The Manhattans
The band leader of The Manhattans was the well known Sri Lankan musician, Leonard Francke. Douglas Meerwald was the public face of The Manhattans, he had a powerful voice and he sang some of the well known songs of the 1950s of the Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby, Gene Kelly, era. The Manhattans attracted some of the leading musicians of the day, including singer/saxophonist, Sam the Man - he joined the band in August 1957.
The Manhattans played to packed ballrooms at the Grand Oriental Hotel and the Galle Face Hotel. They were in great demand at major concerts and events in Colombo. Douglas Meerwald and The Manhattans had a strong fan base in Ceylon. He was also featured on music programs over the airwaves of Radio Ceylon in the late 1950s and 1960s including Talent Corner and Starmaker - two very popular music programs - both radio programs enjoyed a very large listenership on Radio Ceylon.
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