Friends reflects on life of Syracuse guitarist Harold Mantor

SYRACUSE, N.Y. (WSYR-TV) — On Monday evening, March 18, well-respected guitarist Harold Mantor was hit and killed by a Centro bus.

Mantor played with “Alecstar” and “Zoid,” among other bands and was loved by his friends in the Central New York music scene.

“Harold to me was a true friend, and he always looked out after me. Anything Harold did with me always made me feel like he was just trying to bring the best out in me,” said Stan Przepiora, a local guitarist and friend of Mantor who played with him. “He taught me a lot about the guitar and music. He knew a lot, and he was very genuine.

Mantor’s friends remember his talent and love of the guitar, which started when his father bought him a Gibson SG guitar on his 16th birthday. Przepiora even described Mantor as the “Jeff Beck of rock guitar players in Syracuse.”

“He was a natural, great rock guitarist. There wasn’t too many guys who could shine his shoes,” said Lou Segreti, another friend and local musician who played with Mantor. “He’s got magic in his fingers.”

As time went on, Mantor still remained active in music and played with a band recently formed by Segreti called “Secret Society” until circumstances took him away.

On top of continuing to play, Mantor was also known as a great supporter of local bands around CNY.

“A lot of people liked Harold, and he was just a good guy. And he was a real supporter of local bands,” Segreti said. “He would go out all the time and listen to bands. He was very supportive.”

Mantor’s friends are hoping to put a tribute together for him at some point during the summer.

You can watch Christie Casciano’s interview with Segreti and Przepiora in the video player above.