Manfred Mann
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Image:ManfredMann1.jpg Image:ManfredMann2.jpg Manfred Mann was a British R&B and pop band of the 1960s, named after its keyboard player, who later led the successful 1970s follow-on group Manfred Mann's Earth Band.
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The person - Manfred Mann
Manfred Mann himself was originally named Manfred Liebowitz; he was born on October 21, 1940 in Johannesburg, South Africa.
1960s group - Manfred Mann
Lubowitz originally formed the band Manfred Mann in 1962, with his friend Mike Hugg on drums, but both took a background role in live performances. The lead vocalist, harmonica player, and undoubted star of the band in the early years was Paul Jones, later a successful actor. Completing the line-up were Tom McGuinness on bass guitar, and Mike Vickers on guitar and saxophone.
With Jones fronting, they had No. 1 hits in the U.K. with their cover version of the Exciters' "Do Wah Diddy Diddy" and with "Pretty Flamingo", as well as success with "5-4-3-2-1", "Come Tomorrow", and "If You Gotta Go, Go Now". They were not a major player in the British Invasion of the U.S., but "Do Wah Diddy Diddy" reached No. 1 there too in 1964, while "She La La" and "Pretty Flamingo" were also hits.
When Jones left in 1966 at the height of their fame, he was replaced by Mike d'Abo - among those on the shortlist was Rod Stewart - and this was one of the few occasions when a band has successfully swapped lead singers and remained at the top. Vickers also left, to be replaced briefly by Jack Bruce (later of Cream) then Klaus Voorman (of Beatles association fame) on bass guitar, as McGuinness switched to rhythm and lead guitar.
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With d'Abo as vocalist, they enjoyed several more U.K. hits, including "Ha Ha Said the Clown", "My Name Is Jack", "Fox On The Run", "Ragamuffin Man", the instrumental "Sweet Pea", and a No. 1 with Bob Dylan's "Mighty Quinn" in 1968. In the U.S., "Mighty Quinn" was the only hit of these, reaching No. 10.
Frustrated with the limitations and image of being seen purely as a hit singles band, the group split in 1969.
1970s and on group - Manfred Mann's Earth Band
Manfred Mann went on to write advertising jingles after the group's demise, but also continued to work in the group format. Initially he formed Manfred Mann Chapter Three, an experimental group who evolved into Manfred Mann's Earth Band.
The Earth Band was, from a pop perspective, almost deliberately contrary, but combined the stylistic approach of progressive rock with Mann's keen ear for melody. Mann's interest in English twentieth century classical music saw him plunder Gustav Holst's Planets Suite, garnering an unlikely U.K. hit with a version of the "Jupiter" movement that had lyrics added and entitled "Joybringer". 1973's The Good Earth album tapped into ecological concerns, a recurring theme in Mann's music in later years, and had a free gift of a piece of land in Wales with each album sold.
The membership of the Earth Band was relatively informal; Mick Rogers originally performed lead guitar and lead vocal duties before being replaced by Chris Thompson on vocals and Dave Flett on guitar. Mann's perfectionism meant that albums frequently came out with different track listings in different territories, or in alternative versions. The breakthrough for the band in the U.S. was when they had a No. 1 pop charts hit in early 1977 with Bruce Springsteen's "Blinded By The Light"). While the Springsteen original from 1973's Greetings From Asbury Park, N.J. album has a folky, acoustic sound, the Manfred Mann's Earth Band version is driving rock, combining Mann's Moog synthesizer and organ work with, on the album version, a superb guitar solo from Flett. Manfred can be heard singing at the end of "Blinded By The Light", in the round, with Thompson - it was this feature of the song that initially attracted him. The band took advantage of the publicity and re-released another Springsteen song, "Spirit in the Night", which had been recorded the previous year on Nightingales and Bombers, originally with Rogers on vocals although for some territories it was re-recorded with a vocal from Thompson.
Nightingales and Bombers, The Roaring Silence, and Watch are considered the highlight of the Earth Band's achievement. Watch produced another hit single in "Davy's On The Road Again", and the albums were innovative and original despite the dependence on covers of other artists' songs. Nightingales and Bombers took its title from a World War II naturalist's recording of a nightingale singing in a garden as warplanes flew overhead; the recording appears in a track on the album. Roaring Silence featured a guest appearance by jazz saxophonist Barbara Thompson, and Watch included two stand-out recordings from the bands live performances of "Davy's On The Road Again" and "Mighty Quinn".
Flett left before 1979's Angel Station to be replaced by Steve Waller, sharing the vocal duties with Thompson who was also intent on pursuing a solo career. 1980's Chance showed a move towards a more electronic approach, and produced several cuts that were hits in the UK and/or saw significant airplay in both the US and UK. The songs "Lies (All Through The 80's)", "Stranded", and "I Came For You" still receive significant airplay over 25 years since their release.
Mann became very active in the international anti-apartheid movement, and was banned from entering South Africa, the country in which he had been born. Instead members of the band made journeys to South Africa to record African musicians for the album Somewhere in Afrika, pre-figuring Paul Simon's Graceland. The album included a cover of The Police's "Demolition Man" and a well-received version of Bob Marley's "Redemption Song", which remains in the band's set today. American versions of the album also included Ian Thomas's "The Runner", whose music video had images of the Munich and Montreal Olympic Games, and which enjoyed much airtime in the lead-up to the Los Angeles Olympics.
Manfred Mann's Earth Band has continued recording to the present day, covering tracks by artists as varied as Paul Weller, Robert Cray, Del Amitri, and The Lovin' Spoonful. Mann has also released a solo project, Plains Music, based on Native American music, and his latest album, 2006, includes collaborations with the German rapper Thomas D and tracks featuring the music of, amongst others, the Super Furry Animals. The Earth Band remain active in live performances in Europe, with a line up that includes both Manfred Mann and Mick Rogers.
Most of the band's albums have been re-released in recent years and a 4-CD set featuring many previously unissued versions of tracks was released in August 2005. This includes material from the unreleased (and thought to be lost) Manfred Mann ChapterIII Volume 3 album and the first Earth Band album, Stepping Sideways. The fourth CD in the package includes both unreleased studio material and live performances.
1990s and on group - The Manfreds
In the 1990s, most of the original 1960s line-up reformed as The Manfreds, minus Manfred Mann himself - hence the name - playing most of the old 1960s hits and a few jazz instrumentals, sometimes with both Paul Jones and Mike d'Abo fronting the line-up.
At the same time Jones and Tom McGuinness were also mainstays of The Blues Band, which they helped form in 1978.
Partial Discography
- Manfred Mann Chapter Three - November 1969 -Vertigo. Mike Hugg (vocals, piano) with Manfred Mann (organ). Steve York (bass). Bernie Living (Sax).
- Mann the Torpedoes, Full Beat Ahead - July 1970 (import).
- Chapter Three Vol 2 - 1970
- Manfred Mann's Earth Band - 1972 - Debut album. Chris Slade (Drums), Colin Pattenden (Bass) Mick Rogers (Lead Guitar/Vocals). Manfred Mann keyboards, including the Mini Moog.
- Glorified Magnified - 1972 - First album with Earth Band logo on the cover
- Chance - 1980 - featuring the smashes 'Lies (Through The '80s)' & Bruce Springsteen's 'For You'
- Somewhere In Africa
