Manfred Mann

The band that turned the phrase “Do-Wah-Diddy-Diddy” into a hit song.!

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Manfred Mann kicks things off

Manfred Mann (real name Mike Lubowitz) was a jazz player in South Africa, moved to the U.K. in 1962, where he met Mike Hugg, forming the Mann-Hugg Blues Brothers with  Hugg on drums.Tom McGuinness came along in1963, then Mike Vickers on Guitar filled out the group.

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They debuted at the marquee in March ’63 and established themselves as a popular band in the Southern club scene.The story goes that when they were looking for a vocalist, they approached Paul Jones saying they were looking for a blues shouter.

Jones replied saying he was a blues singer, not a shouter. How right he was, along with John Lennon Paul Rodgers and rod Stewart he is one of the best singers to emerge from the invasion bands.

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Mann-Hugg become Manfred Mann

And, a superb harmonica player as well.

With the name change to Manfred Mann and the Manfreds, then just the Manfred Mann, things started to move for the band. Signed to H.M.V., they scored their first hit with “5 4 3 2 1” in February 1964.

Next came “Hubble Bubble”, in April, reaching Number 11 on the U.K. Charts. Then, they struck gold with the cover of the Exciters hit, “Doh-Wah-Diddy-Diddy”.This went to No. 1 in the U.K., Canada, the U.S and Australia.

The hits came thick and fast after that, “Sha La La” in October, the romantic “Come Tomorrow” January ’65, then “If You Gotta Go”, and “Pretty Flaming” in’65 and ’66. Paul Jones moved on to a solo career, including a bit of acting.

In 1966 there was only one man who could fill Paul Jones' shoes as front man for Manfred Mann.  Already attracting attention with his group, A Band Of Angels, Mike was thrust into a wider limelight with the Manfreds and the well-oiled hit machine rolled on.  Just Like A Woman, Semi-Detached Suburban Mr James and Mighty Quinn were just three of the string of hits with the 'new boy' in the line-up.

And, like his predecessor, Mike's career after the disbanding of the Manfreds in 1969 lost none of its momentum.  He'd already proved his impressive skill as a songwriter by composing Build Me Up Buttercup for The Foundations and Handbags & Gladrags, a massive hit for Chris Farlowe, reprised with equal success by Rod Stewart, first in 1970 and more recently on his MTV-based 'unplugged' album.  Mike recorded solo albums, made his acting debut in the West End and used his musical talents wherever they led him; from the soundtrack of the Peter Sellers/Goldie Hawn movie There's A Girl In My Soup to an array of TV jingles, including Cadbury's 'Finger of Fudge', Mike d'Abo's creative career is a seamless success story.

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I was lucky enough to see Manfred Mann three times, the first time as the original line up in 1965, (with the Kinks and Tony Sheveton,) where they performed brilliantly.

Next, in May 1971 they came as Manfred Manns Earthband, touring with Deep purple and Free. What a line up!

The line up then was Manfred, Mick Rodgers, (familiar to Australians for having been with Procession and Bulldog, two great Australian Bands) Chris Slade on drums, (later to be with AC/DC) and Colin Patterson on bass.

The last time, sometime in the late 90’s I saw the Manfreds with Tom McGuinness, Mike D’Abo AND Paul Jones “ ..so you get two vocalists for the price of one”, said Paul) Rob Townsend on drums and Benny Gallagher on bass. A truly great performance.

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Manfred Mann on vinyl

Luckily there is a bit of the original Manfred Mann on vinyl. As usual, there are different releases in the U.S. to the U.K.

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Best Selling
Manfred Mann Album

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"Come Tomorrow" classic Paul Jones vocals

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Manfred and the boys, "Do Wah Diddy" on U.K. TV.

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