Bette Midler Sings the Rosemary Clooney Songbook at #14 on The "Billboard" 200 with 71,000 copies sold in its initial week of release, and been certified Gold by the RIAA. (As of August 2005, the album had sold 721,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan). It was followed up with "Bette Midler Sings the Peggy Lee Songbook", which was somewhat less successful. Bette Midler Sings the Rosemary Clooney Songbook Bette Midler Sings the Rosemary Clooney Songbook is an album by the American singer Bette Midler. It was produced by Barry Manilow and marked the first time that Midler had worked with Manilow in more
Bette Midler time performing there, "Despite the way things turned out [with the AIDS crisis], I'm still proud of those days. I feel like I was at the forefront of the gay liberation movement, and I hope I did my part to help it move forward. So, I kind of wear the label of 'Bathhouse Betty' with pride." Midler starred in the first professional production of the Who's rock opera "Tommy" in 1971, with director Richard Pearlman and the Seattle Opera. It was during the run of "Tommy" that Midler first appeared on "The Tonight Show." Midler released her debut album, "The