Roger Joseph Manning Jr. (born May 27, 1966) is an American keyboardist, singer, and songwriter who co-founded the bands

Jellyfish Jellyfish and sea jellies are the informal common names given to the medusa-phase of certain gelatinous members of the subphylum Medusozoa, a major part of the phylum Cnidaria. Jellyfish are mainly free-swimming marine animals with umbrella- ...

the Moog Cookbook The Moog Cookbook was an American electronic duo consisting of Meco Eno (Roger Manning) and Uli Nomi (Brian Kehew). The project was a parody of and tribute to the novelty Moog records of the late 1960s and early 1970s, which featured cover vers ...

, and

Imperial Drag Imperial Drag was an American rock band active from 1994 to 1997. The group, formed after the breakup of Jellyfish, released one album and scored one hit single in the U.S. before disbanding. History Imperial Drag formed in 1994 after keyboardi ...

. He has also spent several years as a member of

Beck Beck David Hansen (born Bek David Campbell; July 8, 1970) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He rose to fame in the early 1990s with his Experimental music, experimental and Lo-fi music, lo-fi style, and became ...

's backing band, contributed to several recordings by the band

Air The atmosphere of Earth is the layer of gases, known collectively as air, retained by Earth's gravity that surrounds the planet and forms its planetary atmosphere. The atmosphere of Earth protects life on Earth by creating pressure allowing for ...

, and toured or recorded with acts such as

Jay-Z Shawn Corey Carter (born December 4, 1969), known professionally as Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and founder of Manhattan-based conglomerate talent and entertainment agency Roc Nation. He is regarded as one of ...

Blink 182 Blink-182 (stylized as blink-182) is an American rock band formed in Poway, California in 1992. Their current lineup consists of bassist/vocalist Mark Hoppus, guitarist/vocalist Tom DeLonge, and drummer Travis Barker. Though their sound has ...

, and

Johnny Cash John R. Cash (born J. R. Cash; February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003) was an American country singer-songwriter. Much of Cash's music contained themes of sorrow, moral tribulation, and redemption, especially in the later stages of his ca ...

. In 2005, he released his first solo record, ''

Solid State Warrior ''Solid State Warrior'' is the debut solo record by American musician Roger Joseph Manning, Jr., released on March 5, 2005 through the (now defunct) Weedshare music distribution service. In 2006, the album was rereleased internationally under th ...

'', followed with ''

Robo-Sapiens ''Robo-Sapiens'' is the debut album by Malibu, the electronica/remix project of Roger Joseph Manning Jr., released in Japan only on April 18, 2007 by Pony Canyon. The album was subsequently released outside Japan with a revised track listing o ...

'' (as "Mailibu", 2007), ''

Catnip Dynamite ''Catnip Dynamite'' is the second solo album by Jellyfish co-founder Roger Joseph Manning, Jr., released in Japan on March 19, 2008. ''Catnip Dynamite'' was released outside Japan by Oglio Records on February 3, 2009.Roger Manning Roger Manning is a New York City based singer-songwriter who plays an aggressive acoustic style of music. Manning, along with a small handful of other artists, composed the original New York City anti-folk scene. On February 6, 1985, Manning w ...

Early life

Roger Joseph Manning Jr. was born May 27, 1966, the first child of Roger Manning, a businessman for Monroe Calculators, and Jane DeLara, a schoolteacher. He has two brothers: Chris (born October 6, 1968) and Tim (born September 10, 1970). The family later moved from

Valencia, California Valencia is an unincorporated community in northwestern Los Angeles County, California. This area, with major commercial and industrial parks, straddles State Route 126 and the Santa Clara River. Development projects continue to be built in ...

Pleasanton Pleasanton may refer to: Places * Pleasanton, California * Pleasanton, Iowa * Pleasanton, Kansas * Pleasanton, Nebraska * Pleasanton, New Mexico * Pleasanton, Ohio * Pleasanton, Texas * Pleasanton Township, Michigan Other * Pleasanton High School ...

. As a child, Roger was enamored with

ragtime Ragtime, also spelled rag-time or rag time, is a musical style that flourished from the 1890s to 1910s. Its cardinal trait is its syncopated or "ragged" rhythm. Ragtime was popularized during the early 20th century by composers such as Scott ...

music and took piano lessons; later he taught himself to play the drums. The first records he bought with his own money were

Kiss A kiss is the touch or pressing of one's lips against another person or an object. Cultural connotations of kissing vary widely. Depending on the culture and context, a kiss can express sentiments of love, passion, romance, sexual attraction, ...

' '' Alive!'' (1975) and

the Beach Boys The Beach Boys are an American Rock music, rock band that formed in Hawthorne, California, in 1961. The group's original lineup consisted of brothers Brian Wilson, Brian, Dennis Wilson, Dennis, and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and frie ...

' '' Endless Summer'' (1974).

Career

Jellyfish

Manning attended

Amador Valley High School Amador Valley High School is a comprehensive public high school in Pleasanton, California. It is one of three high schools in the Pleasanton Unified School District, along with Foothill High School and Village High School. Founded as Amad ...

in Pleasanton in the 1980s. There, he met drummer

Andy Sturmer Marvin Andrew Sturmer (born March 11, 1965) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and composer who co-founded the rock band Jellyfish in 1989. He was the group's lead vocalist, drummer, and primary songwriter. Following their break-up in 1 ...

. After graduating, Manning moved to Los Angeles and enrolled at

USC USC most often refers to: * University of South Carolina, a public research university ** University of South Carolina System, the main university and its satellite campuses **South Carolina Gamecocks, the school athletic program * University of ...

to study musical composition. He involved himself with the local scene and began auditioning for various bands. He later joined Sturmer in the San Francisco band

Beatnik Beatch Beatnik Beatch were an American pop rock band formed in San Francisco in the 1980s. They consisted of Chris Witt Kettner (bass, vocals), Andy Sturmer (drums, vocals), and George Cole (guitar). They also featured keyboardist Se Padilla, later ...

. Sturmer was the group's drummer, singer, and songwriter, while Manning was keyboardist. The duo soon began collaborating with one another, writing compositions that were stylistically different from the songs the band was producing at the time. In August 1989, a year after

Atlantic Records Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over its first 20 years of operation, Atlantic earned a reputation as one of the most i ...

released Beatnik Beatch's eponymous debut album, Manning and Sturmer left the group to continue songwriting with one another and formed the band

. Jellyfish released two albums: ''

Bellybutton The navel (clinically known as the umbilicus, commonly known as the belly button or tummy button) is a protruding, flat, or hollowed area on the abdomen at the attachment site of the umbilical cord. All placental mammals have a navel, although ...

'' (1990) and '' Spilt Milk'' (1993), whose combined sales totaled over 269,000 copies. During this era, Sturmer and Manning worked with

Ringo Starr Sir Richard Starkey (born 7 July 1940), known professionally as Ringo Starr, is an English musician, singer, songwriter and actor who achieved international fame as the drummer for the Beatles. Starr occasionally sang lead vocals with the ...

, for his 1992 solo album ''

Time Takes Time ''Time Takes Time'' is the 10th studio album by Ringo Starr. His first studio album since 1983's ''Old Wave'', it followed a successful 1989–90 world tour with his first All-Starr Band. Released in 1992, ''Time Takes Time'' was a critically-acc ...

'', and

Brian Wilson Brian Douglas Wilson (born June 20, 1942) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer who co-founded the Beach Boys. Often called a genius for his novel approaches to pop composition, extraordinary musical aptitude, and m ...

. Wilson and Jellyfish had one songwriting session and it was unproductive; Manning described the experience as "utterly surreal". By 1994, Manning and Sturmer were drifting apart musically, and in May, the ''

San Francisco Chronicle The ''San Francisco Chronicle'' is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of Northern California. It was founded in 1865 as ''The Daily Dramatic Chronicle'' by teenage brothers Charles de Young and M. H. de Young, Michael H. de ...

'' reported that Jellyfish had disintegrated due to "creative differences". Afterward, Manning formed the short-lived glam outfit

with ex-Jellyfish guitarist

Eric Dover Eric Dover (born January 19, 1967) is an American guitarist and singer, most notably with Jellyfish, Slash's Snakepit, Imperial Drag, and Alice Cooper. Biography Dover began playing guitar when he was 11 years old. He started playing around t ...

The Moog Cookbook

Manning formed

with sound engineer

Brian Kehew Brian Kehew (born September 22, 1964) is an American, Los Angeles-based, musician and record producer. He is a member of The Moog Cookbook and co-author of the ''Recording The Beatles'' book, an in-depth look at the Beatles' studio approach. Li ...

shortly after the demise of Jellyfish. It was conceived as both a

parody A parody, also known as a spoof, a satire, a send-up, a take-off, a lampoon, a play on (something), or a caricature, is a creative work designed to imitate, comment on, and/or mock its subject by means of satiric or ironic imitation. Often its subj ...

of and

tribute A tribute (; from Latin ''tributum'', "contribution") is wealth, often in kind, that a party gives to another as a sign of submission, allegiance or respect. Various ancient states exacted tribute from the rulers of land which the state conqu ...

to the novelty Moog records of the late 1960s and early 1970s, which featured

cover versions In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song release ...

of popular songs using the then-new

Moog synthesizer The Moog synthesizer is a modular synthesizer developed by the American engineer Robert Moog. Moog debuted it in 1964, and Moog's company R. A. Moog Co. (later known as Moog Music) produced numerous models from 1965 to 1981, and again from 20 ...

. Manning recalled that "When Brian and I finally met, we ''knew'' we had to do this, because we knew we could do it right, and we knew we had the resources — before someone else did it, and did it ''wrong''." On stage and in their promotional materials, the band donned space-suit disguises that were similar to outfits worn by another emerging electronic duo,

Daft Punk Daft Punk were a French electronic music duo formed in 1993 in Paris by Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo. Widely regarded as one of the most influential acts in dance music history, they achieved popularity in the late 1990s as p ...

. This was reportedly only a coincidence. Moog Cookbook released two records, ''

The Moog Cookbook The Moog Cookbook was an American electronic duo consisting of Meco Eno (Roger Manning) and Uli Nomi (Brian Kehew). The project was a parody of and tribute to the novelty Moog records of the late 1960s and early 1970s, which featured cover vers ...

'' (1996) and '' Ye Olde Space Bande'' (1997), before disbanding in 1998. According to Manning: "As creatively fulfilling as it was, Moog Cookbook was not financially viable. We weren't coming out of

rave culture A rave (from the verb: '' to rave'') is a dance party at a warehouse, club, or other public or private venue, typically featuring performances by DJs playing electronic dance music. The style is most associated with the early 1990s dance mus ...

and

house music House is a music genre characterized by a repetitive Four on the floor (music), four-on-the-floor beat and a typical tempo of 120 beats per minute. It was created by Disc jockey, DJs and music producers from Chicago metropolitan area, Chicago' ...

like Daft Punk." Music journalist Brian Chidester commented that the band "yielded solid overseas sales amidst the retro-obsessed landscape of ''

Pulp Fiction ''Pulp Fiction'' is a 1994 American crime film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino, who conceived it with Roger Avary.See, e.g., King (2002), pp. 185–7; ; Starring John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson, Bruce Willis, Tim Roth, Ving Rhame ...

'', the Swing revival and thrift shop mania. The duo even ... found a small domestic audience attuned to similar electronic psych-pop coming out of Europe by bands like

Stereolab Stereolab are an Anglo- French avant-pop band formed in London in 1990. Led by the songwriting team of Tim Gane and Lætitia Sadier, the group's music combines influences from krautrock, lounge and 1960s pop music, often incorporating a repetit ...

Mouse on Mars Mouse on Mars is a German electronic music duo formed in 1993 by Jan St. Werner and Andi Toma. Their music is a blend of electronic genres including IDM, dub, krautrock, breakbeat and ambient, featuring heavy use of organic analog synth and ...

and

the High Llamas The High Llamas are an Anglo-Irish avant-pop band formed in London circa 1991. They were founded by singer-songwriter Sean O'Hagan, formerly of Microdisney, with drummer Rob Allum and ex-Microdisney bassist Jon Fell. O'Hagan has led the group si ...

The Lickerish Quartet

In 2017, Manning reached out to his former Jellyfish bandmates Tim Smith and Eric Dover to form another group,

The Lickerish Quartet ''The Lickerish Quartet'' (Italian: ''Esotika Erotika Psicotika'') is a 1970 erotic drama film produced and directed by Radley Metzger. It was filmed in Italian and later dubbed into English. The film was written by Metzger and Michael DeForres ...

. Manning's goal was "to continue with the tradition of a lot of the pop/rock stylings" as well as to get to know the two better as songwriters. Manning considers The Lickerish Quartet's activities to be "like picking up where we left off in many ways". Initially, the trio did not intend to record; rather, they wanted to have small writing sessions. Eventually, though, they wrote and recorded twelve songs, which are being spread across 3 EPs (titled ''Vol. 1'', ''Vol. 2'', and ''Vol. 3'') through 2020 and 2021, with the releases being joined by singles from the EPs. Session drummer

Jeremy Stacey Jeremy Stacey (born 27 September 1963) is a British drummer and keyboard player. His early works included the 1990s band The Lemon Trees (with twin brother Paul Stacey on guitars, Guy Chambers and others) and Denzil. He has also played with She ...

joined to augment the trio on the recordings.

, however, wasn't invited to work with them due to his reluctance to work within the music industry.

Solo

In early 2006, Manning released his first solo album in Japan only: ''

''. He credited it under his full name to avoid confusion with the folk musician

Roger Manning Roger Manning is a New York City based singer-songwriter who plays an aggressive acoustic style of music. Manning, along with a small handful of other artists, composed the original New York City anti-folk scene. On February 6, 1985, Manning w ...

. It was subsequently issued in the U.S. under a different title, ''The Land of Pure Imagination'', along with an altered song content. The album included one of the songs Manning wrote with Brian Wilson, "Wish it Would Rain", albeit with Wilson's contributions omitted. In March 2008, Manning released his second solo album, ''

Catnip Dynamite ''Catnip Dynamite'' is the second solo album by Jellyfish co-founder Roger Joseph Manning, Jr., released in Japan on March 19, 2008. ''Catnip Dynamite'' was released outside Japan by Oglio Records on February 3, 2009.Jaye Muller Jaye Muller (born Jens Müller) is a German musician and Internet entrepreneur who performed under the name J., and later in a duo named "Muller and Patton" with American musician Ben Patton and under the name "Count Jaye" (since 2015). In 1992, ...

, aka "Count Jaye" for his 2019 album release.

Discography

Solo and collaborative

*''

Logan's Sanctuary ''Logan's Sanctuary'' is an electronica album by Roger Joseph Manning Jr. and Brian Reitzell, conceived as the soundtrack for an imagined sequel to the film ''Logan's Run''. Manning's former bandmate in Jellyfish, Jason Falkner, contributed to ...

'' (2000) *''

'' (2005) *''

'' (2007) *''

Catnip Dynamite ''Catnip Dynamite'' is the second solo album by Jellyfish co-founder Roger Joseph Manning, Jr., released in Japan on March 19, 2008. ''Catnip Dynamite'' was released outside Japan by Oglio Records on February 3, 2009.Beatnik Beatch Beatnik Beatch were an American pop rock band formed in San Francisco in the 1980s. They consisted of Chris Witt Kettner (bass, vocals), Andy Sturmer (drums, vocals), and George Cole (guitar). They also featured keyboardist Se Padilla, later ...

* ''Beatnik Beatch'' (1988)

* ''

'' (1990) * '' Spilt Milk'' (1993)

*''

'' (1996) *''

Demos Demos may refer to: Computing * DEMOS, a Soviet Unix-like operating system * DEMOS (ISP), the first internet service provider in the USSR * Demos Commander, an Orthodox File Manager for Unix-like systems * plural for Demo (computer programming) ...

'' (2005)

*''

'' (1996) *'' Ye Olde Space Bande'' (1997) *'' Bartell'' (2005)

TV Eyes TV Eyes is an American synthpop group, consisting of Jason Falkner, Roger Joseph Manning Jr. and Brian Reitzell Brian Reitzell (born December 24, 1965) is an American musician, composer, record producer and music supervisor best known for his ...

*''

'' (2006)

*''Threesome Vol. 1'' (2020) *''Threesome Vol. 2'' (2021) *''Threesome Vol. 3'' (2022) *''Fables From Fearless Heights'' (2022) (collects all three EP's plus two bonus cover songs: "So Like Candy" and "Sugar Me") Appearances *Esa Linna – ''This Is Who I Am'' (2013) *Esa Linna – ''She's Not a Human Being'' (2012)

References

Bibliography *

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Manning, Roger Joseph Jr. 1966 births Living people Place of birth missing (living people) USC Thornton School of Music alumni American male singer-songwriters American pop keyboardists American rock singers American rock songwriters American rock keyboardists American session musicians Cordless Recordings artists Jellyfish (band) members Pony Canyon artists 20th-century American keyboardists People from Pleasanton, California 20th-century American male singers 20th-century American singers Singer-songwriters from California