Do Wah Diddy! Manfreds and Georgie Fame set for Royal Hall in Harrogate

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Arriving at the Royal Hall on Thursday, April 7, the Hits, Jazz and Blues tour will offer not one but two major hit makers and hugely-respected musical names - the Manfreds and Georgie Fame, both of whom are celebrating the 60th anniversary of their quite legendary careers.

Sixties music expert Martin Hutchinson, whose latest book On Track: The Kinks, Every Album, Every Song is published next Thursday, March 24, said: “Manfred Mann is now considered, more than ever, one of the finest and most respected bands from the 60’s era.

“Their numerous hits were R&B based with an undercurrent of jazz - a very unusual but winning combination of playing style and substance.

“As a result, their records have a timeless quality.”

With hits including Pretty Flamingo, 5-4-3-2-1, Mighty Quinn and Do Wah Diddy Diddy, the music expert says the line-up is of such a calibre, a great night out is guaranteed.

Featuring four original members of the band - guitarist Tom McGuinness, keyboard player Mike Hugg, original singer Paul Jones and his replacement Mike D’Abo - the Manfreds themselves are full of enthusiasm for their new string of dates.

Paul Jones told Martin Hutchinson: “We have an audience that listens.

“It’s a line-up you may never hear again and we really do fire off each other.

“We will be playing pretty much all Manfred Mann songs, but probably a few more obscure EP and album tracks as well as the big hits.

“I’m very fond of 5-4-3-2-1 and The One In The Middle and, also, Smokestack Lightnin’, because it’s the blues and it’s right up my street.”

Another great practitioner of the art of rhythm and blues, and a master of the Hammond Organ, Georgie Fame will be sharing the stage with The Manfreds at Harrogate’s Royal Hall.

Fame, who hit number one in the UK charts in 1964 with Yeh Yeh, among many other huge hits, was set to appear with The Manfreds on their December 2019 tour, but after a fall, he was unable to take part and Andy Fairweather Low took his place in Harrogate in the days before the pandemic hit live music.

Music author Martin Hutchinson said Georgie Fame’s participation raises the bar even higher for music fans.

“Georgie will be sharing the stage with The Manfreds, singing and play with them at times and sharing songs,” said Martin. “But we can also expect to hear some of Georgie’s great hits like Yeh Yeh, Getaway and The Ballad Of Bonnie And Clyde.”

Tickets for The Manfreds plus Georgie Fame at the Royal Hall, Harrogate on Thursday, April 7 are available from the box office on 01423 502116

and online at www.harrogatetheatre.co.uk and all the usual agencies.

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