Marilyn Michaels

Marilyn Michaels began her career as a child prodigy, performing at the age of 7
with her mother, trailblazing Cantoress Fraydele Oysher. She sang in Hebrew, Yiddish, and English. By the time she was 14, she was soloist in her father Harold Sternberg’s (Met Opera Basso) choir, and the Cantor was her Uncle, the world renowned Moishe Oysher.

A music major at The High School of Music and Art (LaGuardia) she switched mid-stream to become an Art major, and she also began auditioning for Broadway shows and record labels with her own songs.

After graduating from La Guardia, she was signed by Ray Rainwater, brother of Country singer Marvin Rainwater, and recorded several singles engineered by the iconic Phil Ramone, who overdubbed his violin several times—the first time a string section was so created.

When producers Hugo and Luigi (“The Lion Sleeps Tonight”) were searching for a girl to sing the "answer" song to Ray Peterson’s hit, “Tell Laura I Love Her”... (Tell Tommy I Miss Him)--- Marilyn auditioned for them, accompanying herself at the piano, and was immediately signed to RCA Victor. Her single made the charts and has since become a staple of compilation “Answer” songs of the 60's.

Marilyn also began performing her act at every possible venue from clubs to the Catskills and Las Vegas showrooms. When she auditioned for George Schlatter (“Laugh In”) he chose her to guest on a tv pilot: “New Faces.”

Soon she was popping up on national television with frequency: The Hollywood Palace, The Ed Sullivan Show, The Tonight Show, and headlining at the world famous CopaCabana.

For a brief time, she signed with Warner Bros records, but quickly switched to the ABC Paramount label, where her first album, “Marilyn Michaels,” was produced and arranged by Sy Oliver, Bobby Scott, and Hal Wess.

It was during this time that she sang for Jule Styne and was chosen to star as Fanny Brice in the National Company of Funny Girl while Barbra Streisand was performing it on Broadway. Her meeting with Streisand is well documented in her book, How Not To Cook For the Rest of Your Life.

She toured for a year in the show, garnering personal raves, and selling out houses throughout the country. At this time, she signed with Jerry Weintraub, (Management 3) and did two major television shows: The Dean Martin and Red Skelton Shows.

At the start of the 60’s you could see her perform on Hullaballo with Sammy Davis Jr, and the Jackie Gleason - American Scene Magazine, as well as the Hollywood Palace-- and by the 70's, she was on the Name of the Game with Sammy again, and in full swing. She guested on most television variety and talk shows, like The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, Jonathan Winters Show, The Flip Wilson show, and many others. But it was her stint on the Gary Smith/Dwight Hemion series The Kopykats (ABC Comedy Hour) which brought her once again into national prominence.

The 80's brought more national exposure performing with Rich Little in the Look Who’s Turning Diet 7 UP campaign; along with star turns in Atlantic City Showrooms, she did a Playboy pictorial (August ’82), paying tribute to six iconic ladies: Dolly Parton, Bo Derek, Streisand, Julie Andrews Bette Midler, and Donna Summer.

In '91 Marilyn starred on Broadway in the sleeper hit “Catskills on Broadway,” for which she won the Outer Critic Circle and Drama League Awards, and appeared on such shows as Regis and Kathie Lee, Mike Douglas, Merv Griffin, Howard Stern, The Name of the Game (with her mentor Sammy Davis, who wrote the liner notes for the Warner Bros Album: Fantastic Debut) and guest starred on The Love Boat (with Debbie Reynolds).

Following her stint on Broadway, Marilyn brought her own show to Harrahs hotel in the dazzling revue, Broadway Ballyhoo, and continued to guest on National television, as well as play host for Girls Night Out on Lifetime or dealt with topical social issues as the host of CNBC'S Talk Live. She also guested on the PBS special Another Mitzvah and hosted the WLIW television's Awards in Excellence Gala.

Her rendition of Donna Summer and Barbra Streisand singing via split screen on an NBC Award show has become a cult favorite. She has appeared with the Philadelphia and Long Island symphonies, and has narrated with multiple voices the Emmy winning Reading Rainbow for PBS (Gregory the Terrible Eater) and the audio book, Frankly Scarlett, I Do Give A Damn (Harper Collins)

Marilyn is an accomplished painter whose landscape paintings and celebrity artworks have shown in New York and Palm Beach’s finest galleries. They can be viewed on this website. Just click the ART icon.

Marilyn's CD's include Voices (30 characters and voices), An Oysher Heritage (timeless Yiddish and Hebrew duets with her Uncle, Cantor Moishe Oysher and Mother Fraydele Oysher), A Mother's Voice (by Marvin Hamlisch and Alan and Marilyn Bergman), singing with her son Mark, and Wonderful At Last—which includes songs penned by Marilyn and Mark for the musical “Alysha,” based on Alice Through the Looking Glass. The liner notes quote Broadway composer Jule Styne…

”Marilyn, you’re a thrilling talent.”

Her humorous autobiography, written with Mark, HOW NOT TO COOK FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE, is available on Amazon, or personally autographed through this site, and a forthcoming CD, Let There Be Night, is in the works, with selections ranging from classical to Rock and beyond.