Manfred Mann the musician and band is Manfred Sepse Lubowitz (1940) born in South Africa, resident of the UK since 1961. The tune “Do Wa Diddy Diddy” was a hit in 1964.
Looking back in time, there were only a few bands that kept their mojo into the 70s. The Beatles, Stones, Beach Boys and 4 Seasons are a few. The Kinks and solo artist from Them, Van Morrison continues his popularity with his loyal fans.
Bands that had hits in the mid 60s, Gerry and The Pacemakers, Dave Clark Five, Freddie and The Dreamers, The Animals, The Kingsmen and others had success, but fell out of the charts.
The group Manfred Mann, was an oddity with their early 1964 hit. Video of that band in 1964 shows a 24 year old hipster beatnik looking Manfred playing the popular, but cheesy electronic organ. That band was popular in London Clubs playing jazz and British Blues.
In 1964, the band was asked to create a theme song for the very popular television show, Ready Steady Go. The tune became popular and they were on TV weekly. Then came Do Wa Diddy Diddy.
Several member changes took place with Jack Bruce and Klaus Voorman being members of the band. In 1968, the band recorded the Bob Dylan tune Mighty Quinn.
In 1977, the band recorded Blinded by the Light, written by Bruce Springsteen in 1973 for his debut album. The Manfred Mann tune reached number one, on the Billboard Hot 100.
This band, those musicians could actually play, you can see it from the videos. At heart, they seemed to have the love of blues as did those early 60s UK London bands, The Stones, John Mayall and The Yardbirds. It was interesting to discover more about this group.
*** I forgot to mention the tuned Tom Fills, which are tympani drums, to my ears.
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