A three time GRAMMY winning music icon as well as a two-time Oscar-nominated film star, Bette Midler first rose to fame in the early '70s when her first two albums for Atlantic Records soared to the Top 10 in Billboard.
Decades of success later, the "Divine Miss M" is as popular as ever, with her sensational new Las Vegas revue - "The Showgirl Must Go On" at Caesar's Palace - adding to her global renown.
Midler's new Rhino retrospective 'The Best Bette', her most comprehensive single-disc anthology to date, is an essential compilation of hits and favourites. It's an ideal way to experience the divine, and features classics including the US Top 10 smashes "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" and "From A Distance" plus the GRAMMY-winning songs "The Rose" and "Wind Beneath My Wings". Also featured is "Cool Yule," the title track from Bette's most recent album ('06), her first-ever Christmas collection.
The 19-track Best Of gathers together Bette's key tracks from 1972-2006, features the previously unreleased bonus track, "Something Your Heart Has Been Telling Me", and is set for UK release September 22, 2008 (US - September 23rd).
Listening party links below!
(sampler to the full album)
Real Audio
Windows Media - 56.wax
Windows Media - 100.wax
Quick Time
Listening Party Track List:
1. In The Mood
2. This Ole House
3. Beast Of Burden
4. Just My Imagination Running Away With Me
5. The Rose
6. When A Man Loves A Woman
7. Wind Beneath My Wings
8. Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy ( Single Version)
9. Something Your Heart Has Been Telling Me*
* Previously Unreleased
Bette Midler is taking a break from her very successful Las Vegas show "The Showgirl Must Go On" to make a rare visit to the UK for promo in mid-September.
Flaunting plenty of girls and gags, Bette Midler's 90-minute extravaganza, which opened on February 20, 2008, features an enchanting repertoire complete with some of her favorite characters like Delores Delago - the wheelchair-bound mermaid - and Soph, the oldest living showgirl in Las Vegas. Amongst the backdrop of a glittering Broadway-style theatre, Midler and her entourage of talented performers light up the stage in an energetic, comical, and visually stunning spectacle.
Critics have hailed "The Showgirl Must Go On" as "a razzle dazzle spectacular," according to Daily Variety. The Los Angeles Times proclaimed, "Bette Midler is brash, funny, schmaltzy, surprising, poignant, charming, provocative, witty, bawdy and, of course, divine," and the New York Daily News says Miss Midler "hits the jackpot" with the biggest show of her career.
'The Best Bette' Full Track List
(subject to change)
1. In The Mood
2. This Ole House
3. Beast Of Burden
4. Just My Imagination Running Away
5. The Rose
6. When A Man Loves A Woman
7. I've Still Got My Health
8. Spring Can Really Hang You Up The
9. Hello In There
10. The Glory Of Love
11. Tenderly
12. Wind Beneath My Wings
13. Do You Want To Dance
14. Baby Mine
15. From A Distance
16. Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy
17. Friends
18. Something Your Heart Has Been Telling Me*
19. Cool Yule
* previously unreleased
About Bette Midler
Bette Midler grew up in Honolulu, Hawaii, where she began singing at an early age. After playing an extra in the film, HAWAII, she finally earned enough money to move to New York City where she starred on Broadway, playing Tzeitel, the oldest daughter in the hit musical, Fiddler on the Roof.
Once she began singing in clubs around town, word reached the owner of the famed Continental Baths, who immediately offered her a job. Performing at the baths, she developed the trademark act that would soon make her one of the most renowned talents of a generation. Her performances of songs like Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy, Delta Dawn, and Superstar were unforgettable and caused audiences to fall in love with the self-anointed "Divine Miss M."
After being discovered by Ahmet Ertegun, the legendary president of Atlantic Records, Bette recorded her first album, The Divine Miss M, which hit #9 on Billboard's Top 200 Chart and went platinum. In 1973, she won her first Grammy for Best New Artist. Throughout the 1970's, 80's and 90's, Midler's chart-topping career continued to flourish as she released dozens of hit albums. After successfully touring the world and returning to Broadway in the Tony winning, Clams On The Halfshell, Hollywood beckoned.
Midler's first starring role in the feature film, The Rose, garnered two Golden Globe Awards, a Grammy for the film's title song and a best actress Oscar nomination. Midler then went on to star in many successful films including Down and Out in Beverly Hills, Ruthless People, Outrageous Fortune, Big Business, Beaches, Stella, Scenes from a Mall, For the Boys, Hocus Pocus, The First Wives Club, Isn't She Great and most recently, Oscar winner Helen Hunt's directorial debut film Then She Found Me.
In addition to her work on stage and in films, Midler made her mark on television with the Emmy Award-winning CBS special Ol' Red Hair is Back, and two HBO concerts, Live at Last and Art or Bust. HBO's concert film Diva Las Vegas, won an Emmy Award for her performance. In 1992, Bette won a Golden Globe and a National Board of Review award for her performance in the television adaptation of the musical Gypsy.
After all these years, four Grammys, four Golden Globes, three Emmys, a Tony Award and numerous record-breaking performances, the "Divine Miss M" is still going strong. In February 2008, Bette premiered her new critically acclaimed headlining act "The Showgirl Must Go On" at The Coloseum at Caesars Palace where she will perform for two years.
Outside of the spotlight, Midler takes great pride as the founder of the New York Restoration Project (" www.nyrp.org), which she established in 1995. The organization works to uncover, reclaim and clean up neglected public spaces while nurturing community empowerment and fostering civic pride in local New York communities. Midler currently lives in New York City with her husband Martin von Haselberg and daughter, Sophie.
The Best Bette
Jackpot - The Best Bette ( Amazon Exclusive Bonus Track)
Bette Midler Official Website
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