Manfred Mann

Manfred Mann were formed in London in December 1962 by South African born keyboard player Manfred Mann and drummer/vibes player Mike Hugg.  Originally called the Mann-Hugg Blues Band the line-up was completed by Mike Vickers on lead guitar, Dave Richmond on bass and Paul Jones as lead vocalist.  The group signed to HMV Records in March 1963 after a change of name to Manfred Mann and released their first single Why Should We Not?  which failed to chart.  

In 1964 the group released 5-4-3-2-1, the theme tune they had written for Ready Steady Go!, which reached no.5 in the chart.  The next single Hubble Bubble (Toil and Trouble) peaked at no.11 before Do Wah Diddy Diddy reached the top of the UK and US charts.

During 1965, the group continued to have hits with both self-penned and cover material, their sound increasingly moving away from the blues-based music of their early years to a highly successful pop-soul hybrid. Reacting angrily to criticism that they had gone commercial, Paul Jones declared 'Most of the people who knock us are those groups that haven't made the charts.  Well, that's their hard luck.  We worked hard to get where we are, and we aren't going to stop using anything that will help us in our career'.  

The band were early champions of Bob Dylan and they reached No.2 in the UK with one of his more  controversial songs, If You Gotta Go, Go Now, which was banned or edited by a number of TV and radio stations. Prior to this latter release, Paul Jones announced his intention to quit the band for a solo career once a replacement could be found.  

Jones stayed with the band for one more year during which Manfred Mann had another chart topper with Pretty Flamingo.  Jones departure was a big blow to the group.  As Albert Hand had written shortly before his departure: 'Paul Jones is almost the perfect centreman.  Not only is he an excellent harmonica player and a blues singer, but he has the sort of personality that gathers his audience to him, bringing them completely to an understanding of the lyric which he is singing.' 

Jones was eventually replaced by Mike d'Abo and the band went on to secure a series of hits. most notably with another Bob Dylan song, Mighty Quinn which became their third no.1.

Frustrated with the limitations and image of being seen purely as a hit singles band (their last two albums failed to chart), the group split in 1969.  A few years earlier Manfred Mann admitted 'We don't reckon that much on chart successes with a single...it doesn't mean all that much any more.  We think that to get an E.P. or an L.P. up to the top of their respective charts is a much greater honour and in the long run worth a great deal more'.

Find out more about Manfred Mann at: http://www.themanfreds.com/