1970-1971; 1973-1975

(Better known, pre-Zappa Records/UMe's 2012 remasters, as Frank Zappa and The Mothers of Invention)

After disbanded the first incarnation of The Mothers of Invention in 1969, Frank Zappa formed a new version of the Mothers in the early 70's that included Ian Underwood, Jeff Simmons, George Duke, Aynsley Dunbar and singers Mark Volman and Howard Kaylan. Later adding 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, returning in 1973 with the Mothers' final lineup, which included drummer Ralph Humphrey, trumpeter Sal Marquez, keyboardist/vocalist George Duke, trombonist Tom Fowler, bassist Bruce Fowler, percussionist Ruth Underwood and keyboardist/saxophonist Ian Underwood. The final album using the Mothers as a backing band was the Frank Zappa & Captain Beefheart's collaboration Bongo Fury from 1975.
Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.
Artist biography from last.fm