He plays slide guitar, harmonica, six-string banjo, cigar-box guitar and the Mohan Veena (a 20-stringed guitar/sitar hybrid). He studied for five years in India with Vishwa Mohan Bhatt.
Discography:
* Dog My Cat (2001)
* Wise and Otherwise (2002)
* Jubilee (with Kevin Breit) (2003)
* Road Ragas Live (2003)
* West Eats Meet (2004)
* Mantras For Madmen (2005)
* In Good We Trust (with Kevin Breit) (2007)
* Live at the Glenn Gould Studio (2008)
* Bread and Buddha (2009)
* Isle of Manx - the Desert Island Collection (2010)
More information at: Harry Manx.
Official Website Biography
“Mysticssippi” blues man Harry Manx has been called an “essential link” between the music of East and West, creating musical short stories that wed the tradition of the Blues with the depth of classical Indian ragas. He has created a unique sound that is hard to forget and deliciously addictive to listen to.
Harry forged his distinctive style by studying at the feet of the masters, first as a sound man in the blues clubs of Toronto during his formative years and then under a rigorous tutelage with Vishwa Mohan Bhatt in India. Bhatt is the inventor of the 20-stringed Mohan Veena, which has become Harry’s signature instrument.
Harry played slide guitar for many years before meeting Bhatt in Rajasthan,in fact he had been living in another part of India for many years already, but he started at the beginning under Bhatt’s tutelage, unlearning most of what he knew about playing a slide instrument. He learned Eastern scales and eventually ragas, deceptively complex and regimented musical patterns that form the basis of Indian composition. Learning the voicings of Indian music is a subtle art that comes with time. Harry spent most of twelve years in India learning that. It was later on that Harry decided to explore the connection between Indian ragas and blues scales which eventually led to the Indo-blues hybrid that has become his style.
Born on the Isle of Man, Manx immigrated to Ontario with his parents when he was a child. He started working with bands as a ‘roadie’ at age 15 and gradually worked his way up to becoming the regular sound man at the well-known El Mocambo (blues) club in Toronto. There he worked with a slew of blues legends. Harry admits that blues is still at the heart of much of his work. “I’ve always had one foot in the blues from those days … what I got from those artists is a groove. That’s what I’m particularly interested in is the groove, and that’s the way I play blues”. “I went to Europe when I was 20 and started making money as a busker,” recalls Manx. “I’ve worked mostly as a musician since then, though I did some theatre work for a while. I was a one-man band with a drums and a cymbals for a time too. It was really a lot of fun”
Manx’s time in India has imbued his music with an intangible spiritual quality. “the song reveals who you are, it’s the vehicle for your message, your inspirational ideas or your story,” explained Manx. “Like many people I’m interested in my own development as a person and that’s represented in my songs, I’m searching for truth through art and spirituality. My songs are a synthesis of everything I’ve absorbed, all my experiences and I share that. I’m glad that it means something to people.”
“Indian music moves a person inward,” he explains. “It’s traditionally used in religious ceremonies and during meditations because it puts you into this whole other place (now, here). But Western music has the ability to move you outward, into celebration and dance. There are some ragas that sound bluesy, and there are ways to bend strings while playing blues that sound Indian. I may be forcing the relationship between the two musical cultures, but I keep thinking they were made for each other. That leads me to more and more experimentation. The journey has been great so far.” Manx is a prolific artist, releasing 12 albums in a 12 year span with no signs of stopping. He has received seven Maple Blues Awards, six Juno nominations, the Canadian Folk Music Award in 2005 for Best Solo Artist and won CBC Radio’s “Great Canadian Blues Award” in 2007.
His most recent original release, “Om Suite Ohm” was voted by the Montreal daily La Presse as one of only 4 CDs to watch for in 2013. Guitar Player Magazine called it “his most fully realized work to date”. Blend Indian folk melodies with slide guitar blues, add a sprinkle of gospel and throw in some compelling grooves. It’s a recipe that goes down easy and leaves you hungry for more.
Official Website: Harry Manx
Bring That Thing
Harry Manx Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
tryin to save your face
but i need some lovin girl
no no i have it,
just you decorate your place
dog my cat can't you scrath that itch
things were just so much more simple
bring that thing oh back home
bring that thing oh oh back home
well lord i need forgiveness
for the methods i use
i believe i believe i can overcome them
well i'm talkin bout the blues
these hard times they're sinkin
down just like a stone
but you oh lord don't start prayin
cause you gonna make it home
bring that thing oh oh back home
bring that thing oh oh back home
In Harry Manx's song "Bring That Thing", he sings about a woman who promised heaven to him but who instead decorates her place with material things. The opening line, "you swore I'd find some heaven tryin to save your face," suggests that the woman is using this promise to cover up something else. Manx seems to be saying that he doesn't need material possessions and wants love instead. He further illustrates this point when he sings "dog my cat can't you scratch that itch, things were just so much more simple when we didn't have a stitch." These lines are a clever reference to the phrase "I have an itch I can't scratch" and he is saying that things were much simpler before the advent of things that create the need for such an expression in the first place.
Manx then shifts his focus to himself and talks about the wrong methods he's used in the past but believes he can overcome them. In the next lines, "these hard times they're sinking down just like a stone, but you, oh Lord don't start praying cause you gonna make it home," Manx seems to be acknowledging that life is tough, but it's important to remain optimistic about the future. He also seems to be suggesting that prayer is not enough, and that we must take action to bring about our own happiness.
Overall, "Bring That Thing" is a commentary on the way humans value material possessions more than love and how we try to cover up personal issues with promises of happiness for others. The song encourages people to focus on love and simplicity in order to find happiness.
Line by Line Meaning
you swore i'd find some heaven
You promised me happiness and fulfillment in this relationship
tryin to save your face
Attempting to maintain your reputation and avoid embarrassment
but i need some lovin girl
I require emotional and physical affection from you, my partner
no no i have it,
Nevermind, I already possess the love that I seek
just you decorate your place
You can focus on the superficial aspects of our relationship, but I require more substance
dog my cat can't you scrath that itch
An expression of frustration or annoyance
things were just so much more simple
Life was easier and less complicated in the past
when we didn't have a stitch
When we had nothing, we had each other
bring that thing oh back home
Return to the relationship and work on repairing it
well lord i need forgiveness
Asking for forgiveness from a higher power or a loved one
for the methods i use
Apologizing for past actions that were hurtful or harmful
i believe i believe i can overcome them
I have faith in myself and my ability to make things right
well i'm talkin bout the blues
Referring to the genre of music that expresses feelings of sadness and heartache
these hard times they're sinkin
Current circumstances are weighing heavily on us
down just like a stone
Causing us to feel weighed down and hopeless
but you oh lord don't start prayin
Don't resort to relying solely on prayer to get through tough times
cause you gonna make it home
Belief that we will succeed and overcome challenges together
bring that thing oh oh back home
Reiterating the desire to work on and fix the relationship
Contributed by Matthew T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
suuzzee5
Soulful and evocative ... mournful blues. Quite simply, this is one of the best performances I've heard.
Steve McDonald
Truly a unique musician. A little bit o Canada, a little bit o India, all with a healthy dose o delta soulfulness.
ezzzze12
Harry does the most incredible cover of Foxy Lady on a banjo!! You wouldn't believe how good it is!!
ColinCashin
Such an original. I'm going to see Harry tomorrow in St. Albert and am preparing myself by listening to his 'Road Ragas' album over and over.
johntrik
The ending,about 4:10,is probably the most beautiful lap-steel improvisation/solo ,i've heard in my life.Sweet raga,Harry Manx is the man!!!!!
braintransplantdonor
Awesome talent - would be good to see him in NZ some day
Pal Al
Saw him live at the Elora Festival. In the world of Folk and Blues, Harry cuts his own path.
ezzzze12
Ooops my mistake. He does an incredible banjo version of the "thrill is gone". HIs version of Foxy lady on the slide steel guitar blues style is unbelievable!!! Every thing he does is great!! he is a true artist and muscian
barry freedman
just saw harry in montreal, at the jazz festival. many sold out shows. really great. enjoyed so much. standing ovation. will see again, hopefully.
Faucon
wow trop fort se mec la ....... en show c'est de la dynamite :P:P VIVE HARRY MANX