Today In Oldies 8/31/2010

Golden Hits Radio has just been handed these urgent news bulletins.......

• Wanna download Beatles songs?  You can.....but probably not for long
• The life of Lloyd Price is coming soon to the Great White Way
• Oldies will be represented prominently at this year's Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame induction

Where In The World Is.......Every Mother's Son?

Formed in New York City in 1967, Every Mother's Son was marketed by their record label, MGM Records, as a clean cut alternative to the hippie bands that were beginning to rule the music charts and radio airwaves at the time (which will become ironic when we get to the "Where Are They Now" part shortly).  The band was composed of two brothers, Dennis and Larry Larden, pianist/organist Bruce Milner, drummer Chris Augustine, and bassist Schuyler Larsen. 

Their one brief fling in the limelight came with a song originally recorded by the Rare Breed.  "Come On Down To My Boat" hit #6 during the "Summer of Love" in July 1967 and led to the band being featured in an episode of The Man From U.N.C.L.E. (produced by their record label's sister company, MGM Television) performing the song.  Interestingly, the song is billed under a different title on Every Mother's Son's self-titled debut album.  On the album cover, you'll find the song titled ""Come And Take A Ride In My Boat".  No matter what you call it, the song was a bona fide hit!

Unfortunately, fame would prove fleeting, as subsequent singles and a second album flopped.  By the end of 1968, Every Mother's Son was finished.  Founder Dennis Larden later became a member of Rick Nelson's Stone Canyon Band in the 70's. 

Determining where the entire band is and what they're doing these days has proven difficult, but there are a few clues.  We found no info on Dennis Larden, Schuyer Larsen, and Christopher Augustine.  Remember we said the marketing of Every Mother's Son as a clean cut alternative to the psychedelic-fueled bands of the late 60's would prove to be ironic?  Well, we did track down co-founder Larry Larden via a quote from a blog done by one Stanley Krippner.  Krippner was revisiting a 1969 academic research paper he had done on the effects of hallucenogenic drugs on musical artists who had claimed to have a "psychedelic experience".  Larden was one of his subjects :-)  You can find that blog by clicking here.  As for Bruce Milner, he has taken the path one would expect all former one hit wonders to travel.  He is a member of a vocal group called Baird Hersey and PRANA, specializing in Tibetan Buddhist multiphonic chants and Tuvan throat singing.  They're banking on that genre becoming all the rage among the kids at any moment, and here's their website.

And now we return to an era where Tibetan Buddhist chants and Tuvan throat singing were the farthest thing from Bruce Milner's mind.....well, unless he and Larry Larden headed to the desert with a handful of those "magic mushrooms"......

Golden Hits Radio and GHR2's Burning Question of the Day

Which movie star, former Saturday Night Live cast member, and current TV sitcom star played drums in a band that eventually became Steely Dan?

Check back tomorrow @ Everything Oldies for the answer, and leave a Comment with your best guess!!

Yesterday's Burning Question (and Answer) of the Day

Bruce Springsteen has written several songs that became hits for other artists in the 70's, including a #1 smash.  Name two.

Answer: Among songs that made the Billboard Top 40, you had three to choose from.  There was Patti Smith's rendition of Bruce's "Because The Night" (#13, 1978), The Pointer Sisters doing "Fire" (#2, 1979), and Bruce's only taste of Number One as either a singer or songwriter, "Blinded By The Light", a song that Bruce performed himself on his debut album ("Greetings From Asbury Park, N.J.") that Manfred Mann's Earth Band took to the top in 1977.  ***SIDE NOTE*** Bruce also wrote a Top 40 hit for someone else in the 80's.  The title song from the soundtrack to the movie Light Of Day was a hit for a group billed as The Barbusters (including the movie's stars, Joan Jett & Michael J. Fox) in 1987.