Phil Manning

As part of our commitment to capturing and sharing great Australian music stories, the Australian Music Vault asked some of the country’s most influential trailblazers and unsung heroes to open up about their lives in music.

Iconic singer-songwriter and virtuoso guitarist Phil Manning has been at the forefront of the Australian blues scene for almost 60 years. He is an original and continuing member of Chain, one of Australia’s most influential progressive blues-rock bands, whose recordings and live appearances at clubs and festivals across the country inspired an entire generation of blues musicians. Chain rose to fame with their No. 1 hit song ‘Black and Blue’ (1971) guided by industry legend Michael Gudinski in his debut outing as a band manager.

Phil Manning released I Wish There Was A Way, the first of 14 solo albums in 1974. In subsequent years he has performed with various reformed Chain line-ups as well as with musical contemporaries Jim Keays and Matt Taylor, reflecting his passion for this multidimensional genre and its dedicated audiences.

Phil Manning was awarded the Victorian Blues Legend Award at the Victorian Blues Hall of Fame in 2020.

In this interview, Phil Manning discusses some of Michael Gudinski’s unorthodox methods for promoting Chain, the exceptional voice of their former frontwoman and jazz legend Wendy Saddington, and the unique ‘Phil Manning Custom Stereo’ crafted by Maton Guitars.

Interviewer: Jenny O’Meara

Location: Melbourne Room, Arts Centre Melbourne, 2017