Barbara Manning
| Barbara Manning | |
|---|---|
Barbara Manning in San Francisco, 1994
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| Background information | |
| Born |
December 12, 1964 San Diego, California, United States |
| Genres | Indie rock, indie pop, lo fi, folk rock |
| Occupation(s) | Singer-songwriter Science teacher |
| Instruments | Vocals, guitar |
| Years active | 1984–present |
| Labels | (selected) Heyday, Matador, Innerstate |
| Associated acts | 28th Day World of Pooh SF Seals The Go-Luckys! |
| Website | Barbara Manning |
Barbara Manning (born December 12, 1964) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist whose albums blend elements of rock, folk, pop and proto-punk. She's also known for her cover versions of often obscure pop songs. In addition to an acclaimed solo career, Manning has been active in a number of bands, including 28th Day (with Cole Marquis), World of Pooh, SF Seals, and The Go-Luckys!.
Manning's parents met in high school but split up when she and her younger sister Terri were young. Her mom moved the girls to the Sierra Foothills, settling in a cabin without running water or electricity to live near a religious commune. Manning's early exposure to popular music came from her parents and their friends, who listened to The Beatles, Country Joe & the Fish, The Carpenters, The Moody Blues, Odetta, and Elton John. Manning bought her first guitar at age 14 and, inspired by The Bee Gees, began playing and practicing harmonies with her sister.
While attending Chico State University in 1983, Manning played bass with guitarist/singer Cole Marquis and drummer Michael Cloward in the jangle-pop band 28th Day. They released a self-titled EP on the Enigma label. This was the only recording from the band before it split up in 1986, when Manning moved to San Francisco, but two expanded editions with outtakes and live recordings were re-released in 1992 and 2003.
28th Day's EP was produced by Russ Tolman, singer-songwriter of True West. At the time of the band's breakup, Tolman and musician/writer Pat Thomas had formed their independent label Innerstate which would go on to release more Manning recordings in the coming years, including the 28th Day - The Complete Recordings 2003 reissue. A Pitchfork review of this 20-song collection praised the timelessness of the 80s band, saying "...this stuff still sounds as beautiful and rich and satisfying as it ever did. Anthems of heartbreak, odes to inarticulatable sadness, paeans to the dead! Sandy Denny could have sung most of these tunes without breaking a Brit-folk sweat."
In 1986 Manning joined singer-songwriter and bassist Brandan F. Kearney's band World of Pooh. They released their only album The Land of Thirst on the Kearney's Nuf Said label in 1989 (now out of print). Manning's own songs included "Scissors" and "Somewhere Soon;" both would be rerecorded for her upcoming solo album. She also shared some songwriting credits with Kearney.
Manning made her first solo album, Lately I Keep Scissors, recorded quickly in 1986 as an 8-track demo, which would eventually be released on Thomas' San Francisco label, Heyday in 1988. Terri Manning recorded some backing vocals and local musician friends pitched in, including drummer/singer Melanie Clarin, who would become a longtime collaborator on future projects. The songs ranged from personal laments to jagged folk-rock and pop, including "Every Pretty Girl," "Scissors," (with a percussive scissors track) and "Mark E. Smith & Brix," which referred to The Fall lead singer-songwriter and his former wife.Trouser Press praised Manning's song-craft, saying her solo work "reveal[s] a songwriter of tremendous lyrical power and breadth of sonic vision."
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