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
Lay Down My Worries
Harry Manx Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Got the rhythm now down in my bones
But I've been around so long it seems
I turn around lord to face my home
You stood there darling
Always ready for the unknown
I want to .. lord I got to
Lay down my worries
We work so hard just to make things right
We don't mind living out of need
Long as you're there just to shine your light
Well I'm gonna pray for all God;s speed
Lord you bring me comfort
The likes of which I've never known
And I want you lord I've got to
Lay down my worries
Lord you bring me comfort
The likes of which I've never known
And I want you lord I've got to
I'm gonna lay down my worries
The opening lines of Harry Manx's "Lay Down My Worries" paint a picture of a fast-paced life, as the singer seems to be moving along at the speed of light, with rhythm now ingrained into his bones. However, despite the excitement of his journey, he is faced with the realization that he has been around for so long that he needs to turn around to face his home. The song seems to be about a longing for home or for a place of comfort and rest, as the singer acknowledges that he is tired from living a life in which he has worked so hard just to make things right, but ultimately leaves him wanting a sense of peace.
The chorus of the song emphasizes this desire for relief from worry, as the singer asserts that he is going to lay down his worries, with the help of a higher power. He acknowledges that life can be difficult but finds solace in faith and the possibility of a brighter future beyond the struggles of the present. The tone of the song is reflective and introspective, with Manx's gravelly yet soothing voice expressing a sense of weariness but also a sense of hope.
Overall, "Lay Down My Worries" is a powerful song about seeking refuge from the challenges and difficulties of life through faith and the hope of finding a place of comfort and rest.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm moving along at the speed of light
I'm moving quickly and smoothly towards my goals
Got the rhythm now down in my bones
I am fully immersed in the beat and flow of life
But I've been around so long it seems
I've lived through so much that time seems to have flown by
I turn around lord to face my home
I look back on my journey and reflect on where I come from
You stood there darling, always ready for the unknown
You've been supportive and ready to face whatever comes our way
I want to .. lord I got to, I'm gonna lay down my worries, Lay down my worries
I feel the need to let go of my worries and trust in a higher power
We work so hard just to make things right
We put in a lot of effort to achieve our goals and create a good life
We don't mind living out of need
We are willing to make sacrifices in order to meet our basic needs
Long as you're there just to shine your light
As long as you're there to guide and support us, we're happy
Well I'm gonna pray for all God's speed
I'm going to pray for divine intervention and guidance to help us achieve our goals
Lord you bring me comfort, The likes of which I've never known
I find great solace and peace in my faith
And I want you lord I've got to, Lay down my worries
I want to trust in a higher power and let go of my worries
Lord you bring me comfort, The likes of which I've never known
My faith provides me with unparalleled comfort and reassurance
And I want you lord I've got to, I'm gonna lay down my worries
I feel the need to let go of my worries and trust in a divine power
Contributed by Mackenzie O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.