Women cry and hug and squeeze Joe Hite with overflowing gratitude. They tell him that he has pulled sweet memories from a seemingly pristine past, when they were young and dreaming of getting high on romance.
The humble 56-year-old Hite made it clear during a recent phone chat that such intoxicating affection actually has little to do with him. Yeah, he’s a solid keyboard player and boasts a polished pop voice, but he gets it.
A little more than a year ago, he was playing solo piano at Florida restaurants as background music. But today, with the help of a superb ’70s wig and maybe the most glittery outfits this side of Liberace, he is impressively playing pop icon Barry Manilow.
And that in itself overwhelms these women whom he escorts back to their teen years, or their lovelorn days.
“I’m getting a ton of residual Barry love that he long ago earned for me,” Hite said with a laugh. “I just happen to be a very lucky recipient. I mean, our show’s really good.
“But these people are freaking out.”
So it is with Hite’s “Daybreak: The Music and Passion of Barry Manilow” tribute show coming to Brown County Music Center Feb. 4. Thus far, the tour featuring an eight-piece band and two backup vocalists has played to audiences ranging from 500 people to 1,000 fans at the larger, mid-size venues.
Bruce Peterson of Copa Entertainment (as in Manilow’s “Copacabana”) put together the show after seeing an internet shot of a mid-1970s Manilow and realizing it looked like Hite. Peterson suggested the resemblance to Hite in 2021 and that Hite could easily sound like Manilow with some practice.
“He checks every box (for playing Manilow),” Peterson said. “He’s even got that little bit of a beak of a nose. I knew early on that we could have something special.”
Hite began playing the piano as a self-taught youngster. Years later, he played in a string of pop-rock bands in his native Wisconsin.
“It all came pretty naturally,” he said.
He grew up listening to his older sisters’ record collection of such piano men as Billy Joel and Manilow.
Hite and the band rehearsed an 18-song Manilow set list for a few months before Peterson booked them for more than 40 dates in a world already featuring a number of Manilow tribute acts. But if the current assessment of the new group and tour’s success could be a Manilow song title, it might thus far be “Look Like We Made It.” Most concerts include the biggest hits, such as “Mandy,” “Weekend in New England,” “I Write the Songs,” and lesser-heard Manilow vocals on such numbers as the Broadway classic “Memory.”
Audience members’ concert reviews on a Ticketmaster website laud the show’s content, overall presentation and more. Several said they loved some of the background context Hite provides about some of the tunes.
“We brought a group of eight to this show,” one posting person wrote. “Not sure what to expect. We were very pleasantly surprised by the quality music — and a special trip down memory lane. It was fun and informative, with wonderful details about the life and music of Barry Manilow. We will try to see this show again.”
“I’m always looking to add a little more Vegas (flair) to the show,” Hite said, mentioning that he took pains to see Manilow live in Las Vegas last year. “And I want to continue to beef up the set list so that, if we come back to some of these concert cities later, we’ll be doing different songs.”
About the show
What: “Daybreak: The Music and Passion of Barry Manilow,” featuring 90 minutes of the pop icon’s hits with an eight-piece band.
When: Feb. 4.
Where: Brown County Music Center, 200 Maple Leaf Drive in Nashville.
Information and tickets: browncountymusiccenter.com.
