Bio: Manfred Mann

Love Me Do gives the history of Manfred Mann, the 1960s UK pop band who had many hits like Sha La La and Pretty Flamingo with singers Paul Jones and Mike d’Abo.

Manfred Sepse Lubowitz, known professionally as Manfred Mann, was born on October 21, 1940, in Johannesburg, South Africa. He is a renowned musician, songwriter, and record producer, best known as the founder of the bands Manfred Mann, Manfred Mann Chapter Three, and Manfred Mann’s Earth Band.

Early Life and Musical Beginnings

Manfred Mann was raised in a Lithuanian Jewish family in Johannesburg. He studied music at the University of the Witwatersrand and worked as a jazz pianist at various clubs in Johannesburg. Strongly opposed to the apartheid system in South Africa, he moved to the United Kingdom in 1961.

Formation of Manfred Mann

In 1962, Manfred Mann met drummer and keyboard player Mike Hugg at Clacton Butlins Holiday Camp. Together, they formed a large blues-jazz band called the Mann-Hugg Blues Brothers, which eventually evolved into a five-piece group named after him. The band signed a record deal with EMI in 1963, under the HMV label.

Previously called Manfred Mann and the Manfreds, the group simplified the name to Manfred Mann at the suggestion of their first record producer, John Burgess.

Rise to Fame

The band quickly gained prominence in the Swinging London scene of the 1960s. Their breakthrough hit, 5-4-3-2-1, became the theme tune for the ITV pop music show Ready Steady Go!. They achieved their first major success with the hit single Do Wah Diddy Diddy, which topped the charts in both the UK and the US, making them the first southern-England-based group to top the US Billboard Hot 100 during the British Invasion.

At different times, both Jack Bruce and Klaus Voorman played bass as members of Manfred Mann.

Other successful singles followed, including Pretty Flamingo and Mighty Quinn, which also topped the UK charts. The band’s music was characterized by a blend of blues, jazz, and pop influences, and their innovative arrangements set them apart from other bands of the time.

Mike Hugg was an accomplished songwriter, not only penning hits for the group but writing such varied works as songs for the film Up the Junction, the theme tune to the TV sitcom Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads, and Mister, You’re a Better Man Than I for The Yardbirds.

Manfred Mann Chapter Three and Manfred Mann’s Earth Band

After the original Manfred Mann band disbanded in 1969, Manfred Mann and Mike Hugg formed Manfred Mann Chapter Three, a jazz fusion group. The group recorded two albums but was never commercially successful and split up in late 1970.

Mike d’Abo was also a successful songwriter, producing Handbags and Gladrags, two songs for Rod Stewart, Build Me Up Buttercup (which sold four million copies for The Foundations, songs for The Fortunes and Colin Blunstone (ex-Zombies), and the soundtrack for the Peter Sellers movie, There’s a Girl in My Soup.

In 1971, Manfred Mann formed Manfred Mann’s Earth Band, which achieved further success with hits like Blinded by the Light and Spirit in the Night, both covers of Bruce Springsteen songs. The Earth Band continues to perform and record music to this day.

Manfred Mann had hits with several Bob Dylan songs, including With God on Our Side (on their EP The One in the Middle, If You Gotta Go, Go Now (which made number two in the charts), and also Mighty Quinn, which made it to number one.

Legacy and Recent Work

Manfred Mann’s contributions to music have left a lasting legacy, influencing countless musicians and bands. He continues to be active in the music industry, performing and recording with Manfred Mann’s Earth Band and other projects.