Manfred Mann was an English beat, rhythm and blues, and pop band (with a strong jazz foundation) of the 1960’s, named after their keyboardist, Manfred Mann, who later led the successful 1970’s group Manfred Mann’s Earth Band. Manfred Mann were chart regulars in the 1960’s, and the first south-of-England–based group to top the US Billboard Hot 100 during the British invasion. Three of the band’s most successful singles, “Do Wah Diddy Diddy”, “Pretty Flamingo” and “Mighty Quinn”, topped the UK Singles Chart. (More from Wikipedia)
Manfred Mann was one of the original British Invasion bands; they had a major hit in America (it was #1 in the U.K.) with a bizarre Bob Dylan song, “Mighty Quinn”, along with an earlier hit song called “Do Wah Diddy Diddy”. But they deserve more State-side success than they had, so allow me to quote Bruce Eder’s article in Allmusic to give an overview of the band’s history: “An R&B band that only played pop to get on the charts, Manfred Mann ranked among the most adept British Invasion acts in both styles. The fact that their range encompassed jazz as well as rhythm & blues, coupled with some elements of their appearance and presentation – co-founder/keyboardist Manfred Mann’s bearded, bespectacled presence – also made the Manfreds more of a thinking person’s band than a cute, cuddly outfit like the Beatles, or sexual provocateurs in the manner of the Rolling Stones. Yet, their approach to R&B was as valid as that of the Stones, equally compelling and often more sophisticated. They charted an impressive number of singles from 1964 through 1969, and developed a large, loyal international fandom that lingers to this day.”
Manfred Mann always had a chameleon quality and, unlike the top-flight British Invasion bands like the Beatles, the Who and the Rolling Stones, had frequent changes in their line-up. As I noted last month, Jack Bruce, later of Cream was a member in the mid-1960’s.
When Manfred Mann left EMI Records and signed with Fontana Records in 1966, this was a new direction for the band that was described as “Chapter Two”. A more definitive chapter was announced with the formation of the jazz/rock group Manfred Mann Chapter Three, with only Mike Hugg and Manfred Mann himself remaining from the original band – described on the liner notes as “the Manfred Mann pop group”.
(June 2014)
