5-4-3-2-1 - countdown to the Manfreds at the Opera House
SIXTIES legends The Manfreds will grace the stage of the Cork Opera House on Thursday, September 7 with a set-list featuring some of the greatest pop and rock tunes of the period.
Between 1964 and 1968 Manfred Mann was one of the biggest acts on the planet scoring releasing more than a dozen top 10 singles, three of which went to the top spot in Britain with the band spearheading the so called ‘British Invasion’ scoring two number one hits in the US.
The genesis of the band emerged in1962 when South African-born jazz pianist Manfred Lubowitz met drummer Mike Hug in London and the duo formed the Mann Hug Blues Brothers. A year later the band, which by now included Paul Jones (vocals/harmonica), Mike Vickers (guitar/brass) and Tom McGuinness (bass), was rechristened Mannfred Mann, had perfected their art becoming one of the most popular acts on the emerging British pop scene.
In 1964 they became household names with their rousing hit ‘5-4-3-2-1, which they wrote for the ground-braking TV pop show ‘Ready Steady Go!’ Boosted by the shows weekly exposure, the single shot to number 5 in the UK charts, with the band scoring their first number one in the same year with ‘Do Wah Diddy Diddy’ a song that also hit the top spot in the US.
Contemporaries of The Beatles and the Animals the band tasted success on both sides of the Atlantic with five albums and a sting of singles including ‘Mighty Quinn’, ‘Pretty Flamingo’, ‘Ha Ha Said the Clown’, ‘Fox on the Run’ and a cover of Bob Dylan’s ‘If You Gotta Go, Go Now’.
After several incarnations and personnel changes during the 1970’s and 1980’s the band reformed in 1991 as the Manfreds featuring original members Jones, Hugg, McGuinness and Mike D’Abo (who replaced Jones on vocals in 1966) joined by Rob Townsend, Marcus Cliffe and Simon Currie.
In addition to the memorable tracks of the 1960’s, their Greatest Hits tour also includes Jones’ solo hits ‘High Time’ and ‘Bad Bad Boy’, the McGuinness/ Flint classics ‘When I’m Dead and Gone’ and ‘Malt and Barley Blues’ and Mike D’Abo’s timeless ‘Handbags and Gladrags’.
Tickets for the Manfreds at the Opera House from the venue on 021 427 0022 or at www.corkoperahouse.ie priced at €32.