Origin Westford, Vermont Role Singer-songwriter Name Jonathan Mann | Years active 2005–present Occupation(s) Singer-songwriter | |
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Instruments vocals, guitar, banjo, ukulele, piano, accordion, harmonica, programming Associated acts The Spinto Band, Sparky Grinstead Albums The Mario Opera: Act One, Song a Day: Year Four Genres Alternative rock, Folk rock, Freak folk Similar People Barney, The Spinto Band, Teen Men, Sweet Lights, The Family Crest Profiles | ||
Jonathan Mann (born April 9, 1982) is an American singer-songwriter, best known for creating and publishing a new song and video each day since January 2009, under the YouTube channel named "Song A Day." Because of his vast quantity of material and speed of composition, his songs often reference immediate current events and popular trends of the very day the video was uploaded. In November 2014, Jonathan Mann set a world record for the most consecutive days writing a song.
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Career
Mann started composing at the age of 12, before enrolling at Bennington College. While pursuing his graduate studies at CalArts, he co-wrote and starred in a rock opera called “The Last Nympho Leprechaun” with colleague Thomas Hughes. In grad school, he wrote and starred in a rock opera based on the Super Mario Brothers. Since then, he has recorded music and self-released albums under the names Forty (or 40) Second Songs, The Nympho Leprechauns, Novox the Robot, GameJew, The Mario Opera, as well as simply Jonathan Mann.
In 2006, Mann started uploading videos to YouTube under the alias “GameJew." He later started his best known project, "Song A Day," which has been continuously operating since January 1, 2009. The project came to national attention following several viral hits and an exposé on CNN.
From 2006 to 2012, Jonathan lived in the San Francisco Bay Area and made many live appearances with the band of local musicians he formed and dubbed The Rock Cookie Bottoms. After many personnel changes, the group's membership solidified around 2009 with keyboardist Pete Feltman, singer Nic Kaelin, bassist Eric Yeargan, guitarist Sam Douglass and drummer Sparky Grinstead (who went by the name Norman Famous). A singer/songwriter with his own career, Grinstead (Famous) was a huge fan of Mr. Mann's work and provided the band with a studio and much of its equipment. They were often joined onstage by Oakland-based multi-instrumentalist Matthew Joseph Payne (Sparky's son). The band stayed together until 2012 when Jonathan left California for New York, where he still resides.
In July 2012, Mann's "Song a Day: The Album" initiative let colleagues from around the world interact with performers and contribute to compositions via livestream. The album was produced by Mann along with Nick Krill and Thomas Hughes of the Spinto Band and was recorded at Famous House, the Berkeley, CA home studio of fellow Singer/Songwriter Sparky Grinstead (who was at the time playing drums with Jonathan's band, The Rock Cookie Bottoms, under the name Norman Famous. Members of the Rock Cookie Bottoms made cameo appearances on the album, as did "fluffy," a long-time participant in Song Fight!.
In June 2014, Mann celebrated his 2000th song with a Reddit AMA ("Ask Me Anything"), creating songs as answers to the questions and a tribute "Song a Day" video on YouTube.
Personal life
Mann married in January 2014. He and his wife have two children. Mann's duet with his ex-girlfriend about their breakup became one of his viral hits.