All I can say is “Wow!” What began as just a
crazy idea is now officially my personal tribute
show to Barry Manilow, the best selling solo artist
of all time. And what a long journey it’s been in
preparing this show. It all began at the 1st Annual
Sunburst Celebrity Impersonators and Tribute
Artists Conference in Orlando in the spring of 2004.
There were Tina Turners, Elvises, Marilyn Monroes,
a Rod Stewart, Elton John, Madonna and many more,
but “Wait, no Barry!” And that’s when it hit me!
“Why not me, I’m a professional singer and musician
and at my pianobar events, people frequently tell
me I look and sound like Barry Manilow.” And so,
just nine months and countless hours of rehearsal
later, I arrived onstage with my Copa Dancers and
a baby grand piano and won the IGCITA / Sunburst
award for “Best Showcase Presentation.” And
that was all the encouragement I needed.
I’ve always openly been a Barry Manilow fan - a
tough thing for most men to admit, but here
is a man whose achievements include Grammy,
Emmy, and Tony Awards, 44 albums, & 38
Top 40 Hits. The man is simply amazing. I
seriously believe that if mankind could create
the perfect musical human prototype, the end
result would be Barry Manilow: a pianist, a
composer, an arranger, a songwriter, an
accompanist, a musical director, a commercial
jingle writer, a scorer of Broadway musicals, a
producer, an incredible vocalist, and a
spectacular showman. Nobody alive even comes
close to excelling in all of these categories
- Barry Manilow is the perfect “Musical Prototype.”
I grew up playing piano in the heart of the pop
Manilow era. By 1976, you could find Mandy in
most Greatest Hits Piano Books, and with Barry
always on the radio with hit after hit: Could It
Somewhere In The Night, Weekend In New England
and many more, his songs naturally influenced my
musical style. And still today, Barry songs always
connect. Women still go crazy over Copacabana
and melt over Mandy, and the men reluctantly
join in on I Write The Songs, but they always finish
I would have never guessed that this - a Barry
Manilow Tribute Act - would be such a ticket
to adventure. Go Figure! However, there can
be a downside to being compared to a musical
icon. When the curtain opens, some people
might think “Does this nutcase actually believe
he is the second coming of Barry Manilow?”
To them I say, “Chill out! It’s just me, a
Manilow impersonator, performing Barry
with a twist.” And besides, I could think of no
better reason to wear a wig and have my picture
taken with a beagle. Not a bad job. And honestly,
that’s what this whole thing is all about -
It’s beautiful, “Beautiful Music.”