Barry Manilow and Bette Midler’s early working relationship was clearly successful, but it also sounds stressful. How then did they sustain it for three years? Especially since he wasn’t just her accompanist. He was also her musical director, arranger, and record producer.
“We didn’t trust each other but we recognized each other’s talents and that kept us together,” Manilow told Winnipeg Free Press. “I remember when we were working on [the song] ‘Leader Of The Pack,’ we screamed at each other all the time.” That song is from Midler’s 1972 debut album “The Divine Miss M,” which Manilow co-produced, based on their performances at the Continental Baths. But Midler says work on the album was difficult because Manilow and co-producer Joel Dorn didn’t get along — mainly, it seems, because Manilow fought for Midler when she couldn’t speak up for herself. Dorn abandoned Manilow’s arrangements and created new ones. “She sounded beautiful and professional and boring,” Manilow told Associated Press about the new tracks. “She was never boring. That’s the last word you would ever [use to] describe Bette Midler, especially in those days.” He fought to save many of his arrangements and brought in a small audience to capture the essence of the live performances in the studio. It worked.
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But when Manilow wanted to move on, Midler would convince him to stay. “She kept pushing me to do one more gig,” he told Winnipeg. They parted ways in 1974, at least until they collaborated again in the 2000s.
