Biography
The Manish Boys represented the second ensemble with which David Jones—later known as David Bowie—cut any tracks, following his stint alongside Davie Jones & the King Bees. Formed independently in Maidstone, the group relocated to London during 1964 and engaged Leslie Conn as its agent; Conn, already serving as Bowie’s initial manager, placed the singer with the band after his departure from the King Bees that summer. The Manish Boys, again like the King Bees and scores of other London outfits, specialized in R&B and drew their name from a Muddy Waters number in the same manner as the Rolling Stones.
Only one single emerged from the lineup: the March 1965 release coupling “I Pity the Fool” with “Take My Tip.” Shel Talmy, then also overseeing sessions for the Kinks and the Who, produced the record, which advanced beyond the guitar-driven, Rolling Stones-flavored R&B heard on Davie Jones & the King Bees’ 1964 single toward a soul-jazz approach modeled on Georgie Fame. The A-side offered a reading of the Bobby Bland standard, while “Take My Tip,” Bowie’s first composition to reach vinyl, foregrounded the jazz leanings; Jimmy Page contributed guitar as a session musician. Though the performances proved engaging, they lacked distinction, and the Manish Boys disbanded soon afterward. During their brief existence the group secured a slot on a package tour alongside Gerry & the Pacemakers, the Kinks, and Marianne Faithfull, yet their lone BBC television appearance stemmed from the era’s debate over their unusually long hair rather than from any musical recognition.
Bowie subsequently entered the Lower Third and, by 1966, had turned toward solo work. Both sides of the single later resurfaced on the Rhino anthology Early On (1964-1966). The Manish Boys additionally taped versions of Barbara Lewis’ “Hello Stranger” and Mickey & Sylvia’s “Love Is Strange” at Decca under Mike Smith’s direction, though those recordings remain unreleased.
Only one single emerged from the lineup: the March 1965 release coupling “I Pity the Fool” with “Take My Tip.” Shel Talmy, then also overseeing sessions for the Kinks and the Who, produced the record, which advanced beyond the guitar-driven, Rolling Stones-flavored R&B heard on Davie Jones & the King Bees’ 1964 single toward a soul-jazz approach modeled on Georgie Fame. The A-side offered a reading of the Bobby Bland standard, while “Take My Tip,” Bowie’s first composition to reach vinyl, foregrounded the jazz leanings; Jimmy Page contributed guitar as a session musician. Though the performances proved engaging, they lacked distinction, and the Manish Boys disbanded soon afterward. During their brief existence the group secured a slot on a package tour alongside Gerry & the Pacemakers, the Kinks, and Marianne Faithfull, yet their lone BBC television appearance stemmed from the era’s debate over their unusually long hair rather than from any musical recognition.
Bowie subsequently entered the Lower Third and, by 1966, had turned toward solo work. Both sides of the single later resurfaced on the Rhino anthology Early On (1964-1966). The Manish Boys additionally taped versions of Barbara Lewis’ “Hello Stranger” and Mickey & Sylvia’s “Love Is Strange” at Decca under Mike Smith’s direction, though those recordings remain unreleased.