  As Bette Midler begins life as a
woman in her 50's, she is showing no signs of
slowing down or losing popularity. With
platinum records, an Academy Award
nomination, multiple Grammy Awards, a Tony
Award, and an Emmy Award, Bette has a
show-biz career few performers can ever
achieve and one that many young hopefuls
dream of - including a young girl in Hawaii
in the 1950s. Bette Midler was born on
December 1, 1945, in New Jersey and was
raised in Honolulu, Hawaii. Even in her
childhood, Bette stood out from the rest of
her peers as the Jewish, white girl who
dreamed of being an actress in a tropical
paradise. Bette was named by her parents
after Bette Davis, but was soon on her way to
becoming known as "The Divine Miss
M." Bette studied drama at the
University of Hawaii, and at the age of 20,
she moved to the mainland after being cast as
an extra in the film, Hawaii.
Bette's move to New York prompted her stage
debut as Tzeitel in Broadway's Fiddler On
The Roof for three years. Bette also
began performing at the Continental Baths for
audiences of gay men and quickly became a
legendary sensation with gay audiences.
 After signing with Atlantic
Records, Bette released The
Divine Miss M. The LP was produced by Barry
Manilow, who use to play with her
while their stars rose and contained the
favorites "Boogie Woogie Bugle
Boy," "Friends," "Do You
Want To Dance."
Bette won a Grammy Award for Best New Artist.
The
Divine Miss M was certified gold.
 Bette released Bette
Midler.
Bette
Midler was certified gold.
Bette released Songs
For The New Depression.
 Bette released Live
At Last and Broken
Blossom.
Bette released Thighs
And Whispers.
Bette opened on Broadway in Divine
Madness.
Bette became an author with A
View From A Broad, a memoir of her
European tour.
 Bette had her first starring
role in the movies with The
Rose. The role won her praise from
the critics, increased appeal with music
fans, another Grammy Award, an Academy Award
nomination, and two Golden Globe Awards. The
soundtrack to The
Rose gave Bette pop radio success
with the #1 title track and a rousing live
rendition of "When A Man Loves A
Woman."
 # 17
Singles Artist of the Year
 Bette hit the Top 40 with "When A Man Loves A
Woman."
Bette hit the Top 40 with "The Rose."
The
Rose soundtrack was certified gold.
 Divine
Madness was released.
Bette hit the Top 10 and #1 for a week with "The Rose."
The
Rose soundtrack was certified
platinum.
 The single "The Rose" was certified
gold.
Bette hit the Top 40 with "My Mother's Eyes."
Midler topped the Billboard
Year-End Charts with the Top
Soundtrack (The
Rose).
 # 158
Singles Artist of the Year
 Bette won a Grammy Award for Best Vocal Performance - Female ("The Rose") and was
nominated for Record of the Year ("The
Rose").
Bette could be seen in the film
Jinxed.
Bette appeared on the cover of Rolling
Stone.
 # 167
Singles Artist of the Year
 Bette released No
Frills which included her
version of the Rolling
Stones', "Beast Of Burden"
(which was nominated for 3 MTV Video Music
Awards in '84). The LP also contained the
favorites "Your My Favorite Waste Of
Time" and "Only In Miami."
Bette embarked the "De
Tour" into 1993.
 # 193
Singles Artist of the Year
The video for "Beast Of
Burden" was nominated for 3 MTV Video Music
Awards for Best Female Video, Best Choreography, and Best Stage Performance Video.
 Bette released a comedy LP, Mud
Will Be Flung Tonight.
Bette could be seen in the film
Down
And Out In Beverly Hills.
Bette could be seen in the film
Ruthless
People.
Bette could be seen in the film
Outrageous
Fortune.
Bette could be seen in the film
Big
Business.
 Bette started her own production
company called All-Girl Productions. The
first endeavor of the company was the hit Beaches staring Bette and
Barbara Hershey. The Beaches soundtrack
gave Bette another #1 hit and what has become
her swan song in concert, "Wind Beneath My Wings."
 # 41
Singles Artist of the Year
The Beaches soundtrack
was certified gold.
 Bette hit the Top 40 with "Wind Beneath My Wings."
Bette hit the Top 10 with "Wind Beneath My Wings."
The Beaches soundtrack
was certified platinum and the single "Wind Beneath My Wings" was certified
gold.
Bette hit #1 for a week with "Wind Beneath My Wings."
 # 57
Singles Artist of the Year
The Beaches soundtrack
was certified 2x platinum and The
Divine Miss M was certified platinum.
Bette could be seen in the film
Stella.
Bette won a Grammy Award for Record of the Year ("Wind Beneath My Wings") and was
nominated for Best Female Pop Vocal
Performance ("Wind Beneath My Wings").
 Bette released Some
People's Lives which contained her
3rd #1 hit, "From A Distance" and the cover
"Miss Otis Regrets."
Bette hit the Top 40 with "From A Distance."
 Some
People's Lives was certified gold.
Bette hit the Top 10 with "From A Distance."
Bette hit #1 for a week with "From A Distance."
 # 114
Singles Artist of the Year
 The single "From A Distance" was certified
platinum.
Bette was nominated for
2 Grammy Awards for Record of the Year and Best Female Pop Vocal
Performance ("From A Distance")
Bette could be seen in the film
Scenes
From A Mall.
Some
People's Lives was certified 2x platinum.
The Beaches soundtrack
was certified 3x platinum.
The single "Wind Beneath My Wings" was certified
platinum.
 Bette could be seen in the film
For
The Boys.
The For
The Boys soundtrack was
released with Bette's interpretations of old
favorites such as "Stuff Like
That," "In My Life," and
"For All We Know."
The For
The Boys soundtrack was
certified gold.
 # 185
Singles Artist of the Year
Bette joined Johnny Carson on The
Tonight Show for his final show and gave
a memorable performance of "One For My
Baby."
Bette embarked on her first tour
in 10 years, "Experience The
Divine," which included a six-week stay
at Radio City Musical Hall in New York.
 Bette released her greatest
collection - Experience
The Divine - Bette Midler's Greatest Hits. The package included
Bette's memorable rendition of "One For
My Baby" that she sang on Johnny
Carson's farewell show (the performance that
also won Bette an Emmy Award).
Bette could be seen in the film
Hocus
Pocus.
 The soundtrack to the Bette's TV
presentation of Gypsy was released.
Experience
The Divine - Bette Midler's Greatest Hits was certified gold and
The
Rose soundtrack was certified 2x
platinum.
 Bette released Bette
of Roses which contained the
tracks "To Deserve You," "To
Comfort You," and "In This
Life." The LP continued Bette's success
with pop and adult contemporary fans with a
majority of the tracks being ballads.
Bette began the 'New York Restoration
Project'.
Bette could be
heard on the soundtrack for Oliver
And Company with "Perfect Isn't
Easy."
Bette
of Roses was certified gold.
Experience
The Divine - Bette Midler's Greatest Hits was certified
platinum.
Bette could be seen in the hit
film The
First Wives Club.
 Bette could be seen in the film
That
Old Feeling.
Bette contributed the track
"Sweet And Low" to the Carnival:
Rainforest Foundation Concert compilation to benefit
the rainforests.
Bette appeared on HBO with Diva
Las Vegas, a live concert performance
nominated for 10 Emmy Awards.
Bette won an Emmy Award for Best
Performance Variety or Music Program.
 Bette's next LP, Bathhouse
Betty, was a collection of cover
tunes and new ballads with the David
Foster tune, "My One True
Friend" (also used in the film One
True Thing). Bette has said of the LP's
title: "I was in my house down in Orange
County... I was all by myself and I was
nervous because I don't like to be alone...
it's kind of scary... somebody knocked on my
door and it was a fan... he started shrieking
'Bathhouse Betty! Bathhouse Betty!' and I
thought, 'oh my God! How mortifying'... it
was pretty scary... but he left me with
Bathhouse Betty... he was giving me an homage
to my days playing the bathhouse."
Bette signed a
deal with Sony Entertainment that would allow
her to develop films and television shows
including a sitcom starring Bette.
Bathhouse
Betty was certified gold.
Bette topped
the Billboard Club Play chart for 2 weeks
with "I'm Beautiful."
Bette embarked on her 32-city
Divine Miss Millennium Tour which had her
performing in Las Vegas on New Year's Eve.
Bette could be seen in the film
Drowning
Mona.
 Bette started starring in her
first television sitcom, Bette, on
CBS, and released a new LP, Bette.
Bette could be seen in the
films Isn't
She Great and What Woman Want.
Bette's TV show Bette
was cancelled. The TV show had started off
the season strong, but lost viewers over the
past several months.
 Bette
of Roses was certified platinum.
Bette delivered a
moving rendition of "Wind Beneath My Wings" at a memorial
rally in New York for the victims of the
terrorist attack.
 Bette teamed up once again up
with Barry Manilow on her
release - Bette
Midler Sings The Rosemary Clooney Songbook. Bette said the
creation of Bette
Midler Sings The Rosemary Clooney Songbook began with a phone
call from Barry Manilow who
told her he had a dream with Bette singing Rosemary
Clooney songs: "The concept was
absolutely brilliant. I loved Rosemary. I had
a lot of respect for her, and I missed Barry.
And those songs are magical."
Bette
Midler Sings The Rosemary Clooney Songbook was certified gold.
Bette kicked off her 'Kiss My
Brass' tour in Chicago.
Bette was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album (Bette
Midler Sings The Rosemary Clooney Songbook). Bette publicly
stated that she hoped she didn't win because
the late Rosemary Clooney
was also in her category with The
Last Concert, and Bette felt she was more
deserving. Tony Bennett and k.d.
lang ended up with
the award for their LP A
Wonderful World.
 Bette could be seen in the
remake of The
Stepford Wives.
# 199 on the Top Pop Artists
of the Past 25 Years chart.
 Bette released Bette
Midler Sings The Peggy Lee Songbook.
Bette released the holiday LP Cool
Yule.
 Bette was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album (Bette
Midler Sings The Peggy Lee Songbook).
Bette was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album (Cool
Yule).
 Bette started headlining for 2
years at Las Vegas' Caesars Palance.
Bette released Jackpot
- The Best Bette.
iTunes
Amazon.mp3 |
The Divine Miss M
Released: 1972
US: Platinum
Billboard
peak:
# 9
Tracks: "Do You Want
To Dance?" - "Chapel Of
Love" - "Superstar" -
"Daytime Hustler" - "Am I
Blue" - "Friends" -
"Hello In There" - "Leader
Of The Pack" - "Delta
Dawn" - "Boogie Woogie Bugle
Boy" - "Friends" |
|
Bette Midler
Released: 1973
US: Gold
Billboard
peak:
# 6
Tracks:
"Skylark" - "Drinking
Again" - "Breaking Up
Somebody's Home" - "Surabaya
Johnny" - "I Shall Be
Released" - "Optimistic Voices
/ Lullaby Of Broadway" - "In
The Mood" - "Uptown / Don't Say
Nothin' Bad (About My Baby) / Doo Doo Run
Run" - "Twisted" -
"Higher & Higher (Your Love
Keeps Lifting Me)" |
 |
Songs For The New
Depression
Released: 1975
Billboard
peak:
# 27
Tracks: "Strangers
In The Night" - "I Don't Want
The Night To End" - "Mr.
Rockefeller" - "Old Cape
Cod" - "Buckets Of Rain" -
"Love Says It's Waiting" -
"Shiver Me Timbers / Samedi Et
Venderedi" - "No
Jestering" - "Tragedy" -
"Marahuana" - "Let Me Just
Follow Behind" |
|
Live At Last
Released: 1977
Billboard
peak:
# 49
Rolling Stone
review:
Live Tracks:
"Backstage" - "Friends /
Oh My My" - "Bang, You're
Dead" - "Birds" -
"Comic Relief" - "In The
Mood" - "Hurry On Down" -
"Shiver Me Timbers" -
"Vicki Eydie Show / Around The World
/ Istanbul / Fiesta In Rio / South
Seas" - "Intermission: You're
Moving Out Today" - "Delta
Dawn" - "Long John Blues"
- "Those Wonderful Sophie Tucker
Jokes" - "Story Of Nanette /
Nanette / Alabama Song / Drinking Again
Mr. Rockefeller" - "Fried
Eggs" - "Hello In There" -
"Finale: Up The Ladder To The Roof /
Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy / Friends" |
 |
Broken Blossom
Released: 1977
Billboard
peak:
# 51
Tracks: "Make
Yourself Comfortable" - "You
Don't Know Me" - "Say Goodbye
To Hollywood" - "I Never Talk
To Strangers" - "Storybook
Children" - "Red" -
"Empty Bed Blues" - "Dream
Is A Wish Your Heart Makes" -
"Paradise" - "Yellow Beach
Umbrella" - "Vie En Rose" |
 |
Thighs And Whispers
Released: 1979
Billboard
peak:
# 65
Tracks: "Big Noise
From Winnetka" -
"Millworker" - "Cradle
Days" - "My Knight In Black
Letter" - "Hang On In There
Baby" - "Hurricane" -
"Rain" - "Married
Men" |
iTunes
Amazon.mp3 |
The Rose soundtrack
Released: 1979
US: 2x Platinum
Billboard
peak:
# 12
Rolling Stone
review:
Tracks: "Whose Side
Are You On" - "Midnight In
Memphis" - "Concert
Monologue" - "When A Man Loves A
Woman" - "Sold My Soul
To Rock 'N Roll" - "Keep On
Rockin'" - "Love Me With A
Feeling" - "Camellia" -
"Homecoming Monologue" -
"Stay With Me" - "Let Me
Call You Sweetheart" - "The Rose" |
|
Divine Madness
Released: 1980
Billboard
peak:
# 34
Rolling Stone
review: 
Live Tracks: "Big Noise
From Winnetka" -
"Paradise" - "Shiver Me
Timbers" - "Fire Down
Below" - "Stay With Me" -
"My Mother's Eyes" -
"Chapel Of Love / Boogie Woogie
Bugle Boy" - "E Street Shuffle
/ Summer (The First Time) / Leader Of The
Pack" - "You Can't Always Get
What You Want / I Shall Be Released"
|
|
No Frills
Released: 1983
Billboard
peak:
# 60
Rolling Stone
review:
Tracks: "Is It
Love" - "Favorite Waste Of
Time" - "All I Need To
Know" - "Only In Miami" -
"Heart Over Head" - "Let
Me Drive" - "My Eye On
You" - "Beast Of Burden" -
"Soda And A Souvenir" -
"Come Back Jimmy Dean" |
|
Mud Will Be Flung
Tonight
Released: 1985
Billboard
peak:
# 183
Rolling Stone
review:
Tracks: "Taking
Aim" - "Fit Or Fat ("Fat
As I Am")" - "Marriage,
Movies, Madonna & Mick" -
"Vickie Eydie ("I'm Singing
Broadway")" -
"Coping" - "Unfettered
Boob" - "Otto Titsling" -
"Why Bother?" -
"Soph" |
iAmazon.mp3 |
Beaches soundtrack
Released: November, 1988
US: 3x Platinum
Billboard
peak:
# 2
Tracks: "Under The
Boardwalk" - "Wind Beneath My
Wings" - "I've Still
Got My Health" - "I Think It's
Going To Rain Today" - "Otto
Titsling" - "I Know You By
Heart" - "The Glory Of
Love" - "Baby Mine" -
"Oh Industry" - "The
Friendship Theme" |
iTunes
Amazon.mp3 |
Some People's Lives
Released: September, 1990
US: 2x Platinum
Billboard
peak:
# 6
Rolling Stone
review:
Tracks: "One More
Round" - "Some People's
Lives" - "Miss Otis
Regrets" - "Spring Really Can
Hang You Up The Most" - "Night
And Day" - "The Girl Is On To
You" - "From A Distance" -
"Moonlight Dancing" - "He
Was Too Good To Me / Since You Stayed
Here" - "All Of A Sudden"
- "The Gift Of Love" |
|
For The Boys soundtrack
Released: November, 1991
US:Gold
Billboard
peak:
# 22
Tracks:
"Billy-A-Dick" - "Stuff
Like That There" - "P.S. I Love
You" - "Girl Friend Of The
Whirling Dervish" - "I Remember
You / Dixie's Dream" - "Baby,
It's Cold Outside" (James Caan) -
"Dreamland" - "Vickie And
Mr. Values" - "For All We
Know" - "Come Rain Or Come
Shine" - "In My Life" -
"I Remember You" - "Every
Road Leads Back To You" |
|
Experience The Divine -
Bette Midler's Greatest Hits
Released: June, 1993
US: Platinum
Billboard
peak:
# 50
Tracks: "Hello In
There" - "Do You Want To
Dance?" - "From A Distance" -
"Chapel Of Love" - "Only
In Miami" - "When A Man Loves A
Woman" - "The Rose" - "Miss
Otis Regrets" - "Shiver Me
Timbers" - "Wind Beneath My
Wings" - "Boogie Woogie
Bugle Boy" - "One For My Baby
(And One More For The Road)" -
"Friends" - "In My
Life" |
|
Gypsy soundtrack
Released: November, 1993
Billboard
peak:
# 183
Bette Tracks: ""Some
People" - "Small World" -
"You'll Never Get Away From Me"
- "Everything's Coming Up
Roses" - "Together (Wherever We
Go)" - "Rose's Turn" |
|
Bette of Roses
Released: July, 1995
US: Platinum
Billboard
peak:
# 45
Tracks: "I Know This
Town" - "In This Life" -
"Bottomless" - "To Comfort
You" - "To Deserve You" -
"The Last Time" - "Bed Of
Roses" - "The Perfect
Kiss" - "As Dreams Go By"
- "It's Too Late" - "I
Believe In You" |
|
Bathhouse Betty
Released: September, 1998
US: Gold
Billboard
peak:
# 32
Tracks: "Song Of
Bernadette" - "I'm
Beautiful" - "Lullaby In
Blue" - "Ukukeke Lady" -
"I'm Hip" - "I Sold My
Heart To The Junkman" - "One
Monkey Don't Stop No Show" -
"Boxing" - "Big
Socks" - "That's How Love
Moves" - "My One True
Friend" - "Laughing
Matters" |
|
Bette
Released: October, 2000
Billboard
peak:
# 69
Rolling Stone
review: 
Tracks: "That's How
Heartaches Are Made" - "In
These Shoes" - "God Give Me
Strength" - "Just My
Imagination" - "Love TKO"
- "Moses" - "Nobody Else
But You" - "Color Of
Roses" - "Bless You Child"
- "When Your Love Was Low" -
"Shining Star" |
|
Bette Midler Sings The
Rosemary Clooney Songbook
Released: September, 2003
Billboard
peak:
# 14
US: Gold
Tracks: "You'll
Never Know" - "This Ole
House" - "On A Slow Boat To
China" (with Barry Manilow) -
"Hey There" -
"Tenderly" - "Come On-A My
House" - "Mambo Italiano"
- "Sisters" (with Linda
Ronstadt) - "Memories Of You" -
"In The Cool, Cool, Cool Of The
Evening" - "White
Christmas" |
|
Bette Midler Sings The
Peggy Lee Songbook
Released: October, 2005
Billboard
peak:
# 10
Tracks: "Fever"
- "Alright, Okay, You Win" -
"I Love Being Here With You" -
"Happiness Is A Thing Called
Joe" - "Is That All There
Is?" - "I'm A Woman" -
"He's A Tramp" - "Folks
Who Live On The Hill" - "Big
Spender" - "Mr. Wonderful"
- "Is That All There Is?" |
|
Cool Yule
Released: October, 2006
Billboard
peak:
# 33
Tracks: "Merry
Christmas" - "Cool Yule" -
"Have Yourself A Merry Little
Christmas" - "Winter Wonderland
/ Let It Snow" - "I'll Be Home
For Christmas" - "What Are You
Doing On New Year's Eve?" -
"I've Got My Love To Keep Me
Warm" - "O Come, O Come,
Emmanual" - "Mele
Kalikimaka" - "From A Distance" (Christmas
Version) - "White Christmas" |
 |
Jackpot - The Best Bette
Released: September, 2008
Billboard
peak:
# 66
Tracks: "In The
Mood" - "This Ole House" -
"Beast Of Burden" - "Just
My Imagination" - "The Rose" - "When A Man Loves A
Woman" - "I've Still
Got My Health" - "Spring Can
Really Hand You Up" - "Hello In
There" - "The Glory Of
Love" - "Tenderly" -
"Wind Beneath My
Wings" - "Do You Want
To Dance" - "Baby Mine" -
"From A Distance" -
"Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" -
"Friends" - "Something You
Heart Has Been" - "Cool
Yule" |
iTunes
Amazon.mp3 |
It's The Girls
Released: November 4, 2014
Billboard
peak:
# 3
Tracks: "Be My
Baby" - "One Fine Day" -
"Bei Mir Bist Du Schon" -
"Baby It's You" - "Tell
Him" - "He's Sure The Boy I
Love" (with Darlene Love) -
"Mr. Sandman" - "Come And
Get These Memories" - "Too Many
Fish In The Sea" - "Teach Me
Tonight" - "Waterfalls" -
"You Can't Hurry Love" -
"Give Him A Great Big Kiss" -
"Will You Still Love Me
Tomorrow" - "It's The
Girl" |
iTunes
Amazon.mp3 |
A Gift Of Love
Released: December 4, 2015
Tracks: "Favorite
Waste Of Time" - "In This
Life" - "The Gift Of Love"
- "Bed Of Roses" - "From A Distance" - "Wind Beneath My
Wings" - "Come Rain Or
Come Shine" - "The Rose" - "As
Dreams Go By" - "It's Too
Late" - "All I Need To
Know" - "Every Road Leads Back
To You" - "Shining Star" -
"To Deserve You" - "Night
And Day" - "(Talk To Me Of)
Mendocino" - "The Hunter Gets
Captured By The Game" - "Let Me
Just Follow Behind" |
| Note: Song title and
position links lead you to the song's Top
40 chart run (from the ARC Weekly Top
40)
and LP links take you to Amazon.com for that LP (often
including track listings and sound
samples). |
|
|
