Bette Midler

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About Bette Midler


Bette Midler counts singing as only one of her talents. Still, she has managed to score a number of major hits in a roller-coaster career as a recording artist. Born in Paterson, NJ, and raised in Hawaii, Midler showed an interest in singing and acting early on, and by the '60s, she had moved to New York and gotten a role in the long-running Broadway hit Fiddler on the Roof. Midler developed a nightclub act that included comedy and singing of a variety of kinds of material, including show tunes, pop hits, and even a takeoff on the Andrews Sisters, and appeared with increasing frequency in New York with her accompanist, Barry Manilow. She was signed to Atlantic Records and released The Divine Miss M (1972), which went gold and included a Top Ten single cover of the Andrews Sisters' "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy." Bette Midler (1973) was similarly successful.

Midler's album sales fell off during the rest of the '70s, though her records always reached the Top 100 in the album chart. But in 1979 she starred in the film The Rose, a fictional account of the life of Janis Joplin, and the title track became a Top Ten hit. 1980 saw the release of Midler's concert film, Divine Madness, and her best-selling book, A View from a Broad. Her next film, Jinxed (1982), however, was a major flop, and subsequent records didn't fare well. Midler made a cinematic comeback with Down and Out in Beverly Hills (1986), but it wasn't until 1989 that she had another pop hit, when her version of "Wind Beneath My Wings" from her film Beaches became a number one hit. This rejuvenated her singing career, and 1990's Some People's Lives became a Top Ten, million-selling album, with the song "From a Distance" hitting number two. Midler's soundtrack album to her 1991 film For the Boys was also a gold-selling hit.

Midler appeared in a television production of the Broadway musical Gypsy that produced a charting soundtrack album in 1993 following the release of her million-selling hits collection Experience the Divine. The gold-selling Bette of Roses (1995) was her first regular album release in five years. Her 1996 film The First Wives Club was a major box office success. In 1998, she switched to Warner Bros. Records and released Bathhouse Betty, which went gold. With film opportunities drying up, the 54-year-old singer/actress turned to television, developing a half-hour network comedy series based on her own life. Though it didn't last long, Bette premiered on CBS on October 11, 2000; six days later, she released a second Warner Bros. album, also called Bette. During the next five years, Midler covered two seminal artists' songbooks, Rosemary Clooney and Peggy Lee, coming out with her first-ever Christmas record, which included a duet with Johnny Mathis, Cool Yule, in 2006. ~ William Ruhlmann, Rovi

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Music

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  • Cool Yule
    bette-midler
    Video
    Cool Yule
  • Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas
    bette-midler
    Video
    Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas
  • Merry Christmas
    bette-midler
    Video
    Merry Christmas
  • Cool Yule
    bette-midler
    Video
    Cool Yule
  • Night And Day
    bette-midler
    Video
    Night And Day
  • 59158
    SoundStream
    SoundStream
    song name
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    All the music you want, just 10 bucks a month. Try it free.
    • The Rose
      http://listen.vo.llnwd.net/g2/3/5/5/6/6/901966553.mp3
    • Wind Beneath My Wings (LP Version)
      http://listen.vo.llnwd.net/g2/1/8/4/1/9/901991481.mp3
    • From A Distance
      http://listen.vo.llnwd.net/g2/9/2/3/1/9/901991329.mp3
    • The Rose
      http://listen.vo.llnwd.net/g2/3/0/1/1/9/901991103.mp3
    • Wind Beneath My Wings
      http://listen.vo.llnwd.net/g2/5/6/9/9/1/902719965.mp3
    • Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy (LP Version)
      http://listen.vo.llnwd.net/g1/2/1/7/6/9/165596712.mp3

Photos

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  • (L-R) Actors Marisa Tomei, Bernadette Peters, Bette Midler, Juliette Lewis and attend the Zac Posen Spring 2009 fashion show during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week at The Tent, Bryant Park on September 11, 2008 in New York City.
    Bette Midler
    (L-R) Actors Marisa Tomei, Bernadette Peters, Bette Midler, Juliette Lewis and attend the Zac Posen Spring 2009 fashion show during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week at The Tent, Bryant Park on September 11, 2008 in New York City.
    Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images
  • Singer Bette Midler poses with designer Zac Posen before the Zac Posen 2008 Fashion Show at The Tent in Bryant Park during the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Spring 2008 on September 11, 2007 in New York City.
    Bette Midler
    Singer Bette Midler poses with designer Zac Posen before the Zac Posen 2008 Fashion Show at The Tent in Bryant Park during the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Spring 2008 on September 11, 2007 in New York City.
    Getty Images for IMG
  • Bette Midler
    Greg Gorman

News

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  • Bette Midler
    Bette Midler to end Las Vegas shows in January
    music.yahoo.com
    Singer Bette Midler will end a nearly two-year concert run in Las Vegas this coming January, her representatives said on Thursday. Midler's "The Showg...
    Read More
  • Bette Midler
    Jake Shimabukuro Will Join Bette Midler and Perform for Queen Elizabeth
    www.jambands.com
    , Miley Cyrus, Michael Buble and Bette Midler. Midler will bring a guest with her to the show, as Jake ... Jake Shimabukuro Will Join Bette Midler and...
    Read More
  • Bette Midler
    Photos: Yoko Ono / Sonic Youth / Eric Clapton / Bette Midler / Paul Simon
    www.pitchfork.com
    Yoko Ono Plastic Ono Band played the Brooklyn Academy of Music's Howard Gilman Opera House last night with special guests including members of Sonic Y...
    Read More
  • Bette Midler
    Yoko Ono, Thurston and Kim, Eric Clapton, Bette Midler: Together at Last!
    www.pitchfork.com
    Avant-garde legend Yoko Ono doesn't play too many shows anymore. But when she does take the stage, it's a big deal. Right now, Ono's Yoko Ono Plastic ...
    Read More
  • Bette Midler
    50 Cent, Bette Midler Team For Queens Garden
    www.billboard.com
    50 Cent and actress/singer Bette Midler made for an unlikely team yesterday at the grand opening of the Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson Community Garden at B...
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  • Bette Midler
    Hall of Fame 2011: Elton John, Bette Midler and More Pay Tribute to Their Heroes
    www.rollingstone.com
    Beaming from ear-to-ear in the press room, Love dismissed any suggestion that her induction was overdue. "I never say it was about time, I say 'it was...
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  • Bette Midler
    Yoko Ono to Perform With Thurston Moore, Bette Midler, Eric Clapton, Many More
    Paste
    The stage at the Brooklyn Academy of Music will be full on Feb. 16, when the Plastic Ono Band performs. The concert, starring not just leading lady Yo...
    Read More
  • Bette Midler
    Bette Midler to be honored by Songwriters Hall
    music.yahoo.com
    RELATED CONTENTEnlarge Photo FILE - In this April 12, 2010 file photo, Bette Midler arrives to the Metropolitan ... NEW YORK (AP) -- Bette Midler's vo...
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  • Bette Midler
    Rock Hall Presenters: John Mellencamp, Carole King, Chuck D, Bette Midler | Billboard.com
    www.billboard.com
    City" Laura Nyro: "Save the Country" Chili Peppers: "Give It Away" The Faces: "Stay With Me" They'll be joined by the likes of Public Enemy's Chuck D,...
    Read More
  • Bette Midler
    Chris Rock, Bette Midler and more to be presenters
    music.yahoo.com
    be one of the A-list presenters for the April event. The comedian is due to induct the Red Hot Chili Peppers into the hall at the ceremony at the Rock...
    Read More

Discography

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  • Memories of You (2010)
    Bette Midler
    Memories of You (2010)
    Warner Bros.
  • Cool Yule (2006)
    Bette Midler
    Cool Yule (2006)
    Columbia
  • Sings the Peggy Lee Songbook (2005)
    Bette Midler
    Sings the Peggy Lee Songbook (2005)
    Sony Music Distribution
  • Sings the Rosemary Clooney Songbook (2003)
    Bette Midler
    Sings the Rosemary Clooney Songbook (2003)
    Columbia
  • Bette (2000)
    Bette Midler
    Bette (2000)
    Warner Bros. Records
  • Bathhouse Betty (1998)
    Bette Midler
    Bathhouse Betty (1998)
    Warner Bros. Records
  • Bette of Roses (1995)
    Bette Midler
    Bette of Roses (1995)
    Atlantic
  • Gypsy [Television Soundtrack] (1993)
    Bette Midler
    Gypsy [Television Soundtrack] (1993)
    Atlantic
  • For the Boys (1991)
    Bette Midler
    For the Boys (1991)
    Atlantic
  • Some People's Lives (1990)
    Bette Midler
    Some People's Lives (1990)
    Atlantic
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