again " (by Charles Fox and Norman Gimbel ). His number 1 hit " I Write the Songs " was composed by Bruce Johnston of The Beach Boys . According to album liner notes, Manilow did, however, perform co-production as well as arrangement duties on all the above tracks along with Ron Dante , most famous for his vocals on records by The Archies . Manilow's breakthrough in Britain came with
545-603: A Chance Again" and its songwriters Charles Fox and Norman Gimbel were nominated that year for the " Best Original Song " Oscar at the 51st Academy Awards . On February 11, 1979, a concert from Manilow's sold-out dates from his Even Now Tour at the Greek Theater in Los Angeles aired on the HBO series Standing Room Only , which was the first pay-television show to pose a serious threat to network primetime specials for ratings. From
654-730: A Variety or Music Program at the 58th Primetime Emmy Awards . A sequel album to his bestselling fifties tribute album, The Greatest Songs of the Sixties was released on October 31, 2006, including songs such as " And I Love Her " and " Can't Help Falling in Love ". It nearly repeated the success of its predecessor, debuting at number 2 in the Billboard 200. In January 2007, Manilow returned to his hometown of New York City for three shows at Madison Square Garden . These included showing onscreen Manilow performing in one of his first television appearances, while
763-571: A benefit concert for the Warwick Foundation headed by Dionne Warwick and shown on Showtime a few years later. In the 1988 Walt Disney Pictures animated feature Oliver & Company , Bette Midler's character sang a new Manilow composition called "Perfect Isn't Easy". The 1989 release of Barry Manilow , which contained "Please Don't Be Scared", " Keep Each Other Warm ", and "The One That Got Away", ended Manilow's streak of albums of original self-written material (he only wrote or arranged two of
872-543: A black curtain, lip-syncing to the recording. He performed 14 concerts as part of an extended tour covering Germany, Austria and Denmark . Manilow branched out in another direction and, with long-time lyricist Bruce Sussman, launched Copacabana , a musical play based on previous Manilow-related adaptations. They wrote new songs and it ran for two years on the London West End , and a tour company formed. In December 1996, A&E aired Barry Manilow: Live By Request ,
981-640: A choir) for Barry Manilow for his three-day concert, and that’s where I realized that this is what I want to do." — Martin Nievera In the 1970s, the family relocated to the San Francisco Bay Area in California. Nievera enrolled at Clayton Valley High School in Concord, where he was a member of the basketball team. He was encouraged by the school's wrestling coach to enter the choir, impressed by
1090-496: A collection of Broadway songs (1991), Singin' with the Big Bands (1994) and a late 1970s collection Summer of '78 (1996), which included the hit " I Go Crazy ", formerly a hit for Paul Davis in 1978. The decade ended with Manilow recording a tribute to Frank Sinatra Manilow Sings Sinatra (1998) released months after Sinatra's death. In 1990, Japan aired National Eolia Special: Barry Manilow On Broadway where he sang
1199-468: A concert from his sold-out Royal Albert Hall show was broadcast in England. The live album and video Barry Live in Britain also came from his Royal Albert Hall shows. On August 27, 1983, Manilow performed a landmark open-air concert at Blenheim Palace in Britain, an event that he told the audience was "one of the most exciting nights" in his life. It was the first such event ever held at that venue and
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#17328586686411308-409: A copyright bill put forward by local television broadcasters that would mandate songwriter-producer source licensing of theme and incidental music on syndicated television show reruns and would disallow the use of the blanket license then in effect. The songwriters said without the blanket license, artists would have to negotiate up front with producers individually, without knowing if a series would be
1417-445: A distorted electric guitar solo representing the "power" in the power ballad. Aaron argues that the hard rock power ballad broke into the mainstream of American consciousness in 1976 as FM radio gave a new lease of life to earlier impassioned songs such as Badfinger 's " Without You ", Led Zeppelin 's " Stairway to Heaven " and Aerosmith 's " Dream On ". The Carpenters ' 1972 single " Goodbye to Love " has also been identified as
1526-474: A good neighbor, State Farm is there") or Band-Aid ("I am stuck on Band-Aid, 'cause Band-Aid's stuck on me!"), for which he adopted a childlike voice and wrote the music (Donald B Wood wrote the lyrics). His singing-only credits include commercials for Kentucky Fried Chicken , Pepsi ("all across the nation, it's the Pepsi Generation "), McDonald's ("you deserve a break today"), and Dr Pepper . Manilow
1635-601: A group of studio musicians under the name "Featherbed" on the Columbia Pictures ' newly acquired Bell Records label." Manilow recorded and accompanied artists on the piano for auditions and performances in the first two years of the 1970s. He recorded four tracks as Featherbed, produced by Tony Orlando on Bell Records. Three of the tracks were: "Morning", a ballad; "Amy", a psychedelic-influenced pop song; and an early, uptempo version of his own co-composition (with Orlando), " Could It Be Magic ". The fourth tune recorded
1744-433: A lesser extent, loneliness , death , war , drug abuse , politics and religion , usually in a poignant but solemn manner. Ballads are generally melodic enough to get the listener's attention. Sentimental ballads are found in most music genres , such as pop , R&B , soul , country , folk , rock and electronic music . Usually slow in tempo , ballads tend to have a lush musical arrangement which emphasizes
1853-454: A loud and emotive chorus backed by drums, electric guitars, and sometimes choirs. According to Charles Aaron , power ballads came into existence in the early 1970s, when rock stars attempted to convey profound messages to audiences while retaining their "macho rocker" mystique. The hard rock power ballad typically expresses love or heartache through its lyrics, shifting into wordless intensity and emotional transcendence with heavy drumming and
1962-515: A new covers album, released January 31, 2006, called The Greatest Songs of the Fifties . Manilow said he was blown away with the idea, which Davis presented when he visited Manilow's Las Vegas show. "When he suggested this idea to me, I slapped my forehead and said, 'Why hasn't anyone thought of this idea?'" Manilow said. It was an unexpected success, debuting at number one in the Billboard 200 , marking
2071-515: A new theme for The Late Show , while writing, producing, and singing his radio and television jingles. At the same time, he and Jeanne Lucas performed as a duo for a two-season run at Julius Monk 's Upstairs at the Downstairs club in New York. By 1969, Manilow was signed by Columbia / CBS Music vice-president and recording artist, Tony Orlando , who went on to co-write with and produce Manilow and
2180-450: A prototype of the power ballad, driven by the hard rock guitar sound of Tony Peluso . British heavy metal band Judas Priest wrote many power ballads, starting with " Dreamer Deceiver " and " Beyond the Realms of Death ". American rock band Styx has been credited with releasing the first true power ballad, the song " Lady ", in 1973. Its writer, Dennis DeYoung is called the "father of
2289-493: A rendition of Morris Albert 's " Feelings " that Nievera sang while showering in the locker room. Bert posited that his son began to realize "he could sing professionally" when he was sixteen, the same age when he did. Aside from his father, who always supported his singing, Nievera also credits for his talent his Cebuana maternal grandmother, Lourdes Corrales, a famous mezzo-soprano opera singer and radio personality in 1940s Philippines. Unlike his father Bert, his mother Conchita
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#17328586686412398-513: A short time. He enrolled in the City College of New York , where he briefly studied before entering the New York College of Music . He also worked at CBS while he was a student to pay his expenses. Afterwards, he studied musical theater at Juilliard Performing Arts School . In 1964, Manilow met Bro Herrod, a CBS director, who asked him to arrange some songs for a musical adaptation of
2507-433: A song called "I Am Your Child", which Manilow had composed with Marty Panzer . Among other songs on the album were Jon Hendricks ' vocalese jazz standard "Cloudburst", most successfully recorded by his group Lambert, Hendricks and Ross in 1959, and a slower-tempo version of "Could It Be Magic". The latter's music was based on Chopin 's " Prelude in C Minor " and provided Donna Summer with one of her first hits. It
2616-614: A success. The license now pays according to a per-use formula. Manilow said that such a bill would act as a precedent for broadcasters to get rid of the blanket license entirely. The following year, McGraw-Hill published Manilow's autobiography, Sweet Life: Adventures on the Way to Paradise , which took three years to complete. While promoting the work, Manilow defended his music in a telephone interview: "I live in laid-back L.A., but in my heart, I'm an energetic New Yorker and that's what has always come out of my music. I've always been surprised when
2725-701: A top ten hit of his own, in the fall of 1979, with the song " Ships " (written and composed by Ian Hunter, former lead singer of Mott the Hoople ) from the album One Voice . During the 1980s, Manilow topped the Adult Contemporary radio charts with songs such as " The Old Songs ", " Somewhere Down the Road ", " Read 'Em and Weep " (written by Jim Steinman ), and a remake of the 1941 Jule Styne and Frank Loesser standard " I Don't Want to Walk Without You ". Manilow's songs continued to receive frequent radio airplay throughout
2834-497: A twin sister, Victoria (nicknamed "Vicki"); a younger sister, Rachel; and many siblings from his parents' other unions. His father was a member of the Hawaii -based singing troupe Society of Seven . His mother separated with her first husband and fled with the twins to Hawaii when they were three years old to live there with Bert. Attending elementary and high school in Hawaii, he said that he
2943-745: A world tour of the Broadway show. Manilow released a number of cover tunes during the 1990s, starting with tracks on the 1989 release Barry Manilow , and continuing with his 1990 Christmas LP Because It's Christmas . On the Christmas album, Manilow was joined by pop girl trio Exposé and together they recreated, note for note, a 1943 million-selling recording of " Jingle Bells " by Bing Crosby and The Andrews Sisters . Manilow has credited Patty, Maxene, and LaVerne Andrews as inspiring him, perhaps most evident in his recording of "Jump, Shout Boogie". Consequent "event" albums followed, including: Showstoppers ,
3052-544: Is " Judas " in a 13th-century manuscript . A reference in William Langland 's Piers Plowman indicates that ballads about Robin Hood were being sung from at least the late 14th century and the oldest detailed material is Wynkyn de Worde's collection of Robin Hood ballads printed about 1495. Ballads at this time were originally composed in couplets with refrains in alternate lines. These refrains would have been sung by
3161-590: Is an American singer and songwriter with a career that spans six decades. His hit recordings include " Could It Be Magic ", " Looks Like We Made It ", " Mandy ", " I Write the Songs ", " Can't Smile Without You ", " Weekend in New England ", and " Copacabana (At the Copa) ". Manilow has recorded and released 51 Top 40 singles on the Adult Contemporary Chart , including 13 that hit number one, 28 that appeared within
3270-409: Is based on lyrics left behind by famed composer Johnny Mercer that had never been set to music. Manilow was invited in 1993 by Mercer's widow to complete the songs. His own recording of " When October Goes ", with lyrics by Mercer, was released as a single in 1984, from his album 2:00 AM Paradise Cafe . Further Mercer compositions were set to music by Manilow over the following years, culminating in
3379-677: The 32nd Primetime Emmy Awards . Also in 1980, a concert from Manilow's sold-out shows at London England's Wembley Arena was broadcast while he was on a world tour. Manilow released the self-titled Barry (1980), which was his first album to not reach the top ten in the United States, stopping at number 15. The album contained the top 10 hits " I Made It Through the Rain " (originally a minor hit for its writer, Gerard Kenny ) and " Bermuda Triangle ". The album If I Should Love Again followed in 1981, with two top 40 recordings that both hit number 1 on
Martin Nievera - Misplaced Pages Continue
3488-463: The Myx Music Awards for his contributions to music as a singer and also for being a talk show host and comedian. In 2023, Nievera was selected to be one of the coaches (judges) on the fifth season of The Voice Kids , which aired on A2Z . Sentimental ballad A sentimental ballad is an emotional style of music that often deals with romantic and intimate relationships , and to
3597-604: The Tennessee Performing Arts Center in Nashville, Tennessee . On April 11, 2000, The Nashville Network (TNN) aired the two-hour Manilow Country , which featured country stars Trisha Yearwood , Neal McCoy , Deana Carter , Jo Dee Messina , Lorrie Morgan , Kevin Sharp , Lila McCann , Gillian Welch and Jaci Velasquez singing their favorite Manilow hits with a " country " twist; Manilow also performed. This special
3706-513: The melodrama , The Drunkard . Instead, Manilow wrote an entire original score . Herrod used Manilow's composition in the Off Broadway musical, which had an eight-year run at New York's 13th Street Repertory Theatre . During this time, Manilow began work as a commercial jingle writer and singer, which continued through the remainder of the 1960s. He performed many of the TV jingles that he composed, including State Farm Insurance ("Like
3815-747: The "live" Manilow played along onstage. The same year saw him playing several shows on the east coast of the United States in August. Four more took place in December, half in the New York tri-state area in Uniondale and East Rutherford , and two in Cleveland and Detroit. Manilow launched another short tour in early 2008, visiting several large venues including the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minnesota . A further album in
3924-962: The 1920s, composers of Tin Pan Alley and Broadway used ballad to signify a slow, sentimental tune or love song, often written in a fairly standardized form. Jazz musicians sometimes broaden the term still further to embrace all slow-tempo pieces. Notable sentimental ballads of this period include, "Little Rosewood Casket" (1870), " After the Ball " (1892), and " Danny Boy " (1913). Popular sentimental ballad vocalists in this era include Frank Sinatra , Ella Fitzgerald , Andy Williams , Johnny Mathis , Connie Francis and Perry Como . Their recordings were usually lush orchestral arrangements of current or recent rock and roll or pop hit songs. The most popular and enduring songs from this style of music are known as "pop standards" or (where relevant) "American standards". Many vocalists became involved in 1960s' vocal jazz and
4033-595: The 1985 television movie Copacabana , starring Manilow and executive produced by Clark. Despite being a songwriter in his own right, several of Manilow's commercial successes were songs written by others. In addition to "Mandy", other hits that he did not write or compose include " Tryin' to Get the Feeling Again " (by David Pomeranz ), " Weekend in New England " (by Randy Edelman ), " Ships " (by Ian Hunter ), " Looks Like We Made It " (by Richard Kerr and Will Jennings ), " Can't Smile Without You " and " Ready to Take
4142-537: The 1991 Nancy Wilson release. Manilow is featured in a duet on the record in the final cut "Epilogue". On February 19, 1992, Manilow testified before the Subcommittee on Intellectual Property and Judicial Administration House Committee in support of H.R. 3204, The Audio Home Recording Act of 1991. The bill was signed into law on October 28, 1992, by President George H. W. Bush and became effective immediately. In 1993, PBS aired Barry Manilow: The Best of Me , which
4251-549: The 305 ballads printed that would be published as The English and Scottish Popular Ballads . There have been many different and contradictory attempts to classify traditional ballads by theme, but commonly identified types are the religious, supernatural, tragic, love ballads, historic, legendary and humorous. By the Victorian era , ballad had come to mean any sentimental popular song, especially so-called "royalty ballads". Some of Stephen Foster 's songs exemplify this genre. By
4360-466: The AC chart during this time owing to their ballad-sound. A popular trend in the early 2000s was remixing or re-recording dance music hits into acoustic ballads (for example, the "Candlelight Mix" versions of " Heaven " by DJ Sammy , " Listen to Your Heart " by DHT , and " Everytime We Touch " by Cascada ). In the 2010s, indie musicians like Imagine Dragons , Mumford & Sons , Of Monsters and Men ,
4469-659: The AC chart – "The Old Songs" and "Somewhere Down The Road" and a third single that became a hit in the UK ;– a cover of the 1965 The Four Seasons smash " Let's Hang On! ". This was the first of his albums that Manilow produced without Ron Dante, who had co-produced all the previous albums. Manilow's sold-out concert at the Pittsburgh Civic Arena in Pittsburgh aired nationally on Showtime and locally on Philadelphia 's now-defunct PRISM . In 1982,
Martin Nievera - Misplaced Pages Continue
4578-463: The B section is usually referred to as the bridge ; often a brief coda , sometimes based on material from the bridge, is added, as in " Over the Rainbow ". The most common use of the term "ballad" in modern pop and R&B music is for an emotional song about romance, breakup and/or longing . The singer would usually lament an unrequited or lost love, either where one party is oblivious to
4687-567: The Coconuts , Phyllis Hyman , Stanley Clarke , Carmen McRae , Tom Scott , and Uncle Festive, a band within Manilow's band at the time. The special was nominated for two Emmys in technical categories, and won in the category of Outstanding Art Direction for a Variety or Music Program at the 40th Primetime Emmy Awards . In 1988, Manilow performed "Please Don't Be Scared" and "Mandy/Could It Be Magic" at That's What Friends Are For : AIDS Concert '88 ,
4796-705: The Kid " (1974), the folk music sense is generally implied. The term ballad is also sometimes applied to strophic story-songs more generally, such as Don McLean 's " American Pie " (1971). Prominent artists who made sentimental ballads in the 1980s include Stevie Wonder , Lionel Richie , Peabo Bryson , Barry White , Luther Vandross and George Michael . The 1990s mainstream pop/R&B singers such as Boyz II Men , Celine Dion , Shania Twain , Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey . Newer female singer-songwriters such as Sarah McLachlan , Natalie Merchant , Jewel , Melissa Etheridge and Sheryl Crow also broke through on
4905-530: The Lumineers and Ed Sheeran had indie songs that crossed over to the adult contemporary charts, due to their ballad-heavy sound. Most pop standard and jazz ballads are built from a single, introductory verse , usually around 16 bars in length, and they end on the dominant – the chorus or refrain , usually 16 or 32 bars long and in AABA form (though other forms, such as ABAC, are not uncommon). In AABA forms,
5014-469: The Peggy Lee Songbook . On December 3, 2003, A&E aired A Barry Manilow Christmas: Live by Request , his second of two concerts for the series. The two-hour special had Manilow taking requests for Christmas songs performed live with a band and an orchestra. Manilow told the audience that he was what Clay Aiken was going to look like in thirty years, thus acknowledging an ongoing comparison between
5123-481: The Penguin (1995). The third film, entitled Rapunzel , was shelved after the poor performance of The Pebble and the Penguin . Manilow was also to be cast as the voice of a cricket. Manilow also composed the score and wrote two songs with Bruce Sussman for Disney Sing Along Songs: Let's Go To The Circus . Manilow produced the 1991 album With My Lover Beside Me by legendary jazz vocalist Nancy Wilson . The record
5232-580: The album's second single. When grunge appeared as a counterpoint to the excesses of 1980s hard rock and glam metal, one of the distinctions of the grunge style was the absence of power ballads; however, some songs from this era such as "Rooster" by Alice in Chains (1992), which Ned Raggett described as the band's "own particular approach" to the style, and " Black Hole Sun " by Soundgarden (1994) have been described using this term, and songs in its subgenre post-grunge included ballads. Latin ballad refers to
5341-768: The album's songs) and began a phase of his recording career consisting of covers and compilations. From April 18 to June 10, 1989, Manilow put on a show called Barry Manilow at the Gershwin , making 44 appearances at the Gershwin Theatre (also known as the Uris Theatre), where he had also recorded Barry Manilow Live in 1976. A bestselling 90-minute video of the same show was released the following year as Barry Manilow Live on Broadway . The Showtime one-hour special Barry Manilow SRO on Broadway consisted of edited highlights from this video. Manilow followed this set of shows with
5450-688: The ballad derived from bolero that originated in the early-1960s in Latin America and Spain. One of the most well-known Latin ballad singers of the 1970s and 1980s was José José . Known as "El Principe de La Cancion" (The Prince of the Song), he sold over 40 million albums in his career and became a huge influence to later ballad singers such as Cristian Castro , Alejandro Fernández , Nelson Ned , Manuel Mijares and Lupita D'Alessio . Barry Manilow Barry Manilow ( / ˈ m æ n ɪ l oʊ / MAN -il-oh ; born Barry Alan Pincus on June 17, 1943)
5559-620: The commercial jingles that he had written, composed, and/or sung in the 1960s. The medley appeared later on his triple-platinum 1977 album Barry Manilow Live . Beginning with Manilow's March 22, 1975, appearance on American Bandstand to promote the second album, a productive friendship with Dick Clark started. Among their projects together were numerous appearances by Manilow on Clark's productions of Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve , singing his original seasonal favorite " It's Just Another New Year's Eve ", American Bandstand anniversary shows, American Music Awards performances, and
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#17328586686415668-655: The critics said I made wimpy little ballads ." Manilow returned to Arista Records in 1987 with the release of Swing Street . The album, a mixture of traditional after-dark and techno jazz, contained "Brooklyn Blues", an autobiographical song for Manilow, and "Hey Mambo", an uptempo Latin style duet with Kid Creole , produced with the help of Emilio Estefan, Jr. , founder of Miami Sound Machine . CBS aired Manilow's Big Fun on Swing Street special in March 1988. It featured songs and special guests from his Swing Street and 2:00 am Paradise Cafe albums, including Kid Creole and
5777-531: The dancers in time with the dance. In the 18th century, ballad operas developed as a form of English stage entertainment , partly in opposition to the Italian domination of the London operatic scene. In America a distinction is drawn between ballads that are versions of European, particularly British and Irish songs , and ' Native American ballads ', developed without reference to earlier songs. A further development
5886-524: The decade. In the UK, Manilow performed five sold-out concerts at the Royal Albert Hall . In the United States, at Radio City Music Hall , his 1984 ten-night run set a box-office sales record of nearly $ 2 million, making him the top draw in the 52-year history of the venue. In 1980, Manilow's One Voice special, with Dionne Warwick as his guest, was nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Music Direction at
5995-521: The decades themed series, The Greatest Songs of the Seventies , went on release September 18, 2007. Barry Manilow: Songs from the Seventies , a PBS concert special based on the work, was taped in Manilow's home town, Brooklyn, in October 2007. The show aired on PBS in December 2007 and was rebroadcast over New Year 2009. He appeared on American Idol on February 3, 2009, during Hollywood Week to give advice to
6104-445: The designation "Bell Records, Distributed by Arista Records, 1776 Broadway, New York, New York 10019" around the rim of the label. Davis' reorganization efforts continued to bear fruit in 1974, with the release of Manilow's second album, Barry Manilow II , with "Mandy" as the lead single. Manilow had not wanted to record the song, which had originally been titled "Brandy" when originally recorded by its co-writer Scott English , but
6213-561: The early 1970s, softer ballad songs by the Carpenters , Anne Murray , John Denver and Barry Manilow began to be played more often on "Top 40" radio. Some rock-oriented acts such as Queen and the Eagles also produced ballads. When the word ballad appears in the title of a song, as for example in the Beatles ' " The Ballad of John and Yoko " (1969) or Billy Joel 's " The Ballad of Billy
6322-463: The early 20th century, their popularity faded, but the association with sentimentality led to the term ballad being used for a slow love song from the 1950s onwards. Sentimental ballads have their roots from medieval French chanson balladée or ballade , which were originally "danced songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and song of the British Isles from
6431-503: The existence of the other, where one party has moved on, or where a romantic affair has affected the relationship. Simon Frith , the British sociomusicologist and former rock critic, identifies the origins of the power ballad in the emotional singing of soul artists, particularly Ray Charles , and the adaptation of this style by performers such as Eric Burdon , Tom Jones , and Joe Cocker to produce slow-tempo songs often building to
6540-760: The family resided on the fifteenth floor of the Outrigger Hotel , and the young Nievera "would watch him [his father] perform downstairs with the Society of Seven, and every night I would dream and imagine myself as one of the members of that group, singing for audiences both big and small." While working as a burger flipper at a restaurant that his family owned in Hawaii or at another family-owned restaurant, called Roadrunner Burgers, in Concord, California (where they would eventually move to), Nievera received singing lessons from his father, learning "how and when to belt and how to end
6649-440: The first day to compete the second day to compete the third day. The third day was the championship, the fourth day is a championship of all the champions of the different categories. So I won the third day, then I won the overall grand champion." Nievera said of his victory, "It was a big moment in my life. That was when I knew I was gonna be a singer." His winning piece was " The Greatest Love of All ", which his father taught him at
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#17328586686416758-427: The first of his two Live By Request appearances. The broadcast was A&E's most successful music program, attracting an estimated 2.4 million viewers. The show was also simulcast on the radio. In March 1997, VH-1 aired Barry Manilow: The Summer of '78 , a one-hour special of Manilow solo at the piano being interviewed and playing his greatest hits as well as songs from Summer of '78 , his latest release at
6867-472: The first time a Manilow album debuted at the top of the album chart as well as the first time a Manilow album has reached number one in 29 years. It was eventually certified Platinum in the U.S., and sold more than 3 million copies worldwide. In March 2006, PBS aired Barry Manilow: Music and Passion , a Hilton concert recorded exclusively for the network's fundraising drive. Manilow was nominated for two Emmys, winning for Outstanding Individual Performance in
6976-440: The instructor based on progress made within the course, lyric writing ability, and the instructor's assessment of real potential in the field of songwriting. In February 2002, Manilow returned to the charts when Arista released a greatest hits album, Ultimate Manilow . On May 18, 2002, Manilow returned to CBS with Ultimate Manilow , his first special on the network since his Big Fun on Swing Street special in 1988. The special
7085-548: The jocks at the now defunct radio station 101.1 Kiss FM in 1985, wherein he had his own radio show aired every Saturday afternoons. He appeared with Hawaii's Society of Seven and Lani Misalucha at the Flamingo Las Vegas from February 13 to April 13, 2008. He performed a pre-Valentine/post-birthday concert with Pops Fernandez titled "Missing You" on February 6, 2009, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum . He co-hosts
7194-550: The later medieval period until the 19th century. They were widely used across Europe , and later in the Americas , Australia and North Africa . As a narrative song, their theme and function may originate from Scandinavian and Germanic traditions of storytelling. Musically they were influenced by the Minnesinger . The earliest example of a recognizable ballad in form in England
7303-671: The media, he was the first Filipino solo male artist and second overall (after Lea Salonga ) to stage a full-length concert at the Music Center's Walt Disney Concert Hall . He was also the first Filipino solo male artist to headline a concert at the John Anson Ford Amphitheatre and the Hollywood Bowl . In 1984, he headlined a concert in front of 45,000 crowd at the PhilSports Football and Athletics Stadium . In 1988, he
7412-404: The multi-platinum and multi-hit albums Tryin' to Get the Feeling , This One's for You , Even Now , and One Voice . Following the success of Barry Manilow II , the first Bell Records album was remixed and reissued on Arista Records as Barry Manilow I . When Manilow went on his first tour, he included in his show what he called "A V.S.M.", or "A Very Strange Medley", a sampling of some of
7521-414: The multi-platinum sellers Forever (1998), Forever, Forever (1999) and My Souvenirs (2001). In 2002, Nievera was named 'Entertainer of the Year' at the 25th Awit Awards for the third time. He became the first artist to win the award for three consecutive years, elevating him to the Hall of Fame alongside the likes of Pilita Corrales and Celeste Legaspi . Dubbed as the "Philippines' Concert King" by
7630-413: The new venture. Bell had its final number 1 hit in January 1975 with Manilow's breakthrough 1974 release of the single " Mandy " (Bell 45,613), followed shortly by the label's final hit, as well as its final single, "Look in My Eyes Pretty Woman" by Tony Orlando and Dawn (Bell 45,620—US #11), after which the more successful Bell albums were reissued on Arista. The final releases using the Bell imprint have
7739-534: The power ballad". In the 1980s, bands such as Journey and REO Speedwagon contributed to the power ballad becoming a staple of hard rock performers who wanted to gain more radio airplay and satisfy their female audience members with a slower, more emotional love song. Mötley Crüe was one of the bands showcasing this style, with songs such as " Home Sweet Home " and " You're All I Need ". Nearly every hard rock and glam metal band wrote at least one power ballad for each album, and record labels often released these as
7848-630: The rebirth of swing music , which was sometimes referred to as " easy listening " and was, in essence, a revival of popularity of the "sweet bands" that had been popular during the swing era , but with more emphasis on the vocalist and the sentimentality. Soft rock , a subgenre that mainly consists of ballads, was derived from folk rock in the late 1960s, using acoustic instruments and putting more emphasis on melody and harmonies. Major sentimental ballad artists of this decade included Barbra Streisand , Nana Mouskouri , Elton John , Engelbert Humperdinck , Carole King , Cat Stevens and James Taylor . By
7957-638: The release of Even Now , the first of many top-20 albums on that side of the Atlantic, which contained four singles that became major hits in the US. This was quickly followed by Manilow Magic – The Best Of Barry Manilow , also known as Greatest Hits . In the late 1970s and early 1980s, ABC aired four variety television specials starring Manilow, who served as an executive producer. The Barry Manilow Special with Penny Marshall as his guest premiered on March 2, 1977, to an audience of 37 million. The special
8066-565: The release of his debut album Martin… Take One , achieving platinum status in five months. In the succeeding years, Nievera also ventured into hosting and acting. He has appeared in eleven movies and seven television series and specials, most notable being Penthouse Live! (1984) with Pops Fernandez , Martin After Dark (1988) and ASAP (1995). His music covers a variety of genres ranging from pop, soft rock, adult contemporary to gospel and dance music. Among his most successful releases includes
8175-528: The restaurant. In c. 1980 – c. 1982, Nievera was chosen to perform with American singer Barry Manilow at his three-day concert in Concord Pavilion , singing back-up in a choir to the latter's " One Voice ". After this experience, he said, "Okay, I'm gonna be a singer." Around this time, when he was nineteen, Nievera's parents were having problems with their relationship. Nievera resented this and attempted to commit suicide. In
8284-454: The same tour in 1978, a one-hour special from Manilow's sold-out concert at the Royal Albert Hall aired in the UK. On May 23, 1979, ABC aired The Third Barry Manilow Special , with John Denver as his guest. This special was nominated for two Emmy awards at the 31st Primetime Emmy Awards and won for Outstanding Choreography . Also in 1979, Manilow produced Dionne Warwick 's "comeback" album Dionne , her first to go platinum. He scored
8393-505: The series. Manilow also appeared on Clay Aiken's TV special, A Clay Aiken Christmas . Las Vegas Hilton executives in a press conference with Manilow on December 14, 2004, announced his signing to a long-term engagement as the house show. He began the residency in February 2005 with a show entitled Manilow: Music and Passion . In March 2006, Manilow's engagement was extended through 2008. Manilow returned to Arista Records under Davis for
8502-740: The show's producer, Manilow and Sussman in 2005 won back the rights to the musical. In 1998, Manilow released the record album Manilow Sings Sinatra which earned him a Grammy nomination for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album at the 42nd Annual Grammy Awards in 1999. On October 23, 1999, NBC aired the two-hour special StarSkates Salute to Barry Manilow taped at the Mandalay Bay Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada , featuring numerous figure skaters performing to Manilow's music. Manilow also performed. In 2000, Manilow had two specials, Manilow Country and Manilow Live! , taped over two consecutive days at
8611-444: The shower in our locker room. I was part of the basketball team, but not a very good one at that, and I intentionally take a shower after everybody else has so it would seem like I had a tough game when I was actually a bench warmer… As I was singing, the wrestling coach passed by and heard me, called out loud and said he should see me at the choir auditions the next day. So I joined the choir and next thing I know I am singing back up (in
8720-405: The six highest-achieving students to reward excellence in the art and craft of lyric writing. The UCLA Extension course "Writing Lyrics That Succeed and Endure" was taught by long-time Manilow collaborator Marty Panzer , and each student received three additional "master class" advanced sessions as well as a three-hour private, one-on-one session with Panzer. Scholarship recipients were selected by
8829-497: The song in a big way." By the age of fourteen, he was performing with him in Society of Seven shows. Nievera said in 2018, "It all happened in the main showroom in that Outrigger Hotel [...] That room is now known as the Blue Note Hawaii , and I still perform there to this day. It has become a very sacred room for me probably because that's where dad gave me my first set of wings." "I was actually discovered while singing at
8938-414: The song was included at the insistence of Davis. The title was changed to "Mandy" during the actual recording session on August 20, 1974, due to the fact that there had already been a song called " Brandy (You're a Fine Girl) " performed by Looking Glass and released in 1972 on Davis' Epic label. "Mandy" was the start of a string of hit singles and albums that lasted through the early 1980s, coming from
9047-663: The song's melody and harmonies . Characteristically, ballads use acoustic instruments such as guitars , pianos , saxophones , and sometimes an orchestral set. Many modern mainstream ballads tend to feature synthesizers , drum machines and even, to some extent, a dance rhythm . Sentimental ballads had their origins in the early Tin Pan Alley music industry of the later 19th century. Initially known as "tear-jerkers" or "drawing-room ballads ", they were generally sentimental, narrative, strophic songs published separately or as part of an opera , descendants perhaps of broadside ballads . As new genres of music began to emerge in
9156-483: The songs for the movie, with lyrics provided by his longtime collaborators Bruce Sussman and Jack Feldman . A soundtrack album for the TV film, Copacabana: The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack Album , was released on RCA Records. In October 1986, Manilow, along with Bruce Sussman, Tom Scott , and Charlie Fox , went to Washington, D.C. for two days of meetings with legislators, including lunch with then Senator Al Gore ( D - TN ). They were there to lobby against
9265-566: The studio. That same year, Showtime aired a documentary of Manilow recording the album with a number of jazz legends including Sarah Vaughan and Mel Tormé . In 1984 and 1985, England aired two one-hour concert specials from his National Exhibition Centre (NEC) concerts. In 1985, Manilow left Arista Records for RCA Records , where he released the pop album Manilow , and began a phase of international music, as he performed songs and duets in French, Spanish, Portuguese, and Japanese. The Manilow album
9374-583: The time. In another collaboration between Manilow and Sussman, they co-wrote the musical Harmony: A New Musical , which previewed October 7 to November 23, 1997, at the La Jolla Playhouse in La Jolla, California . Later in 2003, Harmony was originally scheduled for a tryout run in Philadelphia before going to Broadway, but was canceled after financial difficulties. After a legal battle with Mark Schwartz,
9483-490: The title song "Eolia", which was used as a song there in a commercial for an air conditioner company of the same name, as well as other songs from his 1989–1990 Live on Broadway tour. In the early 1990s, Manilow signed on with Don Bluth to compose the songs with lyricists Jack Feldman and Bruce Sussman for three animated films. He co-wrote the Broadway-style musical scores for Thumbelina (1994) and The Pebble and
9592-533: The top ten, and 36 that reached the top twenty. Manilow has released 13 platinum and six multi-platinum albums. Although not a favorite artist of music critics, Manilow has been praised by his peers in the recording industry. In the 1970s, Frank Sinatra predicted: "He's next." As well as producing and arranging albums for himself and other artists, Manilow has written and performed songs for musicals, films, and commercials for corporations such as McDonald's , Pepsi Cola , and Band-Aid . He has been nominated for
9701-667: The tour mounted for her first album. In 1973, Manilow was nominated for the Grammy Award for Album of the Year for his production role on The Divine Miss M at the 16th Grammy Awards . Manilow worked with Midler from 1971 to 1975. After the Featherbed singles failed to impact on the music charts, in July 1973, Bell Records released the album, Barry Manilow , which offered an eclectic mix of piano-driven pop and guitar-driven rock music, including
9810-412: The two. Also on the special were guests Cyndi Lauper , José Feliciano , and Bette Midler (Midler, busy preparing her own tour in Los Angeles, appeared only in a pre-taped segment). In 2004, Manilow released two albums: a live album, 2 Nights Live! ( BMG Strategic Marketing Group , 2004); and Scores: Songs from Copacabana & Harmony , an album of Manilow singing songs from his musicals. Scores
9919-463: The weekly music show ASAP on ABS-CBN since 1995. In July 2010, Nievera's album, As Always was released. In May 2011, his album, Himig ng Damdamin was launched and contains all of his covers. In March 2012, he was announced as one of the four celebrity judges of The X Factor Philippines , which aired on ABS-CBN by the second quarter of 2012. In 2018, Nievera won the Myx Magna Award at
10028-653: Was "Rosalie Rosie", which was to be the flip side of "Could It Be Magic", but Bell Records went with "Morning" as the flip for Featherbed's second release instead. Neither of two singles released impacted on the charts. Bette Midler saw Manilow's act in 1971 and chose the young musician as her pianist at the Continental Baths in New York City that year, and subsequently as a producer on both her debut and second record albums The Divine Miss M (1972) and Bette Midler (1973). He also acted as her musical director on
10137-424: Was 1984's The Best Gift . In 1987, The Penthouse Live! was changed to Martin and Pops Twogether , in celebration of their marriage. His recording Forever led to two sequels, Forever Forever and Return to Forever . As an actor, Nievera has appeared in eleven films, and seven television series and specials. Nievera's film credits include dramas, romance, science fiction, comedy and action. He also became one of
10246-484: Was Jewish, though his grandmother was a Catholic of Irish descent. His Irish roots trace back to Limerick , Ireland. Barry's grandfather had his surname changed to Manilow a few weeks before Barry's bar mitzvah. Manilow grew up in the Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn and graduated in 1961 from the now-defunct Eastern District High School . While in high school, he met Susan Deixler, and they later married for
10355-600: Was TNN's first High Definition (HD) broadcast and became one of TNN's highest rated concert specials. In June 2000, DirectTV aired the two-hour concert special Manilow Live! where Manilow had his band, a 30-piece orchestra, and a choir. This HDTV special documented the concert tour at the time with the greatest hits of his career and was also released to video. Also that year, he worked with Monica Mancini on her Concord album The Dreams of Johnny Mercer , which included seven songs of Mercer's lyrics set to Manilow's music. Meanwhile, Manilow's record contract with Arista Records
10464-513: Was a complete about-face from the Paradise Cafe album, containing a number of uptempo tracks that featured synthesizers. In 1985, Japan aired a Manilow concert special where he played " Sakura " on the koto . In his only lead acting role, he portrayed Tony Starr in the 1985 CBS film Copacabana , which was based on his 1978 hit song "Copacabana", alongside Annette O'Toole as Lola Lamarr and Joseph Bologna as Rico Castelli. Manilow penned all
10573-572: Was against his dream, instead wanting him to become a doctor or a lawyer. "She knew what she [his grandmother] and my father went through [...] the [show] business takes a lot out of you," Nievera related and said his mother told him. After graduating from Clayton Valley in 1980, Nievera joined the 1981 California State Talent Competition in Santa Clara , in which he won. As contestant number 1049, he competed against over four thousand other contestants for "[f]our days long [...] you had to win
10682-622: Was also covered by Take That in the 1990s, as an up-beat disco version of the song. Take That have since performed Manilow's original version during their Beautiful World Tour. In 1974, Clive Davis became temporary president of Bell with the goal of revitalizing Columbia Pictures's music division. With a $ 10 million investment by CPI, and a reorganization of the various Columbia Pictures legacy labels ( Colpix , Colgems , and Bell), Davis introduced Columbia Pictures' new record division, Arista , in November 1974, with Davis himself owning 20% of
10791-479: Was attended by an estimated 40,000 people. This concert was also taped for airing on Showtime. In December 1983, Manilow was reported to have endowed the music departments at six major universities in the United States and Canada. The endowments were part of a continuing endeavor by Manilow to recognize and encourage new musical talent. In 1984, Manilow released 2:00 AM Paradise Cafe , a jazz / blues collection of original barroom tunes recorded in one live take in
10900-545: Was awarded an Honorary Clio at the 50th Anniversary Clio Awards in Las Vegas in 2009 for his 1960s work as a jingle writer and singer. When accepting the award, he stated that he learned the most about making pop music by working for three or four years as a writer in the jingle industry. By 1967, Manilow was the musical director for the WCBS-TV series Callback , which premiered on January 27, 1968. He next conducted and arranged for Ed Sullivan 's production company, arranging
11009-558: Was born Barry Alan Pincus on June 17, 1943, in Brooklyn , New York, the son of Edna Manilow and Harold Kelliher, a truck driver of Irish descent. Barry's mother made his father change his name to Pincus, which was the name of a Jewish uncle of his father from the 1800s. Barry's parents were divorced when he was a baby, and his mother's Jewish family allowed no further contact between Barry and his father. Barry's maternal grandparents were Russian Jewish immigrants, and his paternal grandfather
11118-628: Was filmed in the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood , California, and was nominated for an Emmy in the category of Outstanding Music Direction at the 54th Primetime Emmy Awards . Produced by Manilow, Bette Midler Sings the Rosemary Clooney Songbook was released on September 30, 2003. It was the first time that the pair had worked together in more than twenty years. The album went gold , and they collaborated again in 2005 on Bette Midler Sings
11227-594: Was named 'Best Male Singer' and 'Star of the Year' by the Honolulu Star-Advertiser in Hawaii. He also won as 'Best Interpreter' at the 1990 Abu Golden Kite Awards in Malaysia. Nievera has already performed alongside renowned artists such as David Foster , David Pomeranz , and Michael Bublé . Martin Ramon Razon Nievera was born on February 5, 1962 in Manila to singer Bert Nievera and Conchita Razon. He has
11336-466: Was nominated for four Emmys at the 29th Primetime Emmy Awards and won in the category of Outstanding Special–Comedy, Variety or Music . The Second Barry Manilow Special in 1978, with Ray Charles as his guest, was also nominated for four Emmys at the 30th Primetime Emmy Awards . Manilow's " Ready to Take a Chance Again " originated in the film Foul Play , which also featured " Copacabana ", from his fourth studio album Even Now . "Ready to Take
11445-550: Was not renewed due to new management. He then got a contract at Concord Records , a jazz-oriented label in California, and started work on the long-anticipated concept album Here at the Mayflower . The album was another eclectic mix of styles, almost entirely composed and produced by Manilow himself. While Manilow was at Concord Records, the Barry Manilow Scholarship was awarded for four consecutive years (2002–2005) to
11554-488: Was regularly bullied by his classmates because of his appearance and "I wore a belt and shoes, so they thought belt and shoes meant mayaman ka [you are rich]. I would get beaten up for my lunch money, so my twin sister Vicki would defend me in school. The following day mas nabugbog ako [I was beaten more] because na-defend ako ng babae [I was defended by a girl]." Nievera developed an interest in music, particularly in singing, at an early age. In their first year in Hawaii,
11663-516: Was taped at Wembley Arena in England earlier that year. The BBC also played a one-hour version of the same show including " The Best of Me ", sung during the concert, as a bonus song or "lucky strike extra" as Manilow says, not seen in The Complete Collection and Then Some... , the video release of the show; however, the song was included on the DVD of the same title, with Manilow seated in front of
11772-405: Was the evolution of the blues ballad , which mixed the genre with Afro-American music . In the late 19th century, Danish folklorist Svend Grundtvig and Harvard professor Francis James Child attempted to record and classify all the known ballads and variants in their chosen regions. Since Child died before writing a commentary on his work it is uncertain exactly how and why he differentiated
11881-499: Was the last of Manilow's creative projects with the Concord label. During his third appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show on September 15, 2004, Winfrey announced that Manilow is one of the most requested guests of all time on her show. On the show, he promoted his One Night Live! One Last Time! tour. It was around this time period where Manilow appeared for the first time on the mainstream FOX program American Idol in which his back-up singer, Debra Byrd, doubles as voice coach on
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