Gay icon Own Kind of Music" and "Different") and free love. Her music was later featured in the acclaimed gay film "Beautiful Thing" (1996), adapted from the play of the same name. Singer and actress Bette Midler became recognized as a gay icon in the 1970s. After performing on Broadway, Midler began performing at the Continental Baths, a gay bathhouse in the city, where she became close to her piano accompanist Barry Manilow, who produced her first major album "The Divine Miss M" (1973). "Despite the way things turned out [with the AIDS crisis], I'm still proud of those days [singing at
Bette Midler years in 2003 to record "Bette Midler Sings the Rosemary Clooney Songbook". Now signed to Columbia Records, the album was an instant success, being certified gold by RIAA. One of the "Clooney Songbook" selections, "This Ole House", became Midler's first Christian radio single shipped by Rick Hendrix and his positive music movement. The album was nominated for a Grammy the following year. Throughout 2003 and 2004, Midler toured the United States in her new show, "Kiss My Brass", to sell-out audiences. Also in 2004, she appeared in a supporting role in Frank Oz' science fiction satire "The Stepford Wives", a