He wrote the songs, he performed the songs, and became the number one Adult Contemporary artist of all time. He's Barry Manilow!

Having sold more than 85 million albums, his loyal following is huge and packs concerts every time he plays. Sure he's cut back a bit because, after all, he's 79. He certainly doesn't need the money, but he simply loves performing for his fans.

KOST 103.5 Presents A Very Berry Christmas With Barry Manilow
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So, he's coming back by popular demand, to Detroit at Little Caesars Arena on August 22nd to sing all his hits, and there is a pile of them. "Mandy", "I Write The Songs", "Looks Like We Made It", "Copacabana", "Could It Be Magic", "Can't Smile Without You", "Ready to Take A Chance Again", and so many more.

It's all part of his nationwide "Manilow Tour," and you'll be able to buy tickets beginning this Friday, April 28 at 10 a.m. There are three sites to buy them, Ticketmaster.com, 313Presents.com, and BarryManilow.com.

So how did this unbelievable career of his begin?

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Manilow actually began by writing the entire score of the off-Broadway musical The Drunkard, which had an eight-year run, but really honed his craft as a commercial jingle writer and singer throughout the 60s. If you've ever seen him live before you know he usually works in some of his most famous jingles, State Farm Insurance ("Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there") or Band-Aid ("I am stuck on Band-Aid, 'cause Band-Aid's stuck on me!") He sang commercials for Kentucky Fried Chicken, Pepsi ("all across the nation, it's the Pepsi generation"), McDonald's ("you deserve a break today"), and Dr. Pepper.

Barry Manilow In London
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However, it was his first pop hit in 1974, "Mandy" that exploded his career and he followed "Mandy" with hit after hit.

Six decades of writing, producing, and singing songs, and still going strong. Not bad for a boy from Brooklyn who just loved music.

LOOK: 50 songs you won't believe are turning 50 this year

From classic rock anthems to disco hits and everything in between, Stacker surveyed Billboard's Hot 100 list of top songs in 1973 and highlighted the top 50.

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