Love-In Band - Mitch Manker

Mitch Manker started playing the trumpet in the Chicago public school system in seventh grade. "Shortly after I started playing, my parents took me out to see Ramsey Lewis. A few weeks later I saw Clark Terry, and that was it! I knew what I wanted to do."

After playing with various Rock and Jazz Rock bands in Chicago and Iowa City, Iowa, he moved to San Diego in 1977, where he worked with the late great Ella Ruth Piggee. In 1980 and 1981 he did two world-wide tours with Ray Charles, and can be heard on four of his records as well as seen with The Edmonton Symphony Orchestra on the video "An Evening With Ray Charles."

In addition to Ray Charles, Mitch has toured and/or recorded with Hootie and the Blowfish, The Januaries, Fattburger, A.J. Croce and Jim Keltner, and is currently a member of the Higher Octave act Third Force. He can also be heard on the soundtracks to features films such as The Cable Guy, Any Given Sunday and the Emmy award-winning KPBS surfing documentary The Liquid Stage which he also helped compose and arrange. Mitch is a Clinician Level Endorser for Martin Trumpets.

"...Manker has evolved into one of the finest trumpeters on the West Coast, period."
-George Varga, San Diego Union Tribune