John Fraser Mann (September 18, 1962 – November 20, 2019) was a Canadian rock

musician A musician is a person who composes, conducts, or performs music. According to the United States Employment Service, "musician" is a general term used to designate one who follows music as a profession. Musicians include songwriters who wri ...

, songwriter and actor. He was best known as the

frontman The lead vocalist in popular music is typically the member of a group or band whose voice is the most prominent melody in a performance where multiple voices may be heard. The lead singer sets their voice against the accompaniment parts of the ...

of the

folk rock Folk rock is a hybrid music genre that combines the elements of folk and rock music, which arose in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom in the mid-1960s. In the U.S., folk rock emerged from the folk music revival. Performers suc ...

band Spirit of the West.

Early career

Born in

Calgary Calgary ( ) is the largest city in the western Canadian province of Alberta and the largest metro area of the three Prairie Provinces. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806, makin ...

, Alberta, Mann relocated to

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

, British Columbia, to study theatre at Studio 58. He left Studio 58 in 1983 and co-founded the band Spirit of the West. The band released its first

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independ ...

album the following year.

Music

Mann was the lead vocalist of the

band Spirit of the West and the band's co-founder and co-songwriter along with bandmate Geoffrey Kelly. Spirit of the West's music is a mixture of

folk Folk or Folks may refer to: Sociology *Nation *People * Folklore ** Folk art ** Folk dance ** Folk hero ** Folk music *** Folk metal *** Folk punk *** Folk rock ** Folk religion * Folk taxonomy Arts, entertainment, and media * Folk Plus or Fol ...

Alternative rock Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from Popular culture, mainstre ...

and

pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop!, a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Albums * ''Pop'' (G ...

with a

Celtic Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to: Language and ethnicity *pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia **Celts (modern) *Celtic languages **Proto-Celtic language * Celtic music *Celtic nations Sports Fo ...

-influenced sound. The band gained wider popularity with their 1990 major label release ''Save This House''. The album included " Home for a Rest" which became their most recognized song. Co-written by Mann, "Home for a Rest" is a popular drinking song in Canada; it has been called "legendary" and the "ultimate Canadian frosh-week/ wedding-reception anthem" by Marsha Lederman of ''

The Globe and Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of approximately 2 million in 2015, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on weekdays and Saturdays, although it ...

'', an "iconic drinking song" by Alex Cooper of the '' Revelstoke Times Review'', and "Canada’s unofficial national anthem" by Patricia D'Cunha of '' CityNews''. In 2010 the song was also listed by Mike Devlin of the Canwest News Service as one of the "Ten best drinking songs of all time" and was ranked #89 on the ''

National Post The ''National Post'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet newspaper available in several cities in central and western Canada. The paper is the flagship publication of Postmedia Network and is published Mondays through Saturdays, with ...

'' list of "The Top 100 Canadian Singles". Mann also played lead guitar for Spirit of the West until 2013, subsequent to his diagnosis of

early onset Alzheimer's disease Early-onset Alzheimer's disease, also called younger-onset Alzheimer's, is Alzheimer's disease diagnosed before the age of 65. It is an uncommon form of Alzheimer's, accounting for only 5–10% of all Alzheimer's cases. About 60% have a positive ...

. Musician Matthew Harder subsequently joined the band as a replacement guitarist. Spirit of the West planned a

retrospective A retrospective (from Latin ''retrospectare'', "look back"), generally, is a look back at events that took place, or works that were produced, in the past. As a noun, ''retrospective'' has specific meanings in medicine, software development, popu ...

tour in the fall of 2015. Weeks after the announcement, Mann performed a concert featuring both his solo material and Spirit of the West, which was broadcast by

CBC Television CBC Television (also known as CBC TV) is a Canadian English-language broadcast television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcaster. The network began operations on September 6, 1952. Its French-l ...

's ''

Absolutely Canadian ''Absolutely Canadian'' is a Canadian documentary television series. Formerly a weekday news series on CBC Newsworld, it currently airs as a weekly series on CBC Television. Newsworld In its CBC Newsworld era, the program aired news reports on ...

'' in July 2015 as "John Mann Here and Now"."Spirit of the West's John Mann debuts special concert film"

CBC News CBC News is a division of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation responsible for the news gathering and production of news programs on the corporation's English-language operations, namely CBC Television, CBC Radio, CBC News Network, and CBC.ca. ...

, July 4, 2015. Mann also released three solo albums: ''

Acoustic Kitty Acoustic Kitty was a Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) project launched by their Directorate of Science & Technology in the 1960s, which intended to use cats to spy on the Kremlin and Soviet embassies. In an hour-long procedure, a veterinary su ...

'', '' December Looms'' and '' The Waiting Room''. ''The Waiting Room'' deals with the topic of Mann's battle with

colorectal cancer Colorectal cancer (CRC), also known as bowel cancer, colon cancer, or rectal cancer, is the development of cancer from the colon or rectum (parts of the large intestine). Signs and symptoms may include blood in the stool, a change in bowel m ...

, and was adapted into a theatrical work by

Morris Panych Morris Stephen Panych (born 30 June 1952) is a Canadian playwright, director and actor. Early life Panych was born in Calgary, Alberta and grew up in Edmonton, Alberta. He studied at Northern Alberta Institute of Technology, and the Univers ...

which was produced by Vancouver's

Arts Club Theatre Company The Arts Club Theatre Company is a Canadian professional theatre company in Vancouver, British Columbia, founded in 1958. It is the largest urban not-for-profit theatre company in the country and the largest in Western Canada, with productions tak ...

in 2015."Morris Panych and John Mann's The Waiting Room a labour of love"
'' The Georgia Straight'', October 7, 2015. Although Mann was initially slated to play the lead role, due to his health he did not do so, although he performed the songs from the album as part of the show. During his solo shows, Mann continued to play guitar, but also employed an accompanist. In addition to Spirit of the West and his solo albums, Mann appeared as a guest musician on recordings by Mae Moore, The Waltons,

James Keelaghan James Keelaghan (born October 28, 1959) is a Canadian folk singer-songwriter. Born in Calgary, Alberta, Keelaghan is now based in Perth, Ontario. Many of the lyrics in his songs display a concern about social problems and justice in society. E ...

and

Paul Hyde Paul Reginald Nelson (born 21 May 1955), known by the stage name Paul Hyde, is a British-born Canadian singer-songwriter. He co-founded the rock band Payola$ with Bob Rock, serving as the band's main lyricist and vocalist. He later performed and ...

Acting

Television

Mann studied theatre at Studio 58 in Vancouver, but he put his acting career on hold when he joined Spirit of the West in 1983. Mann returned to acting in the 1998 when a

high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

friend, who was working as a talent agent, asked if he wanted to audition for the TV series ''

Millennium A millennium (plural millennia or millenniums) is a period of one thousand years, sometimes called a kiloannum (ka), or kiloyear (ky). Normally, the word is used specifically for periods of a thousand years that begin at the starting point (ini ...

''; he appeared in the episode ''Millennium'' episode "Via Dolorosa" that aired in May 1999. Mann went on to appear on several television shows as a guest actor, including '' Cold Squad'', '' Dark Angel'', '' Stargate SG-1'', ''

Battlestar Galactica ''Battlestar Galactica'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Glen A. Larson. The franchise began with the Battlestar Galactica (1978 TV series), original television series in 1978, and was followed by a short-run sequel se ...

'', ''

Smallville ''Smallville'' is an American superhero television series developed by writer-producers Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, based on the DC Comics character Superman created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. The series was produced by Millar Gough ...

'' and '' Da Vinci's Inquest''. He also played recurring characters in the series '' Whistler'', ''

Haunted Haunted or The Haunted may refer to: Books * ''Haunted'' (Armstrong novel), by Kelley Armstrong, 2005 * ''Haunted'' (Cabot novel), by Meg Cabot, 2004 * ''Haunted'' (Palahniuk novel), by Chuck Palahniuk, 2005 * ''Haunted'' (Angel novel), a 200 ...

'', '' Blood Ties'' and ''

Intelligence Intelligence has been defined in many ways: the capacity for abstraction, logic, understanding, self-awareness, learning, emotional knowledge, reasoning, planning, creativity, critical thinking, and problem-solving. More generally, it can b ...

''.

Film

Mann played dual roles in the 2001 film '' Turbulence 3: Heavy Metal''. In the film he portrayed the character Slade Craven—a goth rocker reminiscent of

Marilyn Manson Brian Hugh Warner (born January 5, 1969), known professionally as Marilyn Manson, is an American rock musician. He came to prominence as the lead singer of the band which shares his name, of which he remains the only constant member since it ...

who stages a concert in a 747—and Simon Flanders—a passenger of the flight who is a Satanic fan planning to crash the plane in Eastern

Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the ...

while disguised as Craven. Mann also had minor roles in such films as '' The Chronicles of Riddick'' (2004), '' Reefer Madness'' (2005), '' Underworld: Evolution'' (2006) and '' The Tall Man'' (2012).

Theatre

His theatre credits include '' Of Mice and Men'' at The Vancouver Playhouse, '' The Three Penny Opera'' with Vancouver Opera, ''Joni Mitchell: River'' at The Vancouver Playhouse, and ''

Miss Saigon ''Miss Saigon'' is a stage musical by Claude-Michel Schönberg and Alain Boublil, with lyrics by Boublil and Richard Maltby Jr. It is based on Giacomo Puccini's 1904 opera ''Madame Butterfly'', and similarly tells the tragic tale of a doomed rom ...

'' at The Arts Club Stanley Theatre in the role of The Engineer—a role that earned him a

Jessie Award The Jessie Richardson Theatre Award (commonly known as the Jessie Awards) is given to recognize achievement in professional theatre in Vancouver, British Columbia. The Jessies are presented by the Jessie Richardson Theatre Award Society, at an annu ...

nomination for Best Actor. In 2010 he starred in the rock musical ''

Beyond Eden :''Beyond Eden is also the title of a science fiction novel by David Duncan (writer).'' ''Beyond Eden'' is a musical written by Bruce Ruddell with music by Bruce Ruddell and Bill Henderson.Vancouver Playhouse Theatre Company and Theatre Calgary.

Personal life

Mann was married to actress and playwright Jill Daum. The couple have two children, son Harlan and daughter Hattie. Their children use the blended surname Daumann."Writing a play about a family facing Alzheimer's helped Jill Daum cope with her reality"
''

Vancouver Sun The ''Vancouver Sun'', also known as the ''Sun'', is a daily broadsheet newspaper based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The newspaper is currently published by the Pacific Newspaper Group, a division of Postmedia Network. Published s ...

'', February 20, 2018. Harlan Daumann is also a musician, whose song "By Tomorrow" was recorded by Mann on his solo album ''December Looms''. Prior to marrying Daum, he was romantically linked with

Jean Smith Jean Isabel Smith (born 1959) is a Canadian writer, painter and the lead singer of the Vancouver band Mecca Normal. Career Music Smith co-founded Mecca Normal with bandmate David Lester in 1981, while the two were working together at a Vancouv ...

of the band Mecca Normal, who was revealed in the 2001 book '' Have Not Been the Same: The Can-Rock Renaissance 1985-1995'' as the inspiration behind one of Spirit of the West's best-known hit singles, "

Political Politics (from , ) is the set of activities that are associated with making decisions in groups, or other forms of power relations among individuals, such as the distribution of resources or status. The branch of social science that studies ...

".Michael Barclay, Ian A.D. Jack and Jason Schneider, '' Have Not Been the Same: The Can-Rock Renaissance 1985-1995''.

ECW Press ECW Press is a Canadian book publisher located in Toronto, Ontario. It was founded by Jack David and Robert Lecker in 1974 as a Canadian literary magazine named ''Essays on Canadian Writing''. They started publishing trade and scholarly book ...

. .

Illness and death

In 2009 Mann was diagnosed with colorectal cancer which he overcame in 2010, and by 2011 he had made a full recovery. In September 2014, Mann announced that he had been diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's disease. Mann said he had noted memory issues during his acting performances as far back as 2001 and he later experienced issues with remembering lyrics and guitar chords during his musical performances. He had noted also his issues with dementia while being treated for cancer, but his doctors considered the problems to be related to the stress and strain of battling cancer. In an official statement posted to Spirit of the West's official website, Daum stated: "Although we may never know what triggered John's condition, it seems safe to conclude that his battle with cancer in 2010 was a contributor." Weeks after the announcement, Mann performed a concert featuring his solo material and that of Spirit of the West, which was broadcast by

's ''

'' in July 2015 as "John Mann Here and Now". At the time, Mann planned to continue touring and performing with Spirit of the West as long as he remained able to do so. The band later announced that it would perform its final concert in April 2016. Mann continued to perform occasional small-scale solo shows, including an appearance at a fundraiser for Alzheimer's charities in June 2016. Mann underwent a stem cell procedure in hopes of helping his Alzheimer's. An online fundraiser in December 2015 quickly amassed more than $55,000, for the procedure. The procedure took place at a clinic in Mexico because the therapy had not been approved in Canada. In 2015 filmmaker

Pete McCormack Pete McCormack (born January 27, 1965) is a Canadian author, filmmaker, screenwriter and musician. He is best known for directing the Academy Award short-listed documentary Facing Ali and the Leacock Award-nominated novel Understanding Ken. He i ...

filmed the documentary ''

Spirit Unforgettable ''Spirit Unforgettable'' is a Canadian documentary film, which premiered at the Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival in 2016.Norman Wilner"Spirit Unforgettable" ''NOW'', April 26, 2016. Directed by Pete McCormack,

'' that documented Mann as he dealt with the early onset of the disease and his preparation for Spirit of the West's concert at Massey Hall. The film was screened at the

Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival The Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival is the largest documentary festival in North America. The event takes place annually in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The 27th edition of the festival took place online throughout May and June ...

in April 2016, and aired on HBO Canada later in the year. Mann wrote a few solo songs following his diagnosis, including one for ''Spirit Unforgettable'' and two for Daum's Alzheimer-related theatrical play ''Forget About Tomorrow''. Following his diagnosis, musicians in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

staged an annual benefit concert, consisting of Spirit of the West songs and other favourite songs of Mann's, to raise money for Alzheimer's research. Performers at the 2017 "Spirit of John" event included Steven Page, Danny Michel,

Andy Maize Skydiggers are a Canadian roots rock band from Toronto formed by Andy Maize and Josh Finlayson. Since 1990, they have released 19 albums/EPs and have had a number of singles that have appeared on the Canadian charts. Their most successful album i ...

and

Josh Finlayson Skydiggers are a Canadian roots rock band from Toronto formed by Andy Maize and Josh Finlayson. Since 1990, they have released 19 albums/EPs and have had a number of singles that have appeared on the Canadian charts. Their most successful album i ...

of Skydiggers, Tom Wilson, Martin Tielli, Kevin Kane, Danny Greaves, Justin Rutledge and Damhnait Doyle. A similar show in 2019 included Greaves, Maize, Finlayson, Doyle, Kane,

Royal Wood Royal Wood is a Juno-nominated Canadian musician and record producer based in Toronto, Ontario. To date, he has released eight studio albums, three EPs, and one live record. Biography Early life Wood was born John Royal Wood Nicholson and raise ...

Andrew Cash Andrew Cash (born January 22, 1962) is a Canadian singer-songwriter and former politician who was the member of Parliament (MP) for the Toronto-area riding of Davenport from 2011 to 2015. A member of the New Democratic Party (NDP), Cash grew ...

, Jim Cuddy,

Dayna Manning Dayna Manning (born April 27, 1978, in Stratford, Ontario) is a Canadian folk and pop singer-songwriter, as well as a producer and sound engineer. As a teenager she released her first album, ''Volume 1,'' on EMI and Nettwerk, with featured music ...

and

Chris Tait Chris Tait is a Canadian singer–songwriter and producer, best known as the lead singer and guitarist for the rock band Chalk Circle and later the group Big Faith. Music career Chalk Circle Tait grew up in Newcastle, Ontario and his first ban ...

. In 2017, friends and colleagues organized a similar concert in

on November 19 at the Commodore Ballroom, with a lineup including Spirit of the West,

Odds Odds provide a measure of the likelihood of a particular outcome. They are calculated as the ratio of the number of events that produce that outcome to the number that do not. Odds are commonly used in gambling and statistics. Odds also have ...

, Barney Bentall, Dustin Bentall, Jim Byrnes, Kendel Carson, Jim Cuddy,

Alan Doyle Alan Thomas Doyle (born May 17, 1969) is a Canadian musician and actor, best known as the lead singer of the Canadian folk rock band Great Big Sea. Life and career Alan Doyle was born and raised in Petty Harbour, Newfoundland, in a Roman Cath ...

, Colin James, Sarah McLachlan,

Ed Robertson Lloyd Edward Elwyn Robertson (born October 25, 1970) is a Canadian musician, best known as the lead singer, guitarist, and songwriter of the band Barenaked Ladies. He, along with former member Steven Page, founded the group in 1988. As of Page's ...

Shari Ulrich Sharon "Shari" Ulrich (born 17 October 1951) is a Canadian/American musician and songwriter. She has also worked as a television host, actress, film composer, and educator. A multi-instrumentalist, she plays Violin, Mandolin, guitar, piano, and D ...

and Spirit: The Next Generation, an act consisting of the band members' children. Before the Vancouver show, the performing musicians participated in a group recording of the band's signature song " Home for a Rest" as a tribute to Mann. In 2018, Vancouver's Off the Rail Brewing Company introduced The Spirit Lifter, a limited edition pilsner, to raise funds for Mann's medical costs. Mann died in Vancouver on November 20, 2019, at age 57.Lederman, Marsha (November 20, 2019).
Spirit of the West singer John Mann dies at 57
, ''

''. Retrieved November 21, 2019.

Discography

*''

'' (2002) *'' December Looms'' (2007) *'' The Waiting Room'' (2014)

References

External links

John Mann
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Mann, John 1962 births 2019 deaths 20th-century Canadian male actors 20th-century Canadian male singers 21st-century Canadian male actors 21st-century Canadian male singers Canadian folk rock musicians Canadian folk singer-songwriters Canadian male film actors Canadian male musical theatre actors Canadian male singer-songwriters Canadian male stage actors Canadian male television actors Canadian rock singers Deaths from Alzheimer's disease Neurological disease deaths in British Columbia Male actors from Calgary Male actors from Vancouver Members of the Order of British Columbia Musicians from Calgary Musicians from Vancouver Spirit of the West members Studio 58 people