Driveway: Artist of the Week
There are artists who blend genres, and then there’s Harry Manx—a musician who spent five years sitting at the feet of a master in Rajasthan, learning an instrument most Westerners had never heard of, all to forge a sound that defies easy categorization.
The Journey to Mysticsippi
Born on the Isle of Man in 1955 and raised in Canada, Manx’s journey through Europe, Japan, India, and Brazil reads less like a résumé and more like a spiritual pilgrimage. What emerged from those wanderings is “Mysticsippi”—a term coined to describe his intoxicating fusion of Mississippi Delta blues and Indian classical ragas.
Five Years in Rajasthan
At the heart of Manx’s singular sound is the Mohan veena, a 20-stringed Indian slide guitar invented by his teacher, Vishwa Mohan Bhatt (who won a Grammy with Ry Cooder). After hearing a recording of Bhatt while living in Japan in 1990, Manx was so captivated he uprooted his touring life and moved to India, submitting to nearly five years of rigorous training. The decision was as audacious as it was transformative. As one ABC feature put it, the commitment “takes some explaining”—but the music speaks for itself.
Emblematic Tracks and Albums
Manx’s discography is a masterclass in restraint and soul. His 2001 debut, Dog My Cat, was recorded in a single 11-hour studio session with minimal overdubs—just Manx, his instruments, and the ineffable space between notes. The album features sparse, meditative originals like “Lay Down My Worries” and “Bring That Thing,” alongside reimagined blues standards such as Muddy Waters’ “Can’t Be Satisfied,” which one reviewer described as finally fulfilling “the promise of Ganges Delta blues”. Two instrumental ragas on the album underscore Manx’s deep connection to his years in India, imbuing the form with what critics called “a soulful depth that somehow has nothing and everything to do with the blues”.
Other career-defining tracks include “True to Yourself” and the instrumental “The Unspoken Quest” from West Eats Meet (2004), and “Dew on Roses” and “Your Eyes Have Seen” from Bread and Buddha (2009)—the latter earning him a Juno nomination for Best Blues Album. His collaborative work with guitarist Kevin Breit, captured in the retrospective Fifty Fifty: The Life and Times of Harry Manx and Kevin Breit (2022), showcases tracks like “I’m On Fire,” “Death Have Mercy,” and the playful instrumental “Raga Gujari-Todi”.
Awards and Recognition
The accolades tell part of the story: seven Maple Blues Awards (including multiple wins for Acoustic Act of the Year), six Juno nominations, the 2005 Canadian Folk Music Award for Best Solo Artist, and CBC Radio’s “Great Canadian Blues Award” in 2007. But perhaps the most telling endorsement comes from Bruce Springsteen, who after watching Manx perform, simply said: “I feel like I learned something new”.
In Conversation with Driveway
Ahead of his February 6th performance at The Street Theatre, Harry Manx sat down with ArtSound’s Driveway presenters Paul Marsh and Joanne Craigie for a wide-ranging conversation about the two musical traditions that define his work.
“I had a really strong pull towards the blues when I was a young man,” Manx explains, recalling his years as a sound man in blues clubs where he witnessed legendary artists up close. “But later in life, I found out that Indian music was a big attraction for me. I can’t really say why, but I went there and I studied, and so in the end, I kind of had those two very strong influences, and they kind of got together in my head and formed some weird new styles of music”.
The conversation explores how time itself feels different across these traditions. “Indian music is very in the moment,” Manx notes, describing how ragas naturally speed up and slow down, with musicians starting without formal stops, even tuning as part of the performance. Blues, by contrast, offers what he calls an “infectious rhythm”—the kind that makes audiences tap their feet and nod their heads involuntarily. Both styles, he emphasizes, are “deeply rhythmic,” but they approach time and space in fundamentally different ways.
Manx also discusses his recent work with Australian musicians, including keyboardist Mick Albeck, drummer Sam McNair, and bassist Lachie—artists who’ve played with Jimmy Barnes and other Australian legends. “When you work with these guys that are great players, you hardly rehearse,” he says with evident satisfaction. The tour includes both solo performances and band configurations, offering Australian audiences the full spectrum of his sound.
For those curious about his eclectic instrument collection, Manx reveals he’s incorporated the ektar—a one-stringed Rajasthani instrument he describes as essentially “a gourd on a stick”—into his recent recordings. It’s another example of his willingness to let curiosity lead his creative process.
🎧 Listen to the full interview:
The Harry Zone
Little-known fact: Manx releases his music on his own independent label, Dog My Cat Records—named after that groundbreaking debut album. The man who spent a decade busking on street corners and playing bars across continents now controls his own artistic destiny, a fittingly independent move for someone who once traveled halfway around the world to learn an instrument most people couldn’t name.
On Friday, February 6th, Manx brings his hypnotic live show to The Street Theatre. Expect wistful folk ballads, gritty slide guitar grooves, and those transcendent raga moments that remind you music has always been a borderless conversation. He’s bringing half a dozen new songs alongside beloved classics, offering a glimpse of the album currently taking shape. As Manx himself says of Dog My Cat: “This CD is about the depth and truth of the blues, the transcendence of the raga. Some of the songs hint at the unspeakable, the rest are deep-rooted in the earth”.
Learn more: harrymanx.com | @HarryManx
Tune in all week to hear Harry Manx across ArtSound FM. Welcome to the Harry Zone.
