Guy Manning

For the baseketball player, see Guy Manning (basketball).
Guy Manning

Guy Manning – Live in 2008
Background information
Born 20 January 1957
Genres Progressive rock
Years active 1999–present
Labels Cyclops Records
ProgRock Records
Festival Music (F2)
Associated acts Manning
The Tangent
The United Progressive Fraternity
Parallel or 90 Degrees
Website The Official Manning site
Notable instruments
Acoustic Instruments, Keyboards, Vocals

Guy Manning (born 20 January 1957, Leeds, Yorkshire, England) is an English multi-instrumentalist and singer, best known for his own album releases and for his membership of progressive rock bands Parallel or 90 Degrees, The Tangent, The United Progressive Fraternity (UPF) and his own band, Manning.

Biography

Manning was the founding member of two Leeds based bands in the 1980s, Let's Eat! and Bailey's Return. He was also recruited in 1987 to be the keyboards player (joining Julie King) in art-rock band Through The Looking Glass. This band split up a year later and a more pop based offshoot, KingGlass, emerged which continued for a further year.

Manning and local keyboardist/vocalist Andy Tillison had an early unsigned band called Gold Frankincense & Disk Drive. This band's final line-up included David Albone on drums and a guest spot from Van der Graaf Generator organ player Hugh Banton. One piece by this line-up, "A Gap in the Night", was later included on Parallel or 90 Degrees' The Corner of My Room before being reworked for the second album by The Tangent.

Tillison and Manning also recorded the album No More Travelling Chess at this time, which consisted of a set of covers of material by Peter Hammill plus a couple of original pieces. This album was first released as a mail order cassette item (before an augmented and remastered version was eventually released by Cyclops Records in 2001 -under the band name of Parallel or 90 Degrees).

Tillison and Manning then formed the new band, Parallel or 90 Degrees, with Sam Baine also on keyboards.

Manning has gone on to release his own albums,[1] five for the Cyclops label and three more for USA label, ProgRock Records. With a further change of record label, the 2007 release, Songs From The Bilston House was released on the Festival Music (F2) label based in the UK (as have all subsequent releases).[2]

Tillison has guested on several of these albums, while other special guests have included Martin Orford (IQ), Ian 'Walter' Fairbairn (Hedgehog Pie & Jack the Lad), Stephen Dundon (Molly Bloom), Leon Camfield (Tinyfish), Marek Arnold (Toxic Smile & Seven Steps to the Green Door), Chloe Herington (Knifeworld), John Young (Lifesigns, John Young Band, Asia, Scorpions, Bonnie Tyler & more), Phideaux and Angela Gordon (Mostly Autumn).

The ProgRock Records album covers and also the later "Margaret's Children" (as the sequel to "Anser's Tree") were created by notable graphics artist, Ed Unitsky.

Manning and Tillison also teamed up as fictional Italian band La Voce Del Vento to provide two long pieces for the Colossus Project Discs (The Spaghetti Epics #1 and #2).[3]

Manning has also provided an unreleased track for KINECTIONS, the US ProgDay festival support album.[4]

Manning (the Band)

In April 2008, news appeared on the Classic Rock Society website[5] stating that Manning had recruited a new band consisting of Kevin Currie, Kris Hudson-Lee, Julie King, Danny Rhodes and Phil Wilkes. The band (minus Julie King) debuted at the Classic Rock Society's Tribute to Rob Leighton concert in June 2008. Drummer Danny Rhodes left soon after and was replaced by former colleague, David Albone in 2009.

Manning performed at the prestigious Rites of Spring Festival in Gettysburg, PA on 1 May 2010 debuting material from their album 'Charlestown' which was released in October 2010.

The MANNING live band was put on hold and retired in January 2014.

Guy Manning and The Tangent

In 2001/2, plans for a solo album by Andy Tillison transformed into the first release by The Tangent, The Music That Died Alone (2003). This initial line-up included Manning and Sam Baine plus Roine Stolt, Jonas Reingold and Zoltan Csorsz from The Flower Kings, and David Jackson from Van der Graaf Generator. Other later Tangent members have included Theo Travis, Jaime Salazar, Krister Jonsson, Jakko Jakszyk, Jonathan Barrett, Luke Machin, Daniel Mash and Tony Latham.

On 11 May 2010 a statement appeared on the Guy Manning website indicating that he would no longer be partaking in future Tangent activities, although he has provided Acoustic Guitar [cameo only] for 2013's "Le Sacre du Travail".

In all, Manning has played on six official studio, two unofficial studio and one live album by The Tangent. See main article on The Tangent.

Guy Manning and The United Progressive Fraternity (UPF)

On 31 March 2014, this new band was formally announced. Led by Mark 'Truey' Trueack,and 3 other ex-members of Unitopia plus Guy Manning and others. The debut album "Fall in the love with the World" has been released and includes guest appearances by Jon Anderson, Steve Hackett, Steve Unruh, Ian Ritchie, Jonathan Barrett and Claire Vezina, amongst others.

Discography

Cover of Charlestown

Guy Manning / Manning

The Tangent

Studio albums

Live albums

The United Progressive Fraternity (UPF)

La Voce Del Vento

Parallel Or 90 Degrees

References

External links