Chris Manners
Song-maker, singer and guitarist
Chris Manners is a Yorkshire-based singer, song-maker and guitarist who’s been honing his craft for over forty years. His work’s deeply rooted in the English folk tradition.
Find Chris on bandcamp using the button below.
New album – Bar the Doors and Bang the Shutters Down
Bar the doors and bang the shutters down, the long-promised fourth album, was released into the wild on September 1st 2024, full of sharp observation and word play combined with a take-no-prisoners delivery.
Subjects include being ice-bound with Franklin in the Arctic; gazing enviously at super yachts in Portofino harbour; being overrun by Spaniards on shore leave; or trembling in the kitchen with the lights off and the blinds drawn. It celebrates the simplest of joys: tall trees, wild garlic, and taking off your suit trousers for the very last time, with a nod to the perils and pratfalls of working from home.
No navels were scrutinised in the making of this record.
“Cracking song, characterful vocals, lovely guitar playing. What more do you need when it’s done as well as that? — Mark Radcliffe, The Folk Show, Radio 2
“In the tradition of 20th century folk club masters like John Tams and Bill Caddick” — Ian A Anderson, Podwireless
“It’s witty, it’s clever, it’s funny” — Tim Walker, Tim Walker’s Folk, BBC Radio Lincolnshire
“Clever lyrics with catchy tunes — genius . . . each and every song is amazing” — Folk Roundabout
Latest From the Blog…
Crown of Horn – Martin Carthy: Forgotten Favourites #18
Let’s bend the rules a bit. Of course Crown of Horn is a favourite, but it’s a long way from being forgotten. It’s the record that kick-started my lifelong devotion to folk music and British finger-style guitar. Come with me, back to the musical dead zone of 1976 and...
The Star of Sunday’s Well – Donal Maguire: Forgotten Favourites #17
One evening at the tail end of the 1970s I folked up at Barnsley Folk Club, upstairs in The Wheatsheaf at Town End, not knowing what to expect from the night’s guest. It was Donal, bespectacled, with an exuberant auburn beard flowing from his chin and a scarlet beret...
New Album Now Available
Bar the Doors and Bang the Shutters Down, my fourth solo album. Released September 1st 2024 Available via Bandcamp and on all major streaming platforms, in person from me and (if you absolutely must) from the retail behemoth masquerading as a South American river. 'In...