Every Mother's Son was an American sunshine pop band formed in New York City, New York, in 1966. Coming from a folk rock background situated in Greenwich Village, the group utilized its clean-cut image to score their only Top 40 hit "Come On Down to My Boat" in 1967. Following their brief, but immense, commercial success, Every Mother's Son achieved lesser fortunes with songs such as "Put Your Mind at Ease" and "Pony with the Golden Mane", and recorded two studio albums before disbanding in 1968.
History
The nucleus of Every Mother's Son formed in early 1966, when brothers Larry and Dennis Larden met Bruce Milner 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 Milner, the Larden brothers recruited Schuyler Larsen and Christopher Augustine, 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 had 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 bandThe Rare Breed under the title "Come and Take a Ride in My Boat" earlier in the year. An almost instant favorite on American popradio stations, Every Mother's Son's take on the song reached number six on the BillboardHot 100 in July 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 ". 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", "Pony with the Golden Mane", and "No One Knows", but the album itself failed to sell in sufficient quantities to chart. Schuyler Larsen departed Every Mother's Son following the release of their sophomore effort, and was replaced by Don Kerr. In 1968 work commenced on a third album; however, the group disbanded by the end of the year. Dennis Larden later joined Ricky Nelson's Stone Canyon Band. In 1998, Collectables Records distributed the compilation albumThe Very Best of Every Mother's Son: Come on Down to My Boat. In 2012 a CD of both MGM albums and a bonus non-album single was issued by Now Sounds as "Come On Down: The Complete MGM Recordings" using the original master tapes. One member, Bruce Milner, is now a dentist in both Manhattan, New York and Woodstock.
