Is Rod Stewart more popular than Barry Manilow?

Answer 1

Yes.

Answer 2

That can be a matter of opinion and the answer varies among who you ask.

Though, according to the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 50 Year Anniversary Charts, comprised of the Hot 100's first 50 years, August 1958 through July 2008:

Rod Stewart is ranked #17 All-Time Top Artist. Barry Manilow is ranked #57 All-Time Top Artist.

Answer 3

Although this answer (and indeed question) can be heavily influenced by opinion, there are nonetheless several valid arguments for why Rod Stewart is more popular than Barry Manilow.

• Rod Stewart was born in London (UK) to British parents and emigrated to America in the mid-seventies. This means that both British and American audiences are more inclined to relate to him and consider him their own whereas Barry Manilow is solely American.
• Despite being younger than Manilow, Stewart has been active in music for longer. Stewart began professionally in 1964 and Manilow in 1973. This means that Stewart was already a well-established and popular performer and had made history with his chart-topper 'Maggie May' when Manilow was only getting started.
• Stewart is a more versatile artist with genre credits that include various styles of rock, blues, soul, jazz, country and R&B. This means that his appeal is to a wider and more diverse audience.
• Manilow is not known for being a natural performer on stage and the majority of his act is choreographed. On the other hand, Stewart is classed as one of rock's best showmen and his performances are more spontaneous and energetic.
• Stewart has a distinct image that make him interesting and appealing to fans. He is known for his love of football, women and cars (among other things) and has a balance between being a 'rock star' and a regular guy which lets people both relate to and admire him. He is just as popular within gossip magazines as he is in the music press which means he is often in the public eye. Although Manilow may have his own image, he is not as constantly snapped by paparazzi.
• Stewart works hard at promoting new material and makes himself and his music accessible to people of all ages. He promotes his albums on American Idol, Dancing with the Stars, the View, various late night shows (such as Jay Leno and Jimmy Kimmel) and various breakfast shows - and that's only in the US. He also appears on the UK equivalents of these shows. Admittedly, I am not as much an expert on what Manilow does in terms of promotion however he is not as advertised as Stewart is.
• Stewart's family also raise his profile. He has had numerous high-profile relationships, he is known for being attracted to 'leggy blondes', he has eight children with five different women and is married to his third wife who is twenty-six years his junior. Nonetheless, his ex-partners have generally had positive things to say regarding him and he has good relationships with his children. Manilow's private life is not as closely followed by the media.
• My last point (more can be provided upon demand) is that Stewart's voice is technically more unique as it has a delicate balance between being rough and raspy or gentle and smooth. He also has an inimitable way of singing - his elocution, diction, phrasing, etcetera.

As a disclaimer: I am primarily a Stewart fan but have tried to keep this as objective as possible. Please note that the question identifies Stewart as being more popular and asks for reasons to explain this, which I have provided. There are also other things to consider that may be more opinion-based, for example, many (myself included) find Stewart to be highly attractive although this does not necessarily prove anything as others may feel the same about Manilow.