Did Barry Manilow Ever ‘Weekend in New England?’

Barry Manilow is coming to New England this weekend and will no doubt perform his 1976 classic song, "Weekend In New England." Yet the 1970s hitmaker who reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in January 1976 with "I Write the Songs" has no traceable link to New England.

As a matter of fact, Manilow didn't even write "Weekend In New England,"or did he write "I Write the Songs."

"Weekend In New England" was written by Randy Edelman, who released a recording of the song in 1975, a year before Manilow did. Edelman's version bombed, while Manilow's version, included on the 1976 album This One's For You, reached No. 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in January 1977.

The song made it to No. 1 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart.

Manilow was one of the best-selling recording artists of the 1970s and continues to perform all over the world even as he approaches his 80th birthday. Barry Alan Pincus was born June 17, 1943, in New York City.

Manilow's work as a commercial jingle writer and singer pre-dated his recording career, having pitched such products as McDonald's, State Farm Insurance, Dr. Pepper, Kentucky Freid Chicken, and many more.

Here is a little Barry Manilow trivia, according to Wikipedia: Manilow was signed to his first recording contract in 1968 by none other than Columbia/CBS Music vice president and recording artist Tony Orlando, who went on to have quite a career of his own before suffering a breakdown while performing live at the South Shore Music Circus in Cohasset, Massachusetts on July 22, 1977.

Manilow released 31 studio albums, six live albums, 17 compilation albums, and 57 singles. Three of Manilow's recordings – "Mandy," "I Write The Songs," and "Looks Like We Made It" – went to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

Manilow wrote and performed the title theme for the television smash music program American Bandstand, which starred the legendary Dick Clark.

Barry Manilow is performing live at the Dunkin' Donuts Center in Providence, Rhode Island on Saturday night, and a handful of lucky WBSM ticket winners will be there.