This group evolved from another group of the same name that was founded in 1969. After the first ensemble had disbanded after one album it was re-established under the same name, with several of the original group members, in 1972. The name of the group was taken from the novel Manhattan Transfer, which was written by John Dos Passos in 1925.
They became internationally acclaimed for their mix of jazz, popular music and big band sound and their first hit single, “Operator”, was a gospel song. Becoming internationally successful they steadily had Top 10 hits in the UK and other European countries and recorded the album The Manhattan Transfer Live in England.
They have been the recipients of several Grammy Awards and countless nominations over the years and in 1981 they made history by being the first to win Grammys in the same year in the “Best Performance by Group or Duo” in both the pop and jazz categories. Over a period of 42 years (1975-2017) they released 29 albums and have made guest appearances on countless others, while the members of the group also follow their own solo careers. They have appeared on many television programmes and in the film soundtracks of Dance With Me, Sharky’s Machine and A League of Their Own. In 1998 they were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame.
The line-up was forced to change in 1978 when the singer Laurel Masse was in a car accident, and later when Cheryl Bentyne was temporarily replaced by Margaret Dorn. After the death of Tim Hauser in 2014 he was replaced by Trist Curliss.
Members:
Alan Paul (1972-Present)
anis Siegel (1972-Present)
Laurel Masse (1972-1978)
Tim Hauser (1972-2014)
Cheryl Bentyne (1978-Present)
Trist Curliss (2014-Present)
The Manhattan Transfer Recordings
Body and Soul (Edward Heyman/Johnny Green/Robert Sour/Frank Eyton)
Twilight Zone/Twilight Tone (Marius Constant/Jay Graydon/Alan Paul)
Sources:
- http://manhattantransfer.net/about/
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Manhattan_Transfer
- http://www.singers.com/group/Manhattan-Transfer/
- http://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-manhattan-transfer-mn0000674749/biography
- https://www.discogs.com/artist/49605-The-Manhattan-Transfer
- http://imdb.com/name/nm1573436/