There’s nothing new in great western guitarists becoming fascinated by India, as artists from John McLaughlin to Bob Brozman have proved, but what makes Harry Manx unique is the way he mixes blues and ragas with anything from Americana to rock. And he does so playing solo, armed only with an array of instruments, foot pedals and a laptop.

On stage, he looks much like a genial hobo, in denim, woolly cap and grey beard. He began the set with lap-slide guitar while punctuating his warm, lived-in vocals with rousing harmonica work on his own, bluesy Bring That Thing from his first recording session, 14 years ago “way back when I was 46”. He switched to banjo for a gutsy treatment of the traditional Working on a Railroad and transformed the pained Death Have Mercy by backing himself on the 20-stringed Mohan Veena. It sounded like a blend of guitar and sitar, with some strings providing drone effects and others played like a slide guitar. He explained he first heard it while busking in Japan, and was so excited that he set off to India to study with its inventor, Vishwa Mohan Bhatt.

Manx’s colourful life is reflected in his playing. Born in the Isle of Man, he moved to Canada, worked as a soundman in a blues club, and then started travelling, spending years in India. Back in Canada he has won a stack of awards, and he deserves to be better known here.

He kept the small but enthusiastic crowd on their toes with a varied set, demonstrating his driving, rhythmic slide work on classic blues by Willie Dixon or Muddy Waters, or songs by Hendrix and JJ Cale. By the end, he was adding Indian influences to both Gershwin’s Summertime and an exquisite treatment of Van Morrison’s Crazy Love.

• At Roots Music Club, Doncaster (07939 148603) on 6 November, then touring UK until 11 November