Rhino Records will revisit the
early days of Bette Midler's incredible career with a deluxe version of
her iconic 1972 debut album, The Divine Miss M. Midler will also make a "Divine" appearance this fall as a mentor for Team Blake on Season 11 of NBC's hit television series The Voice which premieres on September 19.
THE DIVINE MISS M: DELUXE EDITION will be available on October 21 as
a 2-CD set that includes the remastered album, plus a bonus disc of
singles, outtakes and demos, as well as new liner notes written by
Midler. The album will also be released digitally as well as in 1-LP
vinyl format, which will feature the remastered original album and
original album artwork.
In
the liner notes that accompany this new collection, Midler recalls the
origin of her nickname: "I began being called The Divine Miss M around
1969, when I made my first appearance at the Continental Baths, a gay
bath house located in the basement of the Ansonia Hotel, at Broadway and
74th Street in New York. My best friend, Bill Hennessy, a hairdresser I
met on Fiddler on the Roof, called me that for years. It was
my first night at the Baths, and before I went on, the owner, Steven
Ostrow, stuck his head into the dressing room and asked how I wanted to
be introduced. I said, 'Just tell them I'm divine!' And that's how it
started."
