Mother's Finest
Encyclopedia
Mother's Finest is a funk rock
band founded in Atlanta, Georgia
by Joyce Kennedy and Glenn Murdock in the early 1970s. The group charted with the singles "Fire" (#93 Pop Singles
), "Baby Love" (#79 Black Singles, #58 Pop Singles), "Don't Wanna Come Back" (#54 Black Singles), "Love Changes" (#26 Black Singles), and "Piece Of The Rock" in the mid to late 1970s.
In the Fall of 1976, they opened for The Who in their laser lit tour through Canada. October 12 was the last show of the tour, taking place at Toronto's Maple Leaf Gardens. An unusual choice of opening acts, they impressed with their performance and choreographed stage show.
In 1978 they were guests in German broadcast Rockpalast and with one concert they gathered a cult status in Europe which lasts until today (this concert appears on the DVD Mother's Finest - At Rockpalast).
In the late seventies they produced more soul-oriented albums and at the beginning of the eighties some heavy rock as on Iron Age. In the nineties they were back with Black radio Won't Play This Record, a funk metal
album, and their most recent CD is Meta-funk'n-physical from 2004 which is more hip hop- and electronic beats-oriented.
Mother's Finest was well respected within the southern rock musical community. Their fellow Epic Records
label-mates The Stranger (band)
would play "Another Mother Further" as their introductory music.
Joyce Kennedy was seen on the international Daughters Of Soul tour along with Sandra St. Victor
, Nona Hendryx
, Lalah Hathaway
(daughter of Donny Hathaway
), Indira Khan (daughter of Chaka Khan
), and Simone
(daughter of Nina Simone
).
On September 16, 2011 Mother's Finest was inducted into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame.
Funk rock
Funk rock is a music genre that fuses funk and rock elements. Its earliest incarnation was heard in the late 1960s through the mid-1970s by acts such as the Jimi Hendrix Experience , Eric Burdon and War, Trapeze, Parliament-Funkadelic, Betty Davis and Mother's Finest. The 1990s were known for acts...
band founded in Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
by Joyce Kennedy and Glenn Murdock in the early 1970s. The group charted with the singles "Fire" (#93 Pop Singles
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
), "Baby Love" (#79 Black Singles, #58 Pop Singles), "Don't Wanna Come Back" (#54 Black Singles), "Love Changes" (#26 Black Singles), and "Piece Of The Rock" in the mid to late 1970s.
History
Mother's Finest are a funk rock group from the US South. Their music is a blend of funky rhythm, heavy guitars and expressive R&B singing. Their debut album Mother's Finest from 1972 was banned by the band. Their (second) debut album Mother's Finest from 1976 today is a rare collector's piece and contained with the ironic song "Niggizz Can't Sing Rock'n Roll" (although they were criticized for it by an important religious leader and dropped it from their live concerts).In the Fall of 1976, they opened for The Who in their laser lit tour through Canada. October 12 was the last show of the tour, taking place at Toronto's Maple Leaf Gardens. An unusual choice of opening acts, they impressed with their performance and choreographed stage show.
In 1978 they were guests in German broadcast Rockpalast and with one concert they gathered a cult status in Europe which lasts until today (this concert appears on the DVD Mother's Finest - At Rockpalast).
In the late seventies they produced more soul-oriented albums and at the beginning of the eighties some heavy rock as on Iron Age. In the nineties they were back with Black radio Won't Play This Record, a funk metal
Funk metal
Funk metal is a subgenre of funk rock that fuses elements of heavy metal and funk. Allmusic has claimed that "funk metal evolved in the mid-'80s when alternative bands like the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Faith No More, Infectious Grooves, Mordred and Fishbone began playing the hybrid with a stronger...
album, and their most recent CD is Meta-funk'n-physical from 2004 which is more hip hop- and electronic beats-oriented.
Mother's Finest was well respected within the southern rock musical community. Their fellow Epic Records
Epic Records
Epic Records is an American record label, owned by Sony Music Entertainment. Though it was originally conceived as a jazz imprint, it has since expanded to represent various genres. L.A...
label-mates The Stranger (band)
Stranger (band)
Stranger was a band based in Tampa, FL, formed in the early '80s. Stranger toured the U.S. as opening act for many prominent headliners throughout the '80s.-History:...
would play "Another Mother Further" as their introductory music.
Joyce Kennedy was seen on the international Daughters Of Soul tour along with Sandra St. Victor
Sandra St. Victor
Sandra St. Victor is a Dallas born singer songwriter most known for her work as lead singer of The Family Stand. She attended the now famous Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, High School studying all styles of music. Arts Magnet was also stomping grounds for...
, Nona Hendryx
Nona Hendryx
Nona Hendryx is an American vocalist, producer, songwriter, musician, author, and actress.Hendryx is known for her work as a solo artist as well as for being one-third of the trio Labelle, who had a hit with "Lady Marmalade." Her music has ranged from soul, funk, dance, and R&B to hard rock, art...
, Lalah Hathaway
Lalah Hathaway
Eulaulah Donyll Hathaway best known as Lalah Hathaway referred to as the First Daughter of Soul, is a contemporary R&B and jazz singer. She is the daughter of soul singer Donny Hathaway and a classically trained vocalist. In 1990, Lalah Hathaway released a self-titled album. The album's first...
(daughter of Donny Hathaway
Donny Hathaway
Donny Edward Hathaway was an American soul singer-songwriter and musician. Hathaway contracted with Atlantic Records in 1969 and with his first single for the Atco label, "The Ghetto, Part I" in early 1970, Rolling Stone magazine "marked him as a major new force in soul music."His collaborations...
), Indira Khan (daughter of Chaka Khan
Chaka Khan
Chaka Khan , frequently known as the Queen of Funk, is a 10-time Grammy Award winning American singer-songwriter who gained fame in the 1970s as the frontwoman and focal point of the funk band Rufus. While still a member of the group in 1978, Khan embarked on a successful solo career...
), and Simone
Simone (actress)
Simone is a Broadway actress/singer and the daughter of Nina Simone.Prior to her acting career, Simone served in the United States Air Force as an engineering assistant...
(daughter of Nina Simone
Nina Simone
Eunice Kathleen Waymon , better known by her stage name Nina Simone , was an American singer, songwriter, pianist, arranger, and civil rights activist widely associated with jazz music...
).
On September 16, 2011 Mother's Finest was inducted into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame.
Original members 1972
- Joyce Kennedy - vocals and percussion
- Glenn "Doc" Murdock – vocals and percussion
- Gary "Mo" Moore – guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
- Jerry "Wiz" Seay – bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
- Mike Keck – keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
- Donny Vosburgh - drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
Original members
- Joyce Kennedy - vocals
- Glenn "Doc" Murdock – vocals
- Gary "Moses Mo" Moore – guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
- Barry "B.B. Queen" Borden – drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
- Jerry "Wyzard" Seay (a/k/a "Wizzard") – bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
- Mike Keck – keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
1993 world tour members
- Joyce Kennedy – vocals
- Glenn Murdock – vocals
- John Hayes – guitar
- Jerry "Wyzard" Seay – bass
- Deion Derrick – drums
- Ace Baker – keyboards
Circa 2004 members
- Joyce Kennedy – vocals
- Glenn Murdock – vocals
- Gary "Moses Mo" Moore – guitar
- Kerry 'Lovinggood' Denton – drums
- Jerry "Wyzard" Seay – bass
- John Hayes – guitar
- Johnnetta "JJ" Johnson – backing vocalsBacking vocalistA backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
Albums
- Mother's Finest (album)Mother's Finest (album)Mother's Finest is the official debut album by Atlanta funk-rock group Mother's Finest. It was released in 1972 on RCA records but sold poorly so the vinyl album is very hard to find. The band was also dissatisfied with the album...
(1972), RCARCA RecordsRCA Records is one of the flagship labels of Sony Music Entertainment. The RCA initials stand for Radio Corporation of America , which was the parent corporation from 1929 to 1985 and a partner from 1985 to 1986.RCA's Canadian unit is Sony's oldest label... - Mother's Finest (1976), EpicEpic RecordsEpic Records is an American record label, owned by Sony Music Entertainment. Though it was originally conceived as a jazz imprint, it has since expanded to represent various genres. L.A...
- Another Mother FurtherAnother Mother FurtherAnother Mother Further is the third full-length studio album by Atlanta funk-rock group Mother's Finest. It was released in 1977 on Epic Records and co-produced by Tom Werman...
(1977), Epic - Mother Factor (1978), Epic
- Live (1979), Epic
- Iron Age (1981), AtlanticAtlantic RecordsAtlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz...
- One Mother to Another (1983), Epic
- Looks Could Kill (1989), CapitolCapitol RecordsCapitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine...
- Black Radio Won't Play This Record (1992), RCA
- Subluxation (1993), RCA – live album
- Baby Love (1998), Kiosk
- Meta-Funk'n Physical (2003), UTR Music
- Right Here, Right Now: Live at Villa Berg (2005), MTM Music
Compilations
- Rock Your Soul (1996), Sony Special Products
- The Very Best of Mother's Finest: Not Yer Mother's Funk (1997), Razor & TieRazor & TieRazor & Tie is a New York-based corporation founded in 1990 by Cliff Chenfeld and Craig Balsam. The company encompasses a record label with major label distribution , a home video company, a media buying company, a music publishing business, a marketing, promotion and sales team, and a direct...
- Definitive Collection (1998), Sony International
- Burning Love: Best (2000), Cedar
External links
- Mother's Finest Official Site
- Daughters Of Soul Official Site