The Manfreds’ Maximum Rhythm N’ Blues Tour with Georgie Fame

Legendary pioneers of British rhythm and blues, The Manfreds, will be touring again this autumn. Dates are rescheduled from 2020 with all original tickets remaining valid and the tour also features another 60s icon, special guest Georgie Fame.

The Manfreds’ all-star line-up features original Manfred Mann founding members Mike Hugg (keyboards) and singer Paul Jones alongside long-time band members guitarist Tom McGuinness and vocalist Mike d’Abo who replaced Paul Jones in 1966. The Manfreds’ line-up is completed by Simon Currie (saxophone, flute) and Marcus Cliffe (bass), who have previously worked with the likes of Mark Knopfler, Eric Clapton, and Rod Stewart, together with drummer Rob Townsend, formerly of rock band Family.

Formed in London in 1962, Manfred Mann quickly found success with their single 5-4-3-2-1, recorded as the theme for ground-breaking TV pop show Ready Steady Go! Tom McGuinness then joined Manfred Mann who went on to have a string of hit singles through the sixties including three UK number ones with Do Wah Diddy Diddy, Pretty Flamingo and a cover of Bob Dylan’s The Mighty Quinn.

When Paul Jones left, in 1966 to pursue a solo career, Mike D’Abo slipped seamlessly into the front-man role. D’Abo was also an accomplished songwriter, responsible for penning the classic tracks Build Me Up Buttercup (The Foundations) and Handbags & Gladrags for Chris Farlowe and famously covered by Rod Stewart and Stereophonics.

As the seventies dawned the band split to follow individual paths. Fast forward to 1991 and several original members of the band reformed as The Manfreds, in celebration of Tom McGuinness’ 50th birthday and surrounding a compilation of Manfred Mann’s classic hits.

The tour will bring rhythm and blues nostalgia, along with their greatest hits, across the country beginning in Sheffield on 14 October. The group will perform some of their most loved songs, the timeless hits Pretty Flamingo, Sha La La, Ha Ha Said The Clown and, of course, 5-4-3-2-1. The show will also feature some of the songs that brought success outside of Manfred Mann including Mike d’Abo’s solo-penned hits, Paul Jones’ I’ve Been A Bad Bad Boy and the McGuinness Flint classic When I’m Dead and Gone.

Joining The Manfreds on tour is another sixties legend Georgie Fame. He also topped the UK chart, on three occasions, with Yeh Yeh, Get Away and The Ballad of Bonnie and Clyde. With his much-loved blend of jazz and rhythm & blues, Georgie Fame has consistently worked in the highest musical circles, initially with his band The Blue Flames, becoming an icon of the British music scene and collaborating with the likes of Van Morrison and Bill Wyman.

“Not only is it exciting to think that the Manfreds might actually be able to play together on tour again at last,” says Paul Jones, “but that the great Georgie Fame will be back with us as well. Also, our friends and fans, starved of live music from us for so long, will refresh their memories with the real thing once more and these loved, cherished and much-missed venues – and the people who work in and look after them – will once again host us and make us welcome!”

Mike D’Abo added: “I’m looking forward to being part of the Manfred’s Maximum R&B Tour featuring our special guest and old friend Georgie Fame. To think that, between us, we topped the charts on no less than six occasions in the 60s – with both The Manfreds and Georgie Fame each notching up three No.1 hits. That’s an achievement I’m ‘Mighty’ proud of!”

Maximum Rhythm N’ Blues 2021 Tour Dates:

Thursday 14 October, Sheffield, City Hall

Friday 15 October, Birmingham Town Hall

Saturday 16 October, Worthing, Assembly Hall

Sunday 17 October, Portsmouth, Kings Theatre

Tuesday 19 October, Weston-Super-Mare, Playhouse Theatre

Wednesday 20 October, Barnstaple, Queens Theatre

Thursday 21 October, Bournemouth, Pavilion Theatre

Saturday 23 October, Folkestone, Leas Cliff Hall

Sunday 24 October, Southend, Cliffs Pavilion

Tuesday 26 October, Eastbourne, Congress Theatre

Wednesday 27 October London, Cadogan Hall

Thursday 28 October, Basingstoke, The Anvil

Saturday 30 October, Buxton, Opera House

Sunday 31 October, Dartford, The Orchard

Thursday 4 November, Guildford, G Live

Friday 5 November, Tunbridge Wells, Assembly Hall Theatre

Saturday 6 November, Reading, Hexagon Theatre

Sunday 7 November, Chatham, Central Theatre

Thursday 11 November, York, Grand Opera House

Friday 12 November, Stoke-On-Trent, Victoria Hall

Saturday 13 November, Halifax, Victoria Theatre

Sunday 14 November, Blackpool, Grand Theatre

Wednesday 17 November, High Wycombe, Swan Theatre

Thursday 18 November, Salisbury, City Hall Postponed

Friday 19 November, Peterborough, New Theatre

Saturday 20 November, Ipswich, Regent Theatre

Monday 29 November, Liverpool, Philharmonic Hall

Wednesday 1 December, Gateshead, The Sage

Friday 3 December, Glasgow, Royal Concert Hall

For more information and tickets please visit Maximum Rhythm and Blues – The Manfreds With Georgie Fame Tour 2021, Official Concert Tickets from MyTicket.co.uk