The Mighty Manatees
The Mighty Manatees is an American band based in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. Throughout a career spanning four decades, the band has performed in a wide range of styles including blues, reggae, country, folk, ska, funk, zydeco and rock 'n roll -- distilled into a genre described as Dreadneck, a term not easily defined.[1] They have formerly been known by a variety of other stage names, including The Manatees, The Mighty Manatees Medicine Show,[2] and Los Manatees.
The Mighty Manatees | |
|---|---|
| Years active | 1985–present |
| Labels | Fuzztone Records, Shady Egyptian Records, Hungadunga Records, JefDam Records, Shoreline, Lakestone Records, Ronkle Records, DeCarlo Records, Flexitone Records |
| Associated acts | Big-Eyed Beans From Venus, One Life, Shana Morrison, The Wailers, America, David Amram, Commander Cody, Spin Doctors, Richard Hell, The Radiators, U2, Nigel Hall, Lettuce |
| Website | www.themightymanatees.com |
| Members | Ranger Will Joe "Jo-Zo" Rizzo Karl "K-Jo" Frick Tim Hooper Jim Hines |
| Past members | Many of the players on this list still play with The Mighty Manatees on occasion: Ray Adkins Rev. Tom "Bebop" Brunner Ted "The Fiddler" Wilby Roy Truax Myles Rothwell Andrew "Dr. Drew" Geltzer Jim "Grandpa" Cavanaugh Jim Sergovic Eric Allal Andy Vernon Ritchie DeCarlo Tim Campbell Jeff "Blondy" Von Stenz Harold Watkins Bobby Michaels Ras Michael Sheffer Kathleen Weber Nancy Josephson Jim Verduer Tom Mussleman Chris Delsordo Brian Herder Waler Tates Jr. Jason Crosby Brett Hass Randy Wagner Aaron DeAngelo Terry DeAngelo Roy Bell John Bian |
History
Between 1985 and 1990 the group was named simply The Manatees, and its first show was on October 31 (Halloween), 1985. At the time, the band was a duo, consisting of Will Hodgson (formerly of One Life & Big-Eyed Beans From Venus)[3] and Ray Adkins, which relied on drum machines and sequencers. During this time, they released two live cassettes and two videos, including the cult classic Manatees In Manhattan.
In 1990 bass player Roy Truax and drummer Myles Rothwell were added to the line-up. The following year, the studio album High Water was released.
In 1992 Truax left the band and was replaced by Rothwell's cousin Randy Wagner.
In 1993 Adkins left the band and Hodgson effectively took over. From then on, the group, renamed The Mighty Manatees, became a de facto musical co-operative which employed a steady stream of various musicians coming and going.
In January 2000, Karl Frick joined the band playing Hammond Organ and Wurlitzer electric piano.
On September 11, 2002 the band played alongside G.L. Brackett, an English professor and musician, in a tribute to those who died in the September 11 attacks.[4]
In January 2007 Jim Cavanaugh, previously of Wanderlust, became the drummer for The Mighty Manatees.
In September 2011 Andrew Geltzer became the keyboard player and Karl Frick switched from Hammond/Wurlitzer to bass, replacing Randy Wagner.
In 2012 Jim Cavanaugh and Will Hodgson played in Belfast and Dublin, backing up Shana Morrison opening for father Van Morrison.[5]
In 2014 Tim Hooper replaced Andrew Geltzer on keyboards.
In 2015 Jim Hines (formerly Brian Wilson's drummer) replaced Jim Cavanaugh.
Discography
- 1988 [Cassette] Manatees - Live
- 1989 [Cassette] History Of The Manatees Vol. One
- 1991 High Water
- 1991 The Shoreline Sampler Vol. One (Compilation)
- 1992 The Mighty Manatees - Whiskey Joe's
- 1996 South Paw[6]
- 1996 Live Medicine[7]
- 1996 'Tees In The Keys
- 2002 All Heaven Broke
- 2002 Manatee Masquerade
- 2003 Go Forward (Compilation)
- 2003 Good Friday Tracks - La Banda Grande
- 2004 Tall Pines (acoustic)
- 2006 No "L" (Christmas compilation)
- 2008 The Mighty Manatees
- 2009 The Mighty Manatees Live!
- 2013 Medicine Show
Video Releases
- 1989 Manatees In Manhattan (60min)
- 1990 Save This (30 min)
References
- "Local Music Spotlight: The Mighty Manatees rock Pinnacle Ridge Winery". Reading Eagle. 2019-06-20. Retrieved 2019-07-12.
- Colby, Paul (2002), The Bitter End: Hanging Out at America's Nightclub, Cooper Square Press, p. 207, ISBN 978-0-8154-1206-9
- "Ranger Will - Singer Songwriter". rangerwill.com. Retrieved 2019-07-12.
- Gonzales, Misty (2002-09-25), "English professor rocks on to benefit 9/11", The Pace Press, retrieved 2009-09-20
- Gary, Puleo (2012-02-12), "Local duo opens for Van Morrison", The Times Herald, retrieved 2015-12-02
- "Bloggerhythms: Buried Treasure: Will Hodgson - Southpaw (1996)". Bloggerhythms. 2018-02-05. Retrieved 2019-07-12.
- "Grateful Dead Family Discography: Live Medicine". www.deaddisc.com. Retrieved 2019-07-12.