Biography

End of Page

---

Back

Forward

This page will be dedicated to exposing the full and horrible history of Guy Manning's "Musical career".

For Other Band Member Biographies please < click here >

Bands/topics to be discussed are as follows :

A LIFE IN MUSIC
ACROMASIA
FOXTROT
LET'S EAT
BAILEY'S RETURN
THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS
KINGGLASS
GOLD, FRANKINCENSE AND DISK-DRIVE (G F & DD)
PARALLEL OR 90 DEGREES (PO90)
GOING SOLO
MANNING THE BAND
THE TANGENT
BACK TO THE FUTURE
ONE STEP BEYOND...
KEEPING IT IN THE FAMILY
STAGE ANTICS
THE STUDIO MOLE
LOOKING BACK OVER THE YEARS

---

Chapter One: 'From Little Acorns... you get indigestion...'

The urge to 'get up there' started young, my Grandfather had always said that "I had been vaccinated with a Gramophone Needle" and that "I was a good turn, but on too long". He had always been able to pick up and play almost any instrument. Growing up, I was never really introduced formally to music (There was never any in the house) but, I had the usual recorder and piano lessons (I used to hide outside my piano teachers house until I was discovered ...anything was better than doing duets with my younger brother, Richard) and I would never ever practice. At primary school, I formed my first band, Freddie & the Frogs, who would sport flippers and goggles whist singing "We all live in a Yellow Frogmobile..." in the playground. Unfortunately, fame remained elusive.

At about the age of 12/13, I was part of a gang of lads that 'hung out' together. One of these lads, Stevie, had an older brother and to us "young 'uns", he was a God! Mickie Pearson had at least 30 LPs, these were all ordered away in plastic LP cases. To be invited to listen to an LP, up in Mickie's room was an honour.. and though it only happened twice, I can still remember hearing my first Jefferson Airplane, Grateful Dead and ELP albums there. My pal, Ian, had all the Wishbone Ash LPs, and we listened to them all the time. When Ash played the Leeds Town Hall in 1972, I got to go to my first Rock concert. We didn't know what to do, so we ended up 'head banging' along with everybody else there. I only had a Mono Dansette to play my three LPs on. (2 Lindisfarnes and an Alice Cooper) and LPs cost lots of money! I vividly recall Ian and I having to walk home from town, because I couldn't afford to both buy "School's Out" (with the original paper knickers on..) and have bus fare. Ian could play a little guitar, and I'd inherited my grandfathers Banjo and a beat up cheap classical six string. I taught myself some chords and we jammed Ash and Cooper tracks together.

Chapter Two: 'Audiophilia is a dirty word...'

 At Grammar School, I was further introduced to "Rock" music by my long suffering best friend Simon Baskind (more of whom later). He had a drum kit, played in a band and had many more LPs than Mickie P! He loved Zappa, Beefheart, Led Zeppelin and most of all, Jethro Tull, and he played "Thick as a Brick" at me until I 'got the point'. I bought Aqualung and Genesis Live and have never looked back since.Simon and another sixth former Chris Reed (of Red Lorry, Yellow Lorry fame) were playing in a very amateur band called ACROMASIA (colour blindness?). I volunteered my services as lead vocalist. They argued, discussed it and finally decided to enrol my Shure Microphone & 100 Watt PA system ... oh, and so they had to take me to go with it. We rehearsed in badly lit, freezing cold cellars in Leeds suburbs, playing covers by Free, The Groundhogs, Pink Fairies and a Wishbone Ash number ... and a few embryonic in house efforts. We organised a local support gig, printed ACROMASIA tee shirts, presented ourselves at the Church Hall to be turned away, because, the vicar thought he was getting a classical quartet. Fame remained elusive... When ACROMASIA disbanded, I hunted about for my next line-up.
It was in the lower sixth, that I grouped together some 'classically' trained girls ,Viv (Piano) and my girlfriend Jo (Violin) with myself (guitar and vocals), Melvyn (bass) and Robert 'Prune' Addlestone (Flute) to create FOXTROT. For this ambitious troupe, I started to write my first pieces and saw the Progressive 'writing on the wall'. Two of the pieces were suites. 'Seeds of Time' (a modest 15 minute three section affair) and 'The Foundation & Empire Suite' wending its mysterious ways through 20 minutes of segued song and instrumental passages. This line up allowed me my first glimpse of a recording studio. We hired a new 4 track to record 'TFAES'. The facilities were poor, we had no real multi tracking and so had to perform this 20 minuter at least 10 times over to get it committed to tape! But what a rush! This band broke up finally with musical differences (some of them could play and some of us could not!)
The girls were off to Music College and I was off to study English. Then, after a long spell walking round Israel, I wound up at Manchester Polytechnic studying Psychology and Sociology. On the Psychology course, I made friends with Jim Parris. He played bass, and we ended up in several crappy jazz bands, before he formed a band with his girlfriend Carmel McCourt. When Jims' cousin Gerry arrived to play the drums, the embryonic jazz ensemble 'Carmel' was started up, but of course, by this time, I was on my way back to Leeds. Fame remained elusive...
(I've still got demos that Jim and I made in his Moss Side flat, which he can purchase from me at 'Blackmail Corner' for a reasonable price....)
 

Chapter Three: 'The Wilderness Years...'

The call of the wild came and I moved out to Todmorden in the Pennines. This was at times, paradise, boring as hell, eccentric, foolhardy... depended on the Season. Todmorden (roughly German for 'dead body' ... should have guessed really).
Still... I started demoing on a Teac Portastudio in my sound-proofed basement and waited for the big break. Simon B. was now in a new Leeds band 'Errors Under Pressure'. I heard the demos and wondered if I could join. I did and true to form very soon afterwards, the band gave up the ghost. Simon and I got tickets to the WOMAD of '82 and set off South to join our friends at Shepton Mallet. Luckily, Simon knew the organisers and we ended up in the 'Burundi Drummers' entourage. Peter Gabriel popped in to say hello, on occasions too. The Burundis were superb and in the magnificent carnival atmosphere, sitting on a grassy knoll (between the Tie Dye tent, the transcendental meditation sessions, the 'Make a Bong' Club and Annette Peacock in the Jazz tent), we decided on our return to form the definitive Leeds band... LET'S EAT. We set up our gear in the local Centre for the Deaf (in the hope that we wouldn't be thrown out by any critic). The initial line up was Simon (drums) , Myself (guitar/vocals), William Tanner (bass) and Anthony Marks (Keyboards and wiggle). We put together a set of incomprehensible songs in an '80s style and went off to make our fortune. We were entered into a 'Battle of the Bands' and got through to the final! At the leading Rock venue of the North (Halifax Town Hall), we strutted our stuff to an awed five people, two hacks, one cat and a potential 'John Peel' (the man never turned up... if he had, he wouldn't have been playing the Fall for the last twenty years... Yes, folks, there were bigger noises in the World). Anyhow, we lost... or should I say came second to a very talented bunch of lads... THE WORD (Featuring Jon Binns on drums!!!...see later for his entry into the story). Fame, for them, has remained elusive... We went through a number of line-ups, replacing everyone but me. We even had a budgie playing at one point (on bell). LET'S EAT gave way to the infinitely more successful BAILEY'S RETURN. This line-up (Me, William and the Portastudio) broke up when the Teac went solo. The next BAILEY'S RETURN featured Jonathan Barrett (more of whom later) and a strange Italian called Roberto. We had a drum machine. We had talent. What we didn't have was an audience. Fame remained elusive... Sensibly, Jonathan teamed up with his old mucker Jason Feddy to form the tasteful Officer Dibble whilst I...

Chapter Four: 'Hey man, pass me the nails and the 2x4...'

...found myself being head-hunted by the strangest group of misfit individuals there has ever been a band formed from. "THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS" was the name. The lead singer, Paul (Marquis De Mirror) Hancock had been on the scene for a while and had assembled a line-up which was completed by guitarist Kevin 'Flash of Lightning' Saunders, co-vocalist, Julia 'I'll wear the nuns costume, but I don't want it to become a habit' Morris, Steve (Keyboard) Spangles, bassist Clive (the one without the personality), Bryan (who was at times, roadie, confident and arrhythmic dancer) and Paul "the unipod" (again, an all rounder, though he had but one). This set of people, had performed to rave reviews when they re-enacted narrative, allegorical tales of death and destruction on a Biblical scale (...if God had been performing on a shoestring budget too...). The stage show was climaxed by a joint 'on-stage crucifixion and display of flagellation'. I was recruited to replace the departing Spangles. I liked this band, they were my kind of musicians... out on a limb, doing the wrong thing at the wrong time in the wrong place... Surely this time I couldn't have misjudged the situation... But, oh boy! The band sort of imploded first, the aging Marquis becoming at times unstable and arguing with the developing psychopath, Flash. The line-up signed a management contract with a local 'entrepreneur' and then the two 'Heads of State' fell out, big time. So... the band split via a 'coup d'etat' into two units...
We formed KING GLASS and Paul was left with THROUGH THE LOO. We set out to 'outshine' our previous glories and planned the 'big one' - an all-out pyrotechnic set 'masterpiece'. We re-crafted the old songs we'd composed, I wrote some new ones and we set our sights on the Warehouse in Leeds to debut it. Unfortunately, beset by oncoming 'problems of the head', Flash, wasn't really up to it. Life was difficult for a while as the rest of the band tried to appease his attitude and stay alive. I personally perfected the four minute mile on one occasion, when I saw the glint of switchblade coming for me. This band could have been great, but... Fame remained elusive...
 

Chapter Five: 'Ivory Towers...'

KING GLASS couldn't survive its membership. After the Warehouse gig and a spate of cut down less theatrical dates, the band folded. We had just finished a BBC session, which we were producing in a local Leeds Studio.
This studio, was the domain of one Andy Tillison, whose name now appears and who will be with us up to the end of this tale. Andy had dominated the Leeds scene in a number of influential bands, New Opera and at the time we became acquainted GOLD, FRANKINCENSE & DISK-DRIVE (G,F&DD), the first line-up of which, included my old amigo, Jonathan Barrett. Andy and I had 'worked' together on a paying demo at Lion Studios before, but struck up a mutual appreciation society during the KING GLASS sessions. When KING GLASS died, I approached Andy with regard to helping me do a Solo project. As it turned out, I joined G,F&DD just before he decided to reduce its ranks and concentrate on recording work. So, G,F&DD became Andy and me. We pooled our equipment resources, installed ourselves on the top floor of the Leeds College of Technology (Andy lectures here, so our gear became the Audio Course!), and started into writing. As a first idea and to get us into it, Andy played me some Van Der Graaf Generator cover versions he'd assembled. These sounded good! We decided our first joint effort would include a side of VDGG/Peter Hammill compositions and a side of original G,F & DD pieces. The "No More Travelling Chess.." project was born.
We contacted the ex members of VDGG, went for a lovely day trip to see Peter Hammill at Crescent studios in Bath, got consent, lyrics for one most obscure song and his support. Andy, had been in contact with VDGG Keyboards man Hugh Banton for some years (having been at the same school) and when we outlined our plans, he agreed to play on some future pieces. Excellent! We released the album on Mail Order only cassettes (though there are now plans to remaster and re-release on CD)Hammill, apparently, liked to play it in the car. So onto the next album.... We enrolled Jonathan Barrett and Andy's old New Opera sticksman Dave Albone and we wrote and worked on what was to become GFDDs last work "It's not the end of the World....but you can see it from here" (On which Hugh B. plays). I love this album, though it has only been heard by few. It took a year of effort to create it and by the time it was finished, Andy was ready for something new. Our personal lives had been chaotic throughout the recordings and circumstances dictated that a change of direction was needed for both of us
 

Chapter Six: 'Hanging on in quiet desperation...'

We thought about forming a Progressive Covers band and, to this end, set out to reproduce and perform Pink Floyds' "Dark Side of The Moon". The line-up was completed by Sam Baine (Andy's Lady) and a powerful PC. There were only 2 performances, but both were great. One in Andy's back garden to fans and friends and a more 'lavish' production later, complete with costly effects such as a balsawood plane travelling across the stage, propelled by a sparkler cellotaped to its tail... and... two inflatable Pink Pig party balloons. However, I knew that this was just a phase, and that Andy would form another 'proper' line-up eventually. Andy decided to take a break from music for a while, and then bounced back with the innovative PARALLEL OR 90 DEGREES (PO90) line-up. This band would stick to its principals and play Progressive Rock (but in a nineties style) as this genre, long derided, was now making a comeback. Andy and Sam, composed and performed in an ambient project (Sanctum) first and then settled happily into PO90. Jonathan Barrett rejoined them on bass and guitarist Graham Young completed the band. And Me? Well, I set up studio at home and started putting together a list of songs for my long overdue solo project. Fame was just waiting around the next corner...
 

ChaptER SEVEN: 'SOMETHING OLD, SOMETHING NEW, SOMETHING BORROWED & SOMETHING BLUE..."

I asked Andy to help me out on keyboards/co-production, Jonathan to provide the bass (in the way that only he can) and, at long last, I got Simon to get his Drums out again... well at least for percussive Cymbals and Brushes parts. The work was to be called "Tall Stories for Small Children" (The title having been around since FOXTROT days!). The pieces were to be drawn from a long long list dating way back to school. They were to be re-arranged and form a narrative based set of songs and suites. The CD artwork was provided by my children, pictures to go along with all the songs, in a sort of story book format. The album took about eight months to complete and I think it has turned out very well. It has been bought by a discerning minority so far! CYCL 078 on CYCLOPS records.
It can be ordered via this Web Site. Check out the "Tall Stories..." section for the lyrics, annotated notes, credits etc..
So, then I just completed the guitar/vocal parts for the 1999 PO90 album "The Time Capsule" (...just guesting...). and started to record my follow up album.
Andy, Jonathan and Simon were again on it as was Iain Fairbairn & Ian Tothill (2 fiddle players) plus the first arrival of sax virtuoso (and all round lovely...) Laura Fowles (who had been introduced to me though Pav Chana)
 

Chapter Eight: 'The Brave New World...'

'No More Travelling Chess' (the old G,F & DD Cassette only release) was let out by CYCLOPS on CD (CYCL086) under the name of Andys' band 'Parallel Or 90 Degrees'. 
My promised TALL STORIES follow up album was called "The Cure", a full concept album and is still available (CYCL088). Quite moody and dark this appeals to those with headphones and liking of late nights!! 

To play some LIVE dates, I put together a BAND!!!! 

We were asked to support 70's prog rockers GREENSLADE at the Classic Rock Society date in February 2001
The Line-up was to be as follows:
Jonathan Barrett : The Bass & Backing Vocals
Laura Fowles : Saxophone, Keyboards, Percussion & Backing Vocals
Neil Harris : Keyboards & Backing Vocals
John Hobson : Drums & Percussion
Guy Manning : Guitars, Keyboards & Vocals
 

Chapter Nine: '..Wishing Away Our Tomorrows...'

Jonathan Barrett, the long term Bass & Backing Vocals player decided to leave the band...suddenly.. in Feb 2001 to go join an Irish folk band
Neil and Guy played an 'unplugged' set as support to GREENSLADE as a result of being left high 'n dry by Jonathan, which went down surprisingly well. 
I contacted 'Mostly Autumn' to request Angela Goldthorpe for some Flutes sessions on the next album and she agreed!
And so, work started on a new CD "Cascade" for 2001 release.
The 'Cascade' recording sessions got underway in the recording studio [now named BURNSIDE] with Angela providing Flute and Recorders!
Despite the initial leaks and 'techie' problems these went very well. This was the first not to feature Andy Tillison who was busy with PO90 at the time.

Ex-PO90 guitarist Gareth Harwood (freshly back from work abroad) joined me on electric guitar parts

Cascade was given catalogue number CYCL 105 by CYCLOPS and the album went into song and artwork production in May 2001

"CASCADE" CD was released UK September 6th 2001

Aug 01 2001 - New CD Demo work started...he never stops???!!!
Sep 10 2001 - Rick Ashton joined on Bass to replace Jonathan
 

Chapter TEN: 'WHO'S ON FIRST?.'

The working album title was "The Ragged Curtain" featuring a long 20+ minutes piece and this was assigned CYCL115 on CYCLOPS records

In Dec 2001, John Hobson left the band to concentrate on work in London following our joint redundancy from Airtours (the swines!). 

Jonathan MacDonald Binns joined up on Drums & Percussion. Jon was with Chrysalis band POPPY FACTORY (and with THE WORD...see earlier) before retiring for a while...but we persuaded him to come back into the fray!

In March 2002,  we booked into Fairview Studios in Hull to work with engineer/producer John Spence. 
John S. had previously worked with Mostly Autumn, The Beautiful South, The Mission, Bill Nelson and host of others.
Angela Goldthorpe again agreed to join us on flutes and recorders!

We also planned to go out on tour with Parallel Or 90 Degrees for some joint dates, but this plan fell over one night in Bradford when both bands nearly came to blows about stage layout ..too many damn keyboards!

"The Ragged Curtain" was officially released in Jan 2003 on CYCLOPS (CYCL115) and attracted a wider audience than before. I started my own Newsgroup for all those interested in MANNING activities and waited for a while (well a week actually)
 

Chapter ELEVEN: 'THE MINDS EYE...'

After much soul searching and demands on his time, Jonathan MacDonald Binns decided to leave the band and at the same time, Neil Harris found a BLONDIE tribute band (ATOMIC) that he decided was more rewarding. I settled down in my small converted garage recording studio to write the demos for the next album with a working title "The View From My Window"

Angela was approached again, but had to politely refuse this time because her new record company CLASSIC ROCK PRODUCTIONS would not let her 'moonlight'. I rang up KARNATAKA to see if ANNE-MARIE HELDER would be interested but found her a little too expensive on my meagre  budget. The demos were finished and I started to farm out parts to Laura, Gareth & Rick. Still needed a drummer though! Pav Chana (the multi percussionist I had worked with on "TALL STORIES...") agreed to play on "VIEW" in return for me working with Laura and himself on a 'chillout' album (..still in progress Sept 2006!). I advertised for a drummer and was surprised when Hugh Whitaker (ex-THE HOUSEMARTINS) rang up. He was at a loose end and fancied a go and eventually put down parts for the big piece on "VIEW..." called 'SUITE: DREAMS'; Andy Tillison was on hand again with keys parts and took on some more drumming chores too.

The CRS again asked us to play in May 2003 (as support to 70's prog rockers FOCUS this time). I put a band together formed from Laura, Rick, Gareth plus Andy on Keys and a session drummer (John Southerden). Despite some last minute hitches, we went down very well indeed that night 

THE VIEW FROM MY WINDOW was assigned catalogue number CYCL136, for release JAN 2004 (World wide; as CYCLOPS sell them mail order for some 3 months before that)

During the VIEW recording time, I was asked by Andy, to join him a new project called THE TANGENT. The story of this project is well documented on the TANGENT website (www.thetangent.org) but suffice so say...putting out an album featuring a joint contribution from

Andy Tillison (Keys, Vocals) [PO90]
Sam Baine (Piano) [PO90]
Roine Stolt (Electric Guitar, Vocals) [The Flower Kings]
Jonas Rheingold (Bass) [The Flower Kings]
Zoltan Csorsz (Drums) [The Flower Kings]
David Jackson (Saxes & Flutes) [ex Van Der Graaf Generator]

...was a great pleasure and honour (and I provided Acoustic Guitars, Mandolin & Vocals)

THE VIEW FROM MY WINDOW was released October 2003

THE TANGENT "Music That Died Alone" was released September 22nd 2003

Chapter TWELVE: 'Back To The Future'

Dec 2003 - New Album demos started for next Project: 
A MATTER OF LIFE & DEATH (THE JOURNAL OF ABEL MANN)
(A Concept album based on the "TALL STORIES..." character)

1.The Dream
2.Nobody's Fool
3.Omens
4.The River OF Time
5.Silent Man
6.Falling Down? Rising Up!
7.Life's Disguises
8.Out Of My Life
9.Midnight Sail

Recording sessions get underway:
Ian Fairbairn adds some great Fiddle parts to this more 'rootsy' album.
John Tipping, a young Devonshire drummer adds his parts to the demos.
Rick & Gareth finally get to sing backing parts!
Andy Tillison gets to rock 'n roll boogie on 'Midnight Sail' and put his new vintage Mini-Moog to use on 'The Dream'

Neil Harris rejoins to stand behind the Keyboards once more and puts some piano, melodica, percussion & vocal parts down for the new album

CYCLOPS informed me that they could afford to put the album out and that I must make my own arrangements. 
I assemble a press pack and start to canvass Record labels looking for a new MANNING Home.

MANNING finally sign to ProgRock (a US Label) to release the new album!
Release date was October 26th 2005 PRR 138

 

Top

---

Back

Forwards

michael kors outlet louis vuitton outlet sport blue 6s Cheap Oakley Sunglasses michael kors outlet lebron 12 michael kors outlet coach factory outlet louis vuitton outlet michael kors outlet sport blue 6s michael kors outlet Michael Kors Outlet wolf grey 3s lululemon outlet jordan 3 wolf grey concord foamposites louis vuitton outlet Lebron 11 sport blue 6s louis vuitton outlet black infrared 6s jordan 11 legend blue lebron 11 legend blue 11s beats by dre outlet history of jordan 6s beats by dre outlet jordan 6 history of jordan cheap jordan shoes legend blue 11s legend blue 11s history of jordan 6s jordan 6 history of jordan cheap jordans jordan 11 legend blue kate spade outlet michael kors outlet beats by dre cheap louis vuitton outlet history of jordan 6s kate spade outlet legend blue 11s cheap jordan shoes louis vuitton outlet Louis Vuitton Outlet louis vuitton outlet louis vuitton outlet legend blue 11s black infrared 6s Columbia 11s legend blue 11s jordan 11 legend blue jordan 11 legend blue legend blue 11s jordan 11 legend blue legend blue 11s jordan retro 11 jordan 11 legend blue 11s jordan 11 legend blue legend blue 11s air jordans legend blue 11s jordan 11 legend blue jordan 11 legend blue jordan 11 legend blue jordan 11 legend blue jordan 11 jordan 11 jordan 11 legend blue legend blue 11s legend blue 11s jordan 11 legend blue legend blue 11s jordan 11 legend blue legend blue 11s jordan retro 11 legend blue legend blue 11s jordan retro 11 legend blue jordan 11 legend blue jordan 11 legend blue legend blue 11s jordan 11 legend blue legend blue 11s jordan 11 legend blue legend blue 11s legend blue 11s legend blue 11s legend blue 11s jordan 11 legend blue jordan retro 11 jordan retro 11 air jordan 11 legend blue 11s jordan 11 legend blue 11s jordan 11 jordan 11 legend blue jordan 11 legend blue legend blue 11s jordan 11 legend blue legend blue 11s legend blue 11s jordan 11 legend blue 11s jordan retro 11 jordan 11 jordan retro 11 jordan 11 legend blue jordan 11 legend blue legend blue 11s jordan retro 11 jordan 11 air jordans jordan 11 legend blue jordan 11 legend blue legend blue 11s jordan 11 jordan 11 legend blue jordan 11 legend blue jordan 11 jordan retro 11 legend blue 11s jordan 11 legend blue jordan 11 legend blue legend blue 11s legend blue 11s legend blue 11s jordan 11 legend blue jordan retro 11 jordan 11 legend blue 11s legend blue 11s jordan retro 11 jordan 11 jordan 11 jordan 11 jordan 11 legend blue jordan 11 legend blue legend blue 11s jordan retro 11 jordan 11 legend blue 11s jordan 11 jordan 11 legend blue jordan retro 11 jordan retro 11 jordan retro 11 jordan 11 jordan 11 jordan retro 11 jordan 11 legend blue jordan 11 legend blue jordan 11 legend blue 11s jordan 11 jordan 11 legend blue jordan retro 11 jordan 11 jordan retro 11 jordan retro 11 jordan 11 jordan 11 jordan 11 legend blue jordan 11 legend blue jordan retro 11 jordan retro 11 jordan 11 legend blue legend blue 11s