A Mann for all seasons
The R&B veteran reveals he’s back on the road revisiting his 60s hits with The Manfreds
FOR nearly 60 years Paul Jones has been at the forefront of British R&B.
The 79-year-old singer, who turned down the offer to front the Rolling Stones, had a No1 in the UK and US with Manfred Mann’s Do Wah Diddy Diddy, a UK No1 with Pretty Flamingo and one of the songs of the 60s, 5-4-3-2-1.
He quit the band to be replaced by Mike D’Abo and continued his love of the blues in the 70s with The Blues Band and reunited with some of the original members of his famous group as The Manfreds. The group, which includes Mike, will play Glasgow next Friday.
Is it good to be back on the road?
It’s easily by miles the longest time I’ve not played live. It was 19 months.
But we moved house during lockdown. It was something we’d talked about for years but had been too busy to actually to do. Then suddenly lockdown gave us the opportunity so we took it.
We [Paul and wife Fiona] moved from Surrey to Essex. Our house moving over the course of 30 years or so has been increasingly into the country. We moved from the epicentre of “what’s really happening in London, man” to the Wimbledon suburbs then Surrey. But Surrey was getting too urban for us so now we’re in the depths of the countryside in Essex which is lovely.
You went to school in Edinburgh. Do you feel an affinity to Scotland when you come up?
I went to Edinburgh Academy for the last two years of school and look back very fondly at my time in the city.
My father was in the navy and was stationed in Scotland. We lived opposite Rosyth overlooking the Forth. There were guys at the school who said disparaging things about me being a Sassenach but most people were great and I often sneak into South Queensferry and visit my old haunts. But I feel the same about Glasgow. The Royal Concert Hall is one of my favourite venues anywhere.
I absolutely love playing there. When I arrive, I experience a lonely sense of pleasure. It’s a matter of regret for me we don’t spend more time in Scotland.
The Manfreds only have one date up here but The Blues Band’s farewell tour will see us going to a lot more places next year.
Why have you called time on The Blues Band?
It’s one of those things you can’t entirely put a finger on. It was primarily my choice but no one was put out.
Everyone has got a life. It had just come to an end as far as I was concerned. Some people on social media were horrified and wondered what they’ll do.
When I left Radio 2 in 2018 after 32 years doing The Blue
Show, people were the same, but of course one person stopping a radio show or a band is not ungetoverable.
So The Manfreds are continuing. This isn’t you retiring?
Every time you stop something people think you’re retiring. When I stopped doing the Radio 2 show, people would say “happy retirement”.
No such thing, thank you very much. The R word is not spoken in my house.
As for The Manfreds, Mike Hugg and I, who are the longest standing members, wanted to go back to what the band started like – blues, jazz, soul, jazz funk. It keeps the band staying fresh.
We will carry on for as long as we want to.
You famously turned down the Rolling Stones. Why?
I was a friend of Brian Jones. In
1962, he called and said, “I’m starting a band, and taking it seriously. I’m going to get very rich and very famous – do you want to be my singer?”
I said no, because I had a job. I’d auditioned to be in the Adelphi dance band which was full of jazz musicians who couldn’t make a living playing jazz.
I didn’t think Brian’s band would make money. I thought it was a pipe-dream.
The Manfreds play Glasgow Royal Concert Hall next Friday. Tickets from Flyingmusic.com
Dreamboats & Petticoats Presents: Manfred Mann – 54321 The Greatest Hits is out now.