The Mothers

The Mothers of Invention was the primary backing band of Frank Zappa, formed in 1964 when Zappa joined the R&B group The Soul Giants. The original lineup featured vocalist Ray Collins, bassist Roy Estrada, and drummer Jimmy Carl Black. After signing to Verve Records, the band was renamed The Mothers of Invention at the label's insistence, though Zappa typically referred to them simply as The Mothers.

Throughout the 1960s, the group expanded to include guitarist Elliot Ingber, woodwind player Bunk Gardner, saxophonist Motorhead Sherwood, keyboardist Don Preston, multi-instrumentalist Ian Underwood, and drummers Billy Mundi and Art Tripp. This ensemble appeared on landmark albums including "Freak Out!" (1966), "Absolutely Free" (1967), "We're Only In It For The Money" (1967), "Cruising With Ruben & the Jets" (1968), and "Uncle Meat" (1969).

During Zappa's jazz and classical rock period of 1969-1970, the group was augmented by violinists Don "Sugarcane" Harris and Jean-Luc Ponty, percussionist Ruth Underwood, and drummers Aynsley Dunbar and John Guerin. From 1970-1972, Zappa assembled a new lineup featuring Flo & Eddie and bassist Jim Pons, along with keyboardist George Duke. Subsequent albums "Waka Jawaka" and "The Grand Wazoo" featured jazz-rock compositions with trumpeter Sal Marquez. The band returned to vocal rock with jazz elements on "Over-Nite Sensation" (1973), "Apostrophe" (1974), and "One Size Fits All" (1975), before Zappa disbanded the group in 1975.