For generations, Barry Manilow has been singing his way into the hearts of millions of people from every corner of the globe. His songs are anthems for couples in each time zone, and his songwriting acumen is mythical. Fans will be thrilled to know that Manilow is returning to the stage in Las Vegas in 2006. Manilow will be playing regular shows at the Vegas Hilton, and his appearance is just another reason to go to the most important oasis in the world. Below is a look at how Manilow became "Manilow".

Early Life

Barry Alan Pincus was born in Brooklyn, Manhattan on June 17, 1943. His pa was of Russian and Jewish descent, and his mummy was Irish. His mum and dad split up when Barry was only two, and he was raised by his ma and maternal grandparents. He was introduced to music when he was seven, when he began to learn the piano and accordion.

Before his Bar Mitzvah at age 13, Barry started to sing. It was also at this time that he modified his name to match that of his mother's original name - Manilow. In many ways, 1956 was the year Barry Manilow was "born".

Budding Career

He continued singing through high school, and on graduation, he was accepted to the prestigious Julliard College of Music. He paid his teaching by working in the CBS mail room. This proved to be a fortuitous school-time job. Manilow advanced at CBS, and wound up serving as the musical director for the CBS show Callback.

For the next few years, Manilow made his way by writing and performing advertising jingles, including the now-famous song for State Farm Insurance. His work got him noticed, and in 1971 he was employed by Bette Midler as her pianist and music director. He accompanied her on 1 or 2 bath house performances in NY City before Midler herself gained celebrity and wealth. His work with Midler helped her rise to the top, and as a consequence, Manilow landed his first record deal in 1973.

Potential Reached

Although Manilow's first album, Barry Manilow, wasn't a huge success, his follow-up, Barry Manilow II, contained what became his first top hit, the single, Mandy, which climbed to number one in both the US and UK. From there, an incredible run of commercial success ensued. Manilow's next 6 albums all reached the Top 10 on the US Album charts, and some of the singles he produced in this time have stayed popular to this day, including I Write The Tracks in 1975 and Looks Like We Made It in 1977.

In all, Manilow has released over 30 albums, and 13 of them have risen to number one on the US Album charts, which is a unbelievable rate of success. Manilow's style has transformed over time also. His early works were pretty much exclusively love songs and ballads. But in the early 1980's, Manilow began to concentrate more on smooth jazz and worked with such legends of the category as Mel Torme and Sarah Vaughan.

Overall, though, Manilow is best known for his romantic singing and sometimes crooning ways on stage, and his shows have been sold out in pretty much every location for decades. His fans number in the millions and his act is copied by many [*T].

Manilow has won two Grammy Awards during his career for his singing performances, and in 2002, he was inducted into the Composers Hall of Fame. Rolling Stone Mag called him the best performer of his generation. His charitable works are too numerous to list in one volume.

Often, there are many reasons to take in a Barry Manilow show. We've listed a few , but a trip to Vegas would be well worth spending the time to see one of the true icons of musical performance.