Harry Manguzi
How do you sum up a man that defied the many expectations that were rested upon him. A man that excelled at delighting, guiding and caring for everyone he met. A man whose life had so many twist and turns, it absolutely deserves to be defined as a rollercoaster. A man who quite literally scaled lofty heights and dragged others up from the depths. Earning the love and respect of all whom he met.
Harry Manguzi, known to many as The Legend. Is a man who for all intents and purposes appears as a family man, a man of faith and a man of principles. His story is so much deeper and completely fascinating in how it defined and shaped the person he would become.
Born on 15th December 1948, as Henry Francis Manguzi (often embellished by the man himself in the form of Henrico, as he loved his heritage of being Italian descent). Harry was born and raised in and around Great Yarmouth and Gorleston. He was an adventurous youth, often causing his mum trouble. His eye for adventures and curiosity that drew him to explore, is something that followed him throughout his life. His propensity for mischief has never abated but it was always followed by his kindness and attitude towards others.
In 2014 I had the pleasure of speaking at length with Harry and capturing just a small snippet of his life story from his own mouth. The Video of Harry shows clearly how important family and it’s effects on his life are to him. In my many conversations with Harry we spoke at length about adventures and stories that he held which sculpted his views on the world as well as his beliefs.
On one instance he told me the following.
“If I had my time again. I’d change nothing. I have always played with the hand god dealt me. No matter how tough it got, I always kept going. I always got up and dusted myself off.” Harry Manguzi, May 2014
Three Chord Trick
Harry spent years regaling stories and singing to his family and friends. He was always modest of his abilities with guitar and would always say that he's not too great, he only knows a three chord trick that allows him to play most songs.
The Three chord trick is actually a huge part of music, as a vast majority of songs utilise those same chords and often it comes down to knowing how and what order to play them.
Harry had a kindness born of his christian faith, one which made him always modest about his abilities, but nevertheless he loved to share his passion with all those around him.
Harry had a number of guitars through his life but this Applause by Ovation was his work horse. The one you'd see him most often using.
Some of his happiest moments are caught in film of him playing guitar with his family. Below will be a montage of videos of him playing.
“When I was younger I once found a Rolex on the ground. It was a thing of beauty. A Lad like me could never afford anything like that. It had a broken strap but I soon fixed it and wore it everywhere. Well, I wore it on a job one time and the thing just fell off my wrist. Clearly, I didn’t fix it very well. I searched everywhere for it but could not find it.
Well. Easy come. Easy go. I learned that day to value things not for their monetary value, but their usefulness and for their quality. Now I wear a somewhat cheaper watch. But I tell you this, I can still tell what time it is. Also this one hasn’t fallen off yet, so much better than that Rolex.”
Harry was full of stories like this, always there’s a deeper meaning behind them, but to him it wasn’t about passing on a lesson it was always framed as a joke or something about living and enjoying life. In all the time that I spent with Harry he barely ever frowned, always smiling, laughing and joking.
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