Dayna Manning (born April 27, 1978, in Stratford, Ontario) is a Canadian folk and pop singer-songwriter, as well as a producer and sound engineer. As a teenager she released her first album, Volume 1, on EMI and Nettwerk, with featured musicians including Sean Lennon and Melanie Doane. A single from the album reached No. 15 on the MuchMusic top hits chart in Canada, and she was nominated for the 1998 Juno Award for Best New Artist.
She performed at the first Lilith Fair, and her second album, Shades, was released in 2002 to positive reviews. After releasing her third album Folkyo, Manning joined the folk trio Trent Severn in 2011, along with Emm Gryner and Laura Bates, who was later replaced by Lindsay Schindler. In 2012 they released their debut, Trent Severn, and the band was nominated for two 2013 Canadian Folk Music Awards. Trent Severn has released two follow up albums, Trillum (2015) and Portage (2017), both produced and engineered by Manning. Trillium made the Longer List for the 2016 Polaris Music Prize.
Early life
Dayna Manning was born in Stratford, Ontario, Canada on April 27, 1978, to David Manning, a music teacher, and Darlene Manning. One night while babysitting, Manning found a guitar in the house and used it to write her first song, "Walk On The Moon." Years later the track was included on her debut album. According to Manning, "I always did [songwriting] completely on my own. It is very personal to me." While she has learned to play a number of instruments, early on Manning primarily focused on vocals and guitar, with her guitar of choice a handmade McConville Acoustic.
Before releasing a record and while still a teenager, Manning opened for Burton Cummings's "Up Close and Alone" tour in Canada, and she has stated that Cummings was a significant influence on how she handled herself in the industry. Set to self-produce her first album at the age of 16, she was discovered by Honeymoon Suite keyboardist Ray Coburn at a showcase at Lee's Palace in Toronto; after two live performances for EMI executives, the label signed Manning to a record deal.
Music career
Volume 1 (1997)
Volume 1, her debut album, was released on April 15, 1997, by EMI Music Canada and on August 26, 1997Nettwerk in the United States. Manning and Ray Coburn produced and performed; other featured musicians included Melanie Doane, Harry Hess, Sean Lennon, and Manning's parents, Darlene and David Manning, on clarinet and trumpet respectively. Stephen Drake, of Canadian rock band Odds, mixed the album.
Her first single and video, "Half the Man," was downcast, mournful and heavily folk-inflected; nonetheless it became a strong hit on Canadian radio and MuchMusic, and the uptempo follow-up track, "My Addiction" was also successful, peaking at No. 14 on MuchMusic. She was nominated for the 1998 Juno Award for Best New Artist.
After her first release she toured Canada and North America for two years, performing on the first and second season of Lilith Fair and with Lisa Loeb, Spirit of the West, 54-40, Joe Cocker, and opening for Radiohead.
Shades (2002)
Shades, her second album with EMI, was released in late 2002. It was recorded in Los Angeles at Cello Studios with Red Hot Chili Peppers engineer Jim Scott, and with additional production by Dave Hodge. Some of the musicians who played on the album included Chad Smith of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, session musician Bob Glaub, Neal Casal, John Ginty, Don Heffington, and Greg Leisz.
The album was criticized in some reviews for a production-heavy sound that took away from Manning's own voice and potential. Other reviews were more favorable, praising the album's aural ambience and Manning's talent for introspective lyrics. The song "Miracle" was released as a single and video.
