Every Mother's Son

History

The nucleus of Every Mother's Son formed in early 1966, when brothers Lary (vocals, guitar) and Dennis Larden (vocals, guitar) met Bruce Milner (organ, piano) at a Greenwich Village nightclub. The Larden brothers had previous experience playing four years together as a folk duo for engagements in Greenwich Village's burgeoning music scene. Milner had also spent time performing with various folk bands, but desired to involve himself with a group long-term. Soon after meeting the Larden brothers, they recruited Schuyler Larsen (bass guitar) and Christopher Augustine (drums), forming a quintet named Every Mother's Son, and rehearsed their sound before playing professionally.

The band invited Peter C. Leeds, a manager the Larden brothers knew from their days as a folk act, to spectate at a performance for a college fraternity. Impressed by what he witnessed, Leeds signed Every Mother's Son to a contract, and introduced the band to Wes Farrell, a songwriter and record producer who composed songs such as "Hang on Sloopy", "Boys", and "Come a Little Bit Closer". Sensing the group's potential, Farrell utilized his Senate Records studio to record a dozen demo sides with Every Mother's Son. Through Farrell's connections in the music industry, five major record labels expressed interest in the band; ultimately, MGM Records signed the group as a clean-cut alternative to the 1960s counterculture.

Late in 1966, Every Mother's Son recorded the Farrell and Jerry Goldstein-penned song "Come on Down to My Boat", originally released by the garage rock band the Rare Breed under the title "Come and Take a Ride in My Boat" earlier in the year. An almost instant favorite on American pop radio stations, Every Mother's Son's take on the song reached number six on the Billboard Hot 100 in May 1967. Because the group was signed to MGM, not only did the band appear on several nationally-televised programs to promote the single, they also were featured in a two-part episode of The Man from U.N.C.L.E., titled "The Karate Killers". A self-titled studio album, featuring mainly original material as well as their hit single, followed soon after, and became a moderate commercial success, peaking at number 117 on the Billboard 200. Much of the music on the album was described as "clean summer rock (with almost imperceptible echoes of The Beach Boys)".

Although Every Mother's Son never managed to attain huge commercial success that paralleled "Come on Down to My Boat", they flirted with the national charts throughout the remainder of the year. MGM Records quickly distributed their second album Every Mother's Son's Back in late-1967, spawning three charting singles, "Put Your Mind at Ease" (number 46), "Pony with the Golden Mane" (number 93), and "No One Knows" (number 96), but the album itself failed to sell in sufficient quantities to chart. Larsen departed Every Mother's Son following the release of their sophomore effort, and was replaced by Don Kerr. Work commenced on a third album; however, the group disbanded by the end of the year. In 1998, Collectables Records distributed the compilation album The Very Best of Every Mother's Son: Come on Down to My Boat. Dennis Larden later joined Ricky Nelson's Stone Canyon Band.

Members