(CNN) -- Barry Manilow told CNN's Piers Morgan that when he first got into show business, he had "no eyes to be a performer. I had no ambition to be on the stage singing, singing and dancing around the stage." Manilow, who has sold over 80 million records worldwide, had 35 consecutive Top 40 hits and five albums simultaneously on the charts, is the guest on Thursday's "Piers Morgan Tonight." The show was taped before a rare in-studio audience, and the renowned singer-songwriter played the piano and sang some of his hits. "When I got up there to promote my first album," said Manilow, "I really didn't know what to do with my legs. I was able to get up from the piano, and then I really didn't know what else to do, because I had never, ever thought about standing up on a stage and entertaining. And, I thought I was dreadful. But the audiences didn't. And I think they were able to connect with a guy who was telling the truth."
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Barry Manilow got his start as Bette Midler's musical conductor and arranger
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He also wrote commercial jingles early in his career, most notably State Farm and Band-Aid
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Manilow on first $1 million check: "I used it as a bookmark"
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Manilow: "I'm a private man, and I'm a gentleman. And I'm proud of it."
Manilow recalled that his first real shot at the spotlight was given to him by @placeholder in the early 1970s.