PAT MCMANUS WAS BORN IN DERRYLIN CO.FERMANGH,GROWING UP IN A FAMILY STEEPED IN TRADITIONAL MUSIC.BOTH HIS PARENTS ,JOHN AND VALERIE PLAYED TRADITIONAL MUSIC AND ALSO TOURED IN 'THE STARLIGHT DANCE BAND',SO IT WASN'T LONG UNTIL PAT SHOWED AN  INHERENT INTEREST IN PLAYING MUSIC.STARTING OUT ON THE FIDDLE AT 5 YEARS OF AGE,HE APPEARED ON TV BY THE AGE OF 7 AND BECAME A MEMBER OF THE FAMILY BAND.BY 11 YEARS OF AGE PAT STARTED ALSO PLAYING THE GUITAR,WHICH WOULD BECOME HIS MAIN INSTUMENT DESPITE WINNING NUMEROUS FIDDLE CHAMPIONSHIPS DURING HIS TEENS.

AS HIS OTHER BROTHERS JOHN AND TOMMY GREW UP,IN TURN THEY EACH JOINED THE FAMILY BAND,BUT THE BOYS FINALLY BROKE AWAY TO FORM THEIR OWN BAND 'PULSE'.THIS SOON TURNED INTO THE NOW LEGENDARY IRISH BAND 'MAMA'S BOYS',WHO ENJOYED A 14 YEAR CAREER TOURING,RECORDING AND PLAYING ALONG SIDE SOME OF ROCK MUSIC'S GIANTS,INCLUDING:DEEP PURPLE,THIN LIZZY,SCORPIONS,RUSH,BON JOVI,WISHBONE ASH,HAWKWIND AND SO MANY MORE .PAT'S COMPOSTION 'NEEDLE IN THE GROOVE' IS NOW MARKED AS AN ALL TIME CLASSIC,ALWAYS REQUESTED ALL OVER THE WORLD STILL TODAY.

IN 1994 PAT AND JOHN'S BROTHER TOMMY PASSED AWAY AFTER A LIFE TIMES FIGHT WITH LEUKAEMIA.IT LEFT THE BROTHERS UTTERLY DEVASTATED AND IT TOOK SOME TIME BEFORE THEY COULD EVEN THINK OF PLAYING MUSIC AGAIN.FINALLY THE GUYS GOT TOGETHER AND 'CELTUS' WAS FORMED.THE BAND WERE QUICKLY TAKEN ON BY MUFF WINDWOOD AT SONY RECORDS AND THE NEXT 6 YEARS WERE SPENT RECORDING AND TOURING WITH 'CELTUS' A ROCK AND CELTIC MUSIC FUSION.THERE WORK WAS HIGHLY ACCLAIMED AND WON THEM MANY FANS AND AWARDS,THE MUSIC SOME SAY IS JUST STUNNING!

IN 2001 PAT CHOSE TO RETURN IN IRELAND.HE CONTINUED TO WRITE FOR TV AND FILMS,BUT WANTED TO RETURN MORE TO HIS TRADITIONAL ROOTS.SO FOR A WHILE HE WORKED WITH LOCAL MUSICIANS ON THE HISTORY OF FERMANAGH'S MUSIC AND ALSO WITH THE COLLECTIVE 'ERNE RISING',TRAVELLING TO PERFORM IN BOTH THE USA AND EUROPE.
FINALLY HE DECIDED HE WANTED TO GET BACK TO ROCK AND BLUES AND FOR A WHILE WORKED WITH 'THE PAINKILLERS',THEM AFTER DOING SOME STUDIO WORK WITH ROBIN ROBYNS FROM THE BOB SEGER BAND,JOINED UP WITH SLIGO BAND 'INDIAN' FOR RECORDING AND TOURING.PAT THEN FORMED HIS OWN BAND 'HIGH VOLTAGE' AND IN 2007 FINALLY RECORDED HIS OWN DEBUT SOLO ALBUM 'IN MY OWN TIME'

SHORTLY AFTER THIS TIME PAT RECRUTED FRIENDS,POWERFUL TYRONE DRUMMER PAUL FALOON AND THE LIVELY DUBLIN BASSIST GORDON SHERIDAN TO HIS BAND,BOTH WHOM HAVE A SPENT A LIFETIME AS PLAYERS,THE BAND NOW BEING TITLE SIMPLY 'THE PAT MCMANUS BAND'.THE THREE MEN HAVE NOW COMPLETED NUMEROUS EUROPEAN TOURS,FESTIVALS AND MADE A FURTHER 2 STUDIO RECORDINGS AND 2 LIVE DVD'S.THE 3RD 'WALKING THROUGH SHADOWS' HAS A RELEASE DATE OF MARCH 2011.THE BAND CONTINUES TO GO FROM STRENGTH TO STRENGTH,WITH PAT FINALLY BEING RECOGNIZED AND HERALDED AS THE IRISH GUITAR HERO HE IS.

PAT HAS ALSO RECORDED AND WRITTEN FOR MANY OTHER ARTISTS IN ALMOST EVERY MUSICAL GENRE,INCLUDED 'TRICKY' OF MASSIVE ATTACK(PLAYING VIOLIN AND PIANO!!)SAM FOX - 'TOUCH ME' AND 'SPIRIT OF AMERICA',SMOKIE,WISHBONE ASH...AND SO MANY MORE.HIS WORK AND WRITING ARE ALSO REGULARLY TO BE HEARD IN MANY TV PROGRAMS AND FILMS.

ROCK RADIO NI INTERVIEWED PAT RECENTLY AND THIS CAN BE LISTENED TO BY VISITING ON THE FOLLOWING LINK AND CLICKING ON BALATTY INTERVIEW PAT MCMANUS

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