It may seem like Barry Manilow has come a long way from his roots. Born Barry Pincus in 1943 to a Jewish family, Manilow was raised by his mother and grandparents in an impoverished section of Brooklyn where he spent his youth attending Hebrew school and playing the accordion.
But even after changing his name, dyeing his dark hair bleach blond and striking it rich as a consistent chart-topper, Manilow remains a man of Jewish values. As his musical career took off, so too did his commitment to tikkun olum.
“He’s always had a strong interest in philanthropy. He’s been very big about helping out different causes throughout his career,” said Manilow’s spokesperson, Stephenie Hope.
In recent months, Manilow has performed in New York at a fundraiser for the breast cancer fighting organization Stand up for a Cure, as well as donating $500,000 worth of musical instruments to schools in California’s Cochella Valley. He is also the founder of the Manilow Fund for Health & Hope, which raises money for a host of philanthropic organizations around the country.
On March 15, Manilow will perform a benefit concert at the Comcast Area at Everett for the cystic fibrosis Foundation. This is his second show for CFF. In 2007, he performed at the Rose Quarter in Portland, Ore. for a crowd of nearly 20,000 people.
The event is being organized by Harvey Platt of Portland, whose company, Platt Electric Supply, has raised more than $5 million for CFF in the last 20 years. It was Platt himself who, after seeing a Manilow benefit show for cystic fibrosis in 2005 in Las Vegas, got the idea to bring the world-renowned performer to his hometown to play a larger venue.
“It just seemed like the perfect event for us,” said Platt, who first became interested in cystic fibrosis after learning that one of his employees had a son with the disease.
Manilow, as it turns out, had taken on cystic fibrosis, a genetic disorder that causes the body to produce thick mucus that can clog the lungs and block the ducts of the pancreas, as a personal cause for similar reasons. For the past several years Manilow has had a standing gig at the Las Vegas Hilton. After learning that the daughter of the hotel’s owner had cystic fibrosis, Manilow became involved in raising money to find a cure.
When Platt approached Manilow and his staff about the prospect of a concert in Portland for CFF (after first getting the star to autograph a favorite family photo of Platt’s daughter, as a baby, propped up next to a Manilow album), his suggestion was met with enthusiasm all around. The Portland event ultimately raised more than $400,000 for the organization. After such success, Platt was eager for a repeat performance.
“After the first show, Barry said he’d be happy to do another one some time, and when we got in touch with him late last year to see if he wanted to do it again, he said yes,” Platt recalled.
CFF supports 115 cystic fibrosis care centers around the country as well as 10 research centers. CFF-funded scientists claim credit for having discovered the gene that leads to cystic fibrosis, as well as having developed therapies that, over the course of the last 50 years, have lengthened the average life span of sufferers from 5 to 37 years of age. Western Washington is home to several CFF care centers, as well as a research facility operated in conjunction with the University of Washington, which influenced Platt’s decision to host the second concert in Everett.
Plus, since Manilow no longer tours, these performances have provided a unique opportunity for fans in the Pacific Northwest to see him without having to travel to Las Vegas.
Platt noted that, with the current state of the economy, he doesn’t anticipate quite as big of a turnout for the Everett show as CFF saw for the Portland event two years ago.
“That’s the million dollar question for anyone doing fundraising right now,” he said. “With this economy, will people still be willing to give?”
Still, he estimates the foundation will gross around $250,000 from the concert.
Everett Mayor Ray Stephanson has shown his support for the event by officially proclaiming March 15, the day of the concert, as “Find A Cure For Cystic Fibrosis Day.”
Platt, himself a longtime Manilow fan, noted that he along with his wife and two adult daughters are looking forward to the concert in Everett. His favorite Manilow hit?
“”˜Can’t Smile Without You,’” he said, “because if you listen to words and think of it in terms of parents of children with cystic fibrosis, it’s very touching.”
On stage for cystic fibrosis
