Manfred Mann - 1969 - Fox On The Run

Fox On The Run/Too Many People/Ragamuffin Man/A 'B' side


Manfred Mann were an English rock band of the 1960s, named after keyboardist, Manfred Mann, who later led the successful 1970s group Manfred Mann's Earth Band. The group had two different lead vocalists during their success, Paul Jones from 1962 to 1966, and Mike d'Abo from 1966 to 1969.

Manfred Mann were regularly in the charts in the 1960s. Three of the band's most successful singles, "Do Wah Diddy Diddy", "Pretty Flamingo" and "Mighty Quinn", topped the UK Singles Chart. They were the first south-of-England-based group to top the US Billboard Hot 100 during the British invasion

The Mann-Hugg Blues Brothers were formed in London by keyboard player Manfred Mann and drummer/vibes/piano player Mike Hugg, who formed a house band in Clacton-on-Sea that also featured Graham Bond. Bringing a shared love of jazz to the British blues boom, then sweeping London's clubs (which also spawned Alexis Korner, the Rolling Stones and the Yardbirds), the band was completed by Mike Vickers on guitar, alto saxophone and flute, bassist Dave Richmond and Paul Jones as lead vocalist and harmonicist. By this time they had changed their name to Manfred Mann & the Manfreds. Gigging throughout late 1962 and early 1963 the band soon attracted attention for their distinctive sound.

Jones was replaced by Mike d'Abo in July 1966, and the group switched labels to Fontana Records, where they were produced by Shel Talmy. Their first Fontana single, Dylan's "Just Like a Woman", released in July, scraped in the UK top ten, reaching number one in Sweden. Their annual long-player, As Is, followed in October, with increased studio technique sidelining jazz, soul and blues roots and centring on the group's strongest set of songs so far. The next two singles "Semi-Detached, Suburban Mr James" and "Ha Ha Said The Clown" both reached the Top 5. Their December 1968 release, "Fox on the Run", reached No. 5 in the UK. The group split in 1969, while their final hit, "Ragamuffin Man", was in the Top 10.