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The three McManus brothers began their musical career as folk musicians, playing the local dance hall and club circuit in their native Ireland. After experiencing the Irish electric folk outfit Horslips in concert in 1978 they decided to abandon their acoustic guitars and tambourines and become a hard rock power trio.John took on vocals and bass, Pat picked up lead guitar and Tommy occupied the drumstool. Merging traditional Irish influences with blues and heavy rock, they quickly developed a unique style that echoed the great Thin Lizzy. Their first two albums contained high-energy boogie and driving blues, but from "Turn it Up" onwards, they began to show a greater awareness of melody and veered towards AOR. Reallizing the limatations of John as a vocalist, they expanded to a quartet in 1987, adding ex-Airace singer Keith Murrell. "Growing up the hard way" followed and was undoubtedly the band's most accomplished album, with a sophisticated approach reminiscent of Foreigner. After four years of recording inactivity, Live Tonite emerged. Recorded on their 1990 European tour, it featured latest vocalist Mike Wilson, plus four new songs. On 16th November 1984 Tommy McManus tragically died of a lung infection following a bone marrow transplant, having for several years been plagued by lukaemia
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