Farewell to Manny's

For generations, the world's greatest musicians have flocked to Manny's Music on 156 West 48th Street, between Broadway and 8th Avenue.

Legendary clients from Benny Goodman, Charlie Parker, Buddy Holly and the Beatles to Jimi Hendrix, U2, Eric Clapton and Nirvana have shopped at Manny's; the store's walls are decorated with the signed photos to prove it. Visitors to Manny's superstore in the heart of Times Square have traditionally been greeted by a large staff of professionals who know everything about every product they sell, including guitars, amps, drums, pro-audio, DJ, recording, computers, keyboards and accessories.

Manny's was founded in 1935 and is a holdover from an era when some of the world's most beloved songs were being created in Times Square, particularly at the Brill Building (1619 Broadway), where you could write a song, hire the musicians, cut a demo, and take it around the building to record companies, publishers, managers, artists and promoters. To this day, some refer to the building and its environs as “Tin Pan Alley” (though others insist the famed district was located at West 28th Street between 6th Avenue and Broadway). Manny's was the prime source of the instruments and other musical paraphernalia employed by those artists.

Last month, Music Row bid farewell to a true landmark institution as Manny's closed its doors for the last time on May 31st, 2009.

For more info about Manny's, the Brill Building and other Times Square music landmarks, please click here.

To read an article about the closing of Manny's from the May 18th issue of The New Yorker, please click here.