Bette Midler is planning her first tour in a decade as the stage legend releases a new album of covers of her favorite girl groups from the 1950s and 1960s.
Midler on Monday announced 22 concerts at arenas across North America starting on May 8 in Hollywood, Florida. Promoters said she would also perform in Britain with dates to be determined.
The 68-year-old, known for top-charting, tear-jerking ballads such as "The Rose" and "Wind Beneath my Wings," unveiled the tour a day before she releases her 25th album, "It's the Girls!", a tribute to girl group music to which she listened as a child.
The album features versions of some of the era's most recognizable -- and frequently covered -- hits, including The Supremes' "You Can't Hurry Love," The Ronettes' "Be My Baby" and The Chordettes' "Mr. Sandman."
Midler said that during the 1950s and 1960s girl groups were "putting their stamp on pop music," citing the lasting influence of backup singers who provided the harmonies.
"They say behind every great man, there's a great woman. Well, I think that behind every great woman, there should be at least two other women singing and dancing in perfect unison," Midler wrote on her website.
Midler said she sang some of the harmonies herself but also brought in backing vocalists, whose work she praised as vital.
"A great album is like a fine wine, it's not half as good unless you're sharing it with good friends," she said of the backup singers.
Midler said that she struggled to pick just 17 songs for the album and initially had chosen nearly 50 tunes she wanted to cover.
The tour is her first since her "Kiss My Brass" concerts around North America in 2003 and 2004 and Australia in 2005, in which Midler -- often known by her stage name The Divine Miss M -- performed both her hits and Broadway mainstays.
She also did a residency in Las Vegas from 2008 to 2010.
Source: AFP