By Luke Voogt
He might be an Australian blues legend, but Phil Manning still loves performing at a “quirky, little venue”.
“It’s very nice doing the intimate shows,” he said.
“There’s something special about doing a show when the audience is within a few feet. You can really communicate with them and you get a really good rapport.”
Still making music, the 68-year-old said he would have a couple of new songs to perform at Ocean Grove tonight.
It’s been five years since his last album, but Manning has wound back his live performing to give himself time to write, with a new album on the way.
“As you get older you tend to change your priorities a bit. My writing style has changed a lot over the years,” he said.
It’s almost impossible to talk about blues in Australia without mentioning Manning.
A founding member of blues group Chain, he has long been regarded as one of Australia’s greatest blues guitarists.
Chain are the only blues band to have an Australian number one with their hit Black’n’Blue. They also had a number two with ’Judgment’ and their album ’Toward The Blues’ went double gold in1971.
Chain are also the only band to have blues music awards named after them – the Australian Blues Music “Chain“ Awards, at the Australian Blues Music Festival in Goulburn each February.
Manning is also a renowned solo performer, and has continued to headline acts and play at festivals with Australian blues stalwarts.
He will appear at The Piping Hot Chicken Shop with support from Aussie blues duo Dog Gone South. Featuring Dave Dorman on guitar and vocals, and Eddie Boyle on harmonica, the busy duo clocks up around 120 gigs annually.
