Manfred Mann
Manfred Mann were an English rock band, formed in London and active between 1962 and 1969. The group were named after their keyboardist Manfred Mann, who later led the successful 1970s group Manfred Mann's Earth Band.[4] The band had two different lead vocalists, Paul Jones from 1962 to 1966 and Mike d'Abo from 1966 to 1969.
This article is about the 1960s band. For other uses, see Manfred Mann (disambiguation).
Manfred Mann
Mann-Hugg Blues Brothers
London, England
1962–1969
Prominent in the Swinging London scene of the 1960s, the group regularly appeared in the UK Singles Chart.[5][6] Three of their most successful singles, "Do Wah Diddy Diddy", "Pretty Flamingo", and "Mighty Quinn", topped the UK charts.[6] The band's 1964 hit "5-4-3-2-1" was the theme tune for the ITV pop music show Ready Steady Go!.[7] They were also the first southern-England-based group to top the US Billboard Hot 100 during the British Invasion.[6]
History[edit]
Beginnings (1962–1963)[edit]
The Mann–Hugg Blues Brothers were formed in London[7] by keyboard player Manfred Mann and drummer/vibes/piano player Mike Hugg,[4] who formed a house band in Clacton-on-Sea that also featured Graham Bond.[8] Bringing a shared love of jazz to the British blues boom then sweeping London's clubs, the band was completed by Mike Vickers on guitar, alto saxophone and flute, bassist Dave Richmond and Paul Jones as lead vocalist and harmonicist.[4] By this time they had changed their name to Manfred Mann & the Manfreds. Gigging throughout late 1962 and early 1963, they soon attracted attention for their distinctive sound.
After changing their name to Manfred Mann at the behest of their label's producer John Burgess, the group signed with His Master's Voice in March 1963 and began their recorded output that July with the slow, blues instrumental single "Why Should We Not?", which they performed on their first appearance on television on a New Year's Eve show.[9] It failed to chart, as did its follow-up (with vocals), "Cock-a-Hoop".[4] The overdubbed instrumental soloing on woodwinds, vibes, harmonica and second keyboard lent considerable weight to the group's sound, and demonstrated the jazz-inspired technical prowess in which they took pride.[8]
Early success (1964–1965)[edit]
In 1964, the group were asked to provide a new theme tune for the ITV pop music television programme Ready Steady Go![7] They responded with "5-4-3-2-1" which, with the help of weekly television exposure, rose to No. 5 in the UK Singles Chart.[6] Shortly after "5-4-3-2-1" was recorded, Richmond left the band,[10] though he would record with them occasionally later. He was replaced by Jones' friend Tom McGuinness—the first of many changes. After a further self-penned hit, "Hubble Bubble (Toil And Trouble)", the band struck gold with "Do Wah Diddy Diddy", a cover version of the Exciters' No. 78 Hot 100 hit earlier that year.[7] The track reached the top of the UK, Canadian, and US charts.
UK albums
US albums
