 Although the group met and was formed in October 1972, The Manhattan Transfer performed their very first live concert on June 8 1973, at the Diplomat Hotel and soon Reno Sweeney, the chic Manhattan cabaret, became the group's home.
Trude Heller was a bar/cabaret in Greenwich Village at West 9th Street and 6th Avenue, which is where The Manhattan Transfer really honed their "performing chops" and thus holds special meaning for the group.
 The dinner party invitation in Zurich (right) occured sometime around 1983, and is significant because, at the party, they had a stuffed pig with an apple in its mouth. Janis and Marsha Loeb (the group's road manager at the time) took the pig's head and placed it in the toilet bowl of Don Robert's (the sax player at the time) room. Don was the perfect ploy for practical jokes. He was out at the time and came back late, somewhat inebriated. He apparently went right to bed. When he awoke in the morning and went into the bathroom he almost had a stroke, seeing this head staring up at him. It goes down in the group's annals as the best practical joke!
 The gig at Kenny's Castaways in October 1973 is significant because the opening act was a young singer/songwriter named Phoebe Loeb, who later changed her name to Snow!
 For four weeks in the summer of 1975, The Manhattan Transfer had their own summer replacement television show on CBS. The show was shown on Sunday evenings from 7:30 - 8:30 P.M. from August 10 through August 31. The show was a variety show with a potpourri of songs and humor. Archie Hahn was the only series regular who was not a member of the group. His principal contribution was as the character Doughie Duck in various comedy spots.
In sping 1999, Goldmine Magazine ran a cover story on The Manhattan Transfer. This GREAT biography of the group (and the cover of the issue) has been archived HERE.
Here are some Manhattan Transfer Trivia Questions. See how well you know The Manhattan Transfer. Answers are listed below.
- What was the first Manhattan Transfer song to win a Grammy?
- Who was the "Father of Vocalese", who served as one of the Transfer's most influential inspirations?
- What Lennon/McCartney song appears on a TMT album and which album is it?
- Who popularized "Blue Champagne", which appears on their 1975 self-titled album?
- Who wrote the music to "Down South Camp Meetin'", which appears on their new album, "Swing"?
- Which TMT CD features their picture on the disc?
- What was the group's VERY first recording with Cheryl Bentyne?
- Who wrote "Four Brothers"?
- What are the hometowns that Alan, Cheryl, Janis and Tim hail from?
- What was the first Transfer song that Jon Hendricks wrote lyrics for?
- Which Beatle played on a Transfer record? (Name the record, too.)
- Who did Janis dedicate "In a Mellow Tone" to on the album "Pastiche"?
- Who ARE the "Four Brothers"?
- Who wrote and popularized "In A Mellow Tone" in 1940?
- How many Grammies have TMT WON?
- What band popularized "Four Brothers"?
- How many nominations did "Vocalese" receive?
- How many buttons does Tim Hauser have on his shirt on the *original* Atlantic release of the first live record (78), and what kind of buttons are they?
- Who's voice is the "Bullfrog" on "Tubby the Tuba"?
- What famous playboy is thanked in the liner notes of "The Manhattan Transfer"?
- In which broadway show did Alan Paul make his debut?
- What (besides an affiliation w/ Atlantic) did TMT have in common w/ Bette Midler in the mid 70s?
- Where did the group come up with the name "Mecca for Moderns"?
- How many movie soundtrack recordings has TMT (or any one of its members) recorded on?
- On the Anthology CD, only one TMT member has writing credits. They all appear on vocal arrangment credits, but who has two songs on the CD?
- What three girl groups did Janis record with before TMT?
- Who was the first album dedicated to? What was he famous for?
- Who plays the harmonica solo on the song "Spice of Life"?
- Who is wearing a band aid on a TMT album cover - and which cover was it?
Here are the Anwers for the Trivia Questions. How well did you do?
- "Birdland" (from the album "Extensions") was the first Manhattan Tranfser song to win a Grammy in 1981 when it won for Best Jazz Fusion Performance.
- Eddie Jefferson was the "Father of Vocalese" and served as one of the group's biggest influences and inspirations.
- The Lennon/McCartney song "Goodnight" appears on The Christmas Album.
- "Blue Champagne" (on the 1975 album "The Manhattan Transfer") was originally popularized by Jimmy Dorsey and his Orchestra with vocal by Bob Eberly. The song went to #1 in 1941.
- "Down South Camp Meetin" was written by Fletcher Henderson.
- "Man Tora - Live In Tokyo" has a photo of the group right on the CD.
- The VERY first recording with Cheryl Bentyne was "Horray for Hollywood" on "Hollywood Madness"
- Jimmy Giuffre wrote the song "Four Brothers".
- The hometowns for the group are Alan: Newark, New Jersey; Cheryl: Mt. Vernon ,Washington; Janis: Flatbush (Brooklyn,) NY; Tim: Troy, NY
- "Four Brothers" (from the album "Pastiche") was the first Manhattan Transfer song that Jon Hendricks wrote lyrics for.
- Ringo Starr played drums on "Coming Out" on the song "Zindy Lou" which also features Jim Keltner on drums, Dr. John on piano and Doug Thorngren on percussion.
- "In a Mellow Tone" on the album "Pastiche" was dedicated to Ella Fitzgerald.
- The "four brothers" refer to Woody Herman's sax section of Zoot Sims, Stan Getz, Herbie Steward, and Serge Chaloff. (Stan Getz is a 17-time winner of the Down Beat poll as top tenor saxophonist.)
- "In A Mellow Tone" was written and popularized in 1940 by Duke Ellington.
- The Manhattan Tranfser have won 8 Grammys so far. (Plus 2 each for Janis and Cheryl for vocal arrangements.)
- The song "Four Brothers" was popularized by Woody Herman's Second Herd.
- The Manhattan Transfer album "Vocalese" received twelve (12) Grammy nominations!
- On the original Atlantic release of their first live record (1978) the cover shows Tim Hauser's shirt with just two (2) buttons in the shape of dice. (He rolled a 7!)
- Alan Paul's voice is the "Bullfrog" on the "Tubby the Tuba" album.
- Hugh Hefner is thanked in the liner notes of "The Manhattan Transfer".
- Alan Paul's stage debut was in the cast of "Oliver", at age 12.
- In the mid 1970s The Manhattan Transfer and Bette Midler both were managed by Aaron Russo.
- The title for the album "Mecca for Moderns" came about as the group was listening to a Duke Ellington LP that was recorded live at the Blue Note in 1952. The copy on the back of the album described the Blue Note as: "..a haven for the smart set... as a matter of fact it is a mecca for moderns."
- The Manhattan Trasfer (together and solo) have had songs appear on five (5) motion picture soundtracks: Marrying Man, Sharkey's Machine, Just A Gigolo, League Of Their Own, and Swing Kids (Although their songs also appear in the movies Dick Tracy and Mortal Thoughts, those tunes never actually made it onto the soundtracks.)
- Alan Paul is the only member with song writing credits on their Anthology album, for the songs "Smile Again" & "Twilight Tone".
- The three girl groups that Janis recorded with before joining The Manhattan Transfer were Young Generation, Loved Ones, and Laurel Canyon.
- The first album is dedicated to Baby Lawrence Jackson. He was a jazz tap dancer. He opened for the group.
- Stevie Wonder plays the harmonica solo on the song "Spice of Life" from the album "Bodies And Souls".
- Janis is wearing a band aid below her knee - on the cover of "The Best of the Manhattan Transfer".
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