MEET JOHN GOODWIN/DANA MANCHESTER
John Goodwin was born on
July
24, 1955 in Kansas City, MO. While he was growing up, he always excelled
in school, but John's one life long love was the theatre. After his high
school graduation, John accepted a scholarship to Missouri Western State
College in Saint Joseph , MO.
After a two year stint in college, his family decided to make a big move and settled in Panama City, FL on the Gulf Coast. John lived there for a year before deciding to move to Fort Lauderdale, FL because his dream was to always live in a big city.
John was first introduced to Female Impersonation in 1975 at a local bar in Pensacola, FL and was totally fascinated with the art. Shortly after, he started his career as Dana Manchester and made his first appearance at the Fantasy Club in Fort Lauderdale. From there he went on to work at very well known establishments such as Keith's Cruise Room, the Warehouse 8, and Tackys of Fort Lauderdale, which would become his home bar for over two years.
In 1977, The Miss Florida Pageant F.I. was about to have one of it's most shining representatives. Dana, having learned from his mistakes the previous year when he entered for the first time, came back to the Miss Florida Pageant in full force and, once again, sponsored by Tackys of Fort Lauderdale, took home the very well deserved title. Says Lola Lush of Miami,"The year Dana Manchester won Miss Florida was my very first time at Miss Florida . She was the winner at rehearsal as far as I am concerned and her rendition of A CHORUS LINE is one of the best productions in the history of the Miss Florida Pageant. She is a true talent and beauty!". In 1987, celebrating his tenth year anniversary as a Miss Florida, Dana Manchester was named "The First Lady of Florida" by the pageant's committee. But Dana Manchester's career did not stop there.
In 1987, Dana was a co-host in a local gay program called "Way Off Broadway". It was a talk / variety show that was a major stepping stone for the advancement and recognition of the gay community of South Florida. The show had many highlights including John Goodwin singing "live", Dana and Nikki Adams doing their version of THE MANHATTAN TRANSFER and also featured top recording artists. The show lasted one season.
Dana has also won many prestigious awards, including David Magazine's ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR AWARD and the FEMALE IMPERSONATORS OF THE YEAR AWARD. Combined he won these awards a total of 15 times. Eventually these titles were renamed in his honor. He also won the DIXIE'S FEMALE IMPERSONATORS AWARD numerous times, where the award was also renamed in his honor, THE DANA MANCHESTER FEMALE IMPERSONATORS AWARD.
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Dana Manchester has also competed in many other pageants including MISS GAY SOUTH, where he took home the title. He also competed in MISS GAY AMERICA, which on his first and only attempt, placed second out of of dozens of contestants. In 1995 after almost fifteen years of not competing , Dana won the MISS SOUTHERN TROPICS ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR PAGEANT, which is a preliminary to the pageant, ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR in Kentucky. Dana was in the top ten out of sixty contestants. Not bad for a person who had put competition on the back burner.
Today John Goodwin / Dana Manchester is doing many different things. Besides being one of the top female impersonators in the country, he is also pursuing a career as Entertainment Correspondent for a gay owned television and operated cable show titled OUT & ABOUT!. He covers celebrity interviews, special and current events about gay South Florida. The show can be seen on Comcast cable channel 49 on Tuesdays at 10:00pm.
Dana Manchester is still a much sought after entertainer. His lip-syncing, his dancing and his singing are unique. He continues to enthrall us all today with his many talents, so if you haven't seen him in action, you are really missing out! His act can be seen on Wednesdays at the Sea Monster of Fort Lauderdale, on Thursdays at the Omni of Fort Lauderdale and Fridays at the Whale & Porpoise of Fort Lauderdale.