Manfred Mann's Earth Band are <!-- Per WP:ENGVAR, British English uses the plural terminology when referring to groups. Please do not change "are" to "is" --> an English rock band formed by South African musician Manfred Mann. Their hits include covers of Bruce Springsteen's "For You", "Blinded by the Light" and "Spirit in the Night". After forming in 1971 and with a short hiatus in the late 1980s/early 1990s, the Earth Band continues to perform and tour, as of 2026.

History

Formation

thumb|Manfred Mann's Earth Band, [[Zelt-Musik-Festival 2017 in Freiburg, Germany]]

Keyboardist Manfred Mann started in the 1960s with the self-titled band that had such hits as "Do Wah Diddy Diddy" and Bob Dylan's "The Mighty Quinn" and then moved on to jazz fusion-inspired Manfred Mann Chapter Three before forming the Earth Band in 1971.

Feeling that Chapter Three had suffered from too many self-imposed rules, being frustrated with mostly only playing Mike Hugg's compositions and not being an economically feasible venture (due to the number of musicians involved) were all reasons for forming the new group, which was open to songs from outside the band (like Mann's earlier groups) and developed due to the different musical backgrounds of its members as opposed to adhering to a strict musical concept.

The original line-up consisted of Mick Rogers (guitar and vocals), Manfred Mann (keyboards, Minimoog synthesizer and vocals), Colin Pattenden (bass guitar) and Chris Slade (drums and vocals). In its very earliest stages, the band was sometimes billed as "Manfred Mann" and thus a continuation of the 1960s group, sometimes as "Manfred Mann Chapter Three" due to that being the most recent incarnation of Mann's career. The quartet released their first single, Bob Dylan's "Please, Mrs. Henry", in 1971, simply credited to "Manfred Mann". A debut album "Stepping Sideways" was recorded but not released because the band's style was rapidly maturing and the group felt it was not representative of their live act anymore.

In September 1971 a new name was chosen. Manfred Mann suggested a title containing "band" (which almost rhymes with "Mann") and after considering the likes of "Arm Band", "Head Band" and "Elastic Band", Chris Slade suggested "Earth Band", a name both related to the band's originally straightforward musical style and the ecological movement ongoing at the time.

Their second single, Randy Newman's "Living Without You", was still credited to 'Manfred Mann' in Europe, but by 'Manfred Mann's Earth Band' in the US, where the track became a minor chart hit.

In 2010 the song "You Are - I Am" from Angel Station was sampled by Kanye West on his critically acclaimed album: My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy.

In 2023 the band celebrated their 2000th live performance with the release of the compilation 2000 Concerts... And Counting. The Earth Band continues to perform and tour, as of 2024.

In 1972 he joined Steamhammer, staying with them for two and a half years. For the next couple of years Lingwood tried several unsuccessful attempts at forming bands and also started working more as a studio musician. 1974, he joined Stomu Yamashta's East Wind and later that year went on to join Leo Sayer.

Lingwood has played with many musicians over the years, including Roger Chapman (still doing occasional gigs), Maddy Prior and Elkie Brooks. He featured on the albums Chance, Somewhere in Afrika, Budapest Live, Criminal Tango and Masque.

Since leaving the band he has performed with the Company Of Snakes between 1998 and 2002, featuring on the live album Here They Go Again and the studio album Burst the Bubble.

He rejoined Manfred Mann's Earth Band in 2016 as a substitute for Jimmy Copley, who had been diagnosed with leukemia and later died in 2017.

Steve Kinch

thumb|Steve Kinch (2016)

Bassist Steve Kinch was born on May 17, 1955. Kinch first started playing guitar when his parents bought him his first instrument for Christmas at the age of 12. At 14, he began playing in local cover bands. At 16 he left school and became a glass blower while continuing to play music in local bands.

When he was 18, his friend Steve Demetri asked him if he was willing to switch from guitar to bass. The reason for this was that his band Stallion needed a bass player. Kinch agreed to try this and actually stayed with the bass as his instrument.

Then in 1985, again through Andy Qunta, Kinch got the chance to audition for the open position of bassist with Manfred Mann's Earth Band. Qunta, who had written the song Tribal Statistics for the 1982 Earth Band album Somewhere in Afrika, took over Manfred Mann's keyboards for this audition, apparently so that Mann could better concentrate on the auditioning bassists. But this also put Qunta in a position to give Kinch valuable hints and details about the songs being played. Kinch successfully survived the audition and joined the Earth Band as a permanent member in summer of 1985. Between 1987 and 1991, Kinch toured with The Rubettes. Kinch was not involved in the Earth Band's 1987 album Masque, and due to its commercial failure, Manfred Mann disbanded the Earth Band. In the spring of 1991, however, Mann decided to bring the band back to life. The reformed lineup included Kinch again. Regular performances and studio recordings with the Earth Band, however, still allowed Kinch to work for other musicians in the studio. In 1992, recording began for a new Earth Band album with Kinch on bass, but it would take some time to complete. It was not until 1996 that it was released under the title Soft Vengeance. From the live recordings of the following tour, in which Kinch participated, the live album Mann Alive was also released. Subsequently, Kinch toured with the Earth Band very regularly, was involved in the recording of some of Manfred Mann's releases, some of which were released under Manfred Mann's Earth Band such as the 2004 live DVD Angel Station in Moscow, but also other names such as Manfred Mann '06 or simply Manfred Mann. He continues to be an integral part of the band and their live performances to this day.

Former members

{| class="wikitable" width="100%" border="1"

! width="75" |Image

! width="120" |Name

! width="100" |Years active

! width="170" |Instruments

!Release contributions

|-

|

|Chris Slade

|1971–1978

|

|all releases from Manfred Mann's Earth Band (1972)

|1996–2000

|Mann Alive (1998)

  • Glorified Magnified (1972)
  • Mann Alive (1998, live)

References

  • www.ManfredMann.co.uk
  • Manfred Mann's Earth Band biography by Richie Unterberger, discography and album reviews, credits & releases at AllMusic
  • Manfred Mann's Earth Band biography, discography, album credits & user reviews at ProgArchives.com
  • Manfred Mann's Earth Band albums to be listened on Spotify
  • Manfred Mann's Earth Band on YouTube
  • BBC Review of Manfred Mann's Earthband at The Stables, Wavendon, September 2006