Barry Manilow once wrote to ‘Playboy’ for advice: “I was a desperate young guy”
Playboy magazine for career advice in his early days.“I was a desperate young guy,” he says, to laughter from the audience. “I didn’t know what to do with my musical life.
So I saw this thing in Playboy magazine. My stepfather used to buy it, I think, So I wrote to them saying, ‘I have an offer to go on the road with a girl singer.’ In order to do that I needed to leave my job at CBS as the mailboy.
Which one should I do?“And they wrote back and they printed it. They said take the job outside and follow your musical notes.“And I did.
I left CBS.”Manilow started his career writing jingles for commercials and theme tunes for TV in the 1960s. His letter to Playboy was in 1965.Then, in 1971, Bette Midler saw Manilow perform and recruited him to accompany him for her gigs at the infamous Continental Baths in New York City.Manilow became her musical director and both their careers began to flourish quickly.He says Midler was supportive of him releasing his debut album.
