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The Mothers of Invention were an American rock band from California that served as the backing musicians for Frank Zappa. Their work is marked by the use of sonic experimentation, innovative album art, and elaborate live shows. Originally an R&B band called The Soul Giants, the band's original lineup included Ray Collins, David Coronado, Ray Hunt, Roy Estrada and Jimmy Carl Black. Zappa was asked to take over as the guitarist following a fight between Collins and Coronado, the band's original saxophonist/leader. Zappa insisted that they perform his original material, changing their name on Mothers Day to The Mothers (which for legal liability reasons was morphed by record executive decision into The Mothers of Invention), and leading them to substantial popular commercial success. Originally formed in 1964, the band first became popular playing in California's underground music scene in the late 1960s. Under Zappa's helm, it was signed to jazz label Verve Records as part of the label's diversification plans. Verve released the Mothers of Invention's début album ''Freak Out!'' in 1966, featuring a lineup including Zappa, Collins, Black, Estrada and Elliot Ingber. Under Zappa's leadership and a changing lineup, the band 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). Later adding another ex-Turtle, bassist Jim Pons, this lineup endured through 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 drummer Ralph Humphrey, trumpeter Sal Marquez, keyboardist/vocalist George Duke, trombonist Bruce Fowler, bassist Tom Fowler, percussionist Ruth Underwood and keyboardist/saxophonist Ian Underwood. The final album using the Mothers as a backing band, ''Bongo Fury'' (1975), featured guitarist Denny Walley and drummer Terry Bozzio, who continued to play for Zappa on non-Mothers releases. ==History== The Soul Giants were formed in 1964. In 1964, 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.〔''The New Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll'', 1993.〕 Zappa accepted, and convinced the other members that they should play his music to increase the chances of getting a record contract.〔Zappa with Occhiogrosso, 1989, ''The Real Frank Zappa Book'', pp. 65–66.〕 Original leader David Coronado did not think that the band would be employable if they played original material, and left the band.〔 Zappa soon assumed leadership and the role as co-lead singer, even though he never considered himself a singer. The band was renamed the Mothers, coincidentally on Mother's Day.〔Slaven, 2003, ''Electric Don Quixote'', p. 42.〕 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.〔Walley, 1980, ''No Commercial Potential,'' p. 58.〕 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.〔Miles, 2004, ''Frank Zappa'', p. 103.〕 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. 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.〔 〕 The label suggested the name "The Mothers Auxiliary", which prompted Zappa to come up with the name "The Mothers of Invention." 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「The Mothers of Invention」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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