Biography
Mike Hugg shared with Manfred Mann the distinction of being the longest-serving member of the ensemble that bore the latter’s name. Born Michael Hug in 1942, he reached adulthood in England at the height of the early-1960s jazz movement, fronting a quartet that placed organist Graham Bond alongside his own drumming. While performing at the Butlin’s holiday camp in 1962, he met South African-born pianist Manfred Mann; the two formed an immediate rapport and launched the Mann-Hugg Blues Brothers, the nucleus of what would soon be called Manfred Mann, with Hugg handling drums and percussion.
Throughout the ensuing decade his activities remained closely tied to Manfred Mann, both inside the band and as a frequent songwriting partner. Outside the group’s own recordings, the pair composed and produced numerous film scores, among them Up the Junction and Venus in Furs, as well as television music and advertising jingles. On his own, Hugg scored a notable success in 1966 when “You’re a Better Man Than I,” written with his brother Brian, became a hit single for the Yardbirds.
After Manfred Mann disbanded in 1969, Mann and Hugg stayed together to create the progressive jazz-rock unit Emanon, later renamed Manfred Mann Chapter III. Their association ended in 1972, after which Hugg recorded the solo albums Somewhere and Stress and Strain for Polydor, switching his primary instrument from drums to keyboards. In 1975 he assembled the quartet Hug, whose lone LP, The Neon Dream, fused funk and progressive rock; he followed it with the short-lived Mike Hugg Freeway, which released only a single in 1976. He also contributed piano and organ to Coulson, Dean, McGinnis, Flint’s Lo and Behold, produced by Mann, and supplied additional music for film and television, including the original theme for the British series Minder.
Early in the 1990s Hugg rejoined former bandmates Paul Jones, Mike Vickers, and Mike d’Abo for a one-time concert tied to a hits compilation. The experience proved rewarding enough to become a continuing part-time venture under the name The Manfreds, whose expanded performances of the original repertoire have kept Hugg active as a keyboard player before audiences worldwide.
Throughout the ensuing decade his activities remained closely tied to Manfred Mann, both inside the band and as a frequent songwriting partner. Outside the group’s own recordings, the pair composed and produced numerous film scores, among them Up the Junction and Venus in Furs, as well as television music and advertising jingles. On his own, Hugg scored a notable success in 1966 when “You’re a Better Man Than I,” written with his brother Brian, became a hit single for the Yardbirds.
After Manfred Mann disbanded in 1969, Mann and Hugg stayed together to create the progressive jazz-rock unit Emanon, later renamed Manfred Mann Chapter III. Their association ended in 1972, after which Hugg recorded the solo albums Somewhere and Stress and Strain for Polydor, switching his primary instrument from drums to keyboards. In 1975 he assembled the quartet Hug, whose lone LP, The Neon Dream, fused funk and progressive rock; he followed it with the short-lived Mike Hugg Freeway, which released only a single in 1976. He also contributed piano and organ to Coulson, Dean, McGinnis, Flint’s Lo and Behold, produced by Mann, and supplied additional music for film and television, including the original theme for the British series Minder.
Early in the 1990s Hugg rejoined former bandmates Paul Jones, Mike Vickers, and Mike d’Abo for a one-time concert tied to a hits compilation. The experience proved rewarding enough to become a continuing part-time venture under the name The Manfreds, whose expanded performances of the original repertoire have kept Hugg active as a keyboard player before audiences worldwide.
Albums
