The Mothers of Invention
The Mothers of Invention (also known as the Mothers) were an American rock band from California.[3] Formed in 1964, their work is marked by the use of sonic experimentation, innovative album art, and elaborate live shows.
"The Mothers" redirects here. Not to be confused with The Mothers (novel).
The Mothers of Invention
- The Soul Giants
- The Mothers
- Ruben and the Jets (1968)[1]
- Frank Zappa and the Mothers
Pomona, California, U.S.
- 1964–1969
- 1970–1971
- 1973–1975
Originally an R&B band called the Soul Giants, the band's first lineup comprised Ray Collins, David Coronado, Ray Hunt, Roy Estrada, and Jimmy Carl Black. Frank Zappa was asked to take over as the guitarist when a fight between Collins and Hunt led to the latter being fired. Zappa insisted they perform his original material - a decision which resulted in Coronado leaving as he did not agree to the change - and on Mother's Day in 1965 the band changed their name to the Mothers. Record executives demanded the name be changed, and so "out of necessity", Zappa later said, "We became the Mothers of Invention".
After early struggles, the Mothers earned substantial popular commercial success. The band first became popular playing in California's underground music scene in the late 1960s. With Zappa at the helm, it was signed to jazz label Verve Records as part of the label's diversification plans.[4] Verve released the Mothers of Invention's début double album Freak Out! in 1966, recorded by Zappa, Collins, Black, Estrada and Elliot Ingber. During their original run, the band's ever-changing lineup also included Don Preston, Bunk Gardner, Billy Mundi, Jim Fielder, Ian Underwood, Jim "Motorhead" Sherwood, Art Tripp, Buzz Gardner, and Lowell George. The Mothers released a series of critically acclaimed albums, including Absolutely Free, We're Only in It for the Money, and Uncle Meat, before being disbanded by Zappa in 1969. In 1970, he formed a new version of the Mothers that included Ian Underwood, Jeff Simmons, George Duke, Aynsley Dunbar and singers Mark Volman and Howard Kaylan (formerly of the Turtles, but who for contractual reasons were credited in this band as the Phlorescent Leech & Eddie or Flo & Eddie for short). Later replacing Simmons with another ex-Turtle, bassist Jim Pons, this second incarnation of the Mothers endured through December 1971, when Zappa was injured by an audience member during a concert appearance.
Zappa focused on big-band and orchestral music while recovering from his injuries, and in 1973 formed the Mothers' final lineup, which included Ian Underwood, George Duke, Ralph Humphrey, Sal Marquez, Bruce Fowler, Tom Fowler, and Ruth Underwood. Napoleon Murphy Brock and Chester Thompson also joined the band later that year. The final non-archival album using the Mothers (of Invention) name, Bongo Fury (1975), featured Captain Beefheart, as well as guitarist Denny Walley and drummer Terry Bozzio, both of whom continued to play for Zappa on subsequent non-Mothers releases.
History[edit]
Early years (1964–1965)[edit]
The Soul Giants were formed in 1964. In early 1965, Frank Zappa was approached by Ray Collins who asked him to take over as the guitarist following a fight between Collins and the group's original guitarist.[5] Zappa accepted, and convinced the other members that they should play his music to increase the chances of getting a record contract.[6] Original leader David Coronado did not think that the band would be employable if they played original material, and left the band.[6] Zappa soon assumed leadership and the role as co-lead singer, even though he never considered himself a singer.[7]
The band was renamed the Mothers, coincidentally on Mother's Day.[8] The group increased their bookings after beginning an association with manager Herb Cohen, while they gradually gained attention on the burgeoning Los Angeles underground music scene.[9] In early 1966, they were spotted by leading record producer, Tom Wilson, when playing Zappa's "Trouble Every Day", a song about the Watts Riots.[10][11] Wilson had earned acclaim as the producer for singer-songwriter Bob Dylan and the folk-rock act Simon & Garfunkel, and was notable as one of the few African Americans working as a major label pop music producer at this time.[12]
Wilson signed the Mothers to the Verve Records division of MGM Records, which had built up a strong reputation in the music industry for its releases of modern jazz recordings in the 1940s and 1950s, but was attempting to diversify into pop and rock audiences. Verve insisted that the band officially rename themselves because "Mother" in slang terminology was short for "motherfucker"—a term that apart from its profanity, in a jazz context connotes a very skilled musical instrumentalist.[13] The label suggested the name "The Mothers Auxiliary", which prompted Zappa to come up with the name "The Mothers of Invention".