Barry Manilow on Singing at a Gay Bathhouse Early in His Career and Its Impact on His Sexuality: 'Great Audience'

Barry Manilow is reflecting on how he famously launched his career by playing piano at a gay bathhouse in New York City.

On Friday, The Hollywood Reporter published an expansive feature on the music legend, 80, in which he opens up about still breaking records with his Las Vegas residency and his storied career.

While reflecting on his early days trying to make it in New York City as a singer-songwriter in the early ‘70s, the superstar even spoke candidly about performing at the Continental Baths, a former gay bathhouse located in the basement of The Ansonia Hotel, now an apartment building called The Ansonia.

When asked by THR about what it was like playing piano, and later shows with his longtime collaborator Bette Midler, at the venue, Manilow responded, “What do you think, they were f---ing in front of us?”

“They were just an audience,” he continued. “A great audience, too.”

While Manilow admitted that it was an “unusual” venue — as it was also known to be a sex club, and men frequently watched performances in the cabaret either completely nude or with just a towel — he also said, “For me, it was a job for 75 bucks.”

Despite being immersed in LGBTQ+ culture at the time, Manilow said him and Midler, 78, essentially becoming the house attraction didn’t necessarily lead him to discovering his sexuality. 

“At that point I wasn’t sure about that,” the “Mandy” singer said. “There were a lot of us in the world that had yet to figure it out.”

The Grammy winner kept his personal life out of the public spotlight for decades, and it wasn’t until 2017 that he officially came out as gay in a PEOPLE cover story. 

He explained at the time that he was always hesitant about being open with his sexuality, in fear of how it might affect his career and fans. “I thought I would be disappointing them if they knew I was gay. So I never did anything,” the “Copacabana” singer said. 

That wasn’t necessarily the case, though, when news broke that he had married his longtime manager Garry Kief in what was supposed to be a private, quiet ceremony in 2014. Of his fans learning about his marriage, Manilow said, “When they found out that Garry and I were together, they were so happy. The reaction was so beautiful — strangers commenting, ‘Great for you!’ I’m just so grateful for it.”

Prior to tying the knot, Manilow and Kief had actually been an item since shortly after they met in 1978. 

The pop icon also told PEOPLE in his 2017 cover story that he knew “this was it” as soon as he and Kief met.

“I was one of the lucky ones,” he shared. “I was pretty lonely before that.”

The “Could It Be Magic” artist added, “Garry didn’t know what I did, even though I had all these records out. He was a guy, and I was a guy, so we could just deal with each other like two normal people, not like a superstar and a person.” 

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Manilow launched his acclaimed, career-spanning Las Vegas residency The Hits Come Home at the the Westgate Hotel in Las Vegas back in 2021 — and he’ll continue his run of shows throughout 2024. 

With the residency, in September 2023, managed to beat Elvis Presley’s long-standing record of the most shows ever performed at the Sin City venue, set by his 636-date residency from 1969-1976. 

His live show will resume this year in mid-February and continue through the end of the year.