Editing Mother's Finest (section)

== History ==
Mother's Finest issued its debut album ''[[Mother's Finest (album)|Mother's Finest]]'' in 1972 on [[RCA Records|RCA]]; a second album for RCA remained unreleased until it surfaced as bonus tracks on the 2010 [[Wounded Bird Records|Wounded Bird]] re-issue of ''Mother's Finest.'' The group signed a new contract with [[Epic Records]] and released its sophomore effort, also titled ''Mother's Finest'', in 1976, stirring up controversy with the ironic "Niggizz Can't Sang Rock 'n' Roll". Riding a wave of success, the band's next three albums, ''[[Another Mother Further]]'' (1977), ''Mother Factor'' (1978) and ''Mother's Finest Live'' (1979), all went gold,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://chronicle.augusta.com/things-do/applause/2012-03-13/mothers-finest-finds-longevity-keeping-feet-ground|title=Mother's Finest finds longevity by keeping feet on the ground|author=Charmain Z. Brackett|publisher=The Augusta Chronicle|date=March 13, 2012}}</ref>  helped along by heavy touring opening for the likes of [[Ted Nugent]], [[Black Sabbath]], [[The Who]], [[Aerosmith]] and [[AC/DC]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://voices.yahoo.com/interview-jerry-wyzard-seay-mothers-finest-1772665.html|title=Interview: Jerry "Wyzard" Seay of Mother's Finest|author=David Carr|publisher=Yahoo Voices|date=August 13, 2008|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20131001044007/http://voices.yahoo.com/interview-jerry-wyzard-seay-mothers-finest-1772665.html?cat=49|archivedate=October 1, 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref>

In 1978, the band set out for Europe and took part in the [[Rockpalast]] concert series at the [[Grugahalle]] in Essen, produced by Germany's [[Westdeutscher Rundfunk|WDR]] television and broadcast to various countries. With only one concert Mother's Finest put themselves on the map all over Europe where the band still has a dedicated following. The legendary 1978 show was finally released on CD and DVD in 2012 as ''Mother's Finest – Live At Rockpalast 1978 & 2003'' which also includes the band's 2003 "Rockpalast" appearance at Satzvey Castle.

After four albums for Epic/CBS in the 70's, the band signed with Atlantic Records for its heaviest album to date, 1981's ''Iron Age''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1876&dat=19810717&id=yoQsAAAAIBAJ&sjid=z80EAAAAIBAJ&pg=3135,3188782
|title=Mother's Finest Album 'Iron Age' Signifies Rededication To Hard Rock
|author=Jill Jones|publisher=Herald-Journal|date=July 17, 1981}}</ref> That same year Joyce Kennedy guested with [[Molly Hatchet]] on the song "Respect Me in the Morning" from the ''[[Take No Prisoners (Molly Hatchet album)|Take No Prisoners]]'' album. Mother's Finest went on hiatus after 1983's ''One Mother to Another'', with vocalist Joyce Kennedy pursuing a solo career, releasing the soul/R&B-styled ''Lookin' for Trouble'' album on [[A&M Records]] in 1984. She scored a [[Billboard charts|Billboard]] Top 40 hit with "The Last Time I Made Love", a duet with [[Jeffrey Osborne]]. A year later, Joyce recorded the song "Didn't I Tell You?" for the soundtrack of the film ''[[The Breakfast Club]]''. Drummer Barry Borden, who had joined Molly Hatchet on the ''[[No Guts...No Glory (Molly Hatchet album)|No Guts...No Glory]]'' album, teamed up with guitarist Moses Mo in the band Illusion, resulting in a pair of albums, ''Illusion'' (1985) and ''I Like It Loud'' (1986), on [[Geffen Records]]. Borden would later join [[Outlaws (band)|The Outlaws]] for a pair of albums and has been a member of [[The Marshall Tucker Band]] since the late 1990s.

Meanwhile, bassist Wyzard toured with [[Fleetwood Mac]]'s [[Stevie Nicks]] behind her 1983 album ''[[The Wild Heart (album)|The Wild Heart]]'', including an appearance on ''[[Saturday Night Live]]''. Eventually, he and brother/drummer Harold Seay, who had replaced Barry Borden on ''One Mother to Another'', joined [[Rickey Medlocke|Rick Medlocke]] in a revamped [[Blackfoot (band)|Blackfoot]] lineup and appeared on 1987's ''Rick Medlocke and Blackfoot'' album.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.metalexpressradio.com/menu.php?id=1032&main=interviews|title=Interview with Moses Mo and Wyzard (Mother's Finest)|author=Mike Burgess|publisher=Metal Express Radio|date=April 11, 2013}}</ref>

Mother's Finest re-formed for 1989's ''Looks Could Kill'' on [[Capitol Records|Capitol]]/[[EMI Records]], with only drummer Barry Borden missing from the classic lineup. He was replaced by Joyce Kennedy and Glenn Murdock's son, Dion Derek Murdock. In 1990, the band released its second live album, ''Subluxation'', on RCA/BMG, albeit only in Europe. It was the first album to feature guitarist John "Red Devil" Hayes, formerly of Atlanta's PG-13, hired in place of the departing Moses Mo.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://allaccessmagazine.com/vol6/issue13/john_hayes.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101120142317/http://allaccessmagazine.com/vol6/issue13/john_hayes.html|url-status=usurped|archive-date=November 20, 2010|title=John Hayes – Leaving his mark across stages everywhere!|author=Kim Thore|publisher=All Access Magazine|date=August 21, 2008}}</ref>

The band moved over to [[Scotti Brothers Records|Scotti Bros.]] for 1992's ''[[Black Radio Won't Play This Record]]'', a heavy [[Thom Panunzio]] produced [[funk metal]] affair, recorded with the help of former [[Sound Barrier]] member Tracey "Spacey T" Singleton on guitar. The band continued to tour heavily, especially in Europe, but did not release another studio CD until 2004's ''Meta-Funk'n-Physical'', an experimental, hip hop- and electronic beats-oriented effort.

In 1997, drummer Dion Murdock lent his services to [[Kingdom Come (German band)|Kingdom Come]] and appeared on their ''[[Master Seven]]'' album. In 1999, Wyzard, Moses Mo and longtime Mother's Finest touring keyboardist Pascal Kravetz joined multi-national band [[Carl Carlton (German musician)#Carl Carlton & The Songdogs|Carl Carlton & The Songdogs]], releasing a handful of albums along the way. In 2002, Moses Mo issued his solo album, ''Cartoon You'', which features contributions from Glenn Murdock, Joyce Kennedy and Wyzard, along with several other members of the extended Mother's Finest family, Kerry Denton, Harold Seay, Johnnetta Johnson and Pascal Kravetz. In 2008, Wyzard released his solo album, ''Primal Incantation'', featuring brother Harold Seay and Sean O'Rourke on drums.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://cltampa.com/dailyloaf/archives/2009/11/25/wyzards-primal-incantation-an-album-for-funk-rock-enthusiasts#.UkPIF3_ueSo|title=Wyzard's Primal Incantation: An album for funk rock enthusiasts|author=Jeff O'Kelley|publisher=Creative Loafing Tampa|date=November 25, 2009}}</ref>

Beginning in 2004, Joyce Kennedy was seen on the international ''Daughters of Soul'' tour along with [[Sandra St. Victor]], [[Nona Hendryx]], [[Lalah Hathaway]] (daughter of [[Donny Hathaway]]), Indira Khan (daughter of [[Chaka Khan]]), and [[Simone (actress)|Simone]] (daughter of [[Nina Simone]]).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bluesandsoul.com/feature/172/the_daughters_of_soul_its_a_family_affair|title=The Daughters Of Soul: It's A Family Affair|author=Bill Buckley|publisher=Blues & Soul, Issue 1063}}</ref> Nona Hendryx would cover Mother's Finest's "Truth'll Set You Free" off ''Another Mother Further'' with her group [[Labelle]] on their 2008 album ''[[Back to Now]]''.

In 2010, fellow Georgia rockers [[Jackyl]], featuring [[Darryl McDaniels]] from [[Run-D.M.C.]], paid homage to Mother's Finest with a cover of "Like a Negro" from ''Black Radio Won't Play This Record'' and also shot a video.[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ICZU42IhfZ8]. Jackyl frontman [[Jesse James Dupree]] had previously been in the band PG-13 with John Hayes in the late 1980s and called on Hayes to play guitar on his 2000 solo album, ''[[Foot Fetish]]'', with Hayes and fellow Mother's Finest members, Wyzard and Dion Derek Murdock, all contributing to the songwriting. Dupree, Hayes, Wyzard and Murdock had earlier played together under the name Dent. The band recorded an album for [[Sony Music]], which was ultimately shelved by the label and remains unreleased.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bravewords.com/features/1000761|title=Jackyl – Double Time In The Fast Lane|author=Aaron Small|publisher=BraveWords.net|date=May 29, 2010}}</ref>

On September 16, 2011, Mother's Finest was inducted into the [[Georgia Music Hall of Fame]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mdjonline.com/view/full_story/15496379/article-Rock--funk---soul--Mother%E2%80%99s-Finest-to-be-inducted-in-Georgia-Music-Hall-of-Fame?instance=home_lifestyle|title=Rock, funk & soul: Mother's Finest to be inducted in Georgia Music Hall of Fame|author=Davia L. Mosley|publisher=The Marietta Daily Journal|date=September 13, 2011}}</ref>

In July 2013, Mother's Finest launched a [[Kickstarter]] campaign to raise funds for a new studio album.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://jamesostafford.com/2013/07/30/mothers-finest-launches-kickstarter-campaign/|title=Mother's Finest Launches Kickstarter Campaign|author=James Stafford|publisher=Why It Matters|date=July 30, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.accessatlanta.com/weblogs/atlanta-music-scene/2013/aug/19/mothers-finest-turns-kickstarter-first-album-10-ye/|title=Mother's Finest turns to Kickstarter for first album in 10 years|author=Melissa Ruggieri|publisher=Access Atlanta|date=August 19, 2013}}</ref>

In November 2014, it was announced that the band had signed a European record deal with [[SPV GmbH|SPV/Steamhammer]] for their new studio, ''Goody 2 Shoes & The Filthy Beast'', set for a spring 2015 release.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://bravewords.com/news/mothers-finest-sign-european-deal-with-spv-steamhammer|title=Mother's Finest Sign European Deal With SPV/Steamhammer|publisher=BraveWords.net|date=November 12, 2014}}</ref> An advance single, "Shut Up", was issued on St. Nicholas Day, December 6, 2014 "as a present to all their European fans".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://bravewords.com/news/mothers-finest-to-release-shut-up-single-for-st-nicholas-day|title=Mother's Finest To Release "Shut Up" Single For St. Nicholas Day|publisher=BraveWords.net|date=December 1, 2014}}</ref>

In November 2015, Australian label Raven Records re-issued the band's 4 albums for Epic Records, ''Mother's Finest'' ('76), ''Another Mother Further'' ('77), ''Mother Factor'' ('78) and ''Live'' ('79) as a 2-disc package.  British label SoulMusic Records would issue the 2-disc ''Love Changes: The Anthology 1972–1983'' set in March 2017, including 2 songs from the band's 1972 debut album for RCA and a further 6 cuts from the second unreleased RCA album.  These eight songs had previously been available on CD as bonus tracks on the now out-of-print Wounded Bird Records re-issue of the 1976 ''Mother's Finest'' album.

On April 14, 2017, British label Rock Candy Records re-issued a re-mastered version of Mother's Finest's 1981 scorcher ''Iron Age'', including a 16-page full color booklet, 4000-word essay about the making of the album, new interviews and enhanced artwork.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://melodicrock.com/articles/2017/04/06/rock-candy-records-latest-frank-marino-warrant-mothers-finest|title=Rock Candy Records Latest – Frank Marino, Warrant, Mother's Finest|publisher=MelodicRock.com|date=April 6, 2017}}</ref>