Every Mother's Son

Every Mother's Son was an American sunshine pop band formed in New York City in 1967. Brothers Dennis Larden (born 22 November 1948) and Larry Larden (born 10 August 1945) had originally performed as a folk duo. In the formation of Every Mother's Son, they were joined by pianist/organist Bruce Milner (born 9 May 1943), drummer Christopher Augustine (born 25 August 1941), and bassist Schuyler Larsen (born 19 February 1947).^[1]

One-hit wonder

In early 1967 the group was signed to the MGM Records label (supposedly because management saw the band's clean-cut image as an antidote to the hippie influx). They recorded a self-titled, 11-song LP, mostly containing songs written by the Larden brothers, that would be described as "clean summer rock (with almost imperceptible echoes of The Beach Boys)." .^[2] The album's leadoff song "Come on Down to My Boat" (listed on the album as "Come and Take a Ride in My Boat"), written by the band's producer Wes Farrell and Jerry Goldstein, rose to #6 on the Billboard charts in July 1967 (#3 in Canada). The song had first been recorded by another group, The Rare Breed, also produced by Farrell (20 years later the tune was the first played by pirate station Radio Newyork International, which broadcast from a ship just off Long Island). Because the group was signed to MGM Records, MGM Television (by way of Arena Productions) decided to feature the group in a two-part episode of The Man From U.N.C.L.E., "The Karate Killers (The Five Daughters Affair)," singing the song in a nightclub as a fight breaks out.

Although the debut single was a hit, the group could not sustain its initial success. MGM quickly released a second album in the fall of 1967, Every Mothers' Son's Back, which spawned three more singles that managed to make the charts, but at increasingly lower positions: "Put Your Mind At Ease" (#46, #8 Can.), "Pony With The Golden Mane" (#93, #41 Can.), and "No One Knows" (#96). Larsen left the band shortly after Every Mothers' Son's Back was completed, replaced by Don Kerr^[2] and the group disbanded in 1968; a compilation album on Collectible Records was issued three decades later. Dennis Larden later joined Ricky Nelson's Stone Canyon Band.^[1]

Discography

Singles

Albums

References

See also

• The Phynx, a 1970 movie with Dennis Larden

External links

• "Every Mother's Son - 1967 - Come on Down to My Boat" at Google Video collection
• Entry at allmusic.com