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
Old Cape Cod being issued as a single. Tennessee Ernie Ford recorded "Old Cape Cod" for his 1968 album release, "Tennessee Ernie Ford's World of Pop and Country Hits". That same year, Dottie West recorded "Old Cape Cod" for her album "Feminine Fancy", which mostly consisted of remakes of signature songs of well-known female singers, and also featured West's take on Patti Page's career record "Tennessee Waltz". Bette Midler recorded "Old Cape Cod" for release on her 1972 debut album "The Divine Miss M" although the track – produced by Midler with Joel Dorn – was debuted in 1976 on "Songs for the