His fans adore him, the critics hate him and Barry Manilow just keeps going on! But the career of the man The Rolling Stone dubbed "a giant among entertainers" and "the showman of our generation" had the strangest of beginnings.

Biographer, Patricia Butler, unravels the strange stories behind Manilow's Brooklyn upbringing, his shortlived marriage, his cautious career change from youthful executive to freelance musician and his dramatic partnership with Bette Midler. Manilow's private life has always been the subject of speculation, and here the many sides of his personality are explored, along with his rise from Seventies hit-maker to timeless showbiz legend.