Bette Midler, one of the world’s most loved and acclaimed artists, will release a 19-song retrospective, ‘The Best Bette’ featuring her biggest hits and an unreleased demo on Saturday 4 October through Rhino/Warner Music.

Midler is an artist of stunning versatility who can leave you in tears with a funny or a sad song. A gifted actress and natural comedian, she is best known as an exceptional interpreter of song, winning four GrammyÒ Awards since her 1972 debut with Atlantic Records. As Midler continues to charm Sin City with her ongoing concert show at Caesars Palace, The Showgirl Must Go On, Rhino pays tribute to the Divine Miss M with a career-spanning collection of her biggest hits and an unreleased demo.

‘The Best Bette’ paints a vibrant portrait of Midler’s uncanny ability to inhabit any style of music and make it her own. Taken from nine studio albums, this eclectic selection touches on girl group (“Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy”), Top 40 (“Friends”), soul (“When A Man Loves A Woman”), standards (“This Ole House”), holiday (“Cool Yule”) and rock (“Beast Of Burden”).

‘The Best Bette’ also spotlights two of Midler’s most important musical milestones. The first is “Wind Beneath My Wings,” her first #1 hit and winner of the 1989 GrammyÒ Award for Record of the Year. The second is “From A Distance,” winner of the 1990 GrammyÒ for Song of the Year and a #2 hit for Midler from her platinum-certified album Some People’s Lives.

Alongside the familiar melodies on ‘The Best Bette’ is “Something Your Heart Has Been Telling Me,” an unreleased demo Midler recorded in the summer of 1984 with renowned songwriters Robert Kraft and Barry Reynolds. Kraft recalls cutting the track at Atlantic Studios: “I always thought there was some magic in those sessions, because the songs seemed to acquire a haunting, almost bittersweet quality as we laid down the tracks. Roberta Flack recorded this song several years later, but I have always been a fan of Bette’s original vocal on this version.”