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
Dew On Roses
Harry Manx Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Cause life is short, and slips away
All around us, the stars will burn
And everyone in their turn
Out where dreams touch the sky
In the morning their born, by evening they die
Hold your hands with words instead
Yeah heartships felt and troubles disclosed
Tears fall silently
I like dew on roses (2x)
{*Guitaring it up all pretty with a piano}
Swift feet that fly to some
You only dance when you're sad
Would that the world could know oh oh
Yeah you found some good in the bad
Sized from lovers that you know
Evening tears, ya you share the low
All around the stars will burn
And everyone in their turn
Ya heartships felt and trouble disclosed
And tears fall silently
I like dew on roses (4x)
The song "Dew On Roses" by Harry Manx explores the fleeting nature of life and the importance of making the most of it. The lyrics begin by reminding listeners that life is short and passes quickly, as evidenced by the burning of stars in the sky. The line "out where dreams touch the sky" suggests that there is a higher, more transcendent realm of existence beyond our physical lives. However, the song also acknowledges the hardships and sadness that we experience in life, with lines like "tears fall silently" and "heartships felt and troubles disclosed."
Despite this, there is still hope to be found in the world, as the song suggests that we can "hold your hands with words" and find "some good in the bad." The line "you only dance when you're sad" could be a metaphor for finding joy in the midst of sorrow, or simply a way of saying that we should fully experience all of the emotions that life has to offer. In the end, the song's repeated refrain of "I like dew on roses" seems to encapsulate this sentiment - that even in the midst of life's difficulties, there is still beauty to be found.
Line by Line Meaning
Make the most of life, they say
People advise to live life to the fullest.
Cause life is short, and slips away
Life goes by quickly and can be easily missed.
All around us, the stars will burn
The universe is vast and constantly changing.
And everyone in their turn
Everyone will have their own experience and moments in life.
Out where dreams touch the sky
The idealistic place where aspirations reach for the stars.
In the morning their born, by evening they die
Dreams can be short-lived and fleeting like a single day.
Don't want a place to lay your head
Not seeking material possessions and comfort.
Hold your hands with words instead
Express emotions through language to form connections.
Yeah heartships felt and troubles disclosed
Painful experiences and struggles are shared and exposed.
Tears fall silently
Emotional pain is often hidden.
I like dew on roses (2x)
The beauty of nature is appreciated and valued.
Swift feet that fly to some
People escape their problems in different ways.
You only dance when you're sad
The release of emotions through physical expression.
Would that the world could know oh oh
Desiring understanding and empathy from others.
Yeah you found some good in the bad
Discovering positivity in negative situations.
Sized from lovers that you know
Learning from past relationships and experiences.
Evening tears, ya you share the low
Finding comfort in sadness with others who understand.
Ya heartships felt and trouble disclosed
The emotional struggles of life are shared and exposed again.
And tears fall silently
Repeating the feeling of emotional pain being hidden.
I like dew on roses (4x)
The final repetition of appreciating the beauty of nature.
Contributed by Grayson M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@claudelaroche7017
Thanks Harry. Always appreciated your sound, sensibility, humanity. Be well and live long :-)
@bodichair
Harry has his own , I love the Indian hindi influence . I can only hope to be as good of a slide player someday as Harry . I play mohan veena and let me tell you it takes a lot of practice with a patient teacher .. 🙏
@kD-vt3es
Harry manx the best ghitars slaid ❤ the best voice ❤
@SONGSTICKS
@slattikarma I want to know this too. I'm particularly interested in how he gets that Indian feel to his playing. I've just discovered Harry and I can't stop watching his vids. Absolutely sublime !!
@thedr.4833
...and Australia's incredible Lachey Doley on keys, adding to the tranquil beauty of this peace....
@fatimaait-aoudia5079
quelqu'un m'a fait connaître, et j'aime entendre, je ne lui dirais jamais merci, mais en fait je le fais. Super cet artiste.
@maximpestsolutions3696
Awesome. Thank you Harry. 'Loved' and subbed'. Namaste
@jasonhenn7345
Calgary Alberta Knox Church around 20005 with one of the most amazing accompaniments one cudnt have even Imagined, the magical keys of Mr Kaeshammer, ahhh* one of those most cherished nights for us all.
Thanx
@slattikarma
hmm... can anyone ID Harry's tuning on this one? It seems like Open D with the first dropped a step or so... but that doesn't seem quite right...
@retainium
I play along with this on a baritone guitar (B to B). Effortless on many of the thick chords and close intervals.