Former Manfred Mann lead singer Mike d'Abo has revealed that he struggled financially for decades despite writing iconic hit songs in the 1960s.
The 82-year-old musician, who replaced Paul Jones in the band in 1966, scored seven top-ten hits with the rhythm and blues group before embarking on a diverse songwriting career.
During his career, d'Abo composed classics including Handbags and Gladrags, which was written in 1967 and later used as the theme tune for the BBC comedy series The Office, as well as becoming an early-2000s hit for Welsh rock band Stereophonics. He also penned The Foundations' popular hit Build Me Up Buttercup and created the famous Finger Of Fudge television advertising jingle for Cadbury.
Today, d'Abo lives in the Cotswolds with his wife, Lisa, and their 18-year-old twins. He continues to perform active music work with several ensembles, including the veteran touring band The Manfreds.
Despite his later music success, d'Abo recalled learning about money at an early age alongside his three siblings, when they were made aware that they did not share the substantial wealth held by other branches of their extended family. His mother's side of the family owned the John Smith's Brewery in Tadcaster, Yorkshire, while his paternal grandfather served as chairman of merchant institution Hambros Bank.
"Yet none of this wealth seemed to filter down to our family," d'Abo said. "We were told we were quite far down the pecking order. When we saw the lavish lifestyle enjoyed by some of our cousins, we often felt like the poor relations by comparison."
Early Life and Career Beginnings
Before entering the music industry professionally, d'Abo attended Harrow School, where he formed the group A Band Of Angels. In 1963, at the age of 18, he went up to Cambridge University to study theology with the intention of becoming an Anglican vicar, but his passion for music quickly overtook his academic pursuits.
After failing his examinations, he was sent down from Cambridge in 1963. He initially planned to travel to the United States to study jazz piano, but his father, a London stockbroker, stepped in to halt the trip.
Instead, his father arranged a job interview through a client who served as a director at Boosey and Hawkes, the brass band manufacturer and music publisher. The interview led to a position cleaning instruments displayed in the front window of the Rudall Carte music shop in Soho, London, earning a weekly wage of £10. The role lasted for a full year until d'Abo's school group, A Band Of Angels, turned professional in 1964.
Pop Stardom and Financial Struggles
In 1966, d'Abo achieved major public fame when he replaced Paul Jones as the lead vocalist of Manfred Mann. Over the next three years, the group achieved chart success with seven top-ten singles across the United Kingdom.
Despite the group's widespread commercial success, d'Abo revealed that his earnings were surprisingly modest. "People may not believe this, but my three years of hit-making with Manfred Mann earned me only £11,700, and throughout the 1970s and 1980s paying bills was a huge struggle," he said, noting he was constantly struggling to make ends meet.
In 1977, d'Abo emigrated to the United States to pursue opportunities abroad. When he returned to the United Kingdom in 1982, he found himself with no money remaining in his bank account.
He identified his decision to lease a Morris Ital car upon his return as his single worst financial mistake. "I shudder to think how much over the odds I paid for that Morris Ital, which ended up costing me twice its original asking price," d'Abo recalled, describing it as an example of what happens when operating with an empty bank account.
Unpaid Royalties and Surprise Cheques
Financial relief eventually arrived through unexpected royalty windfalls years after his hit songs were first released. In 2001 and 2002, when Stereophonics charted with their cover version of Handbags and Gladrags, d'Abo experienced his lowest personal earnings in many years.
However, when the writer's royalties filtered through 18 months later in 2003 and 2004, d'Abo received a cheque for £66,000. He described it as the first five-figure cheque he had ever seen, making that financial year the most profitable of his entire career.
Another major financial surprise occurred two decades after Manfred Mann had officially disbanded. Following an extensive audit of their former record label, accountants discovered that the band members had been underpaid by a total of £180,000.
Although d'Abo was allocated a £28,000 share of the audit settlement, he never received any benefit from the payout. His then-wife deposited the entire cheque directly into her personal building society account and immediately requested a divorce.
Building Long-Term Financial Security
d'Abo considers marrying his third wife, Lisa, in 1996 to be the best money decision of his life. He praised her financial competence and administrative skills, which enabled the couple to save money, make investments, and regularly set funds aside for tax liabilities.
Through careful planning, the couple built a stable financial foundation for their family, benefiting d'Abo's five children. The couple now own two properties in the Cotswolds outright with no outstanding mortgages, including their primary residence, a five-bedroom Edwardian house situated on one acre of grounds, and their former home three miles away, which is rented out.
Rather than holding formal pension schemes, d'Abo views his catalogue of musical compositions as his primary pension. "My songs are my pension, and hopefully they will provide me with a livelihood for as long as I’m around, and for my family when I’m gone," he explained, adding that he feels blessed that his work maintains public relevance.
Personal Indulgences and Economic Outlook
Throughout his life, d'Abo has generally avoided personal extravagance, maintaining only one major luxury indulgence. Whenever traveling through airports, he visits Caviar House or an equivalent seafood establishment to order half a dozen or a dozen fresh oysters paired with a glass of New Zealand sauvignon blanc before his flights.
For leisure, he enjoys watching cricket matches and viewing classic films produced between 1935 and 1969, explaining that older cinema reminds him of his childhood when the world felt simpler and happier.
Reflecting on broader economic issues, d'Abo expressed pessimism about the governance of the nation. He suggested that if he were Chancellor of the Exchequer, he would find the UK largely ungovernable due to significant social disparities and cultural erosion that may be too advanced to fix to everyone's satisfaction.
His primary focus remains ensuring a stable standard of living for his family. He recently released a new solo album, titled The Journey... So Far, through Charly Records and digital streaming platforms, hoping it will generate an additional income stream. "Part of the enduring fascination of the music business is one never knows what might lie around the corner," he said.
