Chicago Sun-Times
February 11, 2000 | Jerry Osborne
Q. I have a disagreement with folks who think that Bette Midler was the first to sing “The Wind Beneath My Wings.” I am sure that I watched Perry Como sing that song on TV many years before Midler‘s version came out. Am I right?
A. You are surely right about Midler, and perhaps about Como too. Bette‘s recording, from the film “Beaches,” came out in 1989. Before hers, many versions of “The Wind Beneath My Wings” existed, including an album of that title by Roger Whittaker (RCA AFL1-4321) issued in mid-1982. Like anyone else, it is certainly possible that Perry Como could have sung the song on TV, years before Bette‘s waxing.
IZ ZAT SO? Brothers Dean and Marc Mathis, with Larry Henley, comprised the popular mid-’60s trio the Newbeats. Among their biggest hits are “Bread and Butter,” “Everything’s Alright” and “Run, Baby Run (Back Into My Arms).” It is the same Larry Henley who, teamed with Jeff Silbar, wrote “The Wind Beneath My Wings.”
I remember when this would play on the radio it was such a thrill. Then came “FROM A DISTANCE.” Then she never had a huge hit single again. To this day I find that frustrating. At least a few of her subsequent albums were in the Top Ten. I still think that her albums are all absolutely stellar…I love them all!
I agree.