Gay bathhouse (陣屋)" were built in the 1970s. Singer Bette Midler is well known for getting her start at the famous Continental Baths in New York City in the early 1970s, where she earned the nickname Bathhouse Betty. It was there, accompanied by pianist Barry Manilow (who, like the bathhouse patrons, sometimes wore only a white towel), that she created her stage persona "the Divine Miss M." On getting her start in bathhouses, Midler has remarked: Despite the way things turned out [with the AIDS crisis], I'm still proud of those days [when I got my start singing at the gay bathhouses].
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