The Manish Boys (1964–1965) – David Bowie’s Early R&B Band

Who were The Manish Boys?

The Manish Boys were formed without Bowie in Maidstone and relocated to London in 1964. Their manager Leslie Conn, who had already become Bowie’s first manager, introduced Davie Jones to the band after Bowie’s departure from The King Bees. Bowie auditioned for the group on 19 July 1964 and joined them soon afterwards.

Like many London groups of the period, The Manish Boys drew on American rhythm and blues, but their recorded work also showed a noticeable soul-jazz influence, closer in places to Georgie Fame than to raw blues revival.

Key moments (1964–1965)

• 19 July 1964: Bowie auditions for and joins The Manish Boys.
• Late 1964: The band perform on the London club circuit under Leslie Conn’s management.
• 15 January 1965: “I Pity The Fool” and “Take My Tip” are recorded at IBC Studios, Portland Place, London.
• 5 March 1965: Release of the single “I Pity The Fool” / “Take My Tip”.
• March 1965: The band gain television exposure around the time of the single’s release.

The single: “I Pity The Fool” / “Take My Tip”

The A-side, “I Pity The Fool”, is a cover of the 1961 Bobby “Blue” Bland song. It was produced by Shel Talmy, who was then also working with The Who and The Kinks. The session featured Jimmy Page on guitar.

The B-side, “Take My Tip”, is especially important because it was the first Bowie composition to be officially released on record. Although Kenny Miller’s version appeared before The Manish Boys’ release, Bowie’s own recording with the group remains his first issued composition as a writer-performer.

Television and promotion

The single did not chart, but it did bring the group some valuable exposure. Their best-known television appearance was on the BBC’s Gadzooks! It’s All Happening, where publicity focused at least as much on the band’s hair and image as on the music itself. That detail now seems minor, but it already pointed to Bowie’s growing understanding of presentation and media attention.

Band members

The best-documented Bowie-era line-up of The Manish Boys consisted of:

• Davie Jones (David Bowie) — vocals, saxophone
• Johnny Flux — lead guitar
• Paul Rodriguez — tenor saxophone, trumpet
• Woolf Byrne — baritone saxophone
• Bob Solly — keyboards / organ
• John Watson — bass guitar, vocals
• Mick White — drums

This is the line-up most consistently documented for the band’s recording and live work with Bowie.

Unreleased studio recordings

In addition to their released single, The Manish Boys recorded covers of “Hello Stranger” and “Love Is Strange” at Decca with producer Mike Smith. These recordings have remained unreleased, but they are part of the documented studio history of the group.

Why The Manish Boys matter in Bowie’s story

While commercially unsuccessful, The Manish Boys occupy a vital place in Bowie’s artistic evolution. They gave him his first officially released composition, his first work with Shel Talmy, and one of his earliest opportunities to operate within a more professional recording and publicity environment.

Within two months of the single’s release Bowie had moved on to The Lower Third, but the Manish Boys phase remains a key moment: it shows him absorbing styles quickly, pushing toward authorship, and learning how records, managers, producers and image all worked together.

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