The Drop: Roger Joseph Manning Jr.

Ahead of the release of his new solo EP, Glamping, out May 18 via PledgeMusic, the GRAMMY Museum welcomes acclaimed musician Roger Joseph Manning Jr. to the Clive Davis Theater for an intimate conversation and performance, hosted by Executive Director Scott Goldman. Manning has enjoyed a long and fruitful career as a songwriter, touring keyboardist, session player, arranger, producer, and remixer. His debut in the music business began as co-founder/co-writer for such seminal bands as Jellyfish, Imperial Drag, Moog Cookbook, and TV Eyes. In 1997, he began his almost 20-year and still-active relationship as Beck’s sideman, which has included touring the world and recording upward of five critically acclaimed albums. The 2014 album, Morning Phase, on which Manning both played keyboards and sang, won GRAMMY Awards in both the Best Rock Album and Album Of The Year categories. Over the past decade, in addition to releasing three solo albums of post-Jellyfish sing-a-long original pop material, Manning has been involved with many large-scale orchestral arranging projects, including Nate Ruess’ band fun., as well as Ruess’ duet with P!nk for the 2012 smash, “Learn to Love Again,” produced by GRAMMY-winning producer Jeff Bhasker. Later that year, Manning was invited by producer Justin Meldal-Johnsen to arrange on Paramore’s double-Platinum-selling 2012 self-titled release. Most recently, he contributed orchestral arrangements to Morrissey’s latest offering, Low In High School. As a remixer, under the alias Malibu, Manning has reworked the songs of The Doobie Brothers, Henry Mancini, Beck, Air, and Melissa Etheridge. In the past, Manning has contributed either keyboards and/or vocals to albums by Adele, Eric Clapton, HAIM, The Killers, Johnny Cash, Roger Waters, Diana Ross, Marilyn Manson, Lana Del Rey, Glen Campbell, Fitz & The Tantrums, Neil Diamond, Interpol, Blink-182, and Cheap Trick. 10 years after his last solo album, Manning says he’s been “excited about jumping back into doing more original music” and is thrilled to be working with PledgeMusic on his new release, Glamping, and the possibilities this Internet forum provides for artists like himself.