Mother's Finest brings funk rock sound to Plant Riverside's District Live on March 24
Special to the Savannah Morning News
Mother's Finest. PHOTO PROVIDED
Originally formed in Atlanta in 1970, Mother's Finest attracted international attention as a high-energy funk-rock sextet, with legendary hits including "Baby Love," Piece of the Rock," and "Love Changes."
Over the years, the band has shared the stage with The Who, AC/DC and Black Sabbath as well as Parliament-Funkadelic and The Commodores.
Mother's Finest will take the stage at District Live at Plant Riverside District on Thursday, March 24 at 8:30 p.m., before embarking upon a European tour that will take them to Germany, Austria, Switzerland and The Netherlands. The band, which was inducted into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame in 2011, features vocalists Joyce Kennedy and Glenn "Doc" Murdock, guitarist John Hayes, bassist Juan VanDunk and drummer Dion Derek Murdock.
Kennedy and Murdock recently spoke with the Savannah Morning News about the power of live music, blending rock and funk in unexpected ways and the role that destiny played in bringing the band together more than 50 years ago.
Are you excited about your upcoming show at District Live in Savannah?
Joyce Kennedy: "We're super excited to play Savannah after such a long time. It's always been a high-spirited place to play! Hopefully folks will come out to release some stored energy and rock that mutha!"
Your biggest hit was "Baby Love," and it's such a powerful anthem. How did that song change the course of your careers -- and your lives?
Glenn "Doc" Murdock: "Before 'Baby Love,' we only played the Southeast. 'Baby Love' opened doors to the rest of the world for us to play our style of rock and funk. We've been fortunate to play and to represent ourselves as Americans throughout most of the world. We enjoyed the fruits of our labor and had the opportunity to share stages with some of the greats.
What is the secret to your success as a band through the years?
JK: "We believe in destiny, and that we were meant to be together. We had a consciousness we shared without speaking. We rehearsed like crazy and had respect for each other's creative ideas. We tried to incorporate all our musical backgrounds, which brought the heart and soul of each of each of us."
Over the years, you've been called "too rock for funk" and "too funk for rock." What do you say to that?
GM: "That just means they were listening. That's what a band wants -- an honest listen and, in our case, without prejudice. Being in the Georgia Music Hall of Fame and the Smithsonian Museum of Music History gave us pride that we made a difference in how you judged different types of music without prejudice.
"For instance, 'Mickey's Monkey' is Zeppelin's 'Custard Pie' riff with Smokey Robinson and The Miracles lyrics. You see, most people who listened to Zeppelin didn't listen to Smokey Robinson and The Miracles, but both fit into each other's realm. Now, there are more artists from opposite genres joining their grooves. How 'bout that?"
What do you consider to be the key to a great live show?
JK: "You get to the people in the moment and you get to work on getting them to have a good time. We prefer moderate size rooms to the larger venues. Our band rule is to set up small and play big, no matter the size of the stage. Depending on where we are tells us how to pace the show and what songs to present. Pacing is everything.
"Thank you, Savannah, for inviting us to play for you after all we've been through as a country. It's time for us to get back to rockin'."
