Mike Hugg | |
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 Hugg in 1967 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Michael John Hugg |
| Born | 11 August 1940 Gosport, Hampshire, England |
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| Years active | 1962–present |
| Website | www |
Michael John Hugg (born 11 August 1940) is a British musician who was a founding member of the 1960s group Manfred Mann, and co-founder of the psychedelic jazz-fusion group, Manfred Mann Chapter Three. He is known for his creativity in his music, and always made jingles for advertisements. [1]
Hugg first thought about wanting a career in music when he was sixteen years old. [2] Pursuing a career in jazz, he met the pianist Manfred Mann while working as a musician at Butlin's Clacton, and they formed a seven-piece group. The Mann–Hugg Blues Brothers recruited Paul Jones and later Tom McGuinness. [3] Upon their signing with His Master's Voice, their producer, John Burgess, changed their name to Manfred Mann.
Prominent in the Swinging London scene of the 1960s, the group regularly appeared in the UK Singles Chart. [4] [5] Three of their most successful singles, "Do Wah Diddy Diddy", "Pretty Flamingo", and "Mighty Quinn", topped the UK charts. [5] The band's 1964 hit "5-4-3-2-1" was the theme tune for the ITV pop music show Ready Steady Go! . [6] They were also the first southern-England-based group to top the US Billboard Hot 100 during the British Invasion. [5]
Hugg is a competent pianist and an able vibraphone player, but his main role in Manfred Mann was as drummer. However, he recorded several vibraphone solos with the band (e.g. "I'm your Kingpin") and used the instrument to augment hits such as "Oh No Not My Baby". He was credited as co-writer of the group's early hits and contributed solo compositions throughout its life, including jazzy instrumentals ("Bare Hugg") and wistful acid-pop ("Funniest Gig", "Harry the One Man Band"). His abilities as a songwriter grew throughout the group's career. [7]
He and his brother composed "Mister, You're a Better Man Than I" which was recorded by the Yardbirds in 1965. Hugg also composed the majority of the songs for the 1968 Paramount film Up the Junction , [8] as well as co-writing the theme from the BBC sitcom Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads with La Frenais, which was recorded by Hugg's session featuring Tony Rivers on lead vocals.
In 1972, he released his debut solo album, "Somewhere". The next year, "Stress & Strain" was made. In 1975, Hugg was a member of the group "Hug" who released one studio album titled "Neon Dreams". [9] By the early 1980s, he was working with a Fairlight, one of the first computer musical instruments. [2] In 2015, he released a solo album with help from Simon Currie (who is currently in the Manfreds). [2] Hugg formed the acoustic jazz trio PBD.
In 1991, Hugg formed The Manfreds with some of the original members of Manfred Mann, without Manfred Mann himself (which was why they were "The Manfreds" instead of being a reformed Manfred Mann) to celebrate the 50th birthday of Tom McGuinness and the release of a new Manfred Mann compilation album. For most of the bands run, it has included Jones, d'Abo, McGuinness, and Hugg. Hugg retired from touring in 2022, but is still turning up with them for private bookings and small gigs. According to Paul Jones, Hugg was the oldest member of Manfred Mann the Manfreds, and his decision to retire from touring was because he had been off from many concerts with "ear problems". [10]
Manfred Mann were an English rock band formed in London in 1962. They were named after their keyboardist Manfred Mann, who later led the successful 1970s group Manfred Mann's Earth Band. The group had two lead vocalists: Paul Jones from 1962 to 1966 and Mike d'Abo from 1966 to 1969. Other members of various group line-ups were Mike Hugg, Mike Vickers, Dave Richmond, Tom McGuinness, Jack Bruce and Klaus Voormann.
Paul Jones is an English singer, actor, harmonicist, radio personality and television presenter. He first came to prominence as the original lead singer and harmonicist of the rock band Manfred Mann (1962–66) with whom he had several hit records including "Do Wah Diddy Diddy" and "Pretty Flamingo".
Manfred Mann's Earth Band are an English rock band formed by South African musician Manfred Mann. Their hits include covers of Bruce Springsteen's "For You", "Blinded by the Light" and "Spirit in the Night". After forming in 1971 and with a short hiatus in the late 1980s/early 1990s, the Earth Band continues to perform and tour, as of 2024.
Michael David d'Abo is an English singer and songwriter, best known as the lead vocalist of Manfred Mann from 1966 to their dissolution in 1969, and as the composer of the songs "Handbags and Gladrags" and "Build Me Up Buttercup", the latter of which was a hit for The Foundations. With Manfred Mann, d'Abo achieved six top twenty hits on the UK Singles Chart including "Semi-Detached, Suburban Mr. James", "Ha! Ha! Said the Clown" and the chart topper "Mighty Quinn". He is the father to actress Olivia d'Abo.
Michael Graham Vickers is an English musician who came to prominence as the guitarist, flautist, and saxophonist with the 1960s band Manfred Mann.
"Do Wah Diddy Diddy" is a song written by Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich and originally recorded in 1963, as "Do-Wah-Diddy", by the American vocal group the Exciters. Cash Box described the Exciters' version as "a sparkling rocker that bubbles over with coin-catching enthusiasm" and said that the "great lead job is backed by a fabulous instrumental arrangement." It was made internationally famous by the British band Manfred Mann.
Manfred Sepse Lubowitz, known professionally as Manfred Mann, is a South African-born musician, residing in the UK since 1961. He is best known as a founding member of the bands Manfred Mann, Manfred Mann Chapter Three and Manfred Mann's Earth Band.
Thomas John Patrick McGuinness is a guitarist, singer and songwriter who played guitar and bass with rock band Manfred Mann, among others, before becoming a record and television producer.
The Manfreds is a British pop group, formed in 1991 as a reunion of former members of the 1960s pop group Manfred Mann, though without their eponymous founder Manfred Mann.
Manfred Mann Chapter Three is the debut album released in 1969 by Manfred Mann Chapter Three. It was one of the first three albums released on the Vertigo record label. The principal members of the group were Manfred Mann and Mike Hugg. Mann played the organ and acted as the group's musical arranger, whilst Hugg handled vocals, played piano and was the chief songwriter. The group was augmented by a five-piece brass section and several distinguished jazz soloists.
Mighty Garvey! is the fifth and final studio album by Manfred Mann, released on 28 June 1968 by Fontana Records. It was the last recorded by the band after the change of direction and personnel of their 1966 album As Is. It continued a transition away from jazz and blues towards self-composed art-pop. Despite including two UK top 5 hit singles, the album did not chart and the band split up the year after. In the US and Canada, it was released as The Mighty Quinn by Mercury Records.
"5-4-3-2-1" is a 1964 song by British band Manfred Mann, written by the group's eponymous keyboardist Manfred Mann along with Mike Hugg and Paul Jones. Released as a single on 10 January 1964, the track peaked at #5 on the UK Singles Chart, becoming the band's breakthrough single and first commercial hit as the theme tune for the weekly ITV pop music television programme Ready Steady Go!. In an interview with Uncut, Mann said that he regarded Ready Steady Go as being like a rocket, and wrote the song as a countdown to launch it.
Manfred Mann Chapter Three were a British experimental jazz rock band founded by South African keyboard player Manfred Mann and long-time partner Mike Hugg, both former members of the group Manfred Mann. "Chapter III" was a reference to the earlier line-ups with singers Paul Jones followed by Mike D'Abo.
Groovin' with Manfred Mann is an EP by Manfred Mann, released in 1964. The EP is a 7-inch vinyl record and released in mono with the catalogue number His Master's Voice-EMI 7EG 8876.
As Is is the third British studio album by Manfred Mann, released in the United Kingdom on 21 October 1966 through Fontana Records. It was their fourth overall but their first to feature new members Mike d'Abo and Klaus Voormann.
Instrumental Assassination is a 1966 jazz-rock EP by Manfred Mann, produced by Shel Talmy and released by Fontana Records (TE17483). Mann reported that the group "loved it" and the producer was "particularly pleased": Fontana's Jack Baverstock found it full of ideas, humour and new thinking, but the EP sold poorly and was re-released in its entirety on the 1968 Fontana compilation album What A Mann.
"Ha! Ha! Said the Clown" is a song written by Tony Hazzard, first recorded by British pop group Manfred Mann. Hazzard claims the song "came out of the blue" though he did not demo it for weeks. Following recording a demo, he approached manager Gerry Bron, who liked it enough to want one of his groups, Manfred Mann, to record it. Manfred Mann recorded their version of the single on 10 February 1967 at Philips Studio in Marble Arch, London, together with producer Shel Talmy. It was the second of three singles Manfred Mann recorded to feature the Mellotron.
The Manfred Mann Album is the debut American studio album by Manfred Mann, released in September 1964 on Ascot Records. It contains the hit single "Do Wah Diddy Diddy", as well as covers of well-known R&B hits such as "Smokestack Lightning" by Howlin' Wolf, "I'm Your Hoochie Coochie Man" by Muddy Waters, and "Down the Road Apiece" by Will Bradley. Modern reviews of the album are generally positive and consider The Manfred Mann Album an important piece during the heyday of the British Invasion.
The Five Faces of Manfred Mann is the debut British and second American studio album by Manfred Mann. It was first released in the United Kingdom on 11 September 1964 by His Master's Voice. In late October/early November, the album was released in Canada by Capitol Records. The Canadian track listing was almost the same as the UK version, except it included the hit "Do Wah Diddy Diddy" instead of "I've Got My Mojo Working". The record has been called "one of the great blues-based British invasion albums; it's a hot, rocking record that benefits from some virtuoso playing as well".
"Semi-Detached, Suburban Mr. James" is a song written by songwriters Geoff Stephens and John Carter, recorded by English pop group Manfred Mann in 1966. Previous to this, it was recorded by the band Herbie's People who were signed to CBS and had recorded other John Carter songs. The original title was "Semi-Detached, Suburban Mr. Jones" and was recorded that way by Herbie's People. Their version was pulled by CBS when Manfred Mann said they would record it. It was subsequently issued but only in the USA on the Okeh label. Stephens and Carter, who were writers for a publishing company on Denmark Street, London, wrote the song in a style different from their usual compositions, as love was not the prevalent theme. Introduced to the song by producer Shel Talmy, Manfred Mann recorded it at Philips Studio in August 1966. Released by Fontana Records on 21 October 1966, the song was backed by drummer Mike Hugg's composition "Morning After The Party" as the group's second single on the label. Keyboardist Manfred Mann plays the Mellotron on the recording; it was one of the earliest recordings featuring the instrument. Following a trend set by Bob Dylan, the song tackles the subject of life in British middle class suburbia from the perspective of a narrator, who laments the loss of a lover after her marriage to another man.
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