Harold Ray Ragsdale, known professionally as Ray Stevens, is an American country and pop singer-songwriter and comedian, known for his Grammy-winning recordings "Everything Is Beautiful" and "Misty", as well as novelty hits such as "Gitarzan" and "The Streak". Stevens has received gold albums for his music sales and has worked as a producer, music arranger, and television host. He is also an inductee of the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, the Georgia Music Hall of Fame, the Christian Music Hall of Fame, and the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum.
Barry Manilow is an American singer and songwriter with a career that spans seven decades. His hit recordings include "Could It Be Magic", "Looks Like We Made It", "Mandy", "I Write the Songs", "Can't Smile Without You", and "Copacabana ".
"Copacabana", also known as "Copacabana (At the Copa)", is a song recorded by Barry Manilow. Written by Manilow, Jack Feldman, and Bruce Sussman, it was released in 1978 as the third and final single from Manilow's fifth studio album, Even Now (1978).
"I Write the Songs" is a popular song written by Bruce Johnston in 1975 and released on his album Going Public in 1977. Barry Manilow's version reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in January 1976 after spending two weeks atop the Billboard adult contemporary chart in December 1975. It won a Grammy Award for Song of the Year and was nominated for Record of the Year in 1977. Billboard ranked it as the No. 13 song of 1976.
"Brandy", later called "Mandy", is a song written by Scott English and Richard Kerr. It was originally recorded by English in 1971 and reached the top 20 of the UK Singles Chart.
Tryin' to Get the Feeling is the third studio album by singer-songwriter Barry Manilow, released in 1975. It featured the title track, "Tryin' to Get the Feeling Again", with other hits including "New York City Rhythm", "Bandstand Boogie" and the chart topping "I Write the Songs". The album debuted on the Billboard Top 200 Chart on November 8, 1975, reaching number five in early 1976. The album was certified double platinum.
"Could It Be Magic" is a song written by Adrienne Anderson and composed by Barry Manilow, inspired by Frédéric Chopin's Prelude in C minor, Opus 28, Number 20.
"Weekend in New England" is a song recorded by Barry Manilow for his fourth studio album, This One's for You (1976). Written by Randy Edelman, it was released as the second single from the album, and became a Top Ten hit on the Billboard Hot 100, while topping the Adult Contemporary chart.
"Looks Like We Made It" is a song by American singer Barry Manilow, from his 1976 album This One's for You, composed by Richard Kerr with lyrics by Will Jennings. The single was released April 20, 1977.
"We've Got Tonite" is a song written by American rock music artist Bob Seger, from his album Stranger in Town (1978). The single record charted twice for Seger, and was developed from a prior song that he had written. Further versions charted in 1983 for Kenny Rogers as a duet with Sheena Easton, and again in 2002 for Ronan Keating.
"My Eyes Adored You" is a 1974 song written by Bob Crewe and Kenny Nolan. It was originally recorded by The Four Seasons in early 1974. After the Motown label balked at the idea of releasing it, the recording was sold to lead singer Frankie Valli for $4000. After rejections by Capitol and Atlantic Records, Valli succeeded in getting the recording released on Private Stock Records, but the owner/founder of the label, Larry Uttal, wanted only Valli's name on the label. The single was released in the US in November 1974 and topped the Billboard Hot 100 in March 1975. "My Eyes Adored You" also went to number 2 on the Easy Listening chart. Billboard ranked it as the No. 5 song for 1975.
"Tryin' to Get the Feeling Again" is a song written by David Pomeranz that became a top 10 hit for Barry Manilow in 1976. It was first recorded by the Carpenters in 1975, but their version was not released until 1994 on their 25th anniversary CD, Interpretations: A 25th Anniversary Celebration. Pomeranz also recorded the song for his 1975 album It's in Every One of Us.
"I Just Want to Be Your Everything" is a song recorded by Andy Gibb, initially released in April 1977 as the first single from his debut album Flowing Rivers. It reached number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for three weeks, starting on the week ending 30 July 1977, and again for the week ending 17 September 1977. It was Gibb's first single released in the United Kingdom and United States. His previous single, "Words and Music" was only released in Australia. It is ranked number 26 on Billboard's 55th anniversary All Time Top 100 list.
"Run to Me" is a song by the Bee Gees, the lead single and first track on the group's album To Whom It May Concern (1972). The song reached the UK Top 10 and the US Top 20.
"Even Now" is a 1978 song by American adult contemporary and pop music singer Barry Manilow. It is the title track from his 1978 album, and Manilow wrote the music and co-produced the track with Ron Dante. The words were written by Marty Panzer.
"It's a Miracle" is a 1975 single by Barry Manilow and was the second release from his album, Barry Manilow II. "It's a Miracle" went to number twelve on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and was Manilow's second number one on the U.S. Easy Listening chart, spending one week at number one in April 1975. The single also peaked at number fifteen on the disco/dance chart, and was the first of four entries on the chart. "It's a Miracle" was followed by "Could It Be Magic".
"This One's for You" is the title track from the 1976 album by Barry Manilow with words and music by Manilow and Marty Panzer. The song peaked at number 29 on the Billboard Hot 100, and at number one on the Easy Listening chart, reaching the top position for one week in November 1976, Manilow's fifth number one overall on that chart.
The Feeling's Not Right Again is a collection of previously recorded songs by Ray Stevens, released in 1979. All of the selections were chosen from his studio albums that were recorded for Warner Bros. Records. Stevens had a total of five singles released by Warner Bros., but only three are featured on this collection; the rest of the selections are album tracks. The first track, "I Need Your Help Barry Manilow," is a novelty single that made its first album appearance on this collection; both it and the title track are homages to singer-songwriter Barry Manilow, and the album's cover art is itself a spoof of Manilow's album Tryin' to Get the Feeling. "I Need Your Help Barry Manilow" was a minor hit for Stevens, narrowly missing the top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100 and reaching #11 on the adult contemporary music charts.
"Ships" is a song written and originally performed by British musician Ian Hunter. The song was first released on Hunter's fourth solo album, You're Never Alone with a Schizophrenic in March 1979, and later released as a single in August 1979. Hunter's release of the single never made the charts. The song is said to be about Ian's relationship with his father.
Nick Mundy is an American singer, composer, guitarist and producer from Philadelphia. He was the lead singer of The Beck Family who had a hit in 1979 with the disco funk hit "Can't Shake the Feeling". He had a national hit with "Ain't It All Right" in 1984. He also co-wrote and produced the song "Talk to Me" for Chico DeBarge which was a hit in 1986. He has composed and produced hits for various artists and has worked with Gina Go-Go, Franne Golde and Paul Fox. His compositions have been used in mainstream films.
