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
Nine Summers Lost
Harry Manx Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Rain got me standing in my sad sunday clothes
Hearts can be broken only so many ways
Nine kids down in under thirty days
Nine summers lost.......Nine lovely little dreams
Nine summers lost........Words get the best of me
First came the fathers Then came their wives
All hurting to know the value of a life
Some get sorry the young get old
They all feel they can't take no more
Nine summers lost.......Nine lovely little dreams
Nine summers lost........Words get the best of me
Darkened sounds creep thru the wall next door
Say goodbye to the world you dragged across the floor
Early morning took you away in a new car
On the way downtown it rained inside your heart
Harry Manx's song Nine Summers Lost is a melancholic piece that is quite open to interpretation. It starts with the line "Words get the best of me, life's on hold," which sets the tone of the song. The singer is overwhelmed by the power of words, which have effectively halted his life. The next line, "Rain got me standing in my sad Sunday clothes," suggests that he is experiencing a particularly low point in his life. The rain seems to be an external manifestation of his inner turmoil, and he is wearing his "sad Sunday clothes" because he is mourning something.
The next few lines, "Hearts can be broken only so many ways, nine kids down in under thirty days," indicate that the singer is referring to a larger issue affecting many people. One possible interpretation is that the nine "lovely little dreams" that were lost were children who died prematurely from an illness. The line "Some get sorry, the young get old" implies that people are out of control, and they cannot stop the inevitable march of time as they age.
The next verse talks about fathers and their wives, all hurting to know the value of life. It is unclear who exactly is speaking, but the sentiment is that everyone is struggling with the weight of life. The final lines are particularly poignant: "Darkened sounds creep through the wall next door, say goodbye to the world you dragged across the floor...On the way downtown it rained inside your heart." These lines conjure up images of someone passing away, with the "rain inside your heart" symbolizing the sorrow felt by the person who is dying.
Line by Line Meaning
Words get the best of me Life's on hold
I am overwhelmed by what to say or do, leaving me feeling stuck and unsure of how to proceed.
Rain got me standing in my sad sunday clothes
The somber weather reflects my own low mood and sense of loss, leaving me feeling exposed and vulnerable.
Hearts can be broken only so many ways
There are only a few basic ways in which people can hurt each other, yet those same hurts can be felt over and over again.
Nine kids down in under thirty days
Nine young lives have been tragically cut short in less than a month, leaving their families grieving and in shock.
Nine summers lost.......Nine lovely little dreams
These nine children, whose futures were bright with promise, are now forever lost and their families must mourn the loss of all they could have been.
First came the fathers Then came their wives
The traditional roles of husband and wife are invoked, indicating a sense of routine and familiarity, yet still promising the potential for heartbreak.
All hurting to know the value of a life
The characters in this story are all suffering, their losses making them wonder what a life is truly worth, and whether it is worth all the pain it can bring.
Some get sorry the young get old
As time passes and the pain of loss remains, apologies and expressions of regret may no longer hold the same meaning, while the young are forced to confront the harsh realities of mortality and grief.
They all feel they can't take no more
The weight of their collective suffering is beginning to feel unbearable, leaving them wondering how much more they can take before completely falling apart.
Darkened sounds creep thru the wall next door
The despair and sorrow of one family's tragedy seep through the walls, affecting and influencing the other occupants of the same space.
Say goodbye to the world you dragged across the floor
As they mourn the loss of their loved ones, they must also confront the fact that the world will never be the same again, and that their losses were and continue to be deeply felt.
Early morning took you away in a new car
The innocence of a new day and a new beginning are juxtaposed with the stark reality that someone they loved is gone forever, and nothing can ever bring them back.
On the way downtown it rained inside your heart
Even though the world continues on, the pain of the lost loved ones remains and can never fully be shaken off, leaving a sense of emptiness and loss in its wake.
Contributed by Maya O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@jeffreycohen2499
Can't stop listening to Harry. Extraordinary, transformative talent...
@mjs3764
Another hidden gem. Super find!
@odettegibbs2238
Incredibly soulful. What an amazing man and musician. So much respect.
@enigmaticloremaster1700
I first heard him playing in a small hall in a town called Bellingen , NSW , Australia way back maybe 15 years ago. I was instantly intrigued by his style of folk blues and classic rock done on alternative instruments. He is one of very few live musicians that are worth seeing nowadays. Unless you are into people rhyming over drum beats produced on a drum machine.
@fatimaait-aoudia5079
Merci a a cette personne passagère qui m'a partagé un jour , cette artiste et fabuleux,je ne connaissais pas,,merci Joël.
@ktmalex
Finally! I found where the blues comes from.
@luk1fer666
This man is without a doubt a LEGEND
@TommyLie1993
Met him last weekend at the 2012 Port Fairy Folk festival, true gentleman and great blues musician.
@adrianlindsay3194
Brilliant! I saw Harry live for the first time and within the first few bars my jaw dropped. As great as his albums are live he will have the hairs on your arm standing on end!
@grantdewberry9068
One of the greats have experience him live the bes