Caricature: Dave Thomson
(Thanks Steve for sending this picture…great job your friend did)
Mister D: I wrote this letter to Billboard magazine when this news just hit, and they finally answered today. Oh well…it was nice of them. I did find it depressing seeing the sales of Bette’s last album at the end of the answer. Things will be better this time around….:
Dear Keith,
Do you have any information confirming the rumor that Bette Midler has signed on to Sony with her first CD there being a tribute to Rosemary Clooney produced by Barry Manilow? I think it’s great news that she and Barry will be reuniting after 30 years, but I wanted to make sure this was true.
Thank you in advance,
Sincerely,
Don Bradshaw
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Hi Don,
Bette Midler does have a Rosemary Clooney tribute album coming out later this year. While there have been reports that it will be released through Sony, no official word has been issued yet. Barry Manilow is on board, producing and mixing the album. Midler and Manilow have famously worked together in the past, dating back to the 1970s when Manilow played piano for Midler during her gigs in New York bathhouses.
Last year, Manilow released his “Ultimate Manilow” greatest hits album. The disc has sold 1.2 million copies in the U.S., according to Nielsen SoundScan, and peaked at No. 3 on The Billboard 200. Midler’s last effort was 2000’s “Bette,” which has sold 225,000. The album reached No. 69 on The Billboard 200.
