SWAN SONG FOR FAMED MANNY'S
The day the music died is drawing near for West 48th Street's famed "Music Row."
The street's anchor, Manny's Music, is shutting down next month after 74 years of serving as a pilgrimage site for rock's biggest stars and aspiring musicians alike, its owners told The Post.
It may just be the beginning, as the collapsing economy and the maneuvering of a real-estate group may soon drown out the sweet music emanating from the Midtown street, which has been lined with instrument shops for decades.
"The 48th Street scene is changing drastically," said Paul Ash, president of guitar-store chain Sam Ash, which bought Manny's a decade ago and owns several other music stores on the block. "The whole industry is down."
But he said the biggest challenge has come from the Rockefeller Group, a real-estate developer that has bought up most of the small buildings housing the shops with the aim of tearing them down to build office towers. The company chose not to renew Manny's lease.
"There is no question that all of it will come down. It's just a matter of when," Ash said.
Manny's general manager, Jesse McGrath, said there are no immediate plans to relocate the shop or any of the Sam Ash stores.
A spokeswoman for the Rockefeller Group could not be reached for comment.
As word of Manny's demise has spread, musicians from all over the world have been flooding the store with calls offering their shocked condolences and reminiscing about the role the shop played in their lives.
"It's very sad because I know how many people have gone there and have written some great songs on the instruments they got there," said Woodstock legend Richie Havens.
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