His cousin Modesto Cepeda got Manny's first drum at the age of 5 and by the age of 7 Manny was already performing professionally.

Manny studied at the Puerto Rico's "Escuela Libre de Musica", the Pablo Casals Conservatory and attended under a scholarship to "Interlochen Music Camp" in Traverse City, Michigan. He graduated from Illinois State University, Ellington University in New Orleans and La Verne University in Naples, Italy.

Manny currently has his own Salsa band in San Diego, CA and he composes his own music and also arranges Latin Jazz music for prominent musicians in San Diego, New York and Puerto Rico.